The Ba’ – The famous Uppies and Doonies rugby match starting from St. Magnus Cathedral – 1st Jan 2010

February

10th – 13th Feb - The Pirates of Penzance – Kirkwall Amateur Operatic Society

March

15th March – Brown Trout season opens – Orkney trout Fishing Association.

April

7th – 11th April – Orkney Ceilidh Weekend – Orkney Traditional Dance Association dance events.
16th April – St. Magnus Day service of praise.
17th – 18th April – Bag The Bruck – Environmental Concern Orkney voluntary county wide clean up.
23rd – 25th April – Orkney Jazz Festival – Weekend of Traditional Jazz at the Stromness Hotel.

May

1st May – Rugby Sevens – Orkney Rugby Club annual sevens tournament.
1st May – 25th Sept – Orkney Museum Summer Exhibition – Local memories of World War II.
17th May – Norwegian Constitution Day Celebration. – Orkney Norway Friendship Association.
27th – 30th May – Orkney Folk Festival - One of the most unforgettable experiences on the Folk Festival calendar.

June

5th – 13th June – Orkney Wine Festival – Scotland’s only wine festival is now in it’s fourth year.
13th June – Hoy Half Marathon.
18th – 23rd June – St. Magnus Festival - Orkney’s midsummer celebration of the arts.
19th June – Stromness Golf Club Competition.
11/12 June 2010 - Taste of Orkney Ceilidh – Evening of traditional food, music and hospitality.
27th June – Sanday Cricket Club “The Embers” - Annual match between Sanday and Stromness Cricket clubs.
June – August – Ring of Brodgar walks – World Heritage Site Ranger Service.

July

7th – 31st July – Orkney Crafstmen’s Guild Exhibition - Wide selection of traditional and modern crafts.
18th July – Stromness Golf Club Competition – Stromness shopping week open.
18th – 24th July – Stromness Shopping Week – Stromness community gala, celebrating it’s 61st anniversary.
31st July – Kirkwall Open, Orkney Golf Club – Annula 36 hole competition.

August

6th August – Sanday Show - Sanday Island agricultural show.
7th August – Stromness Golf Club Competition – Men’s Stromness Amateur Open.
7th August – East Mainland Agricultural Show.
8th August – Stromness Golf Club Competition – Ladies Stromness Amateur Open.
10th August – Shapinsay Show – Shapinsay Island agricultural show.
11th August – South Ronaldsay & Burray Show – St. Margaret’s Hope Community School.
14th August – Orkney County Show – Biggest event in the Orkney agricultural calendar.
15th August – Riding of the Marches – Celebrating of the granting of Kirkwall’s Charter.
15th August – Vintage Rally Show - Orkney Vintage Club.
20th – 22nd August – Orkney Bikers’ Rally.
21st August – South Ronaldsay Boys’ Ploughing Match
27th – 29th August – Orkney Beer Festival – Stromness Hotel offer the chance to try local ales and guest beers.

September

2nd – 8th August – Orkney International Science Festival.
25th – 27th August – Orkney Blues Festival - Venues in Stromness host a weekend of Blues music.

October

Harvest celebrations throughout the county with traditional music, dancing and prize giving to the years’ show winners.

November

Orkney’s Northern Lights Festival - Winter events throughout the islands.
Maeshow Winter Solstice - from November to late January. Winter sunset light into the chamber of Maeshowe is broadcast via webcam.
Bonfire Night celebrations.

December

From first week in December – Christmas tree lightings in various towns and villages.
25th December – The Ba’ – The famous Uppies and Doonies rugby match starting from St. Magnus Cathedral – 1st Jan 2010.
31st December  – New Year’s Eve celebrations – Kirkwall and Stromness.

Further details or updates

Please note that events may be changed or cancelled without our notice. We would advise that you contact the organisers directly to confirm arrangements.

If you know about an event we are not listing or a change in details then please get in touch via the contact us page.Similar Posts:

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Janet Forsyth lived in Westray in the 17th century.

In 1627, Janet dreamed that she saw her fisherman sweetheart, Benjamin Garrioch, perish at sea.

The following day, Garrioch, and his colleagues set sail on their fishing expedition not heeding the warning of her premonition.
Whilst out at sea, a thick fog descended and the men never returned.

Janet, heart broken and desolate, shut herself away in a solitary existence and because of her dream, The people of Westray blamed her for the fog and the loss of their men folk.

During the 17th Century witch hunts were at their zenith and like many solitary women of the time Janet was branded a witch.

From that time on, stormy weather was blamed on Janet’s alleged witchcraft.

When Janet spotted a boat in trouble a few years later, she tried to get the islanders to help.  Nobody was interested in her plea, so she took her small boat and set off to help the storm stricken vessel.  Janet managed to safely guide the boat back to the safety of Pierowall bay.

The islander’s seeing and hearing of this courageous deed decided that she was indeed a witch, as only witchcraft could lead her through the storm and bring the men to safety.

