Skye Camanachd SCIO is aiming to raise more than £80,000 to erect a stand at their Pairc nan Laoch home in memory of one of the club’s most prominent figures.
The stand would be in tribute to Donnie Martin, who died at the age of 65 in a road accident in May 2022.
Shinty and Skye Camanachd played a major role in Donnie’s life for more than 50 years, from when he played Portree High School in the early 1970s until he was Skye Camanachd chieftain at the time of his untimely passing following a tragic road accident.
Donnie packed in a fulsome shinty career, collecting four Sutherland Cup winner’s medals and a Strathdearn Cup success along the way as he played for, and managed, both the Skye first and second teams.
He also coached the club’s youth sides and his abilities were recognised when he was given the ‘Lifetime Coaching Achievement of the Year’ award at the Highland Coaching awards in 2016.
He was also Scotland under-21 assistant manager, before becoming manager in his own right. He also regularly appeared on Gaelic television and radio broadcasts promoting the club and shinty as a whole.
No one has served Skye Camanachd with distinction in so many varied roles; chieftain, chairman (of both Skye Camanachd and Skye Camanachd Social Club), committee member, first team manager, second team manager, primaries coach, youth coach, referee, goal judge, groundsman, spokesperson, fundraiser, the list is endless.
He was also the general “go-to” man, no-matter the problem and if he couldn’t fix it, which wasn’t often, he always seemed to know someone who could.
The social side of the game also appealed to Donnie, and he made many friends at clubs across the country and beyond as there were Skye Camanachd trips to Ireland, Cape Breton, where they were joined by Kingussie, and to California. He was always good company with a story to tell and often a song to sing.
When Skye Camanachd originally moved from the King George V playing field, in the heart of the village, to their new home at Pairc nan Laoch in 1998, Donnie was again to the fore.
The club showed huge ambition, raising over £500,000 to build a clubhouse that was the envy of all in shinty and Donnie led a small steering group to see the project through. There were many challenges along the way, which were all conquered.
It was perhaps in his role as groundsman that Donnie seemed happiest, taking great pride in maintaining the Pairc nan Laoch pitch.
Over the course of each season, the field hosted games involving both men’s and women’s first and second teams, under-17s, under-14s and primaries and his skilled work and effort ensured the pitch was in the best condition possible.
This was rewarded when Skye were asked by the Camanachd Association to host Balliemore and Sutherland Cup Finals over the years.
Donnie’s ambition was always that Skye Camanachd could build a main stand at its Pairc nan Laoch home and a group of fundraisers have got together, aiming to erect a 100-seater stand in his memory.
There will be a series of fundraising events over the next 12 months as well as the usual grant applications. Skye Camanachd SCIO has also set up a JustGiving page and Donnie’s family has described the early response as “humbling” with contributions already passing through the £15,000 barrier.
