Teacher, folk singer and shinty player

Born: April 14, 1937;

Died: February 1, 2016

DUNCAN MacLennan, who has died aged 78, was a popular teacher and folk singer who, with a group of like-minded friends, formed the Inverness Folk Club in the 1960s and helped guide it to great success over the following three decades. He was also one of the finest shinty players of his generation.

He was born and brought up in the small community of Kiltarlity, 12 miles west of Inverness, and was caught up in the excitement of the folk revival during his university years in Aberdeen. He spent many hours in King’s College library copying out songs and ballads; it was also at university that he met his wife-to-be Deirdre Denoon.

The couple later attended teacher training college together and by the time they arrived in Inverness to start teaching at Millburn School, he had developed a pretty good claw hammer guitar style and had a deep interest in the big ballads.

He regularly attended a sing around session in the Jazz Club room above Mackays ironmongery shop and this seeded the idea for a dedicated folk song club which Duncan MacLennan and friends established in 1964.

Running every Sunday night at the Gellions Hotel, it was an instant success with a number of local singers and musicians, although fewer people will know of Duncan MacLennan’s own success as a singer. In 1966, with fellow club members Elsa Stevens and Irene Brown, he entered the newly introduced Folk Group competition and won.

The club went from strength to strength over the years and linked up with the newly-formed Folk Federation of Scottish Folk Clubs to ensure Inverness was firmly established on the map of touring artists. Mr MacLennan enjoyed folk singing in all its forms and successfully balanced traditional and mainstream performers.

The first Inverness Festival was held in 1969 and blossomed into a major UK event. Mr MacLennan was instrumental in attracting great artists, usually before they became unaffordable and the festival ran for 30 years, at Easter, before sadly coming to a close in 1998.

In his professional life, Mr MacLennan was a successful English teacher, arriving at Milburn in 1976. He was highly organised in the job and made a huge contribution to curriculum planning and development, although it was in the area of Higher English and Sixth Year Studies that his particular skills were most evident. His pupils were the beneficiaries of his love of literature and the breadth and depth of his knowledge and his popularity was due in no small part to his patience and the wit and good humour he generated in the classroom.

Away from the classroom, he was a keen sportsman, and his power and skill as a shinty player matched the legendary Lovat heroes of his young days. Nobody could forget his aerial skill and the way he could carry the ball past defenders, flick it up and smash it past a hapless goalkeeper.

He played the game first for Tomnacross primary in Kiltarlity and later for Aberdeen University where he won his University Blue in 1959. He then played for his home club Lovat, going straight into the first team. It quickly became evident that not only was he endowed with quite outstanding shinty ball-playing skills but he also had a great eye and a powerful shot for goal. After a playing career of around 15 years with Lovat, he continued to maintain a close association with the club.

His other great love was cricket – an interest which began when he was a boy listening to the cricket commentaries on the radio. He taught himself the game and eventually played for his secondary school Inverness Royal Academy. Later, he played for Aberdeen University.

He is survived by his wife Deirdre, son Colin and granddaughter Rebecca.