The Curious Case of Dubh Sith

The Curious Case of Dubh Sith

If you picture troops involved in a 14th Century clan battle, fairies are the last thing you would expect to find among the ranks. However according to legend, a fairy is said to have appeared at the Battle of Traigh Ghruinneart, fought between Clan MacDonald and Clan MacLean in 1598. Although it wasn’t the kind […]

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The Red Wedding and the Dwarf Assassin. Not ‘Game of Thrones’ But Everyday Clan Warfare

The Red Wedding and the Dwarf Assassin. Not ‘Game of Thrones’ But Everyday Clan Warfare

With a new season of Game of Thrones on TV screens avid fans will be enthralled at the twists and turns of this epic tale. However as I recently discovered while staying on Islay, the inspiration behind many of the series’ most bloody moments come from the stories of our own Scottish Clans. The Island […]

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Sold! Clan Feud Auction Update

Sold! Clan Feud Auction Update

Just a quick update on a story we reported on earlier in the week – the MacGregor/Campbell feud document has sold at auction to an unnamed MacGregor bidder. The persecution of the Clan Gregor manuscript commission (above) was estimated to sell for between £2-3000. It sold at auction yesterday in Edinburgh for £2,750 (premium inclusive). […]

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Residents Look to Buy Tiree from Clan Chief

Residents Look to Buy Tiree from Clan Chief

Crofters on an Inner-Hebridiean isle are looking to buy their island home from the chief of Clan Campbell under a community ownership plan. Residents on the Isle of Tiree, currently owned by Argyll Estates, say community ownership could generate fresh investment and economic growth on the island. The Tiree Community Development Trust are currently putting […]

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That’s a Wrap! Scotland on Screen

That’s a Wrap! Scotland on Screen

With an overabundance of stunning landscapes and picturesque castles, it’s no wonder Scotland is a favourite calling card for film and television location scouts. Here are my top five Scottish locations featured on the silver screen: Inveraray Castle – Downton Abbey Featured in the nail-biting finale to the third season of Downton Abbey, the stunning […]

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How the Clans Inspired Game of Thrones

How the Clans Inspired Game of Thrones

If you still haven’t seen Episode 9 ‘The Rains of Castamere‘ in the latest season of Game of Thrones, you should probably stop reading this post right about now. It’s a well-known and begrudgingly accepted fact that Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin loves to kill off central characters. In episode nine of the […]

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Clan Campbell Mausoleum Restoration Begins

Clan Campbell Mausoleum Restoration Begins

Work has begun on restoring the final resting place of twenty generations of Campbell chiefs. Built in 1798, the current mausoleum is on the site of an earlier chapel where Campbells have been buried since the 15th century. The mausoleum is located within the grounds of Kilmun Parish Church on the banks of the Holy […]

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The Massacre of Glencoe

The Massacre of Glencoe

Today marks the 321st anniversary of the Massacre of Glencoe, in which 38 MacDonald of Glencoe clansmen were murdered on direct orders from the crown. The death warrant signed by King William III provided flames to fuel the Jacobite’s cause and subsequent rebellions, and contributed to generations of unease between the MacDonald and Campbell Clans. […]

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Prophecy – Scottish Second Sight

Prophecy – Scottish Second Sight

The Scots are superstitious, and one of our most strongly held beliefs is that of the gift of second sight; the ability to predict events before they occur. Prophets, or seers, are well recorded in Scottish history and mythology from the Brahan Seer to Thomas the Rhymer; and this article looks at how their predictions cast a long shadow over the lives of people of Scotland

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