Achiltibuie fundraiser for monument to Coigach rebels who refused to be removed from their land

Achiltibuie’s Coigach Heritage group will be holding a silent art auction in April to raise funds for a new monument dedicated to some “remarkable” rebels of the 1850s.

The silent art auction, which will be taking place online and in person, will see “stunning” works from “internationally acclaimed” artists Will Maclean, Barbara Rae, Marion Leven and others.

The auction will raise funds for public art installation, Lorg na Cògich (meaning Find the Coigach). The project is created by local artists Will Maclean and Marian Leven, and plans to commemorate the events of 1852 when the people of Coigach refused to be removed from their land.

Over 18 months, the sheriff’s officers came five times with the dreaded ‘summons of removing’ and five times they were dispatched, suffering varying degrees of indignity.

Coigach Heritage said: “A successful community resistance against a landlord was almost unprecedented in Highland history and attracted national media attention. The Coigach people were described as early heroes of the developing land wars that eventually led to the Napier Commission and the Crofting Act of 1886.”

This story will now be celebrated with a installation of a landmark monument dedicated to the rebels of Coigach in 1852, and will be set on the hillside above Acheninver. It is said that every stone in the sculpture will symbolise the people of Coigach who made a stand against injustice.

The silent art auction will be held online from April 13-27, and in-person at the Coigach Community Hall on April 28, from 12-4pm.

The project is in the first stages of creation, and has “much funds” to raise. So far, over £19,000 has been donated on Lorg Na Còigich’s JustGiving page.

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