Ballachulish Community Council Website

Ballachulish Community Council

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Tuesday 4 June 2013 7pm Shinty Pavilion, Ballachulish

Ballachulish Community Council Bonfire & Fireworks Night Will Take Place On The 9th November 2013


       

The name Ballachulish (in Gaelic, Baile a' chaolais) means "settlement on the strait". The strait in question is Caolas Mag Phadraig - Peter or Patrick's narrows, at the mouth of Loch Leven. The principal industry is now tourism, although most visitors pass swiftly by the village itself.

Shinty is a popular local sport and the village is the traditional boundary of the North/South divide in shinty, with teams north of the village playing in the North district's competitions and those South playing in their respective competitions. Ballachulish's shinty team plays in the South Leagues. However, Ballachulish is still considerably far North in relation to most of Scotland. As there was no road to the head of Loch Leaven, until it was built in 1927, the Ballachulish ferry, established in 1733, and that at Caolas na Con were essential. The Ballachulish ferry closed in December 1975 when the Ballachulish Bridge finally opened.

The hamlet of Glenachulish (pronounced Glen - ah - hoolish) lies in Gleann a'Chaolais, the glen that runs down to the narrows. This is the subject of the beautiful Gaelic Song, Gleann Bhaile Chaoil. Gleann a'Chaolais is ringed by Beinn a'Bheithir (pronounced Ben Vair), a massif which contains two munros - Sgorr Dhearg and Sgorr Domhnuill. Glenachulish originally consisted of a row of forestry houses. In recent years a number of new houses have been built locally along with holiday chalets and an art gallery. In recent years the fields of Gleann a'Chaolias have been turned into a 9-hole golf course.

Overlooking the narrows is the monument to James of the Glen, "hanged on this spot for a crime of which he was not guilty". Robert Louis Stevenson based his novel Kidnapped around the story of the Appin Murder. Whoever did kill the Red Fox (Campbell of Glenure) is still not known, but the story is a reminder that a people subject to unjust occupation and persecution, as the Jacobite Highlanders were, will sometimes resort to violence and rebellion.

If anyone has any images they would like put up onto the Ballachulish Website please email them to;
quote@oxoxdesignandevents.co.uk or post them to 8 West Laroch Ballachulish PH49 4JJ. All images will be returned.