1987 Blantyre Highland Games

Blantyre Events
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Kevin Creechan has sent in these photos of Blantyre Highland Games.

I’ve been looking at the games recently and near being able to write up an article for them. Meantime though, I can add some detail to these photos.

They were taken on Sunday 31st May 1987 at Blantyre’s Inaugural Highland games. I can remember that day like yesterday. Great crowds and well published in advance, the games were held in the fields of Bardykes, behind where Callaghan Wynd is today.

The Games mini programme referred to this bus as “STV’s passion wagon and its celebrities”, which was essentially a big bus with Take the High Road stars in it. The other photo, you’ll see Mark McManus, star of the Glasgow crime show, Taggart. He did take some time to sign autographs, but that wasn’t my lasting memory of him.

I was a 16 year old BB then. I had a collection tin and went round the VIP box asking Mark if he wanted a raffle ticket. His response in his hard Glasgow drawl was “F*** off son”. I stood with my jaw open for a second and he said, “Close it, yer swallowing flies.” I never watched Taggart again.

Do you remember Blantyre’s Highland Games?

1987 Blantyre Highland Games shared by K Creechan
1987 Blantyre Highland Games shared by K Creechan

On social media:

Davy Thomson Yes, I was in the Blantyre youth development team back then,, and we volunteered our services to help out, big George fulston was one of the main organisers I’m sure, and the ceilidh at the end of the day was brilliant, and to cap it off, I won £50,kicking the football through the hole in the big purpose built wall 

Alan Baird i remember them too hercules the bear , jon paul sigmerson , geoff capes , the hamburgers burned to a crisp the portaloos plumbed straight into the calder , the highland dancing , sandy wilkie in his kilt , the beer tent , the dunking tank , the sun shining brightly that day , kiddies with their ice cream and balloons and most importantly everybody was having a fantastic day

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