Qualla: Nairn https://qualla.com/nairn en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:25 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_res/siteimages/rsslogo.png Qualla: Nairn https://qualla.com/nairn Nairn: Introduction https://qualla.com/nairn/ On 27 May 1960 three young musicians who later changed pop music played The Regal Ballroom on Leopold Street in Nairn. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison were touring Scotland under the name The Silver Beetles as the backing band for Johnny Gentle on The Beat Ballad Show Tour. Their set list that night included Buddy Holly's "Raining in My Heart" and Elvis Presley's "I Need Your Love Tonight." They were paid almost nothing, slept in cheap rooms, and were largely unknown. Three years later they were the most famous band on Earth. Nairn has accumulated other unlikely cultural visitors. Pink Floyd and The Who played the town's Ballerina Ballroom in 1967. Charlie Chaplin took his holidays at the Newton Hotel every year. Tilda Swinton moved here in 2007 with her children and started a film festival in the Public Hall. A small Highland town of fishermen, golfers, and witches keeps surprising people.

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]]> Sat, 30 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/f/j/r/nairn-wp/gfjr-nairn-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Nairn: The Witches and the Order Pot https://qualla.com/nairn/ Paganism, Wicca, or witchcraft has a long history in this corner of Scotland. East of Elgin Cathedral lies a deep pool called the Order Pot, used to test alleged witches from the Nairn area up to 1560. Over fifty people were tried and killed within two miles of Nairn during the 1...

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]]> Sat, 30 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/f/j/r/nairn-wp/gfjr-nairn-the-witches-and-the-order-pot.mp3 0:06 2 full Nairn: The Highland Games and the Golf https://qualla.com/nairn/ The Nairn Highland Games have been held yearly since 1867 and remain the only completely free entry Highland Games in Scotland. Tug-of-war, shot put, Highland dancing, tossing the caber, and now a half-marathon all share the program. The Nairn Curling Club, established before 185...

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]]> Sat, 30 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/f/j/r/nairn-wp/gfjr-nairn-the-highland-games-and-the-golf.mp3 0:06 3 full Nairn: Lady Zainab and the British Hajj https://qualla.com/nairn/ Lady Evelyn Cobbold, born in 1867, was the daughter of the 7th Earl of Dunmore and a Nairn-area figure of note. In 1933, taking the name Zainab, she became the first known British woman to complete the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. She continued to practice Islam until her death in I...

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]]> Sat, 30 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/f/j/r/nairn-wp/gfjr-nairn-lady-zainab-and-the-british-hajj.mp3 0:06 4 full Nairn: James Augustus Grant and the White Nile https://qualla.com/nairn/ James Augustus Grant was born at Househill outside Nairn, attended Nairn Academy, and in 1862 became, with John Hanning Speke, one of the first Europeans to confirm that the White Nile flowed out of Lake Victoria. Britain had been chasing the source of the Nile for centuries; Gra...

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]]> Sat, 30 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/f/j/r/nairn-wp/gfjr-nairn-james-augustus-grant-and-the-white-nile.mp3 0:06 5 full