The 'night of the long sgian dubhs' - in pictures
IT was dubbed "the night of the long sgian dubhs" by Charles Kennedy, one of three Highland Lib Dem MPs who fell amid the onslaught of the SNP.
As the results came through in the early hours of today it became clear that the political landscape of Scotland was changing as the map turned SNP yellow.
By this morning, the SNP had won a landslide victory, taking 56 of Scotland’s 59 seats and surpassing all expectations and favourable polls.
In the Highlands, the hard fought General Election 2015 battle came to a conclusion at the Highland Football Academy in Dingwall where the count was held.
Charles Kennedy’s seemingly impenetrable fortress seat of Ross, Skye and Lochaber - held with a 13,070 majority - fell to the SNP’s Ian Blackford from Skye.
Mr Kennedy, who had represented Ross-shire for 32 years, said at the count that the wipeout of the Lib Dems and Labour in Scotland would become known as "the night of the long sgian dubhs".
His fellow Lib Dem MP John Thurso who had held Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross since 2001, was also ousted by the SNP’s Paul Monaghan from Contin.
And in Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, Lib Dem Danny Alexander was also ousted by the SNP’s Drew Hendry from Tore, the current leader of the Highland Council.
North Star photographer Callum Mackay was at the Dingwall count to capture the drama as the night unfolded. So here is the "night of the long sgian dubhs" in pictures:
