A very warm welcome to the Highland Society of London website.
The Highland Society of London is a charity, which exists to promote and support the traditions and culture of the Highlands of Scotland, whilst maintaining a Membership of individuals to support the Society’s activities. Throughout its more than 200 years’ history, the Society has a proud record of financing and otherwise supporting significant charitable activities both in the Highlands and also in London. This assistance has varied as the needs of Highlanders have changed over the years, but has always had a particular bias towards piping and education. In recent years, the Society has focused on supporting competitions for individuals who excel in particular pursuits traditional to the Highlands and Islands, hoping as a result to bring those traditions to a wider public in Scotland and beyond.
The calendar of activities that the Society supports is shown below; please click on the links for more details about each event :
Upcoming
11th-12th September 2025: Northern Meeting Piping Competitions, Inverness
27th-28th August 2025: Argyllshire Gathering Piping Competitions, Oban
16th August 2025: Glenfinnan Gathering Highland Dancing Competitions, Glenfinnan
3rd May-8th June 2025: Best Work by a Highlander, RSA Annual Exhibition, Edinburgh
9th March 2025: Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships, Kilmarnock
Recent
30th November 2024: Gaelic Singer of the Year award at The Trads, Inverness
11th-19th October 2024: Highland Art Prize, Royal National Mòd, Oban
9th October 2024: Dissertation Prize, University of the Highlands and Islands
17th September 2024: Gaelic Literature Awards, Glasgow
3rd September 2024: Highland Book Prize, Nairn Book & Arts Festival
29th-30th August 2024: Northern Meeting Piping Competitions, Inverness
21st-22nd August 2024: Argyllshire Gathering Piping Competitions, Oban
17th August 2024: Glenfinnan Gathering Highland Dancing Competitions, Glenfinnan
13th August 2024: Opening of Galley Aileach Boathouse, Kildonnan, South Uist
6th-7th August 2024: Isle of Skye Games Piping Competitions, Portree
16th June 2024: Best Work by a Highlander, RSA Annual Exhibition, Edinburgh
12th June 2024: Queen Victoria School Highland Dancing Prize, Dunblane
16th April 2024: Islands Book Trust appeal, Isle of Lewis
20th March 2024: Duncan Ban MacIntyre memorial, Makar’s Court, Edinburgh
10th March 2024: Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships, Kilmarnock
10th January 2024: Fellowship programme, Circus Artspace, Inverness
2nd December 2023: Gaelic Singer of the Year award at The Trads, Dundee
13th-21st October 2023: Highland Art Prize, Royal National Mòd, Glasgow
14th September 2023: Best Fiction Prize, Gaelic Literature Awards, Glasgow
31st August-1st September 2023: Northern Meeting Piping Competitions, Inverness
23rd-24th August 2023: Argyllshire Gathering Piping Competitions, Oban
19th August 2023: Glenfinnan Gathering Highland Dancing Competitions, Glenfinnan
For more information about the Highland Society of London, please contact info@highlandsocietyoflondon.org. Details relating to the trustees of the charity, its accounts and its administration can be found on the Charity Commission of England and Wales website here.
MacDonnell of Glengarry, from the Society’s tartan collection currently at the National Museum of Scotland: this two red line version was worn by the Glengarry Fencibles and was chosen by Glengarry as his Clan Tartan in 1816 (with thanks to Peter Eslea Macdonald)