Vikings marched through the heart of Dingwall on Saturday as the town continued its remarkable 800th anniversary celebrations just a day after welcoming His Majesty The King.
The free Centuries, Clash, Crafts & Ceòl event brought history, music and spectacle to the town as residents and visitors were taken on a journey through the centuries and the heritage that has shaped Dingwall.
Proceedings began with a procession along the High Street led by The Glasgow Vikings, part of the UK’s largest Viking age society, before the action moved to Pefferside Park.
There, Viking and medieval re-enactments brought the past vividly to life alongside archery, flower crown making, medieval music, armoury displays and traditional mead.
The town’s ancient Norse connections were also explored by Einar Saemunddsen, Director of Thingvellir National Park in Iceland, who gave a talk examining the links between the Icelandic national park and Dingwall.
Music then carried the celebrations into the evening, with performances from the Fèis Rois Ceilidh Trail and Highland favourites Rhythm & Reel.
The event forms part of Dingwall 800, a year long programme marking eight centuries since King Alexander II granted the town Royal Burgh status in 1226.
That royal charter gave Dingwall important legal and economic privileges and helped establish the town as a Highland centre for trade, justice and administration.
Dingwall’s history stretches considerably further back, with its name derived from the Norse Thingvollr, meaning the field of the council and the court of justice, while its Gaelic names include Inbhir Pheofharain, meaning the mouth of the Peffrey, and Baile Chàil, which translates as cabbage town.
Saturday’s festivities followed an extraordinary day for Dingwall on Friday, when The King visited as part of the anniversary celebrations and met volunteers, businesses, young people and community organisations from across Ross shire.
There is considerably more still to come during the anniversary year, with organisers recently expanding a programme designed to celebrate Dingwall’s history, culture, landscape and people.
Future events include the four day Dingwall Music & Book Festival, alongside Dig Where You Stand, a series of cultural and ecological workshops exploring the town’s history and landscapes with contributors including Mairi McFadyen, Richard Lockett, Col Gordon, Olivia and Maureen Ross, Julie Fowlis and Sheila Wickens.
Harps Galore will also celebrate the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Clarsach Society in Dingwall in 1931, continuing a year in which this ancient Highland town is making rather a lot of noise about its first 800 years.
To view the updated programme, physical copies can be collected from Dingwall Museum or Robertson House, and it is also available to download from feisrois.org
