His Royal Highness, Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay recently visited Dunrobin Castle Station to mark the 150th anniversary of the Duke of Sutherlands Railway. His Royal Highness was greeted by The Lord-Lieutenant of Sutherland, Dr Monica Main, who presented His Royal Highness to the Earl of Sutherland.
His Royal Highness joined a reception where he met with guests including representatives of the railway industry and the neighbouring castle. His Royal Highness then toured the station with The Honorary Station Master, Daniel Brittain-Catlin.
The only part of the national rail network to have been planned, financed and opened by one person
The Duke of Sutherland’s Railway is the only part of the national rail network to have been planned, financed and opened by one person. Running from Golspie to Helmsdale it opened on 16 May 1871. In September 1870 an isolated section some 17 miles long opened from Dunrobin (a mile north of Golspie) to West Helmsdale (the temporary terminus). This was opened in September 1870 by HRH Princess Helena. Intermediate stations were opened at Brora and later Loth.
Dunrobin Station (including platform and building) remains in the ownership of the Sutherland Estate and is believed to be the only such station on the network. Trains to Dunrobin are operated by Scotrail’s Far North Line service which runs between Inverness-Thurso/Wick. The station is situated at the top of the drive leading to Dunrobin Castle and open to the public throughout the castle season from April-October.
In 2019/20 it was used by 1240 passengers. The cost of the railway was a remarkably cheap £5007 per mile, as the Duke did not have to buy the land. The equivalent sum today for the whole line would be approx £10.5million. The station was used exclusively by the Sutherland family and guests from 1871 until the second world war. After the war it was opened to the general public but was closed (to the public) in 1965 under the Beeching cuts.
In 1985 it reopened on summer Sundays , but now has a full service when the castle is open. The station has always been a request stop and intending passengers need to hold their arm out to the train driver, like a bus stop. The original low platform is still in use and boxes with three steps are provided so passengers can reach the level of the train.
The most northerly of Scotland’s Great Houses
After visiting Dunrobin Castle Station, His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay was then invited to visit Dunrobin Castle’s Formal Gardens. His Royal Highness was welcomed by The Earl of Sutherland and introduced to Iain Crisp, Head Gardener for Dunrobin Castle. His Royal Highness took a short walk around the gardens with The Countess of Sutherland before being invited to take tea on the Coronation lawn.
Before leaving His Royal Highness met local volunteers from East Sutherland who had helped in their communities during the lockdowns over the last 18 months. Dunrobin Castle is the most northerly of Scotland’s Great Houses and the largest in the Northern Highlands with 189 rooms. Dunrobin Castle is also one of Britain’s oldest continually inhabited houses dating back to the early 1300’s, home to the Earls and later Dukes of Sutherland. The Castle, which resembles a French chateau with its towering conical spires, has seen the architectural influence of Sir Charles Barry, who designed London’s Houses of parliament, and Scotland’s own Sir Robert Lorimer.
Dunrobin Castle is open to visitors annually from the 1st of April to 31st October where guests can walk through several of the castle rooms and even experience a Falconry show in the Formal Gardens.
CelticFest Mississippi has been a staple in the Jackson metro area for 30 years. After the cancellation in 2020, the board made the decision to move from our original venue which had multiple indoor buildings, to Lakeshore Park on the Barnett Reservoir so that we would be completely outside. The 23-acre location is absolutely perfect for hosting a festival and we are pleased to be introducing it to our long time attendees and new friends.
CelticFest Mississippi has always maintained a traditional music only format and we’re proud to be known as a musician’s fest. We’ve hosted many amazing performers from all over the world and are fortunate to have been able to book A Cherished Few this year, made up of members from internationally acclaimed band, Cherish the Ladies featuring Joanie Madden, Mary Coogan and Mirella Murray with Bruce Foley. We’re beyond excited to have them headline this year’s festival. We’ll have three music stages and a dance stage plus free heritage, dance and music workshops. Our Irish Feis Dance competition will also include categories for Celtic Baking, Art, Vocal and Music, which are all open to anyone and all instruments.
Great Celtic events
We’re fortunate to have a working Highland Cattle farm right here in Brandon, Mississippi and so we’ll have some beauties from Cool Creek Highlands here all weekend. Our Heavy Athletics events this year include some of the best Pro Men & Women competing on Saturday with amateur classes with athletes from all over the country coming in on Sunday. The Elite Women’s Invitational Championship is going to be outstanding with several record holders competing. We’ll have exhibition games of Hurling, the Irish national sport, and Gaelic football brought to us by members of the Memphis Gaelic Athletics Association and the Little Rock Gaelic Athletics Club. We don’t have a league yet in Mississippi but we’re hoping to get people excited about that this year and get one formed.
We’ll be hosting a free kick-off event at The Black Axes Throwing Club in Brandon on Friday evening with music from some of our artists plus we’ll be holding one of two Kindred Spirits Scotch & Whiskey Tastings also on Friday night at The Rickhouse by Manship Event space in the historic Belhaven neighborhood in Jackson. Our second tasting will be at the festival on Saturday evening. We’ll finish out Saturday night with our famous Céilí Mór- a giant social dance led by our two dance masters, Jackie O’Riley & Rebecca McGowan. We’re going to adjust the céilí this year to be hands free and it should be a great time. Sunday will kick off with a special Celtic Worship Service and finish out with a finale on our Water’s Edge Main Stage. Our Host Hotel is the Hilton Jackson. CelticFest offers plenty of free parking and is of course completely family and dog friendly.
Kids under 12 get in free and we also offer college, senior and military discounted tickets which are available now on our website www.celticfestms.org and also at the gate. It’s going be a blast!
CelticFest Mississippi takes place October 23 & 24th in Brandon, MS. For more information see: www.celticfestms.org
By: Bethany Bisaillion, Sons of Scotland Pipe Band, Ottawa, Ontario
The Sons of Scotland Pipe Band from Ottawa, Canada had the good fortune of participating in the 45th annual Estes Park International Military Tattoo this September and they had a wonderful time.
Great music
They joined forces with pipers and drummers from across Canada and the United States, and played with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Band from San Diego. The US Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps and international Highland dancers made for a very special show to mark the return of this great event.
The band also performed at the Longs Peak Highland Games and did a parade through town – it was a full schedule and a lot of great music and new friendships came of it. Next year’s trip is already on the books for September 10 to 12, and they welcome you to visit the site www.epitattoo.com for all the details.
The Sons of Scotland is Canada’s oldest civilian pipe band. For details see: www.sospb.com
The Scottish Banner recently caught up with ScotlandShop’s founding director Anna White on being in the tartan business, opening a new North American branch and her love of the Scottish Borders.
ScotlandShop founder Anna White.
SB: Anna thanks for speaking to the Scottish Banner. ScotlandShop was born out of your home in the Scottish Borders, can you tell us about the inspiration behind the business and its reach today?
AW: I started ScotlandShop in 2002 in the spare room of my wee cottage near Duns in the beautiful Scottish Borders, and we have steadily grown from there, driven by requests from customers and the fabulous resource that is the textiles industry in this area. I love colour and the tactile nature of the woollen fabrics we work with, and this was my original inspiration to set up the business. I wanted to bring the history and heritage of tartan to customers all over the world. I am also very passionate about this very rural area, I needed an interesting job myself without commuting into the city, so I created the business and have now been able to offer employment to lots of other local people, as well as supporting the rural economy by using local manufacturers. Today we offer over 500 tartans custom made into all sorts of clothing and interiors products, to customers across the globe.
SB: ScotlandShop has really embraced technology with sites in different languages, virtual Clan consultations and a robust presence on social media. How has using these tools helped ScotlandShop reach new international customers, and have they become even more important during the Covid pandemic?
AW: When I first started ScotlandShop, e-commerce was just beginning and there was a deep mistrust of the technology and of companies who operated purely online. Suppliers didn’t want to work with us as we were regarded as fly by night and not a proper bricks and mortar business. Thankfully over time this has completely changed and of course COVID has really cemented this shift. We have sold to customers in the US and overseas since day 1 and I suppose my personal interest and passion for international markets has also fuelled our growth in these areas. Both the internet and social media have meant that despite being located in a very rural area we are not limited by the local population in how we can grow our business, the opportunity to reach customers is almost unlimited. In the last 18 months our favourite move has been into video appointments and consultations with customers. Everyone is so used to Zoom now, and it is great fun teaching people how to measure and chatting about tartan with someone thousands of miles away, hearing their family stories and why they are choosing that specific tartan.
SB: ScotlandShop has attended Highland Games and Scottish events around the world. How important have these been for business growth and also how important do you think they are for the international Scottish community to have?
AW: So, despite all of the above saying how fabulous e-commerce and video calling is, nothing beats face to face and pre-Covid as we started researching where to have our base in the US, we ran pop-up shops and attended Highland Games all over the country. We started with Tartan Week in New York and had the best time, partying as well as working, marched with our giant Tartan Suited Mascot down 6th Avenue and met so many wonderful people. We then moved on to visit the Chicago Scots and join in their Highland Games, where the famous windy city nearly blew our tent away but again what an amazing welcome for our products. Emily, who will head up our US branch, then subjected herself to two weeks in an RV with myself and my two teenagers while we toured Canada, visiting Glengarry, Montreal and Fergus Highland Games. That gave us a real taste of the enormity of these events, it is very rare to get that many people to one event in Scotland! Just before Covid we also did a tour of Florida and we only just sneaked back home before the borders were closed. Of course we also attend Highland Games here in Scotland, with North Berwick one of our favourite more local ones, full of pipers as it always falls just before the Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow. So how important are these events? The most important of all! You meet people, you hear feedback you would never hear otherwise, you gain an understanding for who your customers are which is hard to do by phone or email, and they really appreciate us making the effort to be there. We loved learning more about the differences between the states and the cultural nuances we were missing.
Just some of the 500 tartans to choose from.
SB: Tartan tells a story and is the core of your business, and when people think of Scotland many will think of tartan. What is it about tartan you love so much and what are some of the things you have learned about the tartan industry since starting the business?
AW: There is much I love about tartan. First up I love colour….I am wearing yellow trainers today which match the yellow in my Doddie’5 Tartan Scarf! I am also very tactile, and the feel of the different wool and cashmere products is one of the reasons I like working in our dispatch department, you get to handle all the products before they are packed and sent off. I worked with a few of the Scottish mills before I started the business and fell in love with the production process, the quality of what we produce locally and the story behind it all. The old files with the colour and dying information, the links to clans and landscapes and the changes from the original plant-based dyes to the chemical ones we use today. Everything has a story, and not just a brief story, hundreds of years of history and my favourite thing is that every day I learn something new and my passion to promote that particular tartan or product is re-fuelled. I wanted to create a business that didn’t just sell product, it sold products with meaning, emotion and story behind them. Also, because I really love this area of Scotland, I wanted to make sure it could survive economically and by selling products produced here I could contribute to that.
