Campbell clansfolk unite at Taynuilt gathering

Campbells from as far as Canada and New Zealand headed to Taynuilt for a special family reunion recently.

Around 40 clansfolk, who all share the same great, great, great, great, great grandfather – Captain John Campbell of Duneaves in Glen Lyon and Roroyare – spent the weekend meeting up with lost and found relatives on a visit to their home country.

The families became sheep farmers at Glen Noe and Inverliever in Glen Etive before emigrating to Canada and New Zealand in the early part of the 1900s.

The family tree going back to the 1700s was compiled by Margaret Campbell of Saskatoon, Sask, who visited her homeland over a number of years, staying with her first cousin, the late Margaret Harris of Taynuilt.

Mrs Harris’ three children joined the visiting cousins for a walk and sail up Loch Etive followed by a meal and ceilidh at the Brander Lodge on Saturday night.

The task of helping organise the reunion was shared with one of Mrs Harris’s daughters, Jess Wilson. Mrs Harris, who died in 2014, was born and raised at Inverliever Farm. The emigrating Campbells had gone to Canada before starting out again in New Zealand in the 1900s and setting down on farms there – many of them are still farmers.

Mrs Wilson said: ‘Our Taynuilt gathering wasn’t on the same huge scale as the MacIntyres from earlier this summer, but it was just as special to us.’