I was in the car when we entered the area, this time installed comfortably in the passenger's seat. The steering wheel was in the hands of Irek, a Ryanair captain in his day job. We had just completed a visit to Kippenross and were now heading for the heart of the Scottish Highlands - Fort William. And here we were now - in the middle of nowhere, struggling with the gusts of the wind and listening to the tales of old. Creepy a little.
Glencoe had been home to the MacDonald clan since the early 14th century when they had supported King Robert the Bruce. It was here in February of 1692 that horrible events took place that have ever since been imprinted in Scottish history. The members of the MacDonald clan of Glencoe (or MacIains as they were more specifically known) were treacherously slaughtered by soldiers under the command of Archibald Campbell, 10th Earl of Argyll. Alexander MacDonald of Glencoe had before failed to take an oath of allegiance to King James II by postponing his submission until the 31st of December 1691. Under the legislative powers of "Letters of fire and sword", authorizing savage attacks upon those wo seemed recalcitrant, more than 100 of Argyll's soldiers suddenly attacked the MacDonalds. Many of the clan escaped. Still, the chief, 33 other men, 2 women, and 2 children were not as lucky and were barbarously killed. To think that the perpetrators of this horrible crime had enjoyed their victims hospitality in the days leading up to the massacre. Who knows, perhaps the whistles of the wind still resonate with the groans of the slaughtered... or the remorse of the savage murderers. Anyway, Glencoe offers more than just an aesthetic contemplation of visual beauty. It stands still over there, with the passage of time held back a little. For a little while. And then it moves forward, with the dynamically changing weather and the past kissing the present.>>>
