Glen Cannich

Last updated

Glen Cannich. River between Loch Mullardoch (far right) and Loch Carrie Glen Cannich - geograph.org.uk - 230910.jpg
Glen Cannich. River between Loch Mullardoch (far right) and Loch Carrie

Glen Cannich (Scottish Gaelic : Gleann Chanaich) is a long glen in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland and through which runs the River Cannich. Emerging from the reservoir of Loch Mullardoch, the river flows east to merge with the River Affric at the village of Cannich, their combined waters forming the River Glass.

Contents

Downstream of Loch Mullardoch are the smaller natural lochs of Loch a' Bhana, Loch Sealbhanach, Loch Carrie and Loch Craskie through each of which the river flows. Other lochs within the Cannich catchment include (from west to east) Loch an Fraoich-choire, Coire Lochan, Loch a' Choire Dhomhain, Loch a' Choire Bhig, Loch Tuill Bhearnach and Lochan a' Mhill Dhuibh. Within the narrow confines of the eastern end of the glen the river plunges over two waterfalls; Eas Maol Mhairi and Eas an Fhithich. Innumerable burns drain the mountain slopes to the north and south of the river, the largest of which are the Abhainn a' Choilich and Abhainn Sithidh which arise on the eastern slopes of the peak of Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan.

A minor public road runs up Glen Cannich from Cannich as far as the Mullardoch dam. Other than water capture for the hydro-electric scheme, the major land uses in the glen are forestry and deer stalking. [1]

History

Glen Cannich is an important location to the history and martyrology of the Catholic Church in Scotland. Between 1735 and 1746, the Glen was the home and base of operations for three outlawed Roman Catholic priests of the Society of Jesus; Frs. Charles (Scottish Gaelic : Maighstir Teàrlach, an t-Athair Teàrlach Mac Fhearchair) and John Farquharson (Scottish Gaelic : Maighstir Iain, [2] an-tAthair Iain Mac Fhearchair) and future Catholic martyr Fr. Alexander Cameron (Scottish Gaelic : Maighstir Sandaidh, an t-Athair Alasdair Camshròn). [3]

Dom Odo Blundell of Fort Augustus Abbey stated that the three priests' residence was located inside a cave under the cliff of a big boulder at Brae of Craskie in Glen Cannich. [4]

According to Monsignor Thomas Wynne, "It was in the nature of a summer sheiling, a command center for monitoring the traditional activities of cattle reivers; as such it combined a civilising role with the building up of a Catholic mission outside Cameron territory in a way which must have reassured Lochiel on both counts." [5]

This secret dwelling remained the centre of the Catholic mission in Lochaber at the time, where Fr. Cameron and the two Farquarson brothers secretly ministered to the local Catholics and secretly visited the covert "Mass houses" at Fasnakyle, Crochail, and Strathfarrar (Scottish Gaelic : Srath Farair). [6] [2]

Folklore

In local Scottish folklore, Fr. John Farquarson remains a popular folk hero. He is said to have once had a face to face confrontation with the Devil upon Cannich Bridge and to have forced his opponent to dive into the River Cannich with a hissing sound. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Avon, Strathspey</span> River in United Kingdom, Scotland

The River Avon is a river in the Strathspey area of the Scottish Highlands, and a tributary of the River Spey. It drains the north-eastern area of the Cairngorm Mountains and is largely contained within the Cairngorms National Park

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lochaber</span> Ward management area of the Highland Council

Lochaber is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig, as they were before being reduced in extent by the creation of Quoad Sacra parishes in the 19th century. Lochaber once extended from the Northern shore of Loch Leven, a district called Nether Lochaber, to beyond Spean Bridge and Roybridge, which area is known as Brae Lochaber or Braigh Loch Abar in Gaelic. Lochaber is now also used to refer to a much wider area, one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region. The main town of Lochaber is Fort William.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Affric</span> Valley in northern Scotland

Glen Affric is a glen south-west of the village of Cannich in the Highland region of Scotland, some 15 miles west of Loch Ness. The River Affric runs along its length, passing through Loch Affric and Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin. A minor public road reaches as far as the end of Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin, but beyond that point only rough tracks and footpaths continue along the glen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannich</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Cannich is a village at the southern end of Strathglass, in the Highlands of Scotland, about 26 miles (42 km) west of the city of Inverness. It is at the furthest point of the A831 that loops around the Aird from Beauly to Drumnadrochit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sgùrr na Lapaich</span> Mountain in Scotland

Sgurr na Lapaich is a mountain in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland, situated north of Loch Mullardoch in the high ground that separates Glen Cannich and Glen Strathfarrar. The mountain reaches a height of 1,150 metres, and is the fourth-highest mountain north of the Great Glen. There is no higher ground to the north of it in Great Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sgùrr a' Bhealaich Dheirg</span>

