Historic coffin boat to go on public display
Loch Leven is rightly famous for its beautiful setting in south Lochaber, but perhaps less well-known for its ‘Ports of the Dead’.
Now that tale is to be told by Glencoe Folk Museum in a new display organisers plan to open to the public once restrictions imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are relaxed, hopefully later in the year.
The display, installed with help from community volunteers, features a ‘coffin boat’, one of three similar vessels used by local clans to transport bodies to the island of Eilean Munde in Loch Leven.
Eilean Munde, the ‘burial island’, is the site of a graveyard once used by the Stewarts of Ballachulish, the Camerons of Callart and the MacDonalds of Glencoe.
Each clan had its own port – the ‘Ports of the Dead’ – and shared maintenance of the island and graveyard even in times of conflict.
Among the MacDonalds said to be buried there is MacIain, 12th Chief of Glencoe, who was murdered during the infamous massacre of 1692. The last burial took place on the island in 1972.
The boat had been returned to temporary display in 2020 to coincide with VisitScotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters.
These celebrations take place every two years and involve events, exhibitions, festivals and activities around the country highlighting the country’s beautiful seas, lochs, rivers and beaches.
Museum curator Catriona Davidson said: ‘This boat is one of our most significant objects in terms of local history and we are so excited to have it back on display.
‘Obviously there is uncertainty about what will happen over the next few months, but we still hope visitors will be able to come and see this fantastic exhibit later in the year.
Helpers
‘We want to say a huge thank you to our team of helpers, especially Chisholm’s Recovery Specialists which transported the boat from our stores to the museum.’
Although the museum did not open yesterday (Wednesday April 1) as originally planned, the staff are still working hard behind the scenes.
As well as continuing working on an exciting re-development project, they will be cataloguing the museum’s collection, dealing with research inquiries and keeping up their online presence.
People should keep an eye on the museum website and social media pages, where staff will be sharing archive photos, gems from the collection, blog posts and other information.