James McKendrick came to this village as an answer to prayer. He wrote: The scene that follows can never be described. … The Holy Spirit of God seemed just to mow the people down, and in less than 5 minutes over fifty people were on their knees upon the floor, crying to God for mercy. Over 40 of these were men above thirty years of age. As one after another was born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, they literally danced for joy, and there was such a scene of excitement and religious fervour as no words can fitly set forth. I besought every saved person in the place to get outside, form into a procession, and give expression to their new-found joy by singing some hymns and marching through the village. I kept a few of the old and experienced Christians to assist Mr Brown and myself in helping all who were in distress about their soul, and as one after another found peace and forgiveness, they set out and joined the procession. This continued till 2.30 am, but even then many were too excited to go to rest. I have very imperfectly described that night, for it was the night of nights in my career, and in reviewing the extraordinary scenes of which I was an eye-witness on that occasion, I understood as never before how natural it was for ignorant onlookers on the day of Pentecost to imagine that those men on whom the Spirit descended were filled with wine'
and, 'By 6am the boats should have been off to sea, but some had not gone to bed, others for only an hour or two, so that the majority were not anxious for sea, the more so as it was Saturday, and the funeral of a resident was to take place at one o’clock. All turned back, and not a boat went to sea. At 8.00am a gale burst with almost the suddenness of a gunshot, and had the Portknockie boats been out, most probably not a single one could have escaped. Because of the position and formation of the harbour, not a boat could have entered in the face of such a gale. This was the unanimous verdict of the men, and it found confirmation in the large number of wrecks and loss of life in other parts of the coast. But for the great spiritual blessing in Portknockie on the previous night, the death-roll in the village would have been awful.
From 'McKendrick, Seen and Heard, p188-90
For more information see, ‘Glory in the Glen,’ by Tom Lennie published by Christian Focus Publications, p211-2.
I do not know where the meetings were held.