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News
Highland clearance memorial unveiled
First Minister Alex Salmond has officially unveiled a memorial commemorating the achievement and resilience of Scots who left the country during the Highland Clearances. The memorial was created by Black Isle based sculptor Gerald Laing and shows a family leaving their home. The ten feet high statue stands at the mouth of the Strath of Kildonan, in Sutherland.
Speaking in Helmsdale, Alex Salmond said, "This statue is not only a reminder of the highland clearances, but a great example of the skill and vision of those who remain. This is an impressive work of art that will strike a chord with every Scottish family domestic and abroad. . . .
"This statue is a reminder of the men, women and children who left Scotland and took their skills, their strength and their stories across the seas and shared them around the world. While we deplore the clearances we can be proud of the contributions that those cleared have made to humanity."
The statue was commissioned by the Clearances Centre Ltd, a charitable company established by Dennis MacLeod to celebrate the achievement and resilience of Scots who left during the clearances.
An identical statue can also be found in Red River near Winnipeg in Canada. Mr Macleod told BBC Scotland it is his ambition to have identical statues erected in other areas where Scots had settled following the clearances, such as Australia and America.
The statue was unveiled on 23rd July 2007, together with the launch of a history lecture series from UHI as part of InvernessFest and Highland 2007.
The plaque of the statue reads:
The Emigrants
Commemorates the people of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland who, in the face of great adversity, sought freedom, hope and justice beyond these shores. They and their descendants went forth and explored continents, built great countries and cities and gave their enterprise and culture to the world. This is their legacy.
Their voices will echo forever through the empty straths and glens of their homeland.
- Source
- Scottish Executive
- Date
- 24-Jul-2007
- Categories
- COMMUNITIES, Highlands and Islands, News - General