Gourock Highland Games 2011

[cessna152towser]

Its Highland Games season again here in Scotland, so please let me be your guide around the Gourock Highland Games held on Sunday 8th May. For those who like the kilt tartans identified, mine is County Armagh.

A smile from Chieftain of the Games, Claire Darroch-Thompson.

The games are held in a magnificent setting overlooking the Firth of Clyde.

The local Air Training Corps were there to entertain old and young with a cockpit as well as distributing the games programmes.

Glenrothes & District Pipe Band

I heard some favourable comments on the band's smart casual uniforms

I'm not sure if these modern uniforms will catch on for pipe band competitions.

Personally I am not so keen on the modern band uniform.
More to follow shortly.

[cessna152towser]

Highland Dancers.

Caber Tossing.

Neil Elliot tossing the caber.
There were ten competitors for eight prizes in the Heavy Athletics contest. Gregor Edmonds was the overall winner, setting some records for these games on his way to victory.

Now for some of the more traditionally dressed bands.
Rothesay & District Pipe Band in Stuart of Bute tartan.

Troon Blackrock Pipe Band. Tartan is Modern Davison.

Johnstone Pipe Band, wearing Blue MacKay tartan.

Dumbarton & District Pipe Band in the Lennox tartan.
More to follow shortly.

[Santa Kona]

What a great setting looks like you had good weather to.

[cessna152towser]

Oban High School Pipe Band, tartan is Ancient MacColl.

Oban Pipe Band, tartan is MacLean of Duart.

East Kilbride Pipe Band, also wearing Maclean of Duart.

Lomond & Clyde Pipe Band, wearing the Loch Lomond Millenium tartan.

Scottish Power Pipe Band, grade 1, wearing the Scottish Power tartan.

Inverclyde Juvenile Pipe Band, clad in the Inverclyde tartan

Kintyre Schools Pipe Band, tartan is Blue Ramsay.

Inverary & District Pipe Band wearing the Ancient MacCallum tartan

and lastly the Massed Bands Finale.
That's all folks.

[Spartan Tartan]

Amazing pictures... wow. Thanks for shaing.

[Downunder Kilt]

Alex, great photos and it's grand that you identify all the tartans for us. Thanks for the effort. I also noticed one of the off stage dancers wearing Ugg boots to keep her feet warm. I see a lot of that at our Autumn games

[BLHS209]

Alex - nice shots! They help get me ready for this years events. A question - comparing US vs Scotland games, is there much difference? Is one more "commercial" (vendors etc) than another?

Chris Shepherd

[English Bloke]

Great array of pictures. Cheers for getting the games season off to a fine start. I'm grateful that you go to these lengths to cover the games the rest of us can't always get to.

It looked pretty busy by the way. That's got to be a good thing too.

[cessna152towser]

comparing US vs Scotland games, is there much difference? Is one more "commercial" (vendors etc) than another?

In my personal experience your games in USA are much more commercialised than those in Scotland, with many more vendors' stalls. Then again I have only limited experience of USA games as I have so far only attended two, namely the Ventura Seaside Games and the New Hampshire Games.
Gourock games would have folded a few years ago due to lack of funding and lack of volunteers and was only saved because the Inverclyde Council (Selectmen) decided that it was worth saving due to the amount of tourist trade which the games brought to the area. With sponsorship and promotion by the Council and Tourism Offices, and an official RSPBA band competition, this has now become one of the more successful games in attracting the general public, yet there were only a few sales stalls, mostly selling cheap toys etc, and only one kilt stall, selling budget priced kilts, sporrans, hose and other accessories.
There are a few games in Scotland which have gone down the route of turning themselves into more of a Sunday market than a highland games, for example Ardrossan or Bathgate games which have a large number of non kilt related market stalls but only a minor highland games on the Sunday afternoon.
We would expect to have around half a dozen vendors at our local games next month, though probably none will be selling kilts.

[McClef]

A couple of kilt-less pipe bands o my!