Homecoming Parade Bowmore Islay

Susan Campbell: This evening, Bowmore village has been given over to a Grand Parade held in evening sunshine, celebrating the Year of Homecoming with all the distilleries and in honour of Islay’s Emergency Services. Lord George Robertson of Port Ellen gave the opening speech for the Grand Parade in Bowmore. The village was full to bursting with Islay people participating in and watching the Parade. With the Black Bottle Islay Pipe Band leading and playing all the way, groups from the Emergency Services and voluntary organisations marched from the Round Church down Main Street to the Square. Along the pavements, onlookers and supporters waved flags and cheered as each group passed to the Square, where Skerryvore played, the Pipe Band gave a selection of tunes and Ella’s nimble Highland Dancers delighted the crowds. The Islay Gaelic Choir sang, and then Skerryvore again took the stage for the evening’s entertainment, finishing the gala night with a ceilidh dance in Bowmore Hall.

Download the original large image here

Homecoming Parade, Thursday 28 May. Image courtesy Mark Unsworth of Islay Studios

The Homecoming Parade, Bowmore, May 28th 2009 from ileach newspaper on Vimeo.