AUCHINDRAIN FACES UNCERTAIN FUTURE
info@auchindrain.org.uk
Scots and their descendants around the world are being called to help save Auchindrain an ancient highland township, a living monument to their forbears.
Auchindrain, the last surviving example of a farming township similar to those lived in by most Scots before the Highland Clearances is now at risk of being lost forever - a final victim of what’s become known as Fuadaichean nan Gàidheal, the eviction of the Gaels.
Changes in national funding have left Auchindrain cut off and struggling to survive but the call to the Clans is going out and the metaphorical standard is being dusted off and raised in the first flurries of a battle to save Auchindrain on behalf of the Scots around the world who are the descendants of the Scots who were forced to leave their homes during the Clearances.
A new Board of Trustees is being formed, a team of volunteers put together and the Friends of Auchindrain group is being re-established under the leadership of Argyll and Bute's depute Provost Jan Brown and Auchibdrain WILL open this spring.
There is much work to be done in repairing damage caused Storm Eowyn, the superb collection of articafts needs restoration work, we need a new visitor centre and there are many discussions to be had with a wide range of peple and organisations who might be able to help.
It has taken longer than expected to get to a position to establish a crowd-funder but there is a link on this site to make a donation for anyone who wants to help. A number of people have already donated and we are very grateful to them for their help and encouragement, it means a lot.
We will keep you updated on progress here and ask that you tell your friends and family where ever they are in the world ... we will need Scots everywhere to rally to the cause - Auchindrain, is as important to Scottish history as Skara Brae in Orkney, Culloden or any of the country’s great castles.
For any further information please contact info@auchindrain.org.uk
Our historic township
Unique, authentic, thought-provoking
Bail’ Ach’ an Droighinn, better known as Auchindrain Township, sits somewhere between modern Inverary and the Iron Age, a unique survival unchanged since the infamous Highland Clearances which saw thousands of Scots scattered worldwide.
Here, preserved lovingly, is Scotland’s real history. No tales here of castles and kings, this is Scotland’s past in all its raw intensity.
This is a site which has been home to subsistence farmers and crofters from as far back as the Iron Age and which is largely unchanged since the 17th Century- the last remaining Highland Township of its type anywhere in the world.
Go back in time and discover Scotland’s rural history at Auchindrain, the most complete and well-preserved example of a Scottish Highland farm township. Vividly imagine life in the old Highlands as you walk through the settlement and see how ordinary people lived and worked.
Step into the restored longhouses, see the objects of everyday life and learn about the past inhabitants. Explore the byres, stables and fields to understand how groups of families worked the land in common. Uncover a fascinating, long-vanished Scottish way of life deep in the hills of Argyll.
Auchindrain is six miles south of Inveraray, just 90 minutes from Glasgow and 45 minutes from Oban.