SB: Some may think of tartan and thinks kilts, but there is much more to it than just that. Can you tell us about some of the outside the box tartan items that have proved popular?
AW: We do make some quite unusual products as well as the traditional kilts and jackets. Tartan sneakers has to be one of them! I am currently trying to decide whether to have a pair made for myself in my husband’s MacGregor tartan or to simply choose my favourite colour combination. We also make ladies dress shoes and men’s brogues in tartan which are a nice way of adding just a touch of tartan to an outfit. We have made a cloak for a member of the clergy, in Clergy Ancient tartan of course, a suit using four different tartans for a British & Irish Lions rugby commentator, and the doggie bow ties and bandannas came about from a customer requesting them for a wedding. We have had some interesting embroidery to do as well but we love a challenge and as long as it’s in tartan we can usually do it!
SB: ScotlandShop champions quality products and Scottish made. How important is it for you to sell genuine Scottish products? Also how does it make you feel promoting Scottish products internationally?
AW: This is why I started the business, I wanted to sell products made in my local area to promote the economy of the Scottish Borders. We have had to source suppliers from further afield due to customer demand where specific manufacturing skills or capacity aren’t available locally but as far as possible we will always use what is on our doorstep. And of course, you can’t beat the quality of Scotland, and quality is another of those things I just won’t bend on.
Anna White with Emily Redman, who will head up the new Albany franchise.
SB: At a time of great uncertainty around the world ScotlandShop has announced they are opening a US operation in Spring 2022. Can you tell us more?
AW: It does seem a little crazy to open up a new location on the other side of the Atlantic when we can’t even fly into the US right now, however we just feel like we want to be really close to our market and customers and provide even better levels of service than we currently do. So Albany, the capital of New York state is our destination, and we will open a showroom and customer service centre there. Customers can come and see our products and be measured for garments, talk about tartan and peruse swatch books, and we will also be able to handle returns and customer service at hours that suit the US rather than us being asleep when they need answers! Most importantly Albany will act as a base for more pop-up events, attending Highland Games and supporting Scottish Societies and groups with their activities. We can’t wait to get more involved! We will be in New York once a month for pop up measuring and clan consultations from November and booking for that is now open.
SB: Finally Anna, as passionate as you are about your business, you are also incredibly passionate about your home region of the Scottish Borders. What is it about the Scottish Borders you love so much, and do you have any Border recommendations for a visitor to Scotland?
AW: People fly over the Borders into Edinburgh or Glasgow, or they zoom up the coast on a train and they miss what is one of the most beautiful areas in Scotland. I am a little biased of course but this area has so much to offer, particularly if you love the great outdoors, with walking and biking opportunities galore. The roads are really quiet so if you aren’t energetic enough for a bike, hire a car and you can cruise around and stop at all the many historical sites – my favourite are the smaller, lesser known ones such as Greenknowe Tower in my home village (home of the Gordon clan thousands of years ago) or Smailholm Tower which you might have seen lit up in celebration of Sir Walter Scott, or you can do the Border Abbeys route and take in these 4 better known ruins. If you are here in summertime, you must watch the Common Ridings which remember the traditional riding of the bounds of the local towns and are a sight to behold with hundreds of horse riders and everyone out lining the streets. But best of all is when I stand at my back door, looking out across to the Cheviot Hills, and it is just so quiet, with the only sound the birds cheeping, the tranquillity is very hard to beat. Then I head off into the mayhem of the ScotlandShop office!
The new purpose-built Great Tapestry of Scotland gallery, visitor centre, cafe and workshop space has been revealed in its permanent home in Galashiels, the heartland of the Scottish Borders. The latest addition to Scotland’s national cultural scene was unveiled as world-renowned author Alexander McCall Smith, whose vision it was to create a tapestry telling the history of Scotland, carefully positioned the 160th and final tapestry panel in place with chief stitcher Dorie Wilkie. The Great Tapestry of Scotland is located in the centre of Galashiels, less than an hour by train from Edinburgh on the Borders Railway, and close to Galashiels Transport Interchange.
The brainchild of Alexander McCall Smith and designed by artist Andrew Crummy, the Great Tapestry of Scotland is one of the world’s largest community arts projects. Hand-stitched by a team of 1,000 stitchers from across Scotland led by Dorie Wilkie, over 300 miles of wool was used in creating the 160 linen panels (enough to lay the entire length of Scotland from the border with England to the tip of Shetland). The design of the panels is based on a narrative written by Scottish Borders-based award-winning writer and historian Alistair Moffat.
Speaking on the news of the centre’s opening, Alexander McCall Smith said: “The opening of this wonderful gallery marks the end of a long period of hard work by all of those who have created this astonishing tapestry and its permanent home. But it also marks the beginning of the public life of one of the great artistic creations of our time.”
An artwork truly born from the love of the places, people
The Great Tapestry of Scotland is one of the world’s largest community arts projects.
Councillor Mark Rowley, Scottish Borders Council’s Executive Member for Economic Regeneration and Finance, said: “The Great Tapestry of Scotland truly is a national asset, and we are exceptionally proud to be able to open this phenomenal gallery to house it in the Scottish Borders. I have absolutely no doubt that this will draw in visitors from far and wide and will be an incredibly important development for this region. The addition of new world class museums and galleries like The Great Tapestry of Scotland, the Trimontium museum and the Jim Clark Motorsport Museum add to our impressive array of visitor attractions across the beautiful Scottish Borders. Alongside Scotland’s Year of Stories in 2022 and the Scott 250 celebrations to mark the anniversary of Sir Walter Scott, our region’s incredible visitor assets, including our landscape, will provide a springboard for economic recovery post Covid-19. Having exhibitions and events of such national historical and cultural significance based in the south of Scotland is an extremely positive development and will deliver wider benefits to the local economy and place the area firmly on the map.”
As well as permanently displaying the Great Tapestry of Scotland itself, the new visitor attraction will be home to a workshop space – where visitors can meet the makers, a café showcasing Scotland’s larder, a shop and Gallery 1420, which will host a series of visiting exhibitions. Housed in the new visitor centre’s Gallery 1420, the Iconic Scotland exhibit also displays some artefacts relating to some of the individuals appearing in the exhibit including Drew McIntyre’s WWE Championship belt, items donated by Outlander star Sam Heughan, an eighteenth century purse embroidered by one of the daughters of the 4th Earl of Traquair, a salwar kameez worn by pioneering human rights activist Saroj Lal and a Great Tapestry of Scotland kilt created by leading kilt designer Howie Nicholsby at 21st Century Kilts, in an exclusive fabric designed by Lochcarron of Scotland.
Revealing the new exhibit, Great Tapestry of Scotland Centre Director Sandy Maxwell-Forbes said: “The Great Tapestry of Scotland is an artwork truly born from the love of the places, people and stories that feature within it. I’m delighted to reveal that this great love and world-renowned story telling continues into our opening Iconic Scotland exhibit. We have received wonderful contributions from some of the most inspiring and iconic people. People are such a big part of Scotland’s story. It is the people of Scotland, their achievements and their warmth of welcome that really put our much-loved small country on the map. It is their accounts throughout history and their continued passion and pride that give us our identity. Indeed, this is why the Great Tapestry of Scotland has received global acclaim and also why there will be so much to celebrate in the Year of Stories in 2022. We want to ensure our new national gallery and exhibition space will always be where Scotland’s story truly begins.”
The incredible tartans of Scotland. Photo courtesy of ScotlandShop.
The Banner Says…
Samhain-The ancient traditions of the Celts
October is the month of Halloween across the world and whilst most see it as an excuse for kids to trick or treat and for big and small kids to dress up it can actually trace its origins back to ancient Scotland.
Ancient Celts
Ancient Celts believed ghosts of the dead would walk amongst them on 31 October and the term Halloween or Hallowe’en was first used in 1745. Taking its name from All Hallows’ Eve, the night before the Christian festival of All Hallows or All Saints Day, it is possible to trace its origins back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which takes place on November 1st, which marked the end of summer and the harvest period with the beginning of the cooler winter and when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts.
Halloween is still recognised today in Edinburgh at the ancient Samhuinn Fire Festival on top of Calton Hill on October 31st, as people witness the exciting standoff between the Summer and Winter Kings and the dying of the light and the coming of the dark. Edinburgh is of course also known as one of the world’s most haunted cities with some of the most known sites to include Greyfriars Kirkyard, Mary King’s Close, The Edinburgh Playhouse and even a headless drummer at Edinburgh Castle!
Ghostly apparitions
Of course, Edinburgh does not hold exclusive rights to ghostly sightings in Scotland. Did you know one of Scotland’s most scenic beaches is also meant to be haunted? Sandwood Bay in Kinlochbervie is a 1.5-mile beach filled with dunes, sandy coastline and stunning cliffs. Visitors to this beautiful bay may think they have the beach all to themselves, however they could be sharing the surroundings with ghostly apparitions better known as the ‘Dead Sailors of Sandwood Bay’.
Music fans may be spooked to learn that at Argyll’s Inveraray Castle a harpist has been playing tunes for nearly 400 years! The castle is home to the ‘Phantom Harpist’ who is believed to have been the harpist of a former Duke of Argyll. Other hauntings around the castle include a female ghost who is thought to have been killed by the Jacobites and a ghost ship which sails up Loch Fyne and disappears onto the land.
Scotland’s national instrument also has fans ‘on the other side’ as The Phantom Piper of Clanyard Bay can reportedly be heard playing the bagpipes on the coastline near Stranraer during the evenings. Legend has it a piper and his loyal dog entered a cave, the piper never returned, and his dog did manage to escape-but without any fur! Another piper is said to haunt Duntrune Castle near Crinan, the oldest continuously occupied castle on mainland Scotland.
In this issue
This month we caught up with Anna White who founded the Scottish retail business ScotlandShop in Duns in her beloved Scottish Borders. At the heart of their business is tartan, a fabric that shouts Scotland to all and one the nation can be so proud of and also one that goes beyond kilts, with so many items now available in your favourite tartan. Anna’s passion for Scottish products, culture and of course tartan is allowing her to take a leap of faith across the Atlantic and open a US chapter in Albany, New York.
For generations, Glaswegians have loved going down the Clyde coast aboard historic pleasure steamships. Many Glaswegians were doing ‘staycations’ well before they became a pandemic catchphrase. This month we go ‘doon the watter’ aboard some of the great steam paddlers and steam ships who sailed along the Clyde and were a highlight to thousands of people’s vacations and part of lifetime memories for many of summer in Scotland.
