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Battle of Harlaw

1411 in Scotland15th-century Scottish clan battlesBattles involving ScotlandChild BalladsConflicts in 1411
History of AberdeenshireHistory of the Scottish HighlandsInventory of Historic Battlefields in ScotlandInveruriePages containing links to subscription-only contentUse British English from July 2022
Bennachie from the east
Bennachie from the east

The Battle of Harlaw (Scottish Gaelic: Cath Gairbheach) was a Scottish clan battle fought on 24 July 1411 just north of Inverurie in Aberdeenshire. It was one of a series of battles fought during the Middle Ages between the barons of northeast Scotland against those from the west coast. The battle was part of a series of battles fought to resolve competing claims to the Earldom of Ross, a large region of northern Scotland. Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, Regent of Scotland, had taken control of the earldom ostensibly as guardian of his granddaughter Euphemia Leslie, but in truth, though Donald of Islay, Lord of the Isles had the superior claim, Albany wanted Ross for his younger son, John. Donald, Lord of the Isles, had married Euphemia's aunt Mariota. Donald therefore invaded Ross with the intention of seizing the earldom by force and preventing Albany from taking all of Scotland. The nearest contemporary record of the battle is found in the Irish Annals of Connacht, where under the year 1411, it is stated, “Mac Domnaill of Scotland won a great victory over the Galls of Scotland.” The 2011 article by Iain G. MacDonald, Donald of the Isles and the Earldom of Ross: West-Highland Perspectives on the Battle of Harlaw, also cites sources recording the victory.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Battle of Harlaw (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

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N 57.308055555556 ° E -2.4119444444444 °
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Battle of Harlaw (1411)

A96
AB51 5DN
Scotland, United Kingdom
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Bennachie from the east
Bennachie from the east
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Inveramsay Bridge
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Colony Park F.C.

Colony Park Football Club are a Scottish football club from the town of Inverurie, Aberdeenshire. Colony Park F.C. was established in 1978 by five local Inverurie men, Dod Reid, Wattie Strachan, Bob Gibb, Frank Heldreth and George Mitchell. They are the largest Juvenile football club in North-East Scotland, running teams from under-7 through to under-19 level. In 2011, they successfully applied for membership of the Scottish Junior Football Association, and joined North Region, Division Two for the 2011–12 season. The club also successfully applied for membership of the Scottish Amateur Football Association, and joined Aberdeenshire Amateur Football Association in Division Three. This has allowed former youth players to continue with the club and bridged a gap between age group football and the Highland League. Former Colony players include Barry Robson and Darren Mackie.The Colony Park facility after which the club is named, was opened in 1977 and until 1999 was the home of Inverurie Juniors, the town's previous Junior side. Colony lifted their first honour in the Junior game by winning the 2015–16 North Division One (East) championship, completing the league season undefeated. The club won 19 of their 22 matches and their final day fixture at home to Longside was watched by a crowd of 1,356.The club also had an amateur team, Colony Park Amateurs Football Club, which started in the 2015–2016 season. They played in the East Section of Division 1, ground-sharing with the Juniors and played their home fixtures at Colony Park on Harlaw Road. The Amateurs were managed by Dave Mitchell, Greig Watson, Craig Simpson and Craig McFarlane. The 2018–2019 season was a record season for “The Ams” as they won their first ever trophy, the Barclay Cook Cup, in a thrilling final against local rivals Kintore. They shortly completed the double by winning the Division 2 East league undefeated, finishing with 26 wins and 2 draws in their 28-game campaign.