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| Location | Portree, Skye, Highland, Scotland |
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| Coordinates | 57°24′45″N6°12′48″W / 57.412524°N 6.213434°W Coordinates: 57°24′45″N6°12′48″W / 57.412524°N 6.213434°W |
| Owner | Skye Camanachd |
| Operator | Skye Camanachd |
| Capacity | 5000 |
| Opened | 1998 |
| Tenants | |
| Skye Camanachd (North Division One) (1990s–present) | |
Pairc nan Laoch is a shinty stadium in Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland. It is home to Skye Camanachd.
Skye Camanachd originally played at Home Farm in the village of Portree and then moved to the King George V Park in the centre of the village where they attracted large crowds. They also used a park at Skeabost from time to time when the King George V was unavailable. The King George V surface was unfortunately of a poor standard and therefore from the mid-1990s, efforts were made to secure a dedicated shinty stadium in the village.
This resulted in the construction of Pairc nan Laoch (Scots Gaelic for "Field of Heroes") on land to the west of the town. Despite being created out of rocky and boggy moorland and only being played on first in 1998, the park is now considered to be one of the best in Scotland. [1] [2] The financial repercussions of building a large clubhouse with a bar, kitchen and gym has been a major burden to the club but in recent years steps have been taken to deal with this. [3]
In early 2011 the pitch suffered vandalism. [4] Although the stadium has yet to be awarded a Camanachd Cup final due to a lack of grandstand, the park has hosted the Balliemore Cup final in 2011 [5] as well as the Balliemore and Sutherland Cup finals in 2005.
The park is used by both Skye Camanachd senior teams, the ladies team and all youth teams from U-17 to Primary Age
Portree is the largest town on, and capital of, the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It is the location for the only secondary school on the island, Portree High School. Public transport services are limited to buses. Portree has a harbour, fringed by cliffs, with a pier designed by Thomas Telford.
The Camanachd Association is the world governing body of the Scottish sport of shinty. The body is based in Inverness, Highland, and is in charge of the rules of the game. Its main competitions are the Tulloch Homes Camanachd Cup and the Mowi Premiership and the Mowi Valerie Fraser Camanachd Cup.
Skye Camanachd is a shinty team from the Isle of Skye, Highland, Scotland. It plays in the Premier Division and has a reserve team in North Division One, as well as a Ladies team in the WCA National Division One and a Ladies reserve team in the WCA Development League. The club is based at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree.
London Camanachd is a shinty club in England. They have historically been attached to the South District. They went into abeyance in 1992 but were reconstituted in 2005. They played the first officially recognised Shinty match outside Scotland in 80 years on Saturday 22 July 2006 against the Highlanders. Currently the club field men's and women's teams in English and Scottish competitions as well as exhibition matches in Europe, most recently in 2018 in Brussels.
Lochcarron Camanachd is a shinty club from Wester Ross, Scotland.
Glasgow Mid Argyll Shinty Club (GMA) is a shinty club from Glasgow, Scotland. It is the only senior side in Glasgow and was founded in 1928. They have two men's sides and two women's sides. All GMA teams play at Peterson Park.
Strathglass Shinty Club or "Comunn Camanachd Straghlais" in Scottish Gaelic is a shinty club from Cannich, Inverness-shire. The Club was founded in 1879, is considered to be the oldest constituted club in shinty and played a major role in the development of the rules of the sport. The first team plays in National Division One but played in the Marine Harvest Premier Division after two successive promotions from the old North Division One from 2006 to 2008. The club restarted its second team in 2017, and there is a successful women's team, started in 2006.
Shinty was played in its original form throughout North and South America by Scottish settlers until the early 1900s when the practice died out. Shinty, and its close Irish relative hurling as well as the English bandy, are recognised as being the progenitors of ice hockey and are an important part of North America's modern sporting heritage.
Caberfeidh Camanachd Club is a shinty team based in Strathpeffer, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. Consisting of two teams, Caberfeidh currently play in the Marine Harvest Premiership having been promoted from the National Division after the 2017 season.
Inverness Shinty Club is a shinty club from Inverness, Scotland. The first team competes in North Division One and the second team in North Division Three. Founded in 1887 as Inverness Town and County Shinty Club to distinguish from other clubs in Inverness such as Clachnacuddin, Inverness moved to the Bught Park in 1934. Inverness won the Camanachd Cup in 1952. The club struggles to compete for players with the wide proliferation of football clubs in Inverness, in particular Inverness Caledonian Thistle but still manages to put out two teams.
Lewis Camanachd (Scottish Gaelic: Comann Camanachd Leòdhais is the senior shinty team from the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. The club entered North Division Three for the first time in 2011. This was the first time a team from the Western Isles was allowed to compete in league shinty. However, the club was only allowed in on trial and awaited a decision from the Camanachd Association as to whether this was to become a permanent arrangement. Lewis was granted entry on a permanent basis from 2012.
Kinlochshiel Shinty Club is a shinty club based in Balmacara, near Kyle of Lochalsh, Lochalsh, Scotland. The club has two sides, a senior team which competes in the Marine Harvest Premiership and a reserve team in North Division One.
Bute Shinty Club is a shinty club from Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Scotland. It has a reserve team which is in South Division Two.
Bught Park is the largest park in the city of Inverness, Scotland, and is situated on the western bank of the River Ness. It is home to the Inverness Highland Games and a small scale outdoor music festival. It is located next to the city's sports centre, swimming pool and BMX track. The Bught Park is also the name for the sports stadium situated within the confines of the park which regularly hosts both the Camanachd Cup Final and the Composite Rules Shinty/Hurling Internationals and is considered one of the finest parks in shinty. It is also home to Inverness Shinty Club who have played there since the 1920s. The park is situated on land that was formerly the Bught House estate. An 18th century stately home on the site was demolished for the creation of the Ice Centre in the 1960s.
Kilmallie Shinty Club is a shinty team from Caol, Fort William, Scotland. The club most recently achieved prominence in the all-Fort William Camanachd Cup Final in 2005.
Ross Cowie is a charity-worker and former shinty player and manager, from Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland. He is affectionately known as The Colonel.
The Mod Cup, also known as the Aviemore Cup is a trophy in the sport of shinty first competed for in 1969, traditionally played for by the two teams who are based closest to the host venue of the Royal National Mod. The current holders are Inverness.(2021)
The Balliemore Cup is a knock-out cup in the sport of shinty. It is the Intermediate Championship run under the auspices of the Camanachd Association and only first teams competing in the National, North Division One and South Division One are eligible for entry.
William Cowie, more commonly known as Willie Cowie, is an ex-shinty player from Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland. Throughout his career he played for Skye Camanachd and was a prolific forward. He is now a coach for the club.
Strathspey Camanachd is a shinty club based in Grantown-on-Spey, Strathspey, Scotland, currently competing in the Marine Harvest North Division Two.