Hugh Dan MacLennan’s final fling

SHINTY legend Hugh Dan MacLennan is hanging up his microphone after this year’s Camanachd Cup final at Bught Park in Inverness.

The night before the match, MacLennan will be joined on stage at the Highland Capital’s Eden Court theatre by fellow commentator and music star Gary Innes for “Hugh Dan’s Highland Fling”.

The performance on 15 September will honour the retirement from sports commentary of MacLennan, who has been BBC Scotland’s “voice of shinty” since 1990.

This year’s final also marks 40 years since MacLennan’s first Camanachd Cup and 100 years since the match was first played at Bught Park, which will be redeveloped following this year’s tournament.

“All good things come to an end, and it is an appropriate coincidence of events this September, which gives us a great chance to bring as many people as possible who have helped me throughout the years to have a bit of fun, and there’s plenty of reminiscing and crack going to be on offer given the line-up Gary is pulling together,” said MacLennan.

Innes added: “The happy coincidence of the various strands involved in the cup final and Hugh Dan’s retirement offer us a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the events of the past 40 years, along with getting the chance to hear from some of the legendary figures he has worked with.

“I am delighted to say that BBC Radio Scotland’s Iain Anderson, the ‘ceilidh king’ himself, Fergie MacDonald, and piping legend Duncan MacGillivray of Calrossie will be among some of the guests who will be reflecting on Hugh Dan’s work, with the latter two giving the audience a tune or three.

“We also have a line-up of award-winning musicians set to perform who have worked with both of us on various projects over the years and we look forward to announcing more names to ‘Hugh Dan’s Final Fling’ in the coming months.”

Read more news and reviews on Scottish Field’s culture pages.

Plus, don’t miss author Alexander McCall Smith’s column in the April issue of Scottish Field magazine.