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Online videos will showcase Sutherland Longhouse Project after conference cancelled because of Covid-19


By Ali Morrison

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The coronavirus crisis led Historylinks Museum in Dornoch earlier this year to cancel a one-day conference, which was to have been the culmination of its ambitious, lottery funded Sutherland Longhouse Project.

However, the museum harboured hopes that the conference could still be held, albeit later than anticipated.

But with the virus still not quelled, these hopes have been extinguished, but museum managers have now come up with a plan to run videos online to showcase the project.

Young curators at Dalnamain with archaeologist Anne Coombs (back). From left, Euan Swanson,Isla Swanson, Ruby Kay Mackay, Daniel Shepherd, Darcey Levens, Maisie Levens, Scarlett Levens.
Young curators at Dalnamain with archaeologist Anne Coombs (back). From left, Euan Swanson,Isla Swanson, Ruby Kay Mackay, Daniel Shepherd, Darcey Levens, Maisie Levens, Scarlett Levens.

The focal point of the Sutherland Longhouse project was the pre-Clearance settlement of Dalnamain, located close to the A9 at Dalnamain, on the road to Loch Buidhe, and the aim was to research different aspects of life in a pre-Clearance settlement.

Project leader Caroline Seymour said: "It seems an age ago that we were about to hold our one-day conference to round up the Sutherland Longhouse Project in March.

"Since that time the world has changed and we have reluctantly had to admit that the holding of such an event is not possible, even with our six-month extension to the end of October from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

"In place of that event we shall be screening a series of four videos online through a link on Facebook on four consecutive days, to represent the project."

The first video will be shown tomorrow, October 17, and will be a drone's eye view of Dalnamain by local photographer Ashley Rose, followed by a presentation of a model of the site by Dave Mahoney and members of the Young Curators Club.

On Sunday, October 18, Anne Coombs will speak on the archaeology of Dalnamain while the following day, Monday, October 19, a documentary by museum curator Lynne Mahoney will be screened, featuring diarist John Matheson, who grew up at Brea, Dalnamain. The final film on October 20 will be Peter Wild's documentary of all the public workshops that formed the project.

Anyone unable to watch on the specified dates will be able to find links later to all four videos on the Historylinks Museum website www.historylinks.org.uk

Dornoch museum's Sutherland Longhouse Project under way

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