TWENTY YEARS AGO

Change in the church

Father Shaunie MacAuley, who has been priest of the Church of the Holy Cross in Brodick, for the past five years or so, is to leave Arran in August. He is going to work at Oban Cathedral. Taking over from him will be Father Noel Colford, who is coming from Glasgow.

During Father MacAuley’s stay he was also working in the office of annulments in Glasgow so was not on the island fulltime. Father Colford’s position will be a resident post for the growing congregation of the Holy Cross.

Ferry tales

A new book published two weeks ago called Ferry Tales of Argyll and the Isles by Walter Weyndling devotes a chapter to some 16 routes and islands – and Arran is the first of these.

The first Arran ferry identified between Lochranza and Bute was in 1684. That service did not last very long and, in 1769, an advert was read out in Arran churches to consider establishing a packet boat.

Within two years Saltcoats was chosen as the terminal and two boats were running, one from Saltcoats to Brodick and the other from Imacher to Grogport or Carradale.

Ferry Tales makes for an interesting read and is published by Alan Sutton Publishing of Stroud, Gloucestershire.

Mercat fair

The 200th anniversary of the death of Robert Burns is to be well marked on Arran. There will be the professional Jolly Beggars Show and the one-man show by John Cairney which is to be held at Shiskine Hall and which will now be joined by another ‘Burns event’.

The Mercat Fayre is to be held on Brodick Beach throughout this Friday and it is aimed at those who might have difficulty with Burns’ words.

There will be nine performers in a tented village around a mercat cross and the audience may watch or join in with the Bard, his friends and the townspeople. The event is being presented by the Heritage Events Company on behalf of North Ayrshire Council.

B28twe03 Visitors to the Shiskine Valley sports day watch as the duck derby ducks float down towards the Blackwaterfoot Harbour.

B28twe04caption Winners of the Beaton Cup held at Corrie are Elma Stevenson and Jamie Lees.

B28twe02 Last Sunday was Victorian Day at the Brodick Castle where all of the staff, with the exception of the footman, made their own costumes for the event which ended with a soiree in the drawing room.

B28twe01 Kirsty Henderson, Teresa Brookes and Jane Masters entertain children on Kildonan beach where the North Ayrshire Council’s Play Team were pictured with some of the children.

B28twe06 Nineteen participants get ready for the Kildonan mountain treasure hunt. The junior winner was Finlay McLean and senior was Duncan Yates.