Scotland is full of castles, and many have a strong military history and are well known not just in Scotland but across the world. One that may not be as widely known is Dumbarton Castle, which is said to be the longest continually occupied fortification in all of Britain and is built on top of and into an extinct volcano. Unlike William Wallace and Mary Queen of Scots I have not yet visited this fascinating site and have found it a pleasure to learn more about this often-missed historic Scottish site.
Scottish traditions
Scottish traditions and folklore stretch back many years and what the world celebrates today with Halloween can trace back to a harvest festival, marking the final harvest of the year and the beginning of the onset of winter. Many of what we know as Halloween traditions came from our Celtic ancestors who would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts.
To keep evil spirits at bay, carved neeps, or turnips, with scary faces were placed outside folks houses. The Scots tradition of Guising involved children going door to door dressed up as a scary spirit so that they can venture out safely and ward off evil ghosts.
As Scots emigrated to new lands far and wide, they took these traditions with them which has evolved to the Halloween we know today. So, beyond all that sugar and the outrageous costumes there is in fact a spiritual tradition which dates back to Pagan times and which marks the change of seasons and the respect of our ancestors and that is something not to be scared of but instead very proud of.
Do you celebrate any ancient Scottish traditions? Share your story with us! Do you have you any comments from the content in this month’s edition? Share your story with us by email, post, social media or at: www.scottishbanner.com/contact-us
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An exciting and inspirational celebration of Gaelic language and music is promised at The Royal National Mòd 2021 in the city of Inverness this autumn. The eight-day event will hint at a return to normality as organisers of the prestigious celebration unveil a programme that will include a suite of in-person competitions and concerts.
2021’s hybrid approach will combine face-to-face competitions and concerts as well as a rich schedule of online performances to be broadcast throughout the week. More details on the online streaming content will be announced in the coming weeks.
Founded in 1891, this year’s festival will take place from 8th – 16th October 2021 from the host venue of Eden Court Theatre – in what will be the first indoor shows at the venue since 2020.
Heritage of the Highlands
Major competitions, including the An Comunn Gàidhealach Gold Medal final on Wednesday 13th October and the Traditional Gold Medal final on Thursday 14th October, will be part of the proposed in-person proceedings, together with key junior contests. In place of the famous choir contests, as a result of choirs not being able to practice together, there will instead be a celebration of Gaelic choral singing.
Alongside the competitions, several live shows are expected to be part of the physical element of this year’s celebration including a lively opening concert on Friday 8th October featuring music from new outfit Staran, the famous Glenfinnan Ceilidh Band and the legendary Gaelic singer Margaret Stewart.
Dubbed “the new sound of a traditional Scotland”, Duncan Chisholm leads an all-star line-up on Saturday 9th October. Taking to the stage with Mairearad Green, James Duncan Mackenzie and the Ar Cànan’s Ar Cèol House Band, alongside some of the Highland’s most incredible up and coming young musical talents, they celebrate the vibrant and thriving musical heritage of the Highlands.
Fiddler Lauren MacColl will also showcase a newly commissioned work inspired by coastal happenings and stories from around the Moray Firth, exploring real events connected to water, coastline, community and loss. Lauren will be joined on Tuesday 12th October by Mairearad Green, Anna Massie and Rachel Newton.
Celebrating the unique language, culture and spirit of the Gaels
MChildren from Inverness Gaelic School L-R: Ava Williams -age 9 (Mòd) ,Ruaraidh MacLeod – age 6 (Inbhir), Isobel Simpson – age 8 (Nis) ,Hunter Williams – age 8 (2021) celebrating the launch of Mòd 2021 on the banks of the River Ness.
James Graham, Chief Executive Officer of An Comunn Gàidhealach, said: “We are delighted that we can once again showcase the best that Gaelic culture has to offer at this year’s Royal National Mòd. The last year has certainly not been without its challenges but to be able to bring certain elements of the Mòd back with a hybrid approach is a huge boost for the event and its community of competitors, performers and fans. It will be a magical moment to hear live performance ring out in Eden Court once more and we look forward to welcoming people from Inverness and across Scotland to enjoy Gaelic song and music with one another. The online element of this year’s programme will also allow us to reach audiences around the world and we’re looking forward to celebrating the unique language, culture and spirit of the Gaels with thousands globally.”
Shona MacLennan, Ceannard, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, said: “We are hugely pleased to be able to continue our support for the Royal National Mòd. Holding some of the premier competitions live in Inverness will be a huge boost to the Gaelic community and the online events will ensure that Gaelic language and culture can be enjoyed throughout the world. We want to congratulate An Comunn Gàidhealach and other Gaelic organisations that have worked hard during the last 18 months to ensure that many people were still able to benefit from listening to and participating in Gaelic culture despite all the hardships being faced, and be part of a world-wide community based on the Gaelic language.”
This year’s Royal National Mòd will run from Friday 8th – 16th October 2021. View the full programme now at www.ancomunn.co.uk.
The North Coast 500 (NC500) in Scotland has been crowned the UK’s number one road trip destination, research has revealed. The survey of 2,000 motorists found almost half (47 percent) of Brits are planning to take a road trip in the UK now restrictions have been fully lifted, with three quarters (74 percent) of these aspiring to head to the country’s picturesque coastline.
The NC500 starts in the northern city of Inverness, weaves along the west coast to Applecross and then northwards towards the towns of Torridon and Ullapool. From there, you’ll venture to some of the most northerly coastal points in Scotland, passing by Caithness and John o’ Groats before heading south again through Dingwall and finally back to Inverness.
Road less travelled
One in four Brits planning on taking a road trip are eager to take the ‘road less travelled’, while 45 percent claim great company is what makes a road trip memorable. The study from Continental Tyres, carried out by OnePoll saw Scotland take out the both the first and second spots for a UK road trip, with the top five UK road trip destinations polled: 1) North Coast 500, Scotland, 2) The Outer Hebrides, Scotland, 3) North Yorkshire Moors, England, 4) The Atlantic Highway, England 5) Coastal Circuit, Northern Ireland.
Peter Robb from Continental Tyres, said: “It is fantastic that so many are planning on exploring the country in their vehicles. The restrictions over the past 18 months have prevented many people from getting away and with the summer holidays just starting, it is great that so many people are keen to get behind the wheel again and create incredible memories on a road trip.”
Glenmorangie Distillery and a team of scientists from Heriot-Watt University have reached a significant milestone in the Dornoch Environmental Enhancement Project (DEEP), focused on restoring a sustainable native oyster reef in the Dornoch Firth. August 2021 marked the completion of 20,000 native European oysters being returned to the Dornoch Firth, where they became extinct more than 100 years ago as a result of overfishing.
On the banks of the Dornoch Firth
This phase’s success will pave the way for the restoration of the reef, after years of research, planning and monitoring. As part of the DEEP project, the team is investigating findings that suggest that the restored oyster reef habitat has the capacity to act as a long-term carbon store. Researchers are now researching the carbon value of the calcium carbonate produced in the shell of native oysters, a key component in estimating the total value of the reef’s carbon storage potential.
Conscious of the organic waste discharge from the Distillery in Tain, Glenmorangie has long understood the need for a water quality enhancement strategy while supporting the marine environment at its brand home on the banks of the Dornoch Firth. The oysters will play a key role in purifying the water which contains organic by-products from the Distillery and the local area, with one oyster able to purify up to 200 litres of water a day. The Distillery’s anaerobic digestion (AD) plant commissioned in 2017 has already successfully reduced the Distillery’s biological load on the firth by over 95%, and in a Distillery first, the oyster reef is expected to act in tandem to soak up the remaining 5%. In addition to the water purification role the oyster reef also creates a haven for marine life and will help to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Restoring the reef
Professor Bill Sanderson, from the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society at Heriot-Watt University, said: “DEEP has allowed us to demonstrate the many benefits of restoration of long-lost reefs, and carbon storage is yet another exciting outcome of the research for the project. We are still uncovering exactly how much of a game changer this can be but we’re increasingly focusing our research on delving deeper into the role of the oyster reef as a carbon store. It’s great to think that the Dornoch Firth can contribute as a global exemplar for helping to mitigate climate change, especially as we run up to COP26 being held here in Scotland.”
In the process of restoring the reef, Glenmorangie and Heriot-Watt University have worked with rural Scottish oyster growers and brood stock providers across Scotland. In a government-funded report, it was found that for every aquaculture job created in the Highlands, there was a gross value added of about £68k, demonstrating that breeding oysters for reef restoration adds extra economic value.
Whenever the name Tobermory, on the lovely west-coast island of Mull, is brought up, the first thing that leaps to everyone’s mind is Spanish treasure, and a vast amount of riches that have defied all attempts to locate and recover it for over four centuries. The romance of the Tobermory treasure began in 1588 with the rout of the glorious Spanish Armada. When the fleet was dispersed to all points, several of the ships attempted to reach home waters by sailing up round Scotland.
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The Clan MacNicol Federation, one of the few Clan organisations to have been granted its own Coat of Arms by Lord Lyon, has had to once again abandon the planned World Gathering in 2021 due to ongoing Covid restrictions and travel problems. The Federation had planned to meet in Dunedin, New Zealand, last year 2020, as a part of its biennial world Gatherings, however this was postponed until 2021 due to the ongoing Covid pandemic.
Now with continuing travel restrictions and even doubt over the Australia / New Zealand travel bubble, it was apparent that members from around the world would not be able to attend, so regrettably the event has been abandoned. The last New Zealand Gathering had been also at Dunedin in 2006. The next proposed Gathering will be on the Isle of Skye in 2023, after the last Gathering was held there in 2018 with over 120 members from worldwide.
The sport of shinty looks brutal when viewed from the side of the field. Players wielding long sticks called camans swoop on the ball with a fierceness not usually seen in hockey, or even in hurling, which is more closely related and played in Ireland. But the game is more than a competition between two sides, it is part of the culture and heritage of Highland Scotland and still brings communities together, hundreds of years after it was first played.
The Cairngorms National Park has developed an online Shinty Trail, telling the story of the ancient sport, based around Badenoch where the two big teams of Kingussie and Newtonmore play. The trail also illustrates the strong ties which the Gaelic language has within the history of the sport. Gaelic song and verse was often composed about the game, where music and dance was also a crucial aspect of match-day activities in days gone by. According to the Camanachd Association, the governing body, it is likely a sport called camanachd was played in the fifth sixth and seventh centuries and it is thought the game came to Scotland from Ireland, where hurling was popular. In recognition of a shared history, a team of Scottish shinty players and Irish hurling players have often played an annual game against each other, using a composite set of rules.
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The Royal Mint, the Original Maker of UK coins, has launched a commemorative £2 coin to honour the late Sir Walter Scott, 250 years after the great writer’s birth.
