Highland 2007 was a year-long celebration of Highland

Scottish Highlands

The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...

 culture which took place from January until December 2007. It involved local communities throughout the Scottish Highlands and Islands as well as people across Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, the UK and beyond.

The concept of 2007 as 'Scotland's Year of Highland Culture' was suggested by then First Minister of the Scottish Parliament

Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...

, Jack McConnell

Jack McConnell

Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale is a British Labour life peer in the House of Lords. He was third First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007, making him the longest serving First Minister in the history of the Scottish Parliament...

. During the Convention of Highlands and Islands in 2003, he declared that he was so impressed by the momentum built up by the failed Inverness

Inverness

Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...

/Highlands bid to be European Capital of Culture

European Capital of Culture

The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by theEuropean Union for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension....

 2008, that he would back a celebration of Highland culture in 2007.

Its proponents had claimed that Highland 2007 would bring significant economic and social benefits which would endure well beyond the celebrations themselves. However, there has been criticism of the event as being Inverness-centric and marginalising the Gaelic language http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7739460.stm

Events

The programme of events developed for Highland 2007 encompassed the Arts, the Environment, Heritage, Language, Science and Sport. Street Parties, a rededication of Culloden Battlefield

Battle of Culloden

The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...

, a homecoming for expatriate Orcadians

Orcadians

Orcadians, who reside primarily in Orkney, are the descendants of Iron Age Picts, Norwegian Vikings and Scots. Because Orkney is a trading hub Orcadians are found all over the world....

, a marathon in Inverness and a showcase of Gaelic Song with Anne Lorne Gilles have been planned. Rock band Runrig

Runrig

Runrig are a Scottish Celtic rock group formed in Skye, in 1973 under the name 'The Run Rig Dance Band'. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included songwriters Rory Macdonald and Calum Macdonald. The current line-up also includes longtime members Malcolm Jones, Iain Bayne, and more...

 played at Drumnadrochit

Drumnadrochit

Drumnadrochit is a village inthe Highland local government council area of Scotland, lying on the west shore of Loch Ness, at the foot of Glen Urquhart.-History:...

. The programme also included The Vital Spark Interpretation Conference

The Vital Spark Interpretation Conference

The Vital Spark Interpretation Conference was held from 30 September - 3 October 2007 in the Aviemore Highland Resort in the Cairngorms National Park...

 - an event which saw heritage interpreters from across the world meeting for three days in Aviemore.

The year was planned to officially start on the 12th of January 2007 in Inverness with a street party and a reenactment of the historic shinty

Shinty

Shinty is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands, and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread, being once competitively played on a widespread basis in England and other areas in the...

 match between Strathglass Shinty Club

Strathglass Shinty Club

Strathglass Shinty Club or "Comunn Camanachd Straghlais" in Scottish Gaelic is a shinty club from Cannich, Inverness-shire. The Club was founded in 1879, is considered to be the oldest constituted club in shinty and played a major role in the development of the rules of the sport...

 and Glenurquhart Shinty Club

Glenurquhart Shinty Club

Glenurquhart Shinty Club is a shinty team which plays in Drumnadrochit on the banks of Loch Ness, Scotland. It draws its players from the part of the Great Glen which encompasses Drumnadrochit, Lewiston and Glenurquhart...

at the Bught Park. Bad weather was to curtail the street party and cause the shinty match to be put off until 2008, when it was then cancelled again.