They’re the Perthshire musical dynasty with connections to Bonnie Prince Charlie, Niel Gow, Queen Victoria, Robert Baden-Powell and Beatrix Potter.
So perhaps the most surprising thing about the MacIntosh family of Inver is how little has been known about them until now.
That could all be about to change this weekend, however, when Birnam Arts hosts a play, a concert and an exhibition celebrating their lives and legacy.
And it’s all thanks to a chance discovery by modern-day musician Munro Gauld.
Munro, a flautist, was rooting around in the records of the Dunkeld Community Archive when he stumbled upon a folder containing handwritten musical manuscripts.
The items were donated in 1998. And they turned out to have been written by James MacIntosh before his death in 1937.
The discovery set Munro on a quest, which has resulted in this weekend’s tributes.
James MacIntosh’s previously unpublished compositions will be performed live, with every musician taking a turn at playing his fiddle.
A new one-act play, written by Perthshire playwright Lesley Wilson, will tell the stories of three generations of the MacIntosh family.
And an exhibition of James’ photos – taken on a camera he built himself – will be on display at Birnam Arts.
Munro says he is proud to have played his part in bringing the family’s stories to light.
“What I love about them is that they were just ordinary folk,” he said.
“They were posties and weavers, but they were interested in absolutely everything.”
McIntosh family of Inver played outsized role in community life
The MacIntosh family’s arrival at Inver should perhaps have been a sign of things to come.
James’ grandfather Charles barrelled into town dressed as a woman in 1783.
He had donned the disguise in order to flee an East India Company press-gang that was riding through his Atholl glen.
He became a weaver – and next door neighbour to fiddle legend Niel Gow.
And over the next 200 years, his family would go on to play an outsized role in the cultural and community life of the Dunkeld area.
They taught singing, composed music and entertained locals and esteemed visitors at dances and balls throughout Perthshire and beyond.
Their audiences included Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, on honeymoon at Taymouth Castle.
The family were also involved in establishing the Birnam Institute and the Dunkeld and District Strathspey and Reel Society, both still going strong today.
James’ brother Charles, a cello-playing postman is better known as “the Perthshire naturalist”.
He identified 13 species of fungi that were previously unknown in the British Isles, including four that were entirely new to science. But he is more famous for his friendship with Beatrix Potter.
James was also a postman, but his instrument was the fiddle.
He joined his father’s dance band in the 1860s, going on to lead it until the 1920s.
‘Unsung heroes deserve to be remembered’
Ruth Brown, manager of the Dunkeld Community Archive, says she is delighted at the outcome of Munro Gauld’s discovery.
“The MacIntosh family were a huge part of the musical and community life of this area for two centuries, yet nowadays few people are aware of them or their lives,” she said.
“They are unsung local heroes and deserve to be recognised and remembered.”
• The play, A Place fu o Fiddlers, is at Birnam Arts on Saturday at 7.30pm and on Sunday Sunday at 2pm.
The concerts, featuring local professional and amateur musicians, will take place at Birnam Arts after the play.
The exhibition of photos and other artefacts is on at Birnam Arts until Monday October 14.
Conversation