One of the most influential Scots in history, Sir Walter Scott is renowned for his contribution to literature with his novels and poems, many of which remain literary classics to this day. Marking the 250th anniversary of his birth, Scott’s legacy has been celebrated for the first time on an official UK coin. Available in gold, silver and brilliant uncirculated, the commemorative keepsake was first unveiled in the 2021 Annual Set and has launched as an individual collectors’ item at The Royal Mint. Sir Walter Scott was a prolific and talented writer and is renowned for popularising historical fiction. His poetry transformed a landscape perceived as wild and mysterious into something truly sublime; a picturesque Scotland graced with magnificent glens and beautiful lochs. He then turned his hand to writing novels, where he weaved history with fiction to create an array of bestsellers that includes Ivanhoe, Waverley, Rob Roy, The Heart of Mid-Lothian and The Bride of Lammermoor.
Novelist, Historian and Poet
Designed by textual artist Stephen Raw, the coin was inspired by the artist’s visit to Abbotsford, the famous home of Sir Walter Scott. On the canvas of a £2 coin, the words Sir Walter Scott and Novelist, Historian and Poet are inscribed in the same calligraphy seen at Abbotsford’s grand entrance and chapel. The design also includes Scott’s portrait modelled on the Scott Monument – one of Edinburgh’s most iconic landmarks. To celebrate the launch, the Original Maker collaborated with Scott’s Abbotsford home and Trustee and direct descendant, Matthew Maxwell Scott – the great, great, great, great grandson of the famous writer.
Clare Maclennan The Royal Mint’s Divisional Director of Commemorative Coin said: “Sir Walter Scott’s status as one of Great Britain’s greatest writers endures 250 years after his birth and the anniversary celebration is a wonderful occasion to commemorate his legacy on a £2 coin. The exquisite design, with the inscription Novelist, Historian and Poet, reminds us of the wide-reaching influence of his work. What a treat is has been to reveal this collectable piece of art in collaboration with his great, great, great, great grandson Matthew Maxwell Scott and the fantastic team at Abbotsford, the famous home of Walter Scott, as part of their Anniversary celebrations.”
One of Scotland’s most influential sons
Matthew Maxwell Scott, Trustee at Abbotsford, said: “I’m extremely proud to see my ancestor recognised on a very special coin from The Royal Mint – a fitting tribute during a year of 250th birthday celebrations. It is a beautiful coin. Sir Walter was a collector of beautiful things and I think he would have loved to have this coin in his collection among the many treasures at Abbotsford.”
Giles Ingram, CEO at Abbotsford, said: “This year we are commemorating the 250th Anniversary of Sir Walter Scott, which is a great occasion to look at Scott’s work and legacy. At Abbotsford, we were delighted to be approached by The Royal Mint to collaborate with them on this beautiful coin. Recognising Scott as Novelist, Historian and Poet, 250 years after his birth on, such a beautiful coin and packaging, truly marks Scott as one of the world’s most famous writer’s and one of Scotland’s most influential sons.”
Speaking of the design, Stephen Raw, who also designed the Sherlock Holmes coin in 2019 and the First World War Armistice coin in 2018, said: “Sir Walter Scott was such a fascinating character, there were so many routes that you could explore. Being a textual artist, I’m fascinated by lettering and I chose a combination of distinctive Gothic lettering from the chapel at Abbotsford alongside some lettering used by Scott in the magnificent entrance to his home. As for the portrait, I used the wonderful sculpture of Scott that sits within his monument on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. I hope that collectors enjoy the design and that when people see the coin, they might be encouraged to visit Abbotsford and the Scott Monument – the second largest such memorial to a writer in the world they say.”
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The number of beavers has more than doubled in Scotland in the last three years to around 1000 animals, according to a NatureScot survey published. The new population survey has not only found that beaver numbers have increased, but that the population is in a rapid expansion phase as beavers spread out from Tayside, with territory numbers also more than doubling to 251.
That population now ranges from Glen Isla to Dundee and Stirling, Forfar to Crianlarich, and is likely to expand into Loch Lomond in the future.
Beavers play a vital role
Robbie Kernahan, Director of Sustainable Growth, said: “Wildlife is declining in Scotland so this extensive survey which reveals an increasing beaver population is great news for nature in Scotland. Beavers play a vital role in creating and restoring wetlands where other species can thrive, reducing downstream flooding and improving water quality. We also hope that many people in Scotland will enjoy spotting these sometimes elusive but fascinating animals, as they become more common.”
The survey, carried out last winter, is the largest, most comprehensive and authoritative survey of beaver numbers and their range ever conducted in Britain. It gathered detailed and up-to-date information on the locations of active beaver territories, as well as assessing the health and spread of the overall population, to help inform future beaver work. Beavers became a protected species in Scotland two years ago.
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The American Scottish Foundation (ASF), national 501C3 organization, offers a bridge between the US and Scotland by strengthening and preserving cultural and heritage ties. ScotsInUs is hosted by Jamie McGeechan and the podcast will shine a light of focus on the ASF and their diaspora partners, events and initiatives taking place in the community.
Scotland and the American Scottish diaspora
It features a range of conversations, news and music all with a focus on Scotland and the American Scottish diaspora. New Episodes launch the first and third Monday of the month. Listen to #ScotsinUS podcast now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor, or watch with video on YouTube.
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is funding post-excavation analysis on two recently discovered Viking graves that may form part of a previously unknown cemetery uncovered in Orkney, to unlock stories of Viking life in Scotland over a thousand years ago. In 2015, human remains were discovered on the northeast coast of Papa Westray, Orkney. Further investigation determined that these discoveries were in fact the remains of Viking Age burials. Excavations revealed a number of significant finds, including evidence of a rare Viking boat burial, and a second grave richly furnished with weapons including a sword. Similarities with the type of burials and grave furnishings to those previously uncovered suggest the Papa Westray graves may be those of first-generation Norwegian settlers on Orkney.
Archaeologists from AOC Archaeology are now working to analyse the discovery using a range of cutting-edge scientific techniques, with the hope of gaining new insights into the life and death of the Viking community in Orkney during the 10th century. The project will include a detailed programme of osteological work (bone analysis) and radiocarbon dating to help determine the age of the remains, as well as expert conservation and analysis of the grave artefacts that were unearthed.
HES will also be working with the Ancient Genome Project to undertake genetic analysis of the discoveries to determine further information about the individuals in the graves, including genetic ancestry and sex, as well as to gain information on their diet and mobility.
Dr Kirsty Owen, Deputy Head of Archaeology at HES, said: “We are delighted to be funding the work on this exciting project with AOC Archaeology, which we hope will shed new light on the Viking communities in Orkney during the 10th century. Many of the Viking burial sites we know of in Orkney were excavated in the late 19th and early 20th century. This is a rare opportunity to investigate this discovery with the cutting-edge methods and techniques available to us today. We look forward to sharing our findings as the analysis continues, which we hope will enhance our understanding of the rich Viking heritage of Orkney and reveal more about the people who lived on these islands over one thousand years ago.”
Dr Ciara Clarke, Deputy Managing Director of AOC Archaeology, said: “We are excited to be embarking on this project and look forward to working with HES, and an enthusiastic team of experts including Dr Stephen Harrison of Glasgow University, to record, study and analyse the evidence contained in these Viking Age burials. The programme will help us to understand these individuals, their lives and their culture, telling us more about life in Orkney during the 10th century. We will be able to compare and contrast the evidence to other Scottish examples, as well as to similar sites from across the wider Viking world.”
HES will be updating on progress and results regularly throughout the year as the work continues.
My guidebook on a recent week-long trip to Orkney was 800 years old. A little out of date when it comes to the more practical aspects of travel, sure, yet I could not have hoped for a better companion as I sought out historic sites around the archipelago. Orkneyinga Saga tells of Orkney’s Norse inhabitants from the ninth century to the start of the thirteenth. It is the only medieval chronicle centred on Orkney, with the action fanning out to Norway, Ireland, the Hebrides, and even the Holy Land. No one knows the name of its Icelandic author. The historical individuals it includes come and go like passing seasons; their days are filled with intrigue, farming, spiritual concerns, raiding, and poetry. For five centuries Norse customs, language, and politics dominated Orkney and Shetland, and Orkneyinga Saga provides an invaluable – if not wholly accurate – insight into that period.
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The reconstruction of a 17th century creel house using traditional methods is now underway in Scotland’s most famous glen. Led by the National Trust for Scotland, a team of heritage building craftspeople has broken ground and raised the house’s 6m-high timber cruck frame. Two triangular ‘crucks’, which span the width and height of the building, were raised without power tools using an old-fashioned gin pole and hand-winch. This involved the team pulling hard on guy ropes and straps to lift the structure into place. The crucks were then locked together with a horizontal ridge beam, secured with hand-cut joints and pegs. It took eight people two days, plus a lot of skill and physical strength, to complete the task. The frame’s Scots pine and birch timbers have been sourced from Trust’s woodlands at Glencoe and Mar Lodge Estate, carefully chosen from trees with a natural curve to give the cruck its shape. The project’s lead carpenter, Chas Heath, prepared the rough logs in advance to remove the bark, hew them to size with a hand-axe and crafted each triangular cruck with traditional mortice and tenon joints and wooden pegs. More than 2,000 hand-cut pegs are required for the building’s sturdy timber frame.
A glimpse into how people lived
A team of heritage craftspeople raise the wooden frame in Glencoe.
The replica creel house is sited next to the Glencoe Visitor Centre, but the building’s design has been informed by a long-lost dwelling discovered by archaeologists during excavations beneath the towering Aonach Eagach ridge in the heart of the glen. It will offer visitors a glimpse into how people once lived in Glencoe around the time of the infamous massacre of 1692. No local buildings survive from that era and creel houses have been completely lost from Scotland’s architectural landscape, but they would have dominated in rural communities in the West Highlands until the 19th century.
The public will be able to witness the next stage of construction which involves the creation of a basket-like ‘creel’ internal framework, woven from freshly cut green wood, and thick, insulating external walls built from blocks of turf. The final stage will be the addition of a roof made from a layer of thinner turf below heather thatch. Support for this innovative project came from donors at home and across the world, who enable the Trust to bring alive Scotland’s heritage by carrying out projects like this.
Text and images are courtesy of the National Trust for Scotland. For more information on the Trust or to help them protect Scotland’s heritage see: www.nts.org.uk
Rocket, one of Culloden’s newest recruits. Photo: Alison White.
Meet the new conservation team helping to preserve and maintain the moorland at Culloden Battlefield. The latest recruits come from a great conservation pedigree and join 12 Shetland cattle, 6 primitive goats and 2 Highland ponies, who all take part in conservation grazing on the battlefield site. Working to control the scrub and create a healthy moorland, these animals play a crucial role in maintaining the landscape to showcase what Culloden Battlefield would have looked like in 1746. The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) relies on the herd to provide continuous work on the moorland to protect the archaeology of the land as well as the natural flora and fauna.
