2011-12 Photos of the Argyllshire Gathering and Oban Games

[creagdhubh]

Great pics of a number of friends!

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[creagdhubh]

Some great pics there, more than a few acquaintances of mine, Iain MacFadyen, Callum Beaumont, my SPSL predecessor Angus Nicol, Jamie Forrester, Glenn Brown, Tracy Williams, Innes Smith, Ranald MacDonnell of Glengarry and of course your friend Matt, who I have met on several occassions. He is always very good company.

That he is! I am pleased that you were able to see a few acquaintances of yours throughout the photos - makes it all the more special.

Cheers,

[creagdhubh]

Splendid pics Kyle !! This one is my fav of the Duke . Thanks for sharing !

Best regards .

A superb photo, indeed. His Grace with his lovely wife, the Duchess of Argyll and their wonderful children. Always a very smart looking family!

Cheers,

[creagdhubh]

The Marquess of Lorne and Lord Rory Campbell...look like a handful!

Indeed, Sandy! Hahaha!

[SlackerDrummer]

It's a shame that The Oban Times doesn't offer higher resolution photos than these. None of the tweeds were done any favors by the compression of the pictures for the Web.

[creagdhubh]

It's a shame that The Oban Times doesn't offer higher resolution photos than these. None of the tweeds were done any favors by the compression of the pictures for the Web.

I couldn't agree more, Kenneth. Even still, I think the photos are most enjoyable.

[creagdhubh]

Great set of photos Kyle and fantastic variety of colours in the tweed jackets. Would love to get hold of a few of them.

In regards to the tweeds, me too! And even though I have attended the Argyllshire Gathering and Oban Games several times, I cannot receive credit for this wonderful selection of photos. They were taken by a photographer for The Oban Times in Argyll; however, they have not been copyrighted and I was granted written permission (via e-mail) to use them. The same goes for the Aboyne Games photos and the Clan Farquharson photos - two threads on XMTS, in which I started a while back.

On another note, the majority of the Clan Macpherson photos are indeed my own; either taken by me, my wife, or a member of my family. Those that were not taken by me, or a member of my family, are always granted permission by their respected owner for use.

Cheers,

[creagdhubh]

Ah, you are correct. I got some misinformation from that other thread, and apparently didn't read far enough to see that it was corrected there. I've edited my post so as not to repeat the same mistake. Thanks for that, Kyle.

No worries! Much thanks and credit goes to Sandy (JSFMACLJR) for catching it in the thread you referred to.

That's the other thing that really caught my eye about these photos. The lovely tweeds. I see some terrific combinations of tweeds, tartans, and patterned ties that really reinforces Jock Scot's advice for not worrying about being matchy-matchy.

I agree. Matchy-matchy may seem more appropriate for Highland evening attire, when you typically see either glittering silver, brass, or gold, yet with Highland day attire, it really isn't a concern.

I also take note of the bonnets being worn. Aside from the black Glengarries worn by pipers, we almost uniformly see the gentlemen wearing Lovat green or Lovat blue Balmorals (with only a few black ones thrown in, and at least one 'fawn' coloured one). Considering recent discussions about the shapes, colours, and wearing styles of Balmorals, I see a nice range of styles here. What's interesting is that even though the majority of bonnets are virtually the same type and colour, they each have their own unique style of wearing them. Unlike other types of hats that men wear, the Balmoral really does lend itself to personalization.

Take, for instance, this photo. The style I've tried to emulate with my own Balmorals is like the one on the left (this appears to be Charlie MacDougall), where the crown flops to the right, well over the edging. But the fellow in the center (sorry, I don't know who he is) wears his more centered on his head, and it actually looks pretty good. It's not a crisp "flying saucer" look, but rather more floppy and soft.



Then you have His Grace, the Duke of Argyll, whose bonnet has a much smaller crown and appears older and more 'crushed'. If I remember correctly, that bonnet was passed to him from his father, and has a long history. Is that correct? It certainly has its own particular personalized look, while still being of the same general style.

Great observations, Tobus. It is interesting to see the variation of shapes and sizes in regards to the many Balmorals being worn, with the majority, like you said, being of the Lovat green or blue variety. This further demonstrates personal preferences and tastes. As I am sure some of the bonnets shown, are far older and more broken-in than others. I do believe that His Grace, the Duke of Argyll's bonnet was his father's, and was passed down to him, but I am not for certain. There are photos of the former Duke of Argyll wearing the same style of bonnet: diced band, Lovat blue (almost faded to a grayish colour), ribbons tied in a bow, and a scarlet tourie on top. A very distinctive bonnet, especially when the silver crest, enormous plant badge, and eagle feathers are thrown into the mix as well! There was a discussion here on the forum in regards to the Duke of Argyll's bonnet a while back. I rather like the look of a scarlet tourie on a Lovat green, Lovat blue, or fawn Balmoral myself.

A close-up of Charlie MacDougall's bonnet. He is also wearing Teviotex tweed in an 'Argyll' style jacket and waistcoat from Highland Clans.

I also see an impressive array of cromachs and full mask sporrans. Very nice.

Indeed. And do you think any one of them were over-dressed considering the contextual factors of the occasion? I don't think so.

[Tobus]

And do you think any one of them were over-dressed considering the contextual factors of the occasion? I don't think so.

Nope. Looks like they were all dressed perfectly for the occasion, and are indeed great examples of how THCD is done. Including the ladies!

It's interesting to compare photos like these to what we see at the usual Highland Games here in the US, where people are wearing those ghillie shirts, combat boots with scrunched socks, carrying around two-handed claymores, etc. I won't say there's anything "wrong" with that, but it does highlight the huge disparity between traditional Scottish culture and the romanticised Americanized facsimile of it. It would be quite refreshing to see the styles in the photos above represented by the majority of American Highland Games attendees. I think threads like this go a long way in offering visual examples to use as inspiration.

[creagdhubh]

Nope. Looks like they were all dressed perfectly for the occasion, and are indeed great examples of how THCD is done. Including the ladies!

It's interesting to compare photos like these to what we see at the usual Highland Games here in the US, where people are wearing those ghillie shirts, combat boots with scrunched socks, carrying around two-handed claymores, etc. I won't say there's anything "wrong" with that, but it does highlight the huge disparity between traditional Scottish culture and the romanticised Americanized facsimile of it. It would be quite refreshing to see the styles in the photos above represented by the majority of American Highland Games attendees. I think threads like this go a long way in offering visual examples to use as inspiration.

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