Strathnaver Museum
Source: https://www.strathnavermuseum.org.uk/current-projects/at-home-in-mackay-country
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:09
Strathnaver Museum
Background
In 2004 the Mackay Country Community Project launched
Back to the Future
a project inspired and created by local communities. The Mackay Country Community Project itself having emerged from the EU Life demonstration
Dùthcas Project
which aimed to enable sustainable local development defined and implemented by local folk themselves. It published its findings in
At Home in Mackay Country
in 2005.
Overview
To celebrate 20 years since the publication of
At Home in Mackay Country
we want to revisit this seminal piece of work to:
establish the state of our cultural heritage today;
identify how / if it has changed; and
how it continues to evolve to meet today’s challenges and opportunities.
For the purposes of this project we are focusing on placemaking and the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) relating to the ‘knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe’. We expect to explore language (particularly Gaelic and Norse place and plant names), oral traditions (stories, songs / poems, music, ceilidh culture), feelings and attachment to place (concepts of Dùthchas), memories, spirituality and world view (concepts or rurality, placemaking).
Who we are
NorthWest2045 Regional Land Use Partnership (RLUP) is one of 5 pilot RLUPs established in 2021 by the Scottish Government to support stakeholders to work together to make equitable land use decisions. NW2045 has developed a community led vision for the future of the area which reflects diverse and disparate voices within those communities.
Strathnaver Museum is a fully accredited community led local history museum operating in the geographic area of Mackay Country in north west Sutherland. Strathnaver Museum regularly runs co-curated community research projects exploring aspects of our heritage such as the Gaelic bard Rob Donn to WWI pipers.
Tradition Bearer Ronnie Lansley has been a lynchpin in the celebration, transmission and development of intangible cultural heritage across Mackay Country for decades.
At Home in Mackay Country is brought to you by Strathnaver Museum and NorthWest2045. The project has been made possible with funding from Protection through Connection, thanks to National Lottery Players and the North Highland Initiative.
With grateful thanks to our funders:
The ICH Scotland Partnership
The ICH Scotland Partnership
is a collaboration between Museums Galleries Scotland, Creative Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, and TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland). Since 2020, the partnership has produced a report mapping the current state of ICH in Scotland and has produced events helping communities to engage with and share their own ICH, while encouraging the ratification of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage alongside the Scottish Government.
North Highland Initiative
Community Infrastructure Support Programme
Further Links:
At Home in Mackay Country
– project website
NorthWest2045
3 December 2025 Project Announcement
Background
In 2004 the Mackay Country Community Project launched
Back to the Future
a project inspired and created by local communities. The Mackay Country Community Project itself having emerged from the EU Life demonstration
Dùthcas Project
which aimed to enable sustainable local development defined and implemented by local folk themselves. It published its findings in
At Home in Mackay Country
in 2005.
Overview
To celebrate 20 years since the publication of
At Home in Mackay Country
we want to revisit this seminal piece of work to:
establish the state of our cultural heritage today;
identify how / if it has changed; and
how it continues to evolve to meet today’s challenges and opportunities.
For the purposes of this project we are focusing on placemaking and the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) relating to the ‘knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe’. We expect to explore language (particularly Gaelic and Norse place and plant names), oral traditions (stories, songs / poems, music, ceilidh culture), feelings and attachment to place (concepts of Dùthchas), memories, spirituality and world view (concepts or rurality, placemaking).
Who we are
NorthWest2045 Regional Land Use Partnership (RLUP) is one of 5 pilot RLUPs established in 2021 by the Scottish Government to support stakeholders to work together to make equitable land use decisions. NW2045 has developed a community led vision for the future of the area which reflects diverse and disparate voices within those communities.
Strathnaver Museum is a fully accredited community led local history museum operating in the geographic area of Mackay Country in north west Sutherland. Strathnaver Museum regularly runs co-curated community research projects exploring aspects of our heritage such as the Gaelic bard Rob Donn to WWI pipers.
Tradition Bearer Ronnie Lansley has been a lynchpin in the celebration, transmission and development of intangible cultural heritage across Mackay Country for decades.
At Home in Mackay Country is brought to you by Strathnaver Museum and NorthWest2045. The project has been made possible with funding from Protection through Connection, thanks to National Lottery Players and the North Highland Initiative.
With grateful thanks to our funders:
The ICH Scotland Partnership
The ICH Scotland Partnership
is a collaboration between Museums Galleries Scotland, Creative Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, and TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland). Since 2020, the partnership has produced a report mapping the current state of ICH in Scotland and has produced events helping communities to engage with and share their own ICH, while encouraging the ratification of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage alongside the Scottish Government.
North Highland Initiative
Community Infrastructure Support Programme
Further Links:
At Home in Mackay Country
– project website
NorthWest2045
3 December 2025 Project Announcement