THEY were the best and brightest men of their generation, sons of the highlands who represented their communities on the sportsfield before the bullets and bombs of the First World War took their lives.

And now the sacrifice of the shinty players who died in the great conflict is to be honoured as their stories are told through music, storytelling and song.

The Somme and Shinty’s Heroes, hosted at Stirling Castle, will pay tribute to the little-known story of the impact the players had on the war, and tell the tales of their heroism on the battlefield.

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Presented by broadcaster, author and sporting academic Hugh Dan MacLennan the event later this month will weave together the eye-witness accounts and music written by the men with stories of their exploits and daring.

Mr MacLennan said: "It is no overstatement to say that the First World War devastated the sport of shinty. It was the fittest and brightest men who signed up to be soldiers and these were also the men who made up the teams across the Highland communities.

"Many of these men never came back and the game suffered a huge set back. The game has never sat down and looked at all those who died, but I'd estimate that around 15 teams worth of players were killed across the Highlands and islands."

The origins of shinty date back nearly 2,000 years. It has long held an important role in Scottish, particularly Highland, communities, and was played by Highland Regiments during both World Wars.

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Mr MacLennan recounts how letters were sent back home from the front asking for shinty sticks to be sent out so that games could be organised, or how prisoners of war would organise six-a-side leagues with makeshift equipment.

He said: "It almost seems insane that men at the front, with all that was going on, would still be thinking about playing shinty. But they were asking for sticks to be sent out from home in Inverness so they could have a game."

At the centre of the event is a tribute to Pipe Major Willie Lawrie of Ballachulish, composer of the well-known tune ‘The Battle of the Somme’, who died in November 1916.

His pipes are displayed in the Regimental Museum of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders at Stirling Castle, and will be on display at the event.

Moving stories will be told of Dr Johnnie Cattanach, commonly regarded as shinty’s greatest ever player, who died at Gallipoli in 1915.

The tale of the men who played the 1913 and 1914 Camanachd Cup Finals will also feature, as many of these players never made it back to Scotland.

Tributes will also be paid to Billy Ross of the Skye Camanachd team, who died at the Battle of Festubert when a group of German soldiers who had surrendered suddenly opened fire as he went to take them prisoner.

Mr MacLennan said: "It was an unparalleled disaster for Highland communities to lose so many men in as so short a time as they did.

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"If you look at somewhere like Portree, on Skye, 26 men died. It was like a plane crash that wiped out an entire generation."

He added: "The impact shinty players had in the Great War and vice versa is a fascinating tale that deserves to be told. Not a lot of this is known beyond the families concerned and not known even in some communities.

“At Stirling Castle, we’ll be building on the success of previous WW1 commemoration shows which have been performed from Skye to Glasgow and everywhere in between.

"It’s shinty’s way of paying tribute to those who died in the wars, and telling their stories in a slightly different way - through the eyes, stories and tunes of shinty-playing communities.”

Top piper Duncan MacGillivray of Calrossie, will play the Paterson pipes of Beauly which were returned from the Battle of Festubert and have since been played world-wide.

The BBC’s Iain Anderson will also read specially chosen historical extracts along with Prof Ewen Cameron of Edinburgh University and Brigadier John MacFarlane of Taynuilt at the event, which takes place on October 29.

Liz Grant, Executive Manager at Stirling Castle, which is operated by Historic Environment Scotland, said, “We’re pleased to be hosting this event at the castle, which is a unique blend of history, music and storytelling.

"The performance will bring to life some of the less well known stories of Scotland’s sporting heroes, as well as giving new insight into some of the memorabilia held at the Regimental Museum of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. It promises to be a touching and fascinating tribute.”