This year's programme of talks (2024-2025) will continue to be 'zoomed'.
Talks will begin at 7.30 pm.
Members will be sent details of the Link, Meeting ID and Password before an event.
September 9th : Richard Jenner, ‘From the Black Isle to Normandy’ Richard will follow the work-up of naval Force S in the Inverness & Moray Firth before the D-Day landings on Sword Beach in 1944. Kept secret at the time were a series of exercises designed to prepare troops for the D-Day landings in Normandy. It had been found that the coastline, beaches and road structure from Nairn to Burghead were similar to those at Ouistreham in Normandy, sometimes also referred to as Sword beach. The exercises involved driving tanks across the Black Isle to Fortrose where they were loaded onto amphibious craft moored to buoys on the Ness of Fortrose before sailing across the Moray Firth.
This meeting will be followed by the AGM.
October 14th: Nick Lindsay ‘Brora Stories’ This whistle stop virtual tour around Brora, it's history, heritage, stories and quirks will surprise you. Brora has a great deal to offer and much of it falls under the category of 'hidden gems'! From its geological origins to its modern day heritage centre and museum development, Nick Lindsay will give a brief, but interesting and entertaining talk on Brora. Sadly, Nick only has limited time to tell you its long and fascinating history, but you will get a good flavour of what has happened, what is happening and what will happen in Brora!
November 11th: Piers Hemy, ‘Some thoughts on the Norse place-names of Easter Ross’ In this talk Piers will outline his thoughts on the Norse place-names of Easter Ross. Piers will cover some of the characteristics of Norse place names in Easter Ross, contrasted with those in the rest of the Highlands.
2025
January 13th: TBA
February 10th: Siobtan Beatson, ‘Lost Inverlael; A’ Lorg Baile Bhlair project’ Siobhan was the lead researcher for Ullapool Museum's Lost Inverlael: A' Lorg Baile Bhlair project. This four year research and archaeological project was funded by Historic Environment Scotland and looked at the relationship between the people, the landscape and the heritage of Lochbroom.
The project celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Inverlael Clearances, seeking to commemorate this event by exploring the historical and cultural landscape of Inverlael through archaeological investigation and historical archival research.