Shinty in Ballachulish was synonymous with slate; the Quarry was the heart of the village and from the Quarry came all the great exponents of the game. Being firstly quarriers the players were almost to a man ambidextrous, caused undoubtedly by the handling of hammers etc. in the slate trade - an added advantage when handling the caman. In earlier times the village was split into two teams, East and West Laroch, and great was the rivalry between them, and to add spice to this rivalry neighbouring Glencoe also provided a team.

These happenings were long before my time, but I was brought up hearing of such names as John (bull) MacIntyre; Allan MacLachlan (Ailean Beag); Donald McLachlan (Domhnall Ruadh); Robert Carmichael (Ropan Iain Ruadh); John MacDonald (MacGlashan) and many other stalwarts that graced the game and brought the coveted Scottish cup to the village before the Great War. May I add that an advantage these teams of yeter year had over their opponents was the fact they were all gaelic speakers - a useful bonus when conversing with team mates during a game, especially if the opposing team did not speak or understand the language.

No-one who ever visited the 'Jubilee Park', player or spectator, could ever forget the fervour of the support the 'Reds' enjoyed. The women of the village were as vociferous as the men in their acclamation of the team, and equally as knowledgeable.

All sports have their characters and shinty in Ballachulish was not different - a few of these characters on the field of play come readily to mind:Lachie (Swindler) MacDonald, a gifted player and prankster; Peter (Fluir) MacColl, a beautiful handler of the caman; Sandy (Jenny) MacMillan, whom I recall always wore a cap while planing; his brother Allan, another talented player; Hugh MacInnes, who when his playing days were over took part in the administrative side of the game and was affectionately called the 'Manager'. Hugh still supports the Reds at all games in the Jubilee.Off the field of play characters were numerous and too many to record here but two I will mention - firstly John 'Jamack' Lawrie, a great lover of the game and his team. During a game 'Jamack' was up and down the side line shouting his support, usually 'Come on the Reds' and always 'Play the game Ref'. He was a genuine favourite with all the boys who played. No-one who ever played for the 'Reds and returned form Oban on the late train on a Saturday night will ever forget the scene at the station especially if the team was returning victorious. The station would be packed with people and there among them my other great character, Mary 'Drumair' MacDonald, blowing incessantly on a bugle to welcome the team home.

There were many great occasions in the 'Jubilee', but none greater than when either of the Oban teams were the visitors - Oban Camanachd under the 'Struth' like figure of ex Provost Donald Skinner and Oban Celtic, the pride of Harry Dunn. These men were giants of the sport they loved, and defeat to them was never on the cards. On such occasions the 'Jubilee' became their 'Colosseum' and the players the 'Gladiators' - a win over Camanachd or Celtic was a result dearly sought by the 'Reds'.

Between the wars, shinty had its ups and downs in the village and here I will mention someone who did more than most to keep his beloved game alive in the village, non other than Donald (Padhraig) McGregor, who was instrumental in keeping shinty alive during the 1930s, a great benefactor and a real Highland gentleman. Prior to the last war Ballachulish began to emerge as a force again and were in the final of the MacTavish Cup in Inverness. This was a memorable occasion. Caberfeidh had some great players in their ranks, to name but some the Cumming Brothers and Sandy Bartlett, and Ballachulish were well served by such stalwarts as Fordie MacMillan, Alister MacInnes, 'Ginger' Wilson and Alister Kemp. Just as this team were emerging as a force in the shinty world, the war started and shinty went into cold storage and the boys went off to war. The post war years from 1946 to the 50's were great years in the annals of shinty in Ballachulish; shinty was back with a vengeance and the two teams, Senior and Junior, enjoyed support without parallel. The junior team won the Sutherland Cup and the Seniors were going through a purple patch, and once again the names of the players were on the lips of the young boys of the village who all wished to emulate their heroes. Just as today's boys speak of Davy Cooper, Danny McGrain, Willie Miller, the boys of these days spoke of the exploits of the peerless Hugh (Seedy) Lawrie, Calum McGregor, Dalston MacColl, Donald and Jack Dunn, Donald Rose, Alan (Cabar) MacKenzie, Ian MacColl, Hugh Christie, and that prince among goalkeepers James MacLachlan to name but a few and that great player and sportsman, and captain for the team in that memorable year when having lost to Newtonmore in the Camanachd Cup in Inverness - he led his team to victory over the said Newtonmore in a classic MacTavish Final in Fort William. the player in question none other than John (Johnack) Carmichael. These were great years for shinty in Ballachulish, we would all like to see them return, Unfortunately, with the closing down of the Quarry, young men had to drift to the city for work and many played the old game with city teams. At present a hard working committee are doing their utmost to keep interest and the game alive in Ballachulish. We wish them well and in finishing one word to the boys who now wear the famous 'Red' jersey, wear it with pride and feel privileged to follow in the footsteps of these great players of the past who wore it with distinction.

Se mo durachd gum bith camanachd-Fada beo ann an 'Gleann Baile Chaol' By Arhie Kennedy
Story from Archie Kennedy from the Shinty Year Book 1986.