11th - 18th September 2023
On the Easter Ross Peninsula
Inspiring A Community With Creativitiy
Inspiring A Passion For Heritage
The Easter Ross Peninsula is part of the Highland Pictish Trail which takes you from Inverness to Golspie in Sutherland, exploring the mysterious and beautiful carved stones made by the Pictish people who lived in the area from 3rd to 9th Centuries AD. The peninsula also has a rich history featuring royalty, links to the first bid for Scottish Independence and of course the patron Saint of Tain - St Duthac.
St Duthac Patron Saint of Tain
The St Duthac Book and Arts Festival proudly takes its name from the Patron Saint of Tain. St Duthac, or Duthus, or Duthak, lived from 1000 to 1065. and was an important figure in the Celtic Church.
A chapel was built in his honour and a sanctuary established at Tain in the thirteenth century, and was ministered by the Norbertine canons of Fearn Abbey. A century later, this sanctuary was notably breached by English supporters who captured Robert the Bruce's wife, daughter and sisters sheltering in the chapel.[4] The chapel was burnt later in political violence between regional power groups, namely the Clan MacKay and the Clan Ross. The ruins of the chapel still exist as a centrepiece of St Duthus Old Burial Ground on the shores of the Dornoch Firth. (source Saint Duthac - Wikipedia - 7/2/2023)
