Message from the Centre Manager – April 2026

Our first month welcoming both volunteers and visitors back to the museum seems to have flown past. Though the weather has been unpredictable (to say the least) thankfully this did not deter people from popping in. Of course now we are fully open from 10am – 4pm Monday to Saturday, so hopefully we will see even more of you! If you can’t make it to the museum, you can subscribe to our new monthly newsletter to keep up to date with all our activities and events: subscribe here.

April is already set to be an exciting month at TDC. First we have our Vikings, Picts and Dragons Easter children’s event on 4th April with storytelling and magic eggs. Then on Saturday 11th April we will open our new exhibition, ‘Richard Blosse: The Man Behind the Lens’ with free entry and refreshments from 1pm. Our cataloguing group have been working on this since the start of the year, so come along to view some amazing photographs of life in Tarbatness. The following week we have Susan Kruse from ARCH giving a talk on her research into Norwegians in the local area during World War 2 on 16th April, which will reveal the little-known extent of their involvement in local life.

In fact we have had a series of fantastic talks this year. In March, Anne Coombs spoke about the history of the herring fishing industry. Since it is Women’s History Month, Anne’s talk was well timed as we learned about the hugely important roles women played in Scotland’s fishing industry. Anne also showed fascinating photos of the herring gutters and boat graveyards around the area which have been uncovered in recent years. 

Life at the Discovery Centre has been busy in other ways. This month has allowed us to think more about collaboration with other heritage organisations, as we attended Highland Heritage Day on the 14th. This was a fantastic day to meet and engage with many other heritage organisations in the Highlands, with the chance to share ideas, challenges and solutions.

Finally, the announcement that Thomas Keyes has been awarded funding to reconstruct a Pictish vellum tank is what really shone the spotlight on Portmahomack. With articles in the BBC and The Herald, there has been plenty of excitement around the possibilities of Thomas’ research. The tank’s reconstruction therefore may help prove the famed Book of Kells was in fact made on our site all those centuries ago. Thomas will give a lecture with us on his finds in late 2026, though it is safe to say the results are already eagerly anticipated.