Angus Mackay Photography

28/08/2026

On a recent visit to Golspie I went along to photograph St Andrew’s Church. The cloud started to gather, and the sky got very black, and it looked like there was going to be a thunder plump, when all of a sudden, the sun burst through the cloud to create a very dramatic light for me. Luckily the thunder plump never came! 😊

The weather was less dramatic when I went back a couple of days later. The canopied pulpit and the Sutherland Loft were carved by Kenneth Sutherland in 1738 and 1739 respectively.

It’s amazing to think that it’s likely that George Granville Leveson-Gower, the 1st Duke of Sutherland and whose statue still looks down from Ben Bhraggie, and Patrick Sellar, one of his estate factors who also farmed at nearby Culmaily, would both have worshipped from the elevated position of the Sutherland Loft. Both gained notoriety for their contributions to the Highland Clearances in Sutherland, all undertaken in the name of improvement.

As always, post and page likes and shares are welcome! 😊

18/08/2026

Another brilliant day at the Helmsdale & District Highland Games! And the rain held off until the last pull in the Tug of War. The full album of shots is on my website at https://www.angusmackay.co.uk/p620343061

If you or someone you know are in any of the images, please feel free to download them for personal use as you wish, with the compliments of Helmsdale Highland Games and myself. Without the people in the photos there would be no Games! For commercial use, please contact me.

Well done to all involved in making it such a brilliant day out. Competitors, pipe bands, stallholders, spectators and of course, the committee, who put in endless time and effort throughout the year to make sure Games Day goes smoothly. Well done! 👏

As always, post and page likes are welcome, and please feel free to share! 😊

18/07/2026

I understand the church that stands at Kildonan today was built in 1788. It replaced a “mortuary chapel” on the site of the medieval church of St Donan, built around 1250, which served as the traditional burial place for the chiefs of Clan Gunn.

The Strath of Kildonan was the historical stronghold of the Gunns until many were displaced during the Highland Clearances. There is a plaque on the gable of the church to all the ‘Selkirk Settlers’. The Selkirk Settlers were Scottish Highlanders displaced by the Highland Clearances, taken to the Red River Valley of Manitoba in 1812 and 1813 by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk.

According to an interpretive panel in the church, “The Rev. Alexander Sage was presented by the Sutherland family to Kildonan on the 10th May 1787 and preached for 37 years until he died in 1824. His first and second wives both predeceased him and he is buried along with them in a stone enclosure to the west of the church.”

Please share any memories you have of this amazing church. As always, likes and shares welcome! :-)

04/07/2026

St Andrew’s Church in Tongue dates back to 1680 and has strong links to my clan, with 5 Lords Reay and several of their family members interred in the crypt below. Lord Reay is the hereditary Clan Chief of Clan Mackay.

St Andrews faces out toward Castle Varrich, the ancient seat of the chief of Clan Mackay. I understand the church is for sale and the local community are looking into ways of securing its future as an asset for the area.

Do you have any memories of this amazing church? If you do, please share them below. :-)

As always, 'likes' and 'shares' are welcome! :-)

04/07/2026

I hope that all members of the Clan Mackay Society USA, Inc. have a wonderful day celebrating the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence!

18/06/2026

Melness Church opened on the 25th July 1902, and was built for the local United Free Church congregation by local craftsmen from locally sourced stone. The wood was taken to Melness from Scrabster in local boats. It recently came into community ownership when the Melness Community Church Organisation secured funding to buy it.

Do you have any memories of Melness Church? Or do you know any of the people who ‘signed’ the back pew? :-)

As always, likes and shares are welcome!

17/05/2026

A few shots from a visit to Syre Church, Strathnaver. The church was erected in 1891 and is thought to have been prefabricated in Glasgow by Frederick Braby & Co. Ltd and was a Mission Station for the Free Church of Scotland. The Strathnaver War Memorial stands within the church grounds.

Please comment with any memories you have of this beautiful wee church.

The full album of shots is available to view on my website at https://www.angusmackay.co.uk/p114842220

As always, ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ are welcome! :-)

14/05/2026

I was at the Luing Cattle Society's Spring Breeding Sale at Dingwall & Highland Marts this week. There was a great turnout of quality Luing cattle and there is very obviously increasing demand for this hardy breed.

63 heifers sold to an average of £3,396, with a top price of £6,510, a new breed record, for the prize-winning pair from AL & AC McCall, Culmaily. The second prize heifers were from the Renwicks, Lochbroom and sold for £5040.

Bulls sold to an average of £5,302, with a top price of £11,550 going to the McCall’s for ‘Culmaily Delgato’.

The full album of photos from the day are available to view on my website at https://www.angusmackay.co.uk/p509978301

As always, 'likes' and 'shares' welcome! :-)

01/05/2026

Although there are no regular services in it, and is not open to the public at the moment due to safety issues with parts of the ceiling falling in, Altnaharra Church is now in community ownership, and restoration plans are in place aimed at ensuring its future use can be multifunctional. I was fortunate enough to get access to photograph it prior to any work being undertaken.

It was built c. 1855 by Hugh Mackay for £53! All the internal woodwork was the work of Thomas McIver. Originally a Free Church, it likely became part of the Church of Scotland around the time of its union with the United Free Church in 1929.

Among the many features, there is a stunning stained-glass window, dedicated to the memory of Kathleen Joan Kimball, created by the prolific Scottish artist and teacher, Thomas Symington Halliday.

And the beautiful font bears an engraved plate which reads, “In loving remembrance of Eliza Jane Whyte Scott who died 27th January 1910. From the Ladies Work Party.”

Please share any memories, stories or additional information you have of this beautiful and historic building.

As always, ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ are always welcome! 🙂

Update: Thank you all for sharing your memories of this wonderful wee church! I am sure there are many more to be added yet. 🙂

If anyone would like to see the full album of shots it is available to view on my website at https://www.angusmackay.co.uk/p721523784 and includes some internal shots taken with my drone and some of the damage to the facia boards at the rear of the church due to a Woodpecker! 🙂

02/04/2026

The Mill is amazing and I would highly recommend a visit!

We are finally open! And what a beautiful day for it too☀️

A working watermill and museum, the John O'Groats Mill is a great place to visit for folks of all ages ⚙️

Open Thursday-Tuesday, 10am-5pm (Last entry 4pm). We also have some great events coming up this spring 🐑 Check out our Eventbrite for more info.

Photo credit: Angus Mackay Photography