Author name: Acfa Editor

As a taster for the next season of Zoom talks in 2025 here are the talks we hosted last winter/spring.

The AGM on Saturday Nov 9 was a big success with good attendance by members. We are delighted to welcome Ken Mallard to the committee. We still have two vacancies to fill and I would urge members to consider whether you could give a little time to the committee.

Chairperson, Janie Munro, presented the annual report and Treasurer Jennifer Boag spoke to the previously circulated financial report.

After lunch we enjoyed a wee update from Simon Davies about his work in South Uist. Dugie MacInnes gave a presentation covering the thirty years of work in Glen Lochay following the launch to members of the book In the Glen of the Dark Goddess. Elaine Black presented an intriguing mystery in Balquhidder.

Next year has some exciting plans for ACFA including:

• new training courses will be run in the spring
• a small ‘hit team’ will be surveying on the isle of Ulva
• in April (8th-11th) ACFA will be travelling to Rudha Fiola, a small island off Luing, to conduct a survey
• another survey is planned for Tiree in August (23rd-30th)
• fieldwalking in the Kilsyth Hills will recommence 
• surveys south of Glasgow will continue around Kittochside
• collaboration with the Scottish Stonemasons Marks project will continue

Over the summer ACFA carried on the task, begun during participation in Scotland’s Rock Art Project, of recording the collection of rock art held in Glasgow Life Museums’ collections at Kelvingrove Museum.

The rock art was recorded using ScRAP’s methodology and 3d images were produced which can be viewed on ACFA’s Sketchfab account via the following links.

https://skfb.ly/p7IL8

https://skfb.ly/p7INw

https://skfb.ly/p7JSF

https://skfb.ly/p7JTA

https://skfb.ly/p7JUD

Thanks to Glasgow Life Museums staff, particularly Jane Flint Curator of (Prehistoric) Archaeology, for arranging access and making this possible. Images on Sketchfab are reproduced courtesy of Glasgow Life Museums and Libraries Collection.

It was a full house for the launch of In the Glen of the Dark Goddess, A history and archaeology of Upper Glen Lochay, Killin.

Nearly a hundred people braved torrential rain to to attend the event in the McLaren Hall, Killin and most of them left having purchased a copy. A fantastic response from locals and ACFA members who travelled to the event.

Purchase a copy here

ACFA member Kenneth Tomory has carried out research in the Hamilton archives and has produced this booklet of information. He has kindly given permission for it to be freely available here.

There was a good turn-out of members for the AGM, the business of which went smoothly. We said goodbye to three committee members, Ewen Smith and Ken Tomory who retired, and Margaret Gardiner who had served a full six years but has generously agreed to remain as a co-opted member with an interest in fund-raising. Chairperson Janie Munro expressed the committee’s and her personal thanks to the three for their service and support for the work of the committee.

Libby King, Christine McDiarmid and Iain Ross Wallace were elected as committee members bringing a mix of former experience and fresh blood.

Janie Munro presented the annual report which can be read here Annual-Report-2023-1

The winners of the annual photography competition were announced. Full results and all the entries an be seen here Members’ Photography Competition 2023 . The overall winner was Simon Davies with his aerial view of the Grimsay Wheelhouse.