Janet Forsyth was put on trial in Kirkwall On November 11, 1629 and found guilty of witchcraft, for which the sentence was death by burning.

The story goes that as the sentence was being delivered Janet looked up into the onlooking crowd to see her lover Benjamin Garrioch.  Now in a naval uniform. He had been press ganged into the Navy and not lost at sea at all.

It is alleged that she screamed “save me, Ben” as she was dragged to Marwick’s Hole, the dungeon in St. Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall.

The next day, when she was due for execution, her captors arrived to find Marwick’s Hole empty. Janet being thought spirited away by her sweetheart.

Orkney and indeed the island of Westray have long had a scary reputation as a haven for witches and warlocks. You can find out much about their stories and those of fairy folk and Hogboons on the Orkneyjar website.

Discover more about the history of witchcraft in Europe. Similar Posts:

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Commemorative Ba' game plaque at St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall

The Uppies attempt to get a leather ball to a wall at the top of Kirkwall town whilst the Doonies do everything in their power to get the ball the Kirkwall harbour. Once the ball reaches one of the ‘goals’ a second battle ensues to see who in the winning team can get posession of the ball and keep it.

The exact origin of the Orkney Ba’ game has been lost in time but records indicate it’s existence is over 300 years old, with folklore suggesting it dates back to the Earldom of the Vikings to commemorate the defeat of a Scottish tyrant called Tusker.  The heads of enemies were said to be the forerunner to the leather football used today.

In recent years, the fun has been tinged with politics, as the local council worry about the threat of injury claims.

Orkney Islands council cover the cost of damage to property and shop windows during the very physical game which is also a huge social event culminating in a big celebration.

The Ba’ game in pictures – Magnus and Charles Tait’s archive of the Ba’ Game on Bagame.com

Ba’ game history on the Orkneyjar website

Ba’ in the press - Ba’ game legal threat fearsSimilar Posts:

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Scapa Flow had been a strategic Naval base since 1905, protecting Britain from German invasion via the eastern island inlets from the North Sea.  With an area of about 156 square kilometres, it is a bay sheltered by the mainland to the north, south Ronaldsay and Burray to the east and Flotta to the south.

Following an earlier attempt to penetrate Hoxa Sound by a German U Boat in 1914, 21 block ships had been sunk on the Eastern approaches and anti-subamarine nets, boom defences and controlled minefields were added to secure Scapa Flow.

World WarII
During the first few weeks of World War II, nearly 50 British warships were in Scapa Flow including the cruiser HMS Belfast.

The western side of the flow near Lyness was their mooring, all except HMS Royal Oak and HMS Pegasus which were moored in Scapa Bay below Gaitnip.

The Royal Oak sank not far from where this tanker is moored

On a moonless night, lit only by the Northern Lights, a German U-47 entered at high tide under the cover of darkness, managed to navigate it’s way around the block ships and enter Scapa Flow via Holm Sound.  3,000m from the two ships, her Captain, Gunther Prien launched a devastating tripple torpedo attack on the Royal Navy battleship HMS Royal Oak.

One of the torpedos hit the bow causing little damage, in fact it is reported that the crew thought the explosion to be onboard in the paint store.

Three more torpedos were fired from the U-47, all reacing their target.

Royal Oak took only 15 minutes to sink at her moorings, taking with her 833 members of her nearly 1200 strong crew.

In Memory
The shipwreck site is now an official wartime grave and a memorial to those lost at sea, resides in St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall.

Memorial gardens were created at Scapa Beach.

Her resting position is marked by a green buoy and sometimes by small oil slicks as the last vestiges of fuel leaks from her bunkers.

An annual ceremony is held by the Admiralty, with divers placing the Ensign over the wreck site.  Many of those present are survivors and relatives of the crew.

70th Anniversary.
On Wednesday 14th October 2009,the 70th anniversary of the tragedy.  HMS Penzance will sail to the site of the wreck, where

Memorial in St Magnus Cathedral

HRH The Princess Royal is expected to lay a wreath on the water during a rememberence ceremony.

A parade featuring the Royal British Legion, youth organisations and local dignitaries, will take place on Sunday 18th October 2009 at St. Magnus Cathedral.

New book
David Turner, a nephew of  Commander Ralph Lennox Woodrow-Clark, who died in the torpedo attack, is publishing a new book about the sinking.

Titled “Last Dawn”, it is hoped that the book will help keep alive the memory of those who died.

David has also filmed a video for use in the schools, to aid their understanding of the event.Similar Posts:

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Covenanter Memorial, Orkney

Made of brick and standing possibly 10m tall, the monument at Deerness is around 300m from where a boat full of covenanters sank during a storm.

The Scottish Covenanters (also called Whigs), were a group of people in the seventeenth century who covenanted to hold themselves and each other accountable for reformation of religion in their land.

