Screenshot of the Brodick Highland Games
National pride is the common thread that unites these two cultures.
By: Bridjes O'Neil
By Akira Komatsu
People wait for the coming of the first Saturday of August. The Brodick ( Arran )
Highland Games annually take place in Brodick, main town of the Isle of Arran. This year
it was held on August 6 at Ormidale Park in Brodick. Traditional Brodick Highland Games are
one of the most famous events in the island. The games, which have hundred of years’ history,
include track and field, hammer throwing, caber tossing. The participants of the games
compete for speed, strength, and fest one another.
Hammer throwing and caber tossing are very simple and plain. They must have had
something to do with their daily activities hundreds years ago. Today only big men with great
strength might be qualified to join the games. They compete, wearing traditional kilts that
remind us of the old days. There were only several people who participated in both hammer
throwing and caber tossing. It seems that the number of big men is decreasing in the island.
These two events were held in the middle of the field , and spectators could not watch the
events nearby.
On the other hand, track is popular among children and young people. Spectators
became one with the runners. In the track events, athletes compete according to age and
gender. It was amazing that very young children took part in the race. Even young male and
female people positively joined the race. In the long distance track race, elderly men ran with
young men. They showed the spectators the guts and spirit even if they were behind the young
men.
The Ormidale Park was full of spectators, and women’s colorful clothes drew people’s
attention. There were food stands and smoke of burning hamburgers pervaded the air.
Hamburgers are typical American fast food, and they were as popular as fish and chips here.
Outside of the field, bagpipe music could be heard. It seemed that the bagpipe music
was necessary for such events to create typical Scottish atmosphere. There were several
bagpipe bands. The bagpipe performance could become a picture when they played
bagpipes while marching.
Not only visitors from other areas but also the whole islanders seemed to have a
good time, watching traditional games that were handed down from generation to
generation. Brodick Highland Games helps islanders to be one with each other.
By Akira Komatsu
A sailing yacht was at anchor at the pier of Locharanza, which is situated to the northern
tip of the Isle of Arran in Scotland. The captain of the yacht is Richard Peart, 76 years old. He is a
retired yacht man from Manchester, but he is rather young for his age. Peart started sailing
35 years ago.
“I like adventurous sports very much.” said Peart. “I decided to try sailing because it was
very adventurous and exciting, and I had already been enjoying mountain climbing.”
Great Britain has had a long history as a seafaring nation, and sailing has been popular sport.
The spirits of sea has been handed down from generation to generation, and many British
people enjoy sailing not only on the rivers but also on the seas. We can see a lot of river boats,
and yachts at harbors. Peart is one of the British people who enjoy sailing and the courage to
sail in a yacht on the seas and oceans.
In 1978, Peart challenged himself and sailed to Tierra del Fuego, an island off the
southernmost tip of the South American Continent, across the Strait of Magellan.
His yacht dropped in at the Island, and he climbed the mountain there. Then he continued
sailing through the Strait of Magellan, and along the South America. Finally he reached
the Panama Canal. After 7 months, he returned to Great Britain.
He wanted to sail around the world some day in future, but he is not sure that his dream
would come true. Marine sports in general are very dangerous, but Richard Peart is always
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careful about sailing and mountain climbing. Whenever he has a chance, he enjoy sailing
with his two sons.
By Akira Komatsu
The Isle of Arran in Scotland off Glasgow, Great Britain, has 18 small villages, and each
village provides us with its different unique and fascinating attraction. Catacol village is among
one of them. It is worth visiting the village as an ideal tourist attraction. We can get relaxed and
enjoy quiet and peaceful atmosphere and environment along the coast. The main attraction is a
picturesque row of small identical cottages with different shapes of window frames. They are
situated very near the coastline. On the island, there is not enough land, and a row of cottages
is practical to make the use of the limited land effective.
The row of cottages is referred to as “Twelve Apostles,” and the upstairs bedroom
widows has different shaped window frames. The woman of the each house put a candle
by the window, and signaled to her husband while fishing out on the sea. The husband could
see the candle light from the sea, and he could know who was being called by the signal of
different shaped window frame. The individual different candle light in different window frame
told which house it was and who was being needed.
The row of cottages was built in 1863, and originally housed fishermen. They were
farmers and were forced to leave the surrounding countryside because they had to set aside
the much of the land for deer. They became eventually fishermen at Catacol.
The window frames of the houses in Great Britain are different, and they are used to
get enough light from the outside. The window shapes of the houses are a kind of faces of
the dwellers. At Catacol village, famous row of cottage would had a practical meaning as a
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signal. They have a part of sad history in the Isle of Arran.