Society Newsletter

The Society's newsletter, Sgurr Uaran, is published and mailed to the Society members three times a year. The newsletter was first published in March 1975.

How do you say "Sgurr Uaran?"

For Sgurr, pronounce "scure" so that it rhymes with "sure."

For Uaran, pronounce "ur-an" placing the accent on the first syllable. The "ur" should rhyme with "tour."

What does "Sgurr Uaran" mean anyway?

"Sgurr Uaran" is the war cry of Clan MacRae. It is also the name of the tallest of the five mountains at the base of Loch Duich known as the Five Sisters of Kintail—the area of the Highlands in which Clan MacRae settled. Which came first: the mountain or the war cry? We don't know, but we do know there are at least three spellings of this name:

  1. Sgurr Uaran is a Gaelic spelling derived from St. Oran and means the peak of St. Oran.
  2. Sgurr Fhuaran is a Gaelic spelling meaning the peak of a well.
  3. Scur Uran was used by many in Clan MacRae and appeared on several clan crests. However, Scur is not a Gaelic spelling.

The first spelling was selected for the name of our newsletter because it is Gaelic and we had a preference for naming our newsletter after a saint rather than a well!

Archived Newlsetters

Past issues of the Sgurr Uaran can be found in the Archives: