Charity boxing match
St Columba on his travels
An exhibition celebrating the life and legacy of St Columba is travelling to Kilmartin Museum.
The Kilmartin stop is part of a 12-month tour marking the 1,500th anniversary of Colmcille.
Displayed throughout Ireland in 2021, the exhibition is a nod to the cultural, historical and religious inheritance of Colmcille, who holds significant prominence in the early history of Christianity. Revered as one of Ireland’s three patron saints, his life has become interwoven with folklore and legends. Beyond Ireland, he played a pivotal role in disseminating Christianity across Scotland, England, and various parts of Europe.
For the first time, the exhibition is coming to Scotland and has kindly been loaned by Donegal Museum to tour Argyll throughout 2023/24. Special thanks has gone to Donegal County Museum and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media for their support.
As it tours sites across Argyll, the exhibition will be accompanied by a wide range of Gaelic culture and language events. Touring St Columba is now on its third leg of travels in our region, having previously visited Campbeltown Museum and the Islay Gaelic Centre.
Touring St Columba was created by Culture, Heritage and Arts Assembly, Argyll and Isles (CHARTS), supported by Argyll and Bute Council, Bòrd na Gàidhlig and Foras na Gaeilge linking up Gaelic speakers in Ireland and
Scotland. On Saturday March 30, from 6.30pm until 8.30pm, CHARTS will host the exhibition’s opening evening with an multilingual event in the museum, featuring visual arts from CHARTS Colmcille Awards 2020-22, a welcome and Kilmartin area lore and song with CHARTS Gaelic culture officer Àdhamh Ó Broin, performances and talks from Gaelic tradition bearer James MacDonald Reid and music from harpist Aoibheann Devlin and guitarist Déaglán Ó Doibhlin.
Light refreshments will be provided. This event is free and open to the public but you need to register here first: https://www. eventbrite.co.uk/e/cuairt-chaluim-chille-mhartainn-st-columba-travels-to-kilmartin-tickets-851520389407?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Visitors to the St Columba’s exhibition will not have access to the Kilmartin Museum’s permanent collection because it is still shut for winter until Thursday April 25.
This 12-month tour ends on Sunday June 9, the Feast Day of St Columba, on Iona.
From left: Aileen Dominck, self-directed support officer, Argyll and Bute; Julie Sinclair, Dochas Centre manager; Jaynie Mitchell, Coalition of Carers in Scotland; and Nicole Pate, support worker.
Carers’ rights session
Carers in Mid Argyll attended a session on carers’ rights, organised by the Dochas Centre in Lochgilphead, on Thursday March 14.
The event took place in Ardrishaig Public Hall and offered advice about how to make good use of self-directed support packages.
Jaynie Mitchell, from the Coalition of Carers in Scotland, was the keynote speaker.
She has years of experience working with families and individuals to develop support that makes sense to them.
Jaynie is also a carer to her son and shared some of the ways her family used his budget to create a good life for him.
The event was attended by carers, social workers, Councillor Dougie Philand, Argyll and Bute Council’s self-directed support officer and representatives from Community Contacts, which helps people to navigate self-directed support.
It examined how self-directed support should work in an individualised way to fit what can make a difference to specific families.
Carers can get more help and information by contacting Community Contacts on 01546 886 285; The Dochas Centre on 01546 60 0022 or Jaynie Mitchell at jaynie@carersnet.org.
An apprentice electrician from Ardrishaig is taking part in a charity boxing match in Glasgow on Sunday, to raise money for an MS charity.
Finlay Kerr, 18, works for MacLeods and attends college in Paisley.
He is raising money for Sportin MS at his Ultra White Collar Boxing match.
His mum Pasqua Faccenda, who has had MS for 14 years, said she jokingly teased him about raising cash for charity.
She said: “He has raised over £2,000 on his JustGiving page already. He is doing it for an MS charity, he is doing it for me, I’m so proud.
“He has always been interested in boxing and goes to Glasgow twice a week for college, where he has been going to boxing training.
“I can’t believe how proud I am. At 18 I was drinking. He has not been drinking, is eating healthy and training all the time. The commitment is amazing.”
She will be watching his match on a livestream on Sunday.
The proud mum said: “I don’t know how I’m going to feel when I see someone punch him in the face.
“All the businesses in Ardrishaig have got behind him, family of his dad’s, family of mine, friends, it really is so touching.”