The Black Dwarf, also known as The Black Tinker (C’eard Dubh) is now almost forgotten, a character who was once highly feared, written about by Sir Walter Scott, and played a large part in legends from all across Scotland. The Black Dwarf is known on Islay and there are many stories about him in the Scottish Borders […]
August 29th is the 85th anniversary of the last people leaving St Kilda. For most people, St Kilda is remote and mysterious, a windswept outcrop in the North Atlantic which against all odds supported human habitation for more than 2,000 years (some say this is more like 4,000 years). This lonely island sits in the outermost […]
A report by Paul Macdonald, Swordmaker Further to presenting a talk at Culloden House in April of this year on the topic of Scottish Swords of Legend, I was advised that the Clan Donnachaidh Museum housed a sword with Culloden provenance. As this was on the return route to Edinburgh, stopping in to study the […]
Back in 1978, Gavin Alston, an Aberdeenshire farmer was ploughing his field when he uncovered a 6 foot high Pictish stone. The stone was carved with a distinctive figure carrying an axe, it quickly earned the name the ‘Rhynie Man’, coined from the village in which it was found. It was ploughed up on Barflat Farm […]
A newly erected sign (sorry for this awful pun) had the Gaelic community in stitches today. A Gaelic spelling error means the first thing visitors to the isle of Bute see is a big sign saying, ‘Welcome to Penis Island’. For the record, Bute, in the Firth of Clyde, is not known for the number […]
Did the Picts did not look like this We see these depictions all the time, of naked blue people adorned with tattoos and maybe a severed head or two. But evidence shows us they looked was quite the opposite. It’s an incomplete jigsaw puzzle as not much is known, but what we do know is […]
A young Dundee actress is to take on the lead role of a Highland heroine for a new short film about the Highland Clearances. The Last Footsteps from Home is a haunting story inspired by the real life story of Kate McPherson, a courageous young Scots woman who was forced to leave her family home during the […]
At ScotClans we have a very active Facebook group: Scottish Clans and Families, it’s been going for many years now and has nearly 28,000 members. Over the years we have seen many photos of Scotland come in that have proven to be fake. So here are my top 10, enjoy 10. A lovely drive in […]
We had a great time at Grandfather Mountain, can see our ScotClans tent in some of these videos. The Opening Ceremony 2015 GMHG Torch Light Ceremony The Parade of the Tartans Massed Bands 2015 GMHG Kirkin’ of the Tartan 2015 GMHG Heavy Athletics 2015 GMHG Festival Teaser
I have just returned from a trip to Lewis and came across this wonderful story. It is from the Shiant islands (meaning the holy or enchanted islands). The Shiant Islands lie four miles or so off the coast of Lewis and 12 from the northern tip of Skye. The Shiants are a wild and dramatic […]
