Tobermory and Luss Gatherings

[Jimmy]

Having missed the Loch Lomond Gathering on 14th July because the weather was a wee bit inclement, myself and a few friends had better luck in the last few days on the Isle of Mull and at the village of Luss on the banks of Loch Lomond.

The Tobermory Gathering on the Isle of Mull (home of the clan MacLean) was last Thursday and the weather was quite pleasant. For those familiar with Tobermory, the games or gathering were held at Ledaig Park and afterwards there was a bit of a shindig in the Mishnish pub later on until about 11pm when it closed early because everyone was heading for the ceilidh in the local village hall, this went on until the wee sma' hours.

Despite just getting a few hours sleep, we headed to the far side of the isle to cross over by ferry to the holy isle of Iona, where St. Columba established a christian monastery there, bringing Christianity to Scotland.
It turned out to be a very warm day and the tranquility and peace of Iona with its mystical magic left everyone wanting to spend more time there.

On Sunday we headed to the village of Luss, one of Scotland's prettiest villages, home of the clan Calquhoun, for their annual gathering and games. The weather was warm and initially dry and we enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere at Luss, probably the best part of the afternoon was watching the caber tossing contests, it was brilliant to watch.

So I hope you don't mind me going on too long but it really was good to get out and be able to enjoy yourself without getting soaked by the rain that seems to have fallen every day this year.
Unfortunately my camera was faulty so I have no pics.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Mull is an absolutely beautiful island. My wife and I spent two days driving around Mull back in 2000 and left part of our hearts there. You are correct, Iona is a very special place, as is Ulva, seat of the MacQuarrie clan.

Since you didn't get any pics, I found these on line from 2005:
http://www.mishnish.co.uk/games/

And here is a site with some neat 360 degree Mull photography:
http://www.tobermory.co.uk/panorama/Mull-panorama1.htm

[Graham]

Yes I second that about Mull and Iona.
Iona is very much one of the "thin places", I loved every second I was there in 2005.

[Jimmy]

Mull is an absolutely beautiful island. My wife and I spent two days driving around Mull back in 2000 and left part of our hearts there. You are correct, Iona is a very special place, as is Ulva, seat of the MacQuarrie clan.

Since you didn't get any pics, I found these on line from 2005:
http://www.mishnish.co.uk/games/

And here is a site with some neat 360 degree Mull photography:
http://www.tobermory.co.uk/panorama/Mull-panorama1.htm

Thanks for the pics and websites, appreciated.