Sgùrr a' Bhealaich Dheirg is a mountain in Kintail on the northern side of Glen Shiel in the Scottish Highlands. With a height of 1,036 metres (3,399 ft), it is classed as a Munro. It is the highest of three Munros known as the "Brothers of Kintail" in contrast to the Five Sisters of Kintail which lie just to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Strathfarrar</span>

Glen Strathfarrar is a glen in the Highland region of Scotland, near Loch Ness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sròn a' Choire Ghairbh</span> Mountain in Scotland

Sròn a’ Choire Ghairbh is a Scottish mountain situated on the northern side of Loch Lochy, 13 kilometres north of Spean Bridge in the Highland Council area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stob Ghabhar</span> Scottish mountain in Black Mount range

Stob Ghabhar is a mountain in the Scottish Highlands, part of the Black Mount group. It is a Munro with a height of 1,089.2 metres (3,573 ft). Stob Ghabhar lies nine kilometres (5.6 mi) northwest of Bridge of Orchy and stands on the border of the Argyll and Highland council areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meall na Teanga</span>

Meall na Teanga is a Scottish mountain located in the Highland council area, 11 km (7 mi) north of Spean Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">An Riabhachan</span> Mountain in Scotland

An Riabhachan is a Scottish mountain in the Skye and Lochalsh district of the Highland council area. It is situated 35 kilometres east of Kyle of Lochalsh standing in an isolated position at the western end of Loch Mullardoch, ten kilometres from any public road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Càrn nan Gobhar (Mullardoch)</span> Mountain in Highland, Scotland, UK

Càrn nan Gobhar is a mountain rising to 993 metres (3,258 ft) in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. It stands on the northern side of Loch Mullardoch in the upper part of Glen Cannich, in a remote group of four Munros informally known as "The Mullardochs" which form the high ground between Loch Mullardoch and Loch Monar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Shira</span> River in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK

River Shira is the river that runs for about 7 miles through Glen Shira, originating to the north-east at 350 metres (1,150 ft) altitude, near the start of the River Fyne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meall na h-Eilde</span>

Meall na h-Eilde is a Scottish hill situated in the high ground between the Great Glen and Glen Garry, 23 km north of Fort William in the Highland Council Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Glass, Strathglass</span>

The River Glass is a river in the Scottish Highlands which flows northeastwards down Strathglass. It begins at the confluence of the River Affric and the Abhainn Deabhag, near the village of Tomich. It is joined by the River Cannich near the village of Cannich, then flows as far as a confluence with the River Farrar near Struy, from which point the merged waters are known as the River Beauly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loch Mullardoch</span> Reservoir in Northwest Highlands, Scotland

Loch Mullardoch is a major reservoir in Glen Cannich in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. It was created by the damming in 1951 of the River Cannich just upstream of Mullardoch House, as part of the Affric-Beauly hydro-electric power scheme. A car park at the southern end of the dam is the terminus of the public road up Glen Cannich. The reservoir extends for about 14 km westwards up the glen to the point where the Abhainn a Choilich and Abhainn Sithidh burns drop down from the West Benula deer forest.

John Farquharson (1699–1782), was a Scottish Jesuit priest and folk hero in the Scottish folklore of Lochaber and Strathglass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strathglass</span>

Strathglass is a strath or wide and shallow valley in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland down which runs the meandering River Glass from the point at which it starts at the confluence of the River Affric and Abhainn Deabhag to the point where, on joining with the River Farrar at Struy, the combined waters become the River Beauly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Cameron (priest)</span> Scottish nobleman, household servant and priest

Alexander Cameron of Lochiel, S.J. was a Scottish nobleman and outlawed Roman Catholic priest in the Society of Jesus. He is currently being promoted by the Knights of St Columba for Canonization as a Saint and a martyr by the Roman Catholic Church.

References

  1. Ordnance Survey Explorer map sheets 414, 415, 430
  2. 1 2 3 Christianity in Strathglass, From the Website for St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Beauly.
  3. MacWilliam, A. S. (1973). A Highland mission: Strathglass, 1671-1777. Innes Review xxiv. pp. 75–102.
  4. Odo Blundell (1909), The Catholic Highlands of Scotland, London, page 203.
  5. Wynne, Thomas (30 August 2010). The Conversion of Alexander Cameron. The Innes Review . 45 (2): 178–187.
  6. Wynne, Thomas (30 August 2010). The Conversion of Alexander Cameron. The Innes Review . 45 (2): 178–187.

57°20′N4°57′W / 57.34°N 4.95°W / 57.34; -4.95