BY KIRSTY WATT
Bonnie Prince Charlie has returned to Elgol – in the form of two specially commissioned paintings donated last week to the community development trust by a visiting couple.
Lynne Dougan and Neil Haston, Alloa, commissioned artist and illustrator Donald Jack, Ardersier, to paint two paintings depicting Bonnie Prince Charlie’s journey to, and from, Skye for the Elgol Exhibition, which is this year celebrating 150 years of the village primary school.
The exhibition, run by the Elgol and Strathaird Development Trust, is located within the mothballed Elgol Primary School and features local historical and geological displays and a small shop selling local artwork and literature.
Hermione Lamond, chair of the ESDT, told the Free Press: “The paintings are a fantastic thing to have because they tie in with the local history. It’s incredibly generous of Lynne and Neil to think of the exhibition and the development trust in that way, so we are incredibly grateful to them.”
Lynne and Neil have been visiting Elgol with their family for over 30 years and wanted to give something back to the community which would bring to life the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie and his link to Elgol.
After his defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, Bonnie Prince Charlie fled to Uist. Chased by the Redcoats, Flora MacDonald sailed him over to Skye before he ended up in Elgol, where Captain John MacKinnon hid him in a cave; and legend has it, that it was here, in this cave, that the prince, in thanks for his hiding, handed over his treasured recipe for Drambuie to the local captain.
Depicting this story, one of the commissioned paintings features Flora and Bonnie Prince Charlie at the bow of a boat, while the other features the prince and Captain John MacKinnon (complete with MacKinnon tartan) hiding in the cave.
Neil told the Free Press: “We came to the exhibition last year and I found an old school book which depicted an imaginary scene with Bonnie Prince Charlie looking out of a cottage window at the view – the same view as the one from the school.
“It was just imaginary, but it got me thinking: in history, there is only about one image of Bonnie Prince Charlie looking out of the Elgol cave, so I said to Donald Jack, how do you fancy the idea?”
Lynne added: “We just thought it was a nice thing to do since we come up here all the time, several times a year. It’s important we preserve our culture and history and actually teach it because I don’t think it’s taught enough in school.
“And I like the fact the ESDT are doing something with the school through having the exhibition. It was such a shame when the school was mothballed; somebody could have bought it – you see that happening, schools and churches being bought, all over the place – but then that’s them gone from community ownership.
“With the ESDT doing something with the school, it means, if in time there are enough children here to justify reopening it, the building is still here and they can re-open it. And in the meantime, the historical and geological information displayed is fascinating!”
Lynne and Neil have donated the paintings to the ESDT on loan and have given them full artist licence to scan and use the paintings to make postcards and other items which can be sold for community benefit.
