This photo was sent to the web site e-mail address by Andrew Jamieson who thought it was of a shinty team in the Boleskine area. His father was George Jamieson who in the front row. In further correspondence with Andrew, it was established that his father came from Fort Augustus before the Second World War. So having narrowed down the district, it now remained to find the names of the participants, the location and a date for when the photo was taken. I am grateful for the assistance of Jimmy Patterson, The Riggs Fort Augustus) who, along with his cousin Donald (Doick) Macintosh, managed to name all but one of the group, taken in early May 1935 at a six a side local competition as part of the King George V Silver Jubilee events . No mean feat indeed after seventy years and also the location on the shinty field of that time called the Piggery Park which was below Caledonian Hotel.  Having the names of the players in the picture greatly increases the interest of the photo. How many group photos though nice to look at it is only when individuals are identified, reason for the group being together and the location that the picture begins to tell its story.

  Fort Augustus Shinty club were formed around 1881. A newspaper report in Jan 1884 mentioned the third annual match against Glengarry. Fort Augustus played games against other local teams such as Invermorrison and also one against Stratherrick in 1890 at Whitebridge which they won by a hail to nil. In the early years due to the lack of road transport and the time taken in travelling  the steamer was sometimes used as transport to away matches. One friendly match against Foyers in March 1898, the ordinary Saturday steamer service was cancelled, so The Fort Augustus team and friends rowed in small boats the 12 miles to Foyers, were they beat the local club by two goals to nil .

  Fort Augustus entered competitive shinty for the first time in the 1896-97 season when they entered the Camanachd Cup, throughout the years involved in this competition they never managed to qualify from their district . The Mactavish Cup as far as known was first entered for in the 1908-09 season . Fort Augustus defeated Foyers and Inverness on route to the final where they met current cup holders Wester Ross at the Victoria Park Inverness.  After a close game which Wester Ross were in the lead twice, but Fort Augustus won the cup by three goals to two. The following year Fort Augustus retained the cup by defeating Inverness on route to final where once again they met Wester Ross. This time they were held two goals apiece in the first game, but in the replay they once again managed to come from behind to win by three goals to two. Fort Augustus once again reached the final the next year but went down heavily to Inverness. After these early successes  in the Mactavish Fort Augustus never reached these heights again  only reaching the semi-final in 1935.  The Gleann Mor Cup which initially was a league competition, was entered for first in 1906 and in that year Fort Augustus lost in the final match to Spean Bridge at the Abbey Park Fort Augustus.  Though Fort Augustus contested several more Gleann Mor Cup finals, it is only confirmed that they won the Cup in 1911.  Fort Augustus entered the Macgillivray league for the first time in 1930-31 season and reached the final for their one and only time in four years later were they went down to Caberfiedh  by five goals to nil. In the junior side of the game the furthest they progressed in the Sutherland and Strathdearn Cups was in season 1926-27 when they reached the semi-finals of both competitions only to Newtonmore in the Sutherland and either Caberfiedh or Strathnairn in the Strathdearn .

  In season 48-49 saw the amalgamation between Fort Augustus and their great local rivals Glengarry to form the Inveroich Shinty Club. A move it was hoped would lead to a strong team from the area capable of beating the best and senior honours would follow. The Inveroich club certainly had talent in abundance but no honours came their way, in the Camanachd they never progressed out of their district . While in the Mactavish they made the semi-final on three occasions, losing out to Newtonmore twice and Lovat the other time . The Macgillivray league saw them generally in the top half of the table, capable of beating the best, but overall they never won their section to qualify for the final. Inveroich for a couple of seasons also entered Junior sides in the Sutherland and Strathdearn Cups, but once again with limited success only making the quarter final in the Sutherland Cup the first year .

The only success for the area in this period was the Campbell Quaich, competed for by shinty teams consisting of members of British Legion. Fort August British Legion Shinty team which was made up of players from Inveroich, won the trophy in its first year 1950 and were runners up the following year. 

  Season 1955-56 saw Inverioch fold and only the Fort Augustus club reform, continuing to play senior shinty but two years later saw then entering only junior competitions . Season 1958-59 saw no Fort Augustus team entered competitions and it was only six years later in early 1964 that there was moves made to start a club in the village again . In September that year the club was reformed playing in junior competition and this continued up till the end of 1967-68 season when the club again folded. 

  The next time Fort Augustus Shinty Club reformed was in season 1983-84, entering the North League Division Four and all the junior cup competitions. Unfortunately the following season the club never fulfilled any fixtures and went once again into abeyance which has continued up to the present day.

  There has been some interchange of players between the Stratherrick and Fort Augustus district over the years. Jock McInnes (Jock Fort) played for Foyers in their Strathdearn cup wins of 1912,  Danny Cameron played in Stratherrick's Mactavish final team in 1927, whilst Allan Macpherson turned out for Fort Augustus in the Macgillivray final of 1935. Jock Macpherson (Mactavish) played for Fort Augustus in the late thirties as did Danny Campbell the late forties, in the latter period Alan Macrimmond turned out for Foyers.   Willie Cooper, Teep Macdonald and Jim Muir played for Inveroich and  Leslie Stoddart and Alla Macgruer donned the colours of Fort Augustus in the late sixties. Players since the seventies Fort Augustus men Allan Macdonald, Willie and Jimmy Jack,  Barry Patterson, the Ferguson brothers, Neil, Scott, Andrew and Ewen, Weslie Bloor, Kevin Baker and Martin Patterson have pulled on the black and gold of Boleskine

Photo in index page Jimmy Patterson .

  A booklet Fort Augustus Shinty Club (A Short History)  by Alister Chisholm has been published, price £3 + P&P. The booklet give a more extensive history of the Fort Augustus Shinty Club expanding on the details given on the short summery above and includes pictures of past teams

Copies are available from A Chisholm 01463715713 or alister.chisholm@btinternet.com

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