Chieftain Hamish Macrae highlights proud tradition of Highland Games in Dornoch in opening speech as organisers look to 190th anniversary
In his opening speech at the Dornoch Highland Games on Friday 1 August, Chieftain Hamish Macrae commented on the town's long tradition of Highland Games, writes Willie MacKay, president of the Games.
The first records in the local press date back to 1835, stating that the Games were held on Dornoch Links, where horse racing and open-water swimming were featured.
Chieftain Macrae thanked the many volunteers from the local community, and acknowledged the support of our patrons and sponsors.
He made a special mention of Shirley Irving who delayed her decision to hang up her pinny and marigolds when a replacement could not get a day off work. Shirley and her helpers fed all the staff members, volunteers and the pipe band. Happy retirement Shirley!
Hundreds of spectators fell in behind the Chieftain, his family and past chieftains, led by the Dornoch Pipe Band, as they made their way from Dornoch Square to Meadows Park along Castle Street. 2026 will be the Pipe Band’s centenary year, so keep an eye out for their commemorative calendar.
After the Games were declared open, the Chieftain and his family walked amongst the large crowd, welcoming Dornoch exiles and the many overseas visitors, and thanking the traders and Herchers Sideshows for supporting Games Day. Who would have predicted that there would be a Scottish and a World Record attempt as well as a British Heavies Champion during the afternoon.
Dornoch Games started training the Ladies Heavies in 2024, and this year the group has been training every Monday evening and Saturday morning. Rain, frost and windy days did not deter them, and it was good to see several men come to training, too — lapsed heavies as well as a few newcomers. This resulted in six ladies and four men competing in the morning local events, and six ladies and six men competing in the open events.
The photos of the dancing show what a strong entry we had for the afternoon open. In the morning local competitions, we had dancers from North Kessock to Wick. The dancing had an international flavour, with Steffaney Treadwell joining us from Gymea, a suburb of Sydney, Australia which is close to the suburb of Sutherland. She won the Gardner Cup in the 16 & over category, just ahead of Innes Mackenzie from Fearn, who had won the local dancing competition in the morning.
There was keen competition in piping, with different pipers winning the March, Strathspey and Reel, and Jig categories. David Stulpner, an Australian, won the overall competition, lifting the William Cairn Sutherland Memorial Shield. Angus MacPhee from Inverness won the challenging Pibroch competition in the senior category, while Moira Bruce from Hamilton won the Alex and Bridget MacKenzie Cup for the juniors (17 and under).
Ewan Bradley of Skye retained the track and field title, while Lewis Dey of Forres was the top cyclist. Archie Orr, who has strong local connections, won the senior obstacle race, while Finn Hallam from Dornoch was the first junior home, coping easily with the slippery board. The final event, Tilt the Bucket, saw new champions crowned, with Craig Sutherland and Colin Fraser gaining the most points. Maybe they were less tipsy than the other pairs!
As usual, the afternoon's heavy events attracted the full attention of the spectators. Dornoch had been awarded the honour of hosting the British Championships for the 28lb Weight for Distance this year, and it was Tain athlete Sinclair Patience who proudly took the title with a throw of 75 feet, beating our 2025 heavies champion Vlad Tulcek from the Czech Republic by two feet.
Tulcek had his moment when he attempted a new world record, throwing the 56lb Weight for Height 17feet 6 inches, with his first attempt. Unfortunately when the 56lb weight was taken to the official Weights & Measures Service by RSHGA official, Alasdair Macdonald, it was found to be 0.5 ounce too light. Macdonald commented, “The weight was correct at the start of the Games but small pieces of rust sheared off during the event due to wear and tear, meaning the throw is not validated.”
Tulcek’s father was with him for the day and saw his son also toss the caber successfully for all three throws.
Earlier in the event, Thurso's Emmerleigh Barter got the crowd's attention when she attempted a new Scottish record of 14 feet with the 28 lb Weight for Height. Unfortunately, her final throw clipped the bar on the way down.Barter was the first open winner of the Eagle Hotel Shield, while Angie Grant, a founder member of the Dornoch Ladies Heavies, won the Grant Jug for local ladies.
The sun shone from start to finish providing another great day for the tradition of Highland Games in Dornoch. Mark Friday, August 7, 2026, in your diary as this is the 190th anniversary of Dornoch Highland Games.