The appeal of cattle at Culloden is truly global. In particular, generous supporters in the US have been known to donate and name new additions to the herd. Some of the new cows and calves give a little nod to Culloden’s past, with Flora and Lady Anne named after strong Jacobite women who assisted the Bonnie Prince during, and in the wake of, the 1745 Rising. Others have more quirky names, including our stellar new calf, Rocket.
One of the most pivotal moments in Scotland’s history
Culloden Battlefield is the site of one of the most pivotal moments in Scotland’s history, where the 1745 Jacobite Rising came to a tragic and brutal end. It’s a place of great cultural significance and therefore it’s essential that the NTS protects it now, and for future generations. A key part of this lies with the cattle and the conservation grazing they have introduced here. It is this essential work on the battlefield, where a variety of livestock, including goats, Highland ponies and Highland cows, graze all year round. They’re an environmentally friendly and cost-effective way to ensure scrub tree growth doesn’t encroach onto the battlefield. The battlefield is now regarded as a war grave, a place where more than 1,300 men lost their lives and where many of them are buried. For many visitors, the site is a place of pilgrimage, a place linked to their family history.
Text and images are courtesy of the National Trust for Scotland. For more information on the Trust or to help them protect Scotland’s heritage see: www.nts.org.uk
The 55th Silver Chanter competition, held at the National Piping Centre Glasgow was won this year by Angus MacColl of Benderloch. The 55th annual MacCrimmon Piobaireachd competition saw six top pipers compete playing some of the most well-known piobaireachd.
This event was established in 1967 by Dame Flora MacLeod of Dunvegan Castle and all the tunes played have a MacCrimmon connection. Angus played Lament for Mary MacLeod. Also playing were Stuart Liddell (Lament for the Only Son), Iain Speirs (Lament for MacLeod of Colbecks), Finlay Johnston (Lament for the Children), Callum Beaumont (Lament for The Earl of Antrim) and Glenn Brown (Rory MacLeod’s Lament).
This prestigious event is sponsored by The William Grant Foundation.
A pipe band competition, highland dancers, a medieval joust, heavy events and a mass pipe band haggis are all part of the Armadale Highland Gathering and the Perth Kilt Run being held on Sunday 3 October at Minnawarra Park in Perth’s south-eastern suburb. Amongst the big players of the day will be Pipe Bands WA who has been part of the Armadale Highland Gathering since its inception. “One memorable moment from our many years of involvement was 2016, when a piper and a bass drummer both played their instruments while running in the Kilt Run. We are absolutely delighted to be back competing and performing at the 2021 Armadale Highland Gathering. With pandemic lock-downs all over the world, we are very grateful to be living in Western Australia and able to entertain crowds without restrictions,” said Stuart Bradford, Chairman of Pipe Bands WA.
Attempt for the largest Kilt Run in the world
The event also features a Meet and Greet with Scottish Dogs, the Clan Village, live entertainment and a range of food and beverage stalls, as well as a Scottish inspired tavern, so there really is something for everyone. If you fancy getting fit before the event starts, the event begins with the Perth Kilt Run, with 2.5 and 5km routes available, with runners donning a kilt to embrace their inner Scotsman and work towards the record attempt for the largest Kilt Run in the world! Registrations for the Perth Kilt Run are now open.
The Armadale Highland Gathering and the Perth Kilt Run are hosted by the City of Armadale.
Kilts, craftsmanship, and love for Sir Sean Connery were on full display at this year’s Dressed to Kilt (DTK) after taking a hiatus due to COVID. The hugely popular Dressed to Kilt Scottish fashion show was held on Long Island, New York in July and the Sir Sean Connery Tartan was revealed to the public for the first time, modelled by his granddaughters in a stunning tribute.
Sir Sean Connery Tartan
Natasha Connery and Samara Connery debut the Sir Sean Connery Tartan. Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images.
The show featured an array of Scottish, Native American and Country Lifestyle clothing with the Sir Sean Connery Tartan unveiled as the show’s finale. Beautiful frocks made from the Tartan were modelled by Sir Sean’s granddaughters, Natasha and Samara Connery, and kilt was modelled by event co-founder Peter Morris. The tartan was designed by well-known Scottish tartan designer Mark Gibson working together with Sir Sean’s family; Lady Connery, Stephan Connery his son, and his granddaughters as a tribute to his life and Scottish heritage. It featured red, blue, and yellow hues as a tribute to Connery’s love for Scotland, the Bahamas, and France, where his wife is from. The audience was deeply touched by many of the personal anecdotes and memories from shows past with Sir Sean by show orators and Dressed to Kilt chairs, Dr. Geoffrey Scott Carroll and Peter Morris.
The Dressed to Kilt show is known as the media darling of Tartan Week in the United States. It was originally co-founded by the late Sir Sean Connery and in his honour, event chair and DTK co-founder, Dr. Geoffrey Scott Carroll arranged to have a new tartan designed for Sir Sean with input from his family. The Sir Sean Connery tartan was be debuted on the catwalk in a kilt produced by Glenisla Kilts and a bespoke coat and dress designed by Totty Rocks of Edinburgh.
The largest and most prestigious Scottish fashion event in the world
The show was held at the Mill Neck Manor Estate perched atop a rolling hill, about 25 miles outside of New York City. The theme of the show was “Country Lifestyle Fashion,” everything from Downton Abbey to the Dakotas. The runway show celebrated Scottish, Native American, and Outdoor Lifestyle and culture with extra exuberance after the hardship endured over the last year.
The show and event raised funds for the Navy SEAL Foundation. Notable models and attendees included Ann Coulter, Buck Sexton, Grace Dove, Ashley Callingbull, Lea Gabrielle, Taya Kyle, and several former Navy SEALS.
From its genesis in 2003, DTK is now the largest and most prestigious Scottish fashion event in the world, and one of the highest profile fashion shows in the United States. We believe that fashion without the enrichment of diverse cultures become hollow. The show is produced by the Friends of Scotland charity which was co-founded by Sir Sean Connery in 2002. In addition to supermodels, this show highlights very accomplished men and women on the runway and it is also filled with A-List celebrities and athletes from both sides of the Atlantic. In recent shows Sir Sean Connery, Gerard Butler, Kiefer Sutherland, Kyle MacLachlan, Billy Connolly, Brian Cox, Martin Compston, Chris “Mr. Big” Noth, Mike Myers and Craig Ferguson have all walked the runway. The charity has raised significant sums for veterans and their families on both sides of the Atlantic.
Work has finished to complete this year’s design on the world’s oldest Floral Clock in Edinburgh’s West Princes Street Gardens. For 2021, the hugely popular landmark will celebrate the 350th anniversary of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), postponed from 2020 where it was decided with support from RBGE to dedicate the floral clock to NHS and key workers as a message of thanks from the city.
Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Frank Ross was joined by Simon Milne MBE, Regius Keeper of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, RBGE horticulturists and Council parks staff responsible for creating the clock. Together they officially unveiled this year’s intricate design.
A team of three gardeners took seven weeks to plant over 35,000 flowers and plants used to create the clock, which will be in bloom until October. There are over 15 different plants included in this year’s design including many donated by RBGE such as Agave kerchovei and Agave sebastiana, various species of Echevaria and Cyanotis somaliensis: all of them are integral to the RBGE Living Collection of plants. The two teams had worked closely on the design and creation of this year’s display, with the Council’s Floral Clock experts advising on colours and choice of plants and how best to present the RBGE logo. The logo is representative of the Sibbaldia procumbens, a creeping plant in the rose family, that was named after the Garden’s co-founder, Sir Robert Sibbald.
Oldest of its kind in the world
Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Frank Ross, who spoke at the official dedication said: “I am delighted to once again see the city’s beautiful floral clock completed, which I know will be enjoyed by everyone who passes by it this summer. Much like the city’s floral clock, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is iconic to Edinburgh’s past and present and this year’s design celebrates 350 years. As always, I am delighted to officially unveil this striking and much-loved creation and I’d like to congratulate our dedicated and creative parks team who have put together the design and we can all now enjoy their realised vision.”
Simon Milne MBE, Regius Keeper, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, said: “It’s wonderful to see our 350th anniversary celebrated in such magnificent floral fashion, reflecting the four centuries of friendship between the City of Edinburgh and the Botanics. The Floral Clock is a particularly apt way of celebrating the work of the Garden. At a time when 40 percent of plant species are at risk of extinction, our research and conservation work, supported by our visionary Edinburgh Biomes project, has never been more vital. We are grateful as always for the interest and support of the people and city of Edinburgh.”
The Floral Clock was first created in 1903 by then Edinburgh Parks Superintendent, John McHattie, and is the oldest of its kind in the world. It initially operated with just an hour hand, with a minute hand added in 1904, followed by a cuckoo clock in 1952. Until 1972 the clock was operated mechanically and had to be wound daily. Since 1946 it has been designed in honour of various organisations and individuals, including the Girl Guides Association, Robert Louis Stevenson and the Queen, for her Golden Jubilee. In the clock’s centenary year in 2003 it won a Gold medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Sunday, August 1 was a cool and misty day in Montreal, reminiscent of the Highlands of Scotland and perfect weather for tossing a caber. Despite the COVID health guidelines that prevented the gathering of the usual 5000 plus spectators, the Montreal Highland Games (MHG) went ahead with a unique virtual event that went off without a hitch thanks to advance planning, dedicated volunteers, and meticulous marching orders. The Games are thrilled to announce that Canadian champion Highland Heavy athlete Jason Baines beat the Guinness World Record for the number of cabers tossed in one hour! In a moment filled with drama and excitement, he blew past the previous record of 122 tosses, eventually reaching a phenomenal new record of 161 tosses. Thanks to the kind generosity of our friends and viewers, over $6,000 was raised for the Douglas Hospital Foundation. The Douglas Hospital (founded by Scots) is a world-class mental health treatment and research facility, and we are proud to support its important work in the community. Donations continue to poor in daily as more people are made aware of Jason Baines and his world record and his goal to raise awareness of the need for mental health support via the Building Hope Movement of the Douglas Foundation.
Historic occasion
Photos: Peter Matulina
Many thanks to everyone who contributed to this historic occasion: the athletics team who supported Jason and kept the cabers moving (no small feat), the pipers and dancers who shared their art, the frontline workers amongst who shared their stories, presenter Kelly Alexander, and the dedicated team of volunteers whose hard work made this all possible. The Games especially thank our fans, for their enthusiastic participation! The event video has reached 2,000 views and continues to climb.
