Tour Scotland travel video, with Scottish music, of Gairloch on visit to Wester Ross in the North West Highlands. Gairloch, Scottish Gaelic: Geàrrloch, meaning Short Loch is a village, civil parish and community on the shores of Loch Gairloch. The lands around Gairloch have been mostly in the ownership of the Mackenzies of Gairloch since the 15th century, when they were acquired by Hector Roy Mackenzie, died 1528, with a family house in the sheltered glen of Flowerdale. The Mackenzies were clan leaders in the traditional sense and were known for their attachment to their tenants. During the 19th century, Sir Hector Mackenzie and his sons Sir Francis and Dr John Mackenzie refused to evict a single tenant during the clearances, despite the estate running at a loss. As a result, evicted Highlanders from other communities came to live in the area and has caused Gairloch to maintain a thriving community even today.
The use of the Cabar Feidh, or deers' horns, as the crest of the Clan Mackenzie, is thought to have originated in a brave deed done by Colin Fitzgerald. He was hunting with King Alexander III, in the forest of Mar in 1265 when an infuriated stag, closely pursued by the hounds, charged the king. Colin interposed, and shot the stag in the head with an arrow. The grateful monarch granted to Colin a stag's head puissant as his armorial bearing. Sir John Broik was rector of Gairloch at the time of the Reformation, and continued so until his death in 1583. The Reverend Alexander Mackenzie was in 1583 presented to the parsonage and vicarage of Gairloch, vacant by the decease of Sir John Broik. Mr Mackenzie was vicar of Gairloch in 1590. He was the first vicar of Gairloch appointed after the Reformation. In 1608 the Reverend Farquhar MacRae was appointed vicar of Gairloch by Bishop Leslie of Ross. In 1649 the Reverend Roderick Mackenzie, third son of Roderick Mackenzie of Knock-backster, was admitted minister of Gairloch, and continued so until his death in March 1710, after an incumbency of sixty one years. The Reverend John Morrison became minister of Gairloch on 1st March 1711. Surnames were little used in Gairloch in old times, and it is supposed that many persons of different races who settled in the Mackenzie country were after a time reckoned to be Mackenzies. Possibly the clan name was originally adopted only as a means of connecting the follower with his chief, whose tartan of course he wore for identification. Some female names in Gairloch sound unusual to lowland ears, i.e. those formed by adding ina to a man's name not usually associated with that termination in the lowlands, for example, Simonina, Donaldina, Murdina, Seumasina, Jamesina, Angusina, and Hectorina. Up to the middle of the seventeenth century Gairloch seems to have been a continual battlefield. Among the MacBeaths, M'Leods, Macdonalds, and Mackenzies, assisted by MacRaes, Gairloch was a veritable bone of contention; and for some time after the fierce struggles among the warriors of these clans or tribes had ceased it was still a prey to the raids of the Lochaber cattle raiders.
Among very numerous instances of the application of bynames or nicknames to men who lived in Gairloch include; Donald Og, Alie Ruadh, Uilleam Ruadh, Alie Beag, Iain Dubh, Eachainn Geal, Seann Seoc, and Alie Uistean, meaning respectively Young Donald, Red haired Alexander, Red haired William, Little Alexander, Black John, White Hector, Old Jock, and Alexander Hugh. Young Donald was an elderly man; Little Alexander was a tall man; Old Jock acquired the name as a boy because he had then an old head on young shoulders; and Alexander Hugh was so called because he had an ancestor named Hugh, though he himself was baptized Alexander only. In each of these cases the individual is either a Mackenzie, Urquhart, or Maclennan, but is never so called by his neighbours.
Gairloch is the final resting place of the Gaelic bard Uilleam Ros or William Ross, born 1762, died 1791, known as 'the Gairloch bard. Ross was born in Broadford on Skye and travelled extensively throughout the Western Isles, becoming known for his knowledge of different varieties of Gaelic. He composed several romantic poems attempting to win the affection of Marion Ross of Stornoway, who apparently never responded to his attention. George McIver was born on 12 June 1859, in Gairloch, he was a Scottish born Australian science fiction writer. In 1894 Neuroomia: A New Continent: A Manuscript Delivered from the Deep was published which offers an account of the discovery of a high tech society of Martians who had been sent to earth due to overcrowding on Mars. He died in 1945.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
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