Nestling on the South-East shore of the Black Isle and only a stones throw North of
the Highland Capital of Inverness, the normally sleepy township of Fortrose burst into
life this week with the eighteenth St Boniface Fair.The gathering, originally staged as a market day on 16th March, celebrated the death of St Boniface, an Irish Celt, possibly called Curitan who lived in the 7th century. Little is known about this early holy man, but he is well remembered within the Bishopric of Ross with churches, buildings and even a holy well dedicated in his honour.
The market day which was a traditional occasion for the buying and selling of local produce, dwindled in popularity with the advent of the merchant system where established shops became the norm, and finally ceased after 1830. It was revived however by the late Peter Macdonnell, brother of the present clan chief Ranald Macdonnell of the MacDonald's of Glengarry, to mark the Silver Jubilee of H.R.H. Queen Elizabeth in 1978 and such was its success that it has been held ever since, growing each year in strength.
The fair now takes the form of a period pageant with all contributors appearing in the
dress of the mid 1700’s. Stalls and craftsmen, entertainers and travelling vendors,
jugglers and musicians, all add to the flavour of the period by offering the traditions
of the time. All goods are carefully inspected in advance with no plastic or printed
material allowed. As far as possible a strict code is enforced to permit only goods and
services which were available in 1750 to be present at the fair. Past memories of the
event include the experiment to allow farm animals to wander freely through the
Cathedral Square, curtailed only after Edith Grigor’s pig charged amok at a crowd of
playing children, although there had been mutterings earlier when a very placid cow
paid an unwelcome visit to one of the baking stalls.
The fair of 1978 started with stalls hewn from local trees, complete with bark and a few rusty nails. These have long since found their way into the fireplaces of more than one Fortrose home and their replacements are the custom built stalls which adorn the square today. Each topped with a colourful and waterproof roof, making a bright splash of vibrant colour on even the dullest day.
The present event re-enacts the period of the late 1750’s, around the time of the
Scottish bard Robert Burns. Culloden is over and fading slowly to a memory, but
tartan and the Gaelic language are still proscribed. The inhabitants of the Black Isle
use the fair both as a social gathering as much as the necessary purchase of basic
utilities. This year’s well attended event was again an outstanding success with lots
of life laughter and fun.
