What a privilege it is to be a part of the Clanranald Trust and Duncarron. It was our first event of the year at the weekend, Spirit of Duncarron, and it will take some beating for the amount of fantastic experiences that were packed into such a short amount of time.
After a day of hard work getting the site ready on Friday, we moved in to the fort. Our tents were set up in the top section, the Chieftain’s palisade, where they would be out of sight of our visitors the next day. Camping, within the walls that I helped build, camping in a medieval fort. It’s not your everyday experience. Our medieval kitchen was our base for food cooked over fires and socialising with each other and our guests. Drinking, eating, singing and laughing with bakers from Luxembourg, Historic Saltire, the Disinherited, our German and Italian Clan visitors, Dougie MacLean and his lovely wife; as well as Ometlan, the Aztec dancers.
With it being the summer solstice, it was a special weekend for our Aztec friends. They paid us the huge honour of calling on their ancestors and the guardians to bless our fort. An intricate ritual began on Friday afternoon and went on right through the night until after dawn. It is without doubt that Duncarron is now well and truly under the protection of all who were listening. Fire, music, incense and song combined to give us all a very unique experience of a culture that we would otherwise never have come across.
The event itself was well attended. With performances by our very own Saor Patrol on their home turf for a rare change, the spectacular Ometlan and the wonderful Dougie MacLean, there was quite a show to draw in the visitors. What better setting to dance to the Gael and sing along to Caledonia? Add to that the stalls of handcrafted goods, have-a-go archery, medieval displays and cookery, a children’s battle, half naked wrestling, freshly cooked food, the great Scottish schiltron, and there really was something for everyone.
The weather played its usual unique part, going from cold, grey wind to hot, bright sunshine in a never ending cycle that had us doing our own kind of dance involving layers of clothing off and on again at regular intervals. We talked with our visitors, shared our enthusiasm for all that we do, danced to the music and brought our own kind of blessing on Clanranald’s year ahead. Only at Duncarron could I ever have experienced a weekend like this. Knowing these people as well as I do, I can guarantee that there will be many more that will be completely different but just as memorable.