If you missed the live event or would like to re-experience the drama, you can watch it again on the Montreal Highland Games YouTube channel.
MHG look forward to seeing you next year on July 31, 2022, on the grounds of the Douglas Hospital in Verdun, Quebec for the Montreal Highland Games live and in person.
The countdown is well and truly on as one of Scotland’s top family friendly events prepares to step back onto the virtual stage for the second time as Cowal Highland Gathering welcomes people from across the world to gather online and celebrate the 127-year-old event.
Cowal’s Virtual Gathering was first held in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic stopped the world in its tracks. The event proved so popular that, when the 2021 event had to be cancelled due to continued uncertainty over large-scale events, organisers immediately started planning a second virtual event for Gathering fans across the world.
Running over what would have been the Cowal Highland Gathering weekend from Thursday 26 – Saturday 28 August the three-day event includes something for everyone.
The Cowal 5K is back and invites anyone to take part, wherever they are in the world. A special exhibition competition, filmed under COVID conditions, will see some of the Gathering’s favourite Scottish heavy athletes compete against each other. A new and exclusive choreographed dance, featuring Highland dancers from across the world will be unveiled and, of course, we’ll have something for pipe band fans as well as an opportunity to take your partners for a Cowal ceilidh with the Inverhooley Ceilidh Band.
Showcase of traditional Scottish culture
Cowal Highland Gathering’s Chairman Ronnie Cairns is looking forward to this year’s Virtual Gathering saying: “We had a phenomenal response to last year’s Virtual Gathering and while we didn’t expect to be hosting a second virtual event this year, I’m looking forward to sharing what we’ve been working on over the last few months. Like last year we’re inviting people to interact with us, sending us their photos of how they’re celebrating with us. Whether that means putting on their trainers and running or walking in our Virtual 5K, getting on the floor for dance with our ceilidh band or competing in their own highland games events, we want to share their stories. None of this would be possible with the support of EventScotland who have helped us fund Cowal’s Virtual Gathering and ensure it reflects the essence of the Gathering.”
Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “EventScotland is delighted to be supporting the Cowal Virtual Gathering. Scotland is the perfect stage for events and while we are not ale to welcome audiences to the Cowal Highland Gathering in person again this year, the Virtual Gathering will be a wonderful showcase of traditional Scottish culture for fans around the world to enjoy over the three days.”
Cowal’s Virtual Gathering will run on Cowal Highland Gathering’s Facebook page and YouTube channel from 26 August – 28 August 2021. For more details email [email protected] or visit www.cowalgathering.com
The Sons of Scotland Pipe Band from Ottawa, Canada, has been patiently waiting, kilted and untuned, for the great opportunity to go somewhere and share their music. That time has come, and the band would love your support. This is the best way to mark the pipe band’s 125th anniversary year, and you can be part of it. The Estes Park International Military Tattoo is taking place in Estes Park, Colorado, in September, and the Sons of Scotland are bringing their music to the Tattoo.
They are looking for support for travel to Colorado from Ottawa. 100% of funds raised will get us to the Tattoo, and anything extra will be used for travel to Europe next May for VE Day events in the Netherlands – they love Canadians there eh – and the band are hoping you might want to be part of this effort. As a thank you for your donation, Pipe Major Bethany Bisaillion will be composing a special tune for the Tattoo, performing it there for the first time, and you will get a copy of it and bragging rights that you’re a part owner of the tune. Your kind support will ensure the Tattoo’s continued support, and truly help them bring their music to many, and help them be part of the international pipe band community. The band said: “We are all in this together, and the band love our kindred ken along on this journey with us.”
You can see more on the Sons of Scotland Pipe Band at www.sospb.com and the tune will be sent directly to donors, so be sure to include your details. The Learned Kindred of Currie, as part of their commitment to the Scottish arts, has graciously offered to accept online donations from US donors and will issue tax receipts to US donors. Funds raised will be put directly towards this initiative. You can donate here or directly with them at www.clancurriegathering.net
A million-pound project will enable the publication of a complete edition of Walter Scott’s poetry and help to make it accessible to new audiences. Researchers at the University of Aberdeen have been awarded funding to revisit the original manuscripts of the author, who transformed Scottish literary culture, and create a new edition of his poems. Scott has been credited with popularising tartan, saving the Scottish banknote, and rediscovering the nation’s Crown Jewels. His string of best-selling books dominated the 19th century, changing how the world saw Scotland and Scotland saw itself. But the speed of publishing driven by an unquenchable thirst for his work – combined with his notoriously spidery handwriting – meant that many errors occurred during the printing process.
Researchers at the University of Aberdeen’s Walter Scott Research Centre will be able to return his poetry to a form which more closely reflects his original intentions and to create five volumes of what will eventually be a complete 10-volume edition of his verse published by Edinburgh University Press. They will also bring to life the extensive notes that Scott added to his poems to offer readers a deeper insight and understanding of the meaning behind them. Few of these notes survive in modern editions but Scott used them to provide fascinating pieces of background information for his poems.
Rich legacy
The project will be led by Professor Alison Lumsden who said: “Unlike Walter Scott’s novels, which have never been out of publication since they were released, there are very few editions of his poetry and those which do exist are severely compromised by 19th century editing practices. Scott was a prolific writer and as well as the poems themselves, he produced long notes which are almost like alternative stories. He is such an important part of our cultural heritage, and this project will ensure that his legacy is preserved with the accuracy and detail it deserves.”
In addition to Scott’s own notes, the research team will also provide their own detailed explanations to support the modern reader and to help open up his work to new audiences. They will work with staff at Scott’s home, Abbotsford, now a living museum, to create teaching materials for schools which will introduce pupils to the stories in Scott’s poetry and the rich legacy they provide for Scotland.
Natasha Connery and Samara Connery debut the Sir Sean Connery Tartan. Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images.
The Banner Says…
The resilience of the international Scottish community
As we enter the final quarter of 2021 most of us will look back on this year as a tough one filled with uncertainty, cancelled plans, and an eagerness to get back to ‘normal’. Most weeks we see additions, amendments or updates being done to our online events listings from across the globe.
The Scottish Banner hosts one of the world’s most diverse and largest international Scottish and Celtic events listings, I regularly get to see a snapshot of how different countries are navigating through the Covid pandemic simply through our events calendar.
From across North America, Australia/New Zealand and Scotland events have been cancelled as governments regulate both large, and small, scale gatherings. The impact has been huge, and it underlines just what a vibrant and active community international Scots have developed, regardless of how many miles they are from the shores of Caledonia.
Online presentations
Thankfully, it is not all doom and gloom as many events are coming back or at least being planned for next year. Scots across the globe are not giving up and the incredible culture which is celebrated each month in diverse locations is not going away. Some events are being creative by offering a digital edition, or for others a part digital and part in person event, whilst some are fortunate to go all in person, with perhaps some caps on numbers or additional safety measures being put in place. Different local rules will dictate how events can or cannot manage themselves in these trying times, but one thing that may just be a positive is the notion of having events being put online. Whilst this may not be everyone’s preferred choice it does open the door to people ‘attending’ an event from anywhere in the world.
Recently in Scotland events such as Glasgow’s PipingLive! and both the Edinburgh Book and Fringe Festival’s for example all had a mix of in-person and online events which anyone could take part in, and yes in case you were wondering the content remained online for a period so people in various time zones could be accommodated. I think we will see more of this as events look to get back to some normal but perhaps at the same time continue and expand with online presentations to a global audience. I know this is also already being done with online Highland Games having already been produced out of Australia, Canada, Scotland and the USA, not to mention whisky events, Clan meetings, Gaelic classes and pipe band practices just to name a few.
Most Scottish Banner readers live a fair distance from Scotland and whilst going back is eagerly awaited few can go multiple times a year, or even annually, perhaps we will soon be able to attend an event in Edinburgh or Inverness from the comfort of our home, as often as we like.
In this issue
This year the world lost one of its icons with the passing of Edinburgh native and fiercely proud Scot Sir Sean Connery. Whilst his legacy will live on in so many classic films and he continues to be voted the ‘best Bond ever’, his family have recently honoured him with his very own tartan which made its worldwide debut at New York’s Dressed to Kilt fashion event. It is a fitting tribute for one of Scotland’s great sons and I will always remember the time I was paged to the podium at an airport, waiting for a flight to Glasgow, and paged as Sean Connery. It certainly caused a few others in the departure lounge to be “shaken, not stirred”…
Can you imagine travelling with an 800-year-old guidebook? That is exactly what David C. Weinczok did as he travelled to Orkney with the Orkneyinga Saga in hand. This medieval chronicle takes the reader across Orkney at a time when the islands were still very much a part of the Viking world. The pages really take the reader back to a brutal time with battles, mythology, history and legend.
An example of just how innovative events are thinking outside the box is highlighted in this issue with the recent digital presentation of the Montreal Highland Games. The Games program blended pre-recorded segments of music, dance and storytelling with onsite interviews and live action. A highlight however was without doubt that Canadian champion Highland Heavy athlete Jason Baines beat the Guinness World Record for the number of cabers tossed in one hour. Jason incredibly beat the previous record of 122 caber tosses in one hour to establish a phenomenal new record of 161 tosses, a feat you can now watch online. Congratulations Jason and to the entire Montreal Highland Games committee!
Haste ye back
As we go to press with this issue there are already numerous event committees planning that next great Scottish event for you to enjoy. Some people will still have to wait several months before considering which one to go to, whilst others have some great events happening this month. As a community group the Scots are spoiled for choice with great events across the globe that appeal to all ages and interests.
When it is safe to do so I urge all our readers to travel near and far (or online) and enjoy and support these great events and reconnect with our shared love of Scotland. If you can do so now then haste ye back and go for those of us that currently cannot and let those events, their performers, vendors and community groups know how important they are to keeping us connected, grounded and proud to have Scotland in our veins.
Will you be attending any Scottish events in person or online? Share your story with us! Do you have you any comments from the content in this month’s edition? Share your story with us by email, post, social media or at: www.scottishbanner.com/contact-us
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Covid-19 is having a major impact on many of our regular advertisers, with events being cancelled and businesses suffering. The Scottish Banner is more reliant than ever on our readers helping us to provide you with our unique content by buying a copy of our publication, regardless if by print or digital subscription or at a retail outlet. We appreciate your support and hope you enjoy this edition.
There is a place on the west coast of Scotland where the driving forces of history are condensed into a single voyage. For the vast majority of human history waterways have served not as barriers but as connectors, linking communities across distances both near and vast. Imagine, for a moment, a Scotland without rail lines, motorways, or airports. Doing so flips our understanding of movement entirely on its head; suddenly, the easiest and safest way to get from one place to another – say, from Inverness to Dumfries or from Kirkwall to Edinburgh – is not by going overland, but by taking to the seas. Places of power were built to control these seaborne superhighways, and cultures rich with lore grew out of their opportunities and perils. Few areas instil this understanding more deeply than the Castle Corridor.
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The National Library of Scotland was successful in securing the manuscript known as the Chronicle of Fortingall at auction recently. Scribes compiled the manuscript between 1554 and 1579 at Fortingall in Highland Perthshire, which contains contemporary annals, poetry and other short texts in Latin, Scots and Gaelic. The scribes belonged to the MacGregor family who also compiled the slightly earlier Book of the Dean of Lismore, the earliest surviving collection of Gaelic poetry compiled in Scotland. Scholarly research and evidence shows the two manuscripts were almost certainly compiled by members of the same family.
The Library’s single most important Gaelic manuscript
Manuscripts Curator Dr Ulrike Hogg said: “We consider the Chronicle of Fortingall a partner volume to the Book of the Dean of Lismore, the Library’s single most important Gaelic manuscript and one of our greatest treasures. The two manuscripts are so closely connected that it’s difficult to describe one without reference to the other. It’s a great privilege for us to be able to bring the manuscripts together again after their compilation some 450 years ago. The Gaelic contents of the Chronicle of Fortingall make a significant addition to our Scottish Gaelic manuscripts collection, which is the largest in the world. And securing the manuscript for the national collections means we can make the contents publicly accessible and ensure its professional preservation.”
Senior Lecturer in Scottish History at the University of Glasgow, Dr Martin MacGregor, welcomed the acquisition and said: “It is a relief that the National Library was successful in securing the Chronicle of Fortingall, especially as they hold the companion volume, the Book of the Dean of Lismore. The Chronicle of Fortingall is a highly significant manuscript which provides insight into public life in the Highlands in the later Middle Ages. It is an important source for the history of the Highlands – social, political, cultural, economic and religious. It also has great linguistic importance as it embodies the interplay of Latin, Scots and Gaelic as written languages in then Gaelic-speaking Scotland.”
Breadalbane Muniments
The manuscript was compiled at Fortingall, at the mouth of Glen Lyon in Highland Perthshire, near the eastern end of Loch Tay. It is written in several hands. Compilation took place between 1554 and 1579, although it may have begun earlier. One of the compilers records that he said his first mass in 1531, began to serve the cure at the church of Fortingall in 1532, and acknowledged the chief of the MacGregors. He may be the principal compiler, and further identified with Dubhghall (Dougall) MacGregor, on record as vicar of Fortingall in 1544. The authorial perspective reveals continuing Catholic allegiance, and hostility to the Scottish Reformation brought into law in 1560.
The item is the manuscript named The Chronicle of Fortirgall by Cosmo Innes, and published by him under that name in The Black Book of Taymouth: with other papers from the Breadalbane Charter Room (T. Constable: Edinburgh 1855). At that time, it belonged with the private family papers of the Earls of Breadalbane, held at Taymouth Castle by Kenmore, at the east end of Loch Tay in Highland Perthshire. When at various points during the 20th century these papers were transferred to what is now the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh, where they are catalogued as the Breadalbane Muniments, this manuscript was not among them. It is supposed it remained with the family until now.
Did you know?
The contents of the manuscript include:
-Lists of kings of Scots and notes on their reigns in Latin.
-A list of battles from Bannockburn (1314) to Flodden (1513), also in Latin.
-A chronicle recording the deaths of prominent men and women within the Highlands from 1390–1579, written in Latin and Scots.
-A Gaelic poem written in a writing system based on Middle Scots.
-Poetry in Middle Scots by Robert Henryson and William Dunbar.
-Verses, proverbs and aphorisms in Latin.
-Miscellaneous short prose texts in Latin and Scots covering everything from the size and divisions of Ireland to medicine and cures, religion and belief, and commentary against women and inebriation.
Chief of Clan Henderson and his wife Audrey. I just loved the beaming smiles. Both of pride and happiness to be a part of the day said photographer: Laurell Bourne.
Townsville Tartan Day (TTD) was held on Sunday 13th June after a break last year due to Covid 19 restrictions, attracting an estimated crowd of 7,000 people between 8.00am and 1.00pm.
All sectors of the Townsville Scottish Community came together with great enthusiasm including Townsville and Mackay pipe bands, visiting musicians and vocalist from Brisbane, displays of Highland and Scottish Country Dancing, the TTD Stones (heavy event), family history searches, the Dogs of Scottish Breeds and many clan representatives.
The Honoured Clan was Henderson, and the special guest was Alistair Henderson of Fordell, Chief of the Name and Arms of Henderson and his wife Madame Audrey Henderson.A main feature of Townsville Tartan Day is the clan parade which was lead by the Townsville City Council representative, Councillor Kurt Rehbein and the Chief of Clan Henderson and the Clan Henderson contingent which looked resplendent with the Chief’s Standard flying in the morning breeze
Two Macs & two collies. Photo: Lisa McDougall.I loved the joy in their faces. They were having a great time with the dance and enjoying a laugh said photographer Laurell Bourne.
A further 56 clans were represented in the parade, some with more than one clan banner which made a spectacular sight. Each Dog of Scottish Breed also has its own banner to help the public become aware of the Scottish origin of very familiar dogs such as the Border Collie and Golden Retriever and to recognise some lesser known dogs such as the Cairn Terrier.
The reflection of the drum was perfect to capture the piper next to him said photographer Laurell Bourne.Just a wee Gordon lassie listening to the pipes of home… Ellie the Westie at Townsville Tartan Day. Photo: Keta Roseby.
Townsville Tartan Day is now the feature event in what has become the Townsville Tartan Weekend, starting with a Meet & Greet on Friday evening, the Tartan Social (Scottish Country Dancing) and Clansmen’s Ceilidh on Saturday and Scottish Music Workshops on Sunday afternoon and evening. This variety of events spread across three days makes it appealing to those who like to travel to attend a Scottish gathering and we hope to entice others to mark it on their calendar for June 2022.
In a summer which has seen many of the Highland Games across Scotland ruled out because of Covid restrictions, Tom Stoltman has kept the profile of traditional “heavy” events high. With iconic meetings such as the Braemar Gathering cancelled, Tom took the top honour in the World’s Strongest Man competition in Sacramento, California. The 6ft 8in, 397lb athlete from Invergordon went one better than his runner-up spot last year. He told the Scottish Banner: “I put the second-place trophy straight into my dad’s house – I didn’t want to be happy with it. If you go into a sport saying you don’t want to be the best, you are lying.”
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The Celtic vibe comes alive in 2021. Think River Dance, Scottish kilts and pipes, Irish whistles and fiddles, tender love lilts … not to mention all those moving reminiscences on windswept moors and craggy hills across the great Celtic musical landscape. Watch Musical Director Patrick Pickett (a true ‘Lord of The Dance’!) swirl his baton as he works the rich seam of Celtic classics in one of the Queensland Pops’ most requested series concerts. Hear the legends, the fables, the humour, the melancholy and the euphoria all come to life with some of Australia’s best-loved singers and traditional instrumentalists and dancers. A warm welcome back to special guest stars Gregory Moore and Sarah Calderwood, who will combine the very best elements of Celtic music into one unforgettable package.
Top Celtic performers
Gregory Moore has donned many a kilt since his first Scotland The Brave in 1998. His stage credits are numerous and colourful: an original member of the Ten Tenors, world tours of the acclaimed Australian production Scotland The Brave, a Musical Events Producer for the Brisbane City Council, and a regular star on international cruise ships. Sarah is an ARIA-nominated performer, uniting classic and contemporary folk music as a singer, storyteller, composer, and flute and tin whistle player. Her silvery voice is organically pure yet laced with steel – and she has been described as passionate, enigmatic, lyrically brilliant and richly musical. Returning to showcase his traditional Irish music talents is Kevin Higgins, who plays the concert wooden flute and is a master of the Uilleann Pipes, both of which he plays extensively as soloist and in bands throughout Australia and overseas. Savour the spectacular precision of the all-star line-up of dancers, who will be the crowning glory of this Celtic spectacular: the Watkins Academy of Irish Dance, the OzScot Highland Dancers and the glorious strains of the BBC Pipes & Drums, all of which promise to awaken the ancient spirits and leave you spellbound.
The Scottish Banner spoke to the Middle Tennessee Highland Games & Celtic Festival committee on this year’s event, taking place next month.
SB: Tell us about Middle Tennessee Highland Games and Celtic Festival, what are this year’s dates, where are you located, event times, etc?
MTHG: Date is Sept 11, 2021, at Percy Warner Park, in the Belle Meade neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee. Festival times are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
SB: What is the history behind your event, how long has it been going on?
MTHG: This will be our 6th year in Nashville Tennessee. We had to cancel in 2020 because of Covid and so we are very hopeful for our return in 2021. We have scaled down this year’s event to one day, but the enthusiasm shown by everyone to return to highland games leads us to believe that we will have a great crowd and a successful return.
SB: Who is performing at this year’s event? How many stages?
MTHG: We will have two stages of music and one stage for dancers and young people’s music. The music this year consists of three local Nashville Celtic bands: Doon the Brae, NoseyFlynn and The Secret Commonwealth. Two national touring bands: Seven Nations and Tuatha Dea, and the Scottish Bard from Glasgow Colin Grant Adams. An intimate acoustic stage and a rocking beer garden stage – chose your style or enjoy both. Irish step dancers and Highland dancers perform near the children’s zone and have many performances planned along with the Kid’s Ceilidh Band. Our three pipe and drum bands from Nashville and Knoxville will perform while roving through the festival grounds.
SB: What Games will be at this year’s event?
MTHG: We will have amateur heavy Scottish athletics for men and women in Classes, A, B, and masters. Events will include weight throws, hammer throw, weight over bar, sheaf toss, and of course caber toss. We have 40 athletes registered to compete.
SB: What is different this year than from years past?
MTHG: We have had to closely watch the pandemic’s progress in our community and had to try to plan accordingly. Fortunately, we have a great team that has been able to pull together all the pieces of a multi-faceted festival. We are now looking forward to a Highland Games and Festival will all the ceremony and fun we all enjoy. Our tag line for 2021 is “The Year of Recovery”.
SB: What can one expect when attending your event?
MTHG: We think of it as a three-ring circus of Celtic Culture. The anchor to the event is the Heavy Scottish Athletic competition. It is supported by a Scottish Clan village of over 45 Scottish clans and societies. We have over 40 vendors of Celtic products, and yummy foods, plus 2 tents of soft and alcoholic beverages, We have a large Kids Zone, and demonstrations in Highland and Irish dance, tartan weaving, and Birds of Prey. And of course, we will have numerous bagpipe and drum teams and a solo bagpipe competition. At noon we will have a special Opening Ceremony and Tartan Parade to honor 911. It should be a very full and fun day for the entire family.
SB: What is your favorite aspect of Scottish culture?
MTHG: The goosebumps we get when hearing the pipe and drums come across the field, the cheers when the caber fly’s through the air, the love, and pride we see when a grandfather in a kilt shares a story of the ‘old country’ with a child and the warmth of a dram of good whisky.
SB: What are you most looking forward to about this year’s Games and Festival?
MTHG: Thousands of people having a great and safe time getting back together, celebrating a great culture.
The Middle Tennessee Highland Games & Celtic Festival takes place on Saturday, September 11th, 2021 at Nashville’s Percy Warner Park. For further details see: www.midtenngames.com
James Douglas – The Black Douglas – was Robert the Bruce’s right hand man. Follow the fates and fortunes of his family as we explore the castles of the Black Douglases with Dr Callum Watson.
The Black Douglases were one of the most powerful and dangerous noble families in Scotland. They rose to prominence through service to the Scottish crown during a series of conflicts with England in the fourteenth-century. Unfortunately for the Douglases, fundamental changes in the make-up of Scottish aristocratic society in the fifteenth-century led to their downfall. At the height of their power, the family controlled a string of castles all over the kingdom. This article will look at six sites now under the care of Historic Environment Scotland that help us chart the rise and fall of this tremendously important noble dynasty.
Rising Stars – Melrose Abbey
The ruins of Melrose Abbey.
The Black Douglases owed their rise to power to the activities of ‘the Good’ Sir James Douglas. He was a vigorous and successful war leader and a counsellor of Robert the Bruce. When Bruce died in 1329 Douglas was chosen to take the king’s heart on crusade to Spain. When Douglas was killed carrying it into battle the heart was brought back to Scotland for burial at Melrose Abbey. This began a long association between Melrose and the Douglases, who sought to present themselves as the ‘special protectors’ of the abbey. The Douglases even adopted the ‘bludy hart’ of Bruce on their coat of arms, which can be seen around many of the sites mentioned below.
Top of the Tree – Bothwell Castle
The Black Douglases may have risen to prominence with ‘the Good’ Sir James, but his son Archibald ‘the Grim’ cemented that power. Archibald was technically illegitimate and so was initially a minor figure in the Douglas family. However, in the 1360s King David II began to promote Archibald’s interests. In part, this was done to destabilise the influence of Archibald’s cousin William, 1st Earl of Douglas. In 1362 David arranged for Archibald to marry Joanna Murray. Murray was a wealthy heiress who owned a number of castles around Scotland. Of all of these, Bothwell Castle seems to have been Archibald’s favourite. It became his primary residence for the rest of his life. Archibald refortified Bothwell for use as a base from which to bring the fractious kindreds of Galloway under royal control. King David rewarded him for this service by making him Lord of Galloway in 1369.
It was at Bothwell in 1399 that Archibald’s daughter Mary married King Robert III’s son David, Duke of Rothesay. The marriage cemented Archibald’s position as one of the most important people in the kingdom and provoked his local rival the Earl of March to leave Scotland altogether! Archibald died, probably at Bothwell, around Christmas 1400 but the castle remained one of the most important Black Douglas residences. Archibald’s son – Archibald, 4th Earl of Douglas – was an influential figure both within Scotland and abroad, and he turned Bothwell into a palatial dwelling in keeping with his ambitions.
Trendsetters – Lincluden Collegiate Church
Archibald the Grim was quite a trendsetter. In 1389 he petitioned the pope to allow him to turn the nunnery at Lincluden into a collegiate church. He claimed that the nuns were living in sin with ‘very evil men’. The pope approved Archibald’s petition and Archibald removed the nuns by force.
Collegiate churches became very popular among the Scottish nobility in the years afterwards, with thirteen – including one beside Crichton Castle – being established in the fifteenth-century. Many of the early adopters of this trend – such as the Crichtons, the Hamiltons and the Douglases of Dalkeith – were kinsmen or allies of the Black Douglases. The rise in popularity of collegiate churches after 1400 may partly reflect a desire to emulate the family’s power and prestige.
Troublemakers – Lochleven Castle
The Black Douglases owed their prominence to the faithful service of ‘the Good’ Sir James and Archibald the Grim to King Robert I and King David II. However, at the beginning of the fifteenth-century Scottish society was changing. King James I of Scotland was distrustful of the ability of great magnates like the Black Douglases to maintain huge regional followings using the wealth generated by their enormous landholdings. Instead, James encouraged lesser noblemen to look directly to the crown for patronage and leadership. This gave him greater control in the localities.
In 1430 James briefly had his nephew Archibald, 5th earl of Douglas, imprisoned at Lochleven Castle. This was in an effort to prevent the earl from interfering in the local politics of Carrick in south-west Scotland.
The Black Sheep – Balvenie Castle
Family drama also weakened the Black Douglases in the early fifteenth-century. Archibald the Grim had two legitimate sons, Archibald (who succeeded him as the fourth earl) and James ‘the Gross’ (so called because he was so overweight in later life). The fourth earl granted Balvenie Castle to his brother – James the Gross – in 1408. Balvenie was one of the castles that came to the family through Archibald the Grim’s marriage to Joanna Murray. He had hoped giving his son this northern castle would keep James out of the his business in the south. However, James continued to pursue a successful career as a royal courtier.
In 1440, James’s great-nephews William, 6th Earl of Douglas, and David Douglas were arrested at Edinburgh Castle, tried on flimsy treason charges, and executed. This gruesome event, known as the ‘Black Dinner’, was also certainly orchestrated with James’s knowledge, and perhaps even his assistance. As a result of the Black Dinner James became the seventh earl of Douglas. James’s sons used Balvenie Castle as a base from which to expand Black Douglas influence in north-east Scotland. To facilitate this, his son William, 8th earl of Douglas, made a deal of some kind with the other powerful magnates in that region – the earl of Ross and the earl of Crawford. This would ultimately sour relations between the Black Douglases and the Crown.
King James II was deeply suspicious of Ross and Crawford. When William refused to break the deal in 1452, King James personally stabbed the earl to death at Stirling Castle! This began three years of intermittent conflict that ended with the Black Douglases being driven from Scotland altogether.
The Harder They Fall – Threave Castle
Threave Castle had been built by Archibald the Grim to cement his position as Lord of Galloway after 1369.b The tower-house design was unusual in Scotland at the time but started a fashion among Scottish castle builders that continued well into the sixteen-century. Galloway was crucial to maintaining Black Douglas power. In the fifteenth-century it played a significant role in the efforts of the Scottish crown to limit the family’s influence.
In 1426 James I granted Galloway to his sister Margaret Stewart (Archibald the Grim’s daughter-in-law) for life. This was partly to undermine her son the fifth earl (King James’s nephew). From 1426 until around 1447 Margaret administered Galloway from Threave and did her best to do right by both her Douglas and Stewart relatives, despite the efforts of her Douglas kinsmen to wrestle the lordship back from her. When she died she was buried at her father-in-law’s foundation, Lincluden Collegiate Church.
William, 8th Earl of Douglas, eventually managed to recover Galloway and he or his brother the ninth earl undertook serious building work at Threave. Impressive and high-tech artillery fortifications were added at the base of their grandfather’s tower-house. This was likely intended to display Black Douglas power and prestige. However, it may also have been in anticipation of future conflict between the crown and the Black Douglases. When that final confrontation occurred in 1455, Threave held out longer than any other Black Douglas stronghold. However, the typically conservative Scottish political community had by now come to support the king over the Black Douglases. The garrison at Threave surrendered to save their own lives.
Digging into the Douglas story
Between 1974 and 1978, Historic Scotland conducted archaeological work at Threave. It identified a series of out-buildings that were once clustered around the tower-house. The dig also revealed some wooden platters and bowls, each marked with the ‘bludy hart’. The prominence of the heart on these objects is a reminder that during a period when Scottish noble families generally wanted to emphasise how ancient their lineage was, the Douglases were eager to emphasise the fact that they owed their prominence to vigorous and faithful service to the Scottish crown in war. Their links to Robert the Bruce could not protect them from the changes happening in Scottish society in the fifteenth-century. However, it did ensure the family left an indelible mark on our perception of aristocratic life in medieval Scotland.
The Black Douglas was a firm favourite among fans of the film Outlaw King. Check out the Historic Scotland Robert the Bruce Trail to go behind the scenes and visit the filming locations of Outlaw King and discover the real story of Robert the Bruce.
Historic Environment Scotland is the lead public body established to investigate, care for and promote Scotland’s historic environment. For more details see: www.historicenvironment.scot
Traditional heavyweight competitions, a pipe band and cookery demonstrations are among the online events showcased at Stirling Highland Games this month.
Organisers have unveiled an exciting programme of virtual activities to entertain families, food-lovers, history buffs and Highland Games competition fans from home and abroad on Saturday August 21.
Spectators can watch competitors take part in hammer throwing, shot put and tossing the caber via a dedicated video channel.
They can also tune into the gruelling Bruce Challenge, unique to the Stirling Games, which sees strongmen carrying two boulders weighing over 164kg as far as they can.
The Games also includes a new adaptive competition, featuring the Wounded Highlanders, and an online food and drink experience headlined by celebrity chef Tony Singh.
The popular annual gathering was originally due to take place in-person at Stirling Games Village but was replaced with a virtual programme because of Covid safety concerns.
It is one of just a handful of Scottish Highland Games going ahead in any format this year and President Matt McGrandles hopes spectators will support Stirling’s event by spending £5 on tickets to view the action through an on-demand Vimeo channel.
He said: “We really wanted our gathering to happen in-person this year but in the interests of safety we had to adapt our plans and have instead produced a cracking line up of events for people to enjoy.
“The committee worked hard to come up with something special and we’re proud to be one of just a handful of Scottish Highland Games events taking place during 2021.
“What we need now is for the people of Stirling – and the thousands of overseas visitors who usually travel to see us – to support us virtually by tuning in to a day of fun and competition.
“More than 140,000 viewers watched last year’s virtual event and we have even more to offer our fans this year.
“We’re looking forward to a fantastic day while the online ticket sales will boost our plans to come back bigger and better when we return to our traditional live event in August 2022.”
Tickets can be pre-ordered now – via www.vimeo.com/ondemand/stirlinghighlandgames21 – and the Games can be watched anytime from 12 noon on August 21.
The packed programme begins with the heavyweight competition which sees five invited athletes competing against each other in hammer tossing, weight over the bar and other demanding events before taking on the Bruce Challenge.
One of the competitors is Falkirk strongman Kyle Randalls who found fame in Netflix series `Home Game’ featuring unusual sports from around the world.
He said: “I usually compete in around 35-40 Highland Games every year but they are few