Thursday 21 st May saw the unveiling of the new plaque celebrating the 200 th anniversary of the Telford Dunkeld Bridge on the north end of the bridge by the 11 th Duke of Atholl, the unveiling was attended by a number of local dignitaries and members of the public.

Chairman of The Institute of Civil Engineers (East of Scotland), James Christie, led the unveiling paying tribute to local retired fellow ICE, Chris Ford, who has been instrumental in the dedication of the plaque. The photo shows Atholl Highlander Piper Angus Clarke, Chris Ford, Councillor Ann Gaunt The Duchess and Duke of Atholl and James Christie.

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The last weekend of March saw one of the most memorable events in Dunkeld and Birnam's recent history, when commemorated the 200 th anniversary of the opening of Thomas Telford's famous Dunkeld Bridge.

Since time immemorial the need to cross the mighty River Tay posed one of the biggest problems for travellers heading north into the Highlands . The Tay, the longest river in Scotland , also carries the greatest volume of water of any river in the British Isles . Draining much of the South-Central Highlands, the Tay discharges over 45,000 gallons a second on average, and in full spate more than 500,000 gallons a second flow. At some point any road north must cross the river, and the most obvious spot is at Dunkeld, and Telford's magnificent structure was certainly not the first attempt to span the Tay . Previous bridges, including Bishop Brown's medieval effort were all eventually swept away in the torrent, it is was obvious that by 1800 something more solid was required, as the need to replace the death-trap ferries had become imperitive.

Paid for by a private-public partnership between the Government and the local landowner, the 4 th Duke of Atholl, the genial Scottish engineer Thomas Telford was commissioned to design and build a new bridge over the Tay at Dunkeld. Any construction designed by Telford was not only practical but elegant, and Dunkeld Bridge is perhaps his best example of this art-form. Work on the bridge began in 1804, and involved some inspirational and inventive engineering, including moving the river back and forth. Finished in October 1808, and finally signed off by Telford in 1809, the new bridge revolutionised travel north into the Highlands , and resulted in the realignment of the town.

Our celebrations of this famous bicentenary were also a good way to celebrate not only the bridge, but our community as a whole, the idea of building bridges as metaphor and the importance of our heritage. On Saturday the 28 th we began the party with a march over the bridge involving as many from Dunkeld and Birnam. Starting from the School, and led by the Atholl Highlanders (the Duke of Atholl's private army), the march crossed the bridge, down into Dunkeld and finished up in the Cross. As well as the Atholl Highlanders the parade also including the local Masonic Lodge, local MSPs and the local MP, and we thank John Swinney MSP and Pete Wishart MP for their speeches afterwards. It was an incredible sight to see so many people taking part in the parade, a sea of faces marching down into Dunkeld.

In the Cross we had the formal part of the proceedings, including a short speech by Sir Blair Stewart-Wilson, Commanding Officer of the Atholl Highlanders, who read out a message from His Grace the Duke of Atholl – maintaining the association with his ancestor who paid for the bridge. The Chairman of the Dunkeld Bridge 200 th anniversary committee, David McNicoll, tied the event together, and the first part of the party was brought to a close by a wonderful rendition of Niel Gow's ‘ Dunkeld Bridge ' played on the fiddle by Pete Clark.

In the evening there was a fantastic fiddle concert led by Pete Clark and his local fiddlers, which was followed by a play, specially written by Bob Patterson for the occasion. It was a remarkable and highly entertaining telling of the history of the bridge. Saturday was brought to memorable end by a great ceilidh in the Birnam Institute.

On Sunday, with thanks to the Minister Fraser Penny, and his colleagues in the other local churches, we held a Service of Dedication in the ancient Dunkeld Cathedral. The message behind the sermon was one of Bridge-Building between communities; it was very informing, entertaining and thoughtful. Following the service we were served up with a truly fantastic fireworks display, laid on by Blast Design from Coupar Angus. They came second in the world fireworks competition, and their display didn't disappoint – I don't think the town will forget them for a long time. All in all a great weekend.