Hundreds Gather

[Neeranam]

HUNDREDS GATHER TO MARK ANNIVERSARY OF BATTLE

NICHOLA WORKMAN

08:50 - 16 April 2007

Hundreds of clansmen, families and tourists gathered to bow their heads in remembrance of the men killed in the last bloody battle to be fought on British soil.

In glorious sunshine, a crowd estimated at about 400 stood on Drumossie Moor to mark the 261th anniversary of an hour-long battle which claimed the lives of at least 1,000 Highlanders. The service on Saturday, organised by the Gaelic Society of Inverness, was the first to be held since the battlefield itself was restored to a state close to that on which the Battle of Culloden was fought.

It came as the finishing touches are being put to a new £9.37million visitor centre, which is expected to open this summer, to coincide with the Highland 2007 celebrations.

John Farquhar Munro, the society's chief, told the crowd that the army led by the Duke of Cumberland may have won the battle on April 16, 1746, but the Highlanders can claim the "ultimate victory".

Following the battle, in which 5,000 clansmen faced a 9,000-strong Hanoverian force, there was a crackdown on traditional Scottish culture, with tartan, bagpipes and even the Gaelic language banned.

But speaking to a crowd made up of many people in traditional dress, Mr Munro said: "I think we are here to demonstrate to Cumberland and his men that we have risen above the oppression and cruelty to claim the ultimate victory.

"Our language, culture and music are celebrated all over the world. Gaelic is taught in our schools and new schools are being built to cope with demand. I think we can justifiably claim that Culloden provided us with the ultimate victory which we have come here to properly celebrate today."

The Culloden anniversary service was introduced by the Gaelic society's chairman, Roderick MacCrimmon, and it featured prayers in the traditional Scots language.

Pipers Angus MacDonald and Ronald MacLean performed laments, one traditional and one new creation especially composed to commemorate the battle, entitled "Culloden".

Changes to the battlefield include the construction of a new visitor centre - experts discovered that the old centre was built on land that was used in battle. The altered battlefield was re-dedicated in a prayer by the Rev Dr John Ferguson.

Shonaig Macpherson, chairwoman of the National Trust for Scotland, also spoke to the crowd about the improvements. She said: "Over the last 10 years we have undertaken a great deal of research about the battle. Where the battle plans have been placed on the battlefield was inaccurate.

"The visitor centre was placed on one of the lines.

"It was important to restore the battlefield to its original condition and remove the visitor centre off the battlefield, and to restore it as far as possible to its original state."

At 1pm today a lone piper will play at the memorial cairn on the battlefield for an hour - the duration of the battle.

[cdnvic]

Even as someone of Scottish extraction I couldn't care less, nor see the point of this.

[Tywais]

Not Thai related so closed.