Two manuscripts dealing with one of the most infamous feuds in clan history are set to go under the hammer this week in Edinburgh. The Persecution of the Clan Gregor manuscripts, dated between 1611 and 1619, highlight the extent to which the MacGregors were punished by the Campbells after loosing a bitter and long power […]
Family history website ScotlandsPeople has uploaded a tranche of birth, marriage and death records from across the country, dating from 1913, 1938 and 1963 respectively. The records are available to view on the web for the very first time. The documents – which consist of over 220,000 separate scans – were released on New Year’s […]
Thank goodness Burns Night is just around the corner. With Christmas and Hogmanay celebrations all over for another year, I’ve been suffering from post-festive-season-depression this past week. Touted as Scotland’s unofficial national day, Burns Night is a celebration of the birthday of Scotland’s most loved bard, Rabbie Burns. It’s also the perfect excuse to get […]
Just as the descendents of Scottish emigrants can be found in every corner of the globe, so too can their language. Scottish Gaelic is the focus of a new musical project celebrating the languages spread throughout the world, highlighting the importance of indigenous language to the concept of home and belonging. Now the team behind […]
Launched on 16 Nov 2013, Sgeulachdan na Mara / Sea Stories is an innovative interactive map that reveals Barra’s rich local knowledge, language and culture through the voices and experiences of the local community. Visitors to the map are encouraged to explore the audio, video, images and stories in any order they like and within […]
People from across the world have been invited to join in a global ceilidh held over 24 hours next summer, as part of Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games celebrations. The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society (RSCDS), which has been commissioned by Get Scotland Dancing to create the Commonwealth Ceilidh, will work with dance organisations in Edinburgh, […]
A storm is erupting over the Royal designation given to a Canadian Gaelic College by Queen Elizabeth II. Colaisde na Gàidhlig – The Gaelic College in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia is to be styled immediately as The Royal Cape Breton Gaelic College, for its contribution to preserving Gaelic and Scottish culture in Canada. The designation […]
It’s hard to imagine that once upon a time Christmas was banned for over 400 years in Scotland. Today shops are full of anything and everything Christmas related you could ever need, you can spot Christmas trees in almost every sitting room window and fairy lights adorn houses and businesses across the land. Up until […]
Bagpipe playing Santa Clauses descended on Edinburgh’s Princes Street Gardens over the weekend, to help warm up runners at the city’s annual Santa Run. Hundreds of runners and walkers dressed as Santa took part in the Wish Upon A Star Charity event to raise money for sick and terminally ill children. The Stockbridge Pipe Band […]
Perhaps my favourite part of Christmas (after opening presents, of course), are the days spent feasting and picking at leftovers until you can’t possibly eat any more. Here’s a compile of traditional Scots Christmas fare, guaranteed to warm your cockles this holiday season. All recipes featured below come from Theodora Fitzgibbon’s book Traditional Scottish Cookery, […]