The Stuart kings of the time favoured episcopalianism, with the monarch having Divine right.  Covenanter presbyterians could hear of no man, not even the monarch as being the leader of the church.

They signed a Covenant to confirm their opposition to the interference by the Stuart kings in the affairs of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

When Charles II was restored in 1660 to the throne, a great deal of suffering, torture, imprisonment, transportation and executions would ensue.

In 1679, The Battle of Bothwell Brig, saw defeat of a Covenanter’s uprising and around 1,200 prisoners were rounded up at Greyfriar’s Church in Eginburgh.  250 of these prisoners were bundled on board “The Crown of London“, awaiting transportation to the American colonies as slaves.

She set sail from Leith with the prisoners confined to the hold to avoid escape, her fist stop was Orkney. ‘The Crown’ ran into a storm at the edge of Deer Sound in December 1679. The anchor broke causing the ship to be dashed onto the rocks.

Covenanters Memorial Plaque, Orkney

The captain and crew escaped to safety.  One crew member broke through into the hold with his axe but only 48 prisoners managed to survive.

The rest of the prisoners drowned as the ship sank and over many days, bodies washed up on the beaches,  they were buried at Scarva Taing.

Built by public subscription, including a large donation of £50 from a surgeon,  the monument was inaugurated on Wednesday 22nd August 1888.

The plaque at the base of one of the sides of the monument reads:

‘Erected by public subscription to the memory of 200 Covenanters who were taken prisoner at Bothwell Bridge and sentenced to transportation for life, but who perished by shipwreck near this spot, 10th Dec. 1679.’

It is reported that behind the granite slab is a small recess where a set of jubilee coins in a bottle were deposited.

Situated outside St Magnus Cathedral in nearby Kirkwall is a polished Aberdeenshire red and grey granite drinking fountain.

Covenanters Fountain. St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall. Orkney

Looking slightly out of place against the red and yellow sandstone of the cathedral this public water fountain was erected using funds left over from the building of the main monument at Deerness.

Further information and useful links

Mull Head & Covenanter’s Memorial Walk – 382K

Scottish Covenanter Memorials Association

Ayreshire History. More about the Covenanter’s Memorial

More about the Covenanters

Wiley Geneology – history of some of the prisoners

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This drive will take you over the incredible four causeways linking the Orkney islands of  South Ronaldsay, Burray, Lamb Holm and Glimps Holm.

A total length of 1.5 miles (2.3km). The barriers were originally built in 1940 as a naval defence, sealing off the eastern entrances to Scapa Flow.

Since 1914 these eastern passages had been protected by sunken block ships, booms and anti-submarine nets, but during the Second World War, On 14th October 1939, A German U-47 entered at high tide under the cover of darkness, managed to navigate it’s way around the block ships and enter Scapa Flow via Holm Sound.  From this point she launched a devastating torpedo attack on the Royal Navy battleship HMS Royal Oak.

The great ship was sunk at it’s moorings taking with her 833 members of her nearly 1000 strong crew.  A memorial has been erected in St. Magnus Cathedral on Kirkwall.

No1 Barrier

Further measures were needed to prevent more attacks, and to this purpose, First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill ordered the construction of permanent barriers.

Balfour Beatty were awarded the contract and work commenced in May 1940.

Gabions containing 250,000 tons of broken rock, quarried on Orkney, were dropped into place 59 feet deep from overhead cableways. Locally-cast concrete blocks weighing five tonnes were laid on the core followed by ten tonne blocks placed on the sides in a random pattern to limit the impact of the waves.

Building the barriers from a painting by Domenico Chiocchetti

Much of the labour was provided by over 1300 Italian prisoners of war.

Captured during the North Africa Campaign, the Italians were transported to Orkney from early 1942 onwards.

800 were stationed at two camps on the Island of Burray and 550 at the famous Camp 60 on Lamb Holm.

The use of POW labour for War Effort works was prohibited under the Geneva Conventions, so the works were justified as ‘improvements to communications’ to the southern Orkney Islands.

These black and white images were taken from the many interpretation panels around the site.

The barriers were formally opened on 12th May 1945, just four days after VE day.

Rusting hulls of WWI block ships rest in the bay

Rusting hulls and masts of the 21 block ships sunk during the First World War, can still be seen in the sound and are a popular haunt for divers in the region.

All that remains of the Italian POW camps is the breathtaking Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm.

May also be of interest:

Orkney’s Italian Chapel
Orkney Island Council Marine Services – History of Scapa Flow
Undiscovered Scotland: The Churchill Barriers
BBC Legacies: Orkney’s Architectural Heritage
The Orcadian – The Churchill Barriers

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In this 50th year, the club looks back over the decades, highlighting some memorable aspects of each.

Bel Drever, the outgoing Club President talks about the event and her three year tenure.

To see more of their work go to the Scottish Association of Flower Arranging Societies (SAFAS) website

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