Highland Archive Centre

HCA/D1835/1/1/3/3 Inverness Royal Academy Football Team, 1932

According to a note on the reverse of this photograph, this Inverness Royal Academy football team were unbeaten against all other school teams throughout the season, only drawing one game against the combined Banffshire schools’ team.

Back row: H. Urquhart, F. Mackintosh, D. Peterkin, C. Macintyre, R. Young
Front row: J. Henderson, G. Hogg, D. Macrae, W. Fraser, W. Kennedy, M. Murchison

We're looking forward to speaking at an upcoming conference at University of Strathclyde Centre for Lifelong Learning at the end of June.

'Beyond the Family Tree: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on AI, DNA, Education and Community in Genealogy' will look at the multiple strands (and impacts) of genealogical research and Lorna will be speaking about our work in creating a family tree to illustrate the Highland connection to the ownership of enslaved people in the Caribbean.

Tickets for the conference, and full programme details, are available via the link below.

https://www.strath.ac.uk/studywithus/centreforlifelonglearning/genealogy/beyondfamilytreeconference2026/beyondfamilytreeconferenceprogramme/

High Life Highland

Beyond Family Tree Conference Programme | University of Strathclyde The Strathclyde Institute for Genealogical Studies (SIGS) will hold an international academic genealogy conference in Scotland at the University of Strathclyde, June 25-26, 2026. The conference will be hybrid with some events in person only including evening receptions. On June 24, a separate sy...

HCA/CRC/5/3/60/I Dingwall Academy U-18 Football Team, 1988-89

This image appears in the Dingwall Academy school magazine published in 1989, titled ‘the Jubilee Edition’ as it was 50 years since that school building opened on Tulloch Brae, now since demolished.

The team photo is of the Dingwall Academy under-18s, which no doubt includes many familiar faces to Dingwallians. Front and centre, though, is someone well known among Highland football fans, Barry Wilson, who was the son of Ross County manager (1987-1996), Bobby Wilson. Barry went on to carve out a successful career in football, representing Ross County, Raith Rovers, Caley Thistle, Livingston, St Johnstone, Queen of the South, Peterhead, Elgin, and Wick Academy.

He was part of the famous Caley Thistle team who rocked Scottish football with their 3-1 victory over Celtic at Parkhead in the Scottish Cup in 2000, with Barry scoring the opening goal.

It's been a very busy few days for events and on Saturday it was great to share a stall with Inverness Library at Eden Court Theatre and Cinema for Highland Pride. Thanks to all the hundreds of people who came to chat to us about the work of High Life Highland libraries and archives!

It's and it was such a pleasure for Lorna and Jamie (Am Baile - Highland History and Culture) to spend it marking the 40th anniversary of Gaelic Medium Education with The Highland Council Gaelic Team, Fèisean nan Gàidheal, and others at Cultarlann Inbhir Nis.

Throughout the day we welcomed pupils from Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis and Inverness Royal Academy Gaelic Medium Unit to look at our newly created exhibition on the story of Gaelic in Education. As you can see from the photographs they worked intently on the quiz we'd created for the event!

Then in the afternoon around 90 members of the public, including ex-pupils, current and ex- teachers and others with an interest in Gaelic Medium Education came to look at photos, share memories and enjoy the celebration of 40 years since the first Gaelic Medium Unit in Highland opened at Central School.

High Life Highland The Highland Council

HCA/D1293/5/2 Clachnacuddin FC, 1982

Clachnacuddin FC, commonly known as “Clach” was founded in 1885 and was one of the seven founding members of the Highland League in 1893. They hold the joint-record (with Caledonian or “Caley”) of being champions eighteen times, the last being in 2003-2004. Pictured above are: Back row – H. Morrison, D. Shearer, D. Cowie, J. Rae, A. Chisholm, D. Arris, D. Wright, D. Masson, centre row - J. Frewin, W. Robertson (manager), D. Rogers, M. MacNiven, S. Clark, F. Watt, A. Stevenson, A. Chisholm, J. Follen, W. Townsley, front row – J. Clark (trainer), S. Junor, J. Flannigan, F. Taylor, S. Forbes, J. Dennison

‘Ghost signs’

I frequently pass by a shop on Kingsmills Road, in Inverness, which has left the original signage intact from an earlier occupier, ‘Adam MacGillivray, Boots & Shoes’. This piqued my curiousity to find out about the previous occupant, and working in an archive centre makes that very easy! I searched for Adam MacGillivray in the Valuation Rolls, which were compiled annually and listed every property and the name of the Owner and Occupier/Tenant. Valuation Rolls are one of our most heavily used archive items, as you can find out a lot about the history of a house or a business.

I discovered that Adam MacGillivray was (of course) a shoemaker and the tenant of the shop at 9 Kingsmills Road from 1920 to 1965. Incredibly, although the ownership of the shop changed a few times over the decades, Adam traded from here for 45 years! Digging a little deeper, by using the Scotland’s People website, I found that Adam was born in 1889 in Inverness and died in 1976 at the age of 87. It is quite amazing to think of the changes that were going on in Inverness and the wider world in that time span. How the fashions for shoes must have changed!

The first and second photos here show the first entry of Adam MacGillivray’s tenancy in the Valuation Roll of 1920-21 (top of the page) and the last in 1965-66 (bottom of the page). (HCA/BI/2/5/26 & HCA/BI/2/5/71)

Thirdly, my own photograph of the shop signage, taken in May 2026. Perhaps some of our readers will remember being taken here to get new shoes as a child!

It's great to be at the Northern Meeting Park today for the unveilling of the new panels telling the history of the park.

It's been good to be involved in the Northern Meeting Park Stories project over the last year or so and it's wonderful to see the panels in situ!

We're looking forward to supporting this event on Tuesday with an exhibition telling the story of Gaelic Medium Education. Come along to Cultarlann Inbhir Nis between 3-5.30 to chat to us and Am Baile - Highland History and Culture, and share your memories of Gaelic and school!

The Highland Council The Highland Council Gaelic Team High Life Highland

One week on from our in-person event to mark the 260th episode of Learn with Lorna we'd like to once again thank everyone for attending and for all the lovely comments and donations (both financial and archival) we've received in response to the series over the years. Your ongoing support of something which started as a 14-episode teaching resource is truly appreciated. We could never have imagined it would still be running six years later, that we would have received such lovely feedback, and that both new collections and additions to existing collections would be forthcoming as a result.

Learn with Lorna will now take a summer break before returning on Thursday 3rd September with Episode 261 - Travel Tales - which will be advertised later today. Remember that in the meantime you can catch up with all 260 episodes via https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyxasYGi8kIcL7OThf1QGsHAMACY_1DGE&si=Tdkw0MVjNeJH3zX4

Thank you again for all your support of our work!

High Life Highland The Highland Council Nucleus: The Nuclear and Caithness Archive Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre Lochaber Archive Centre Am Baile - Highland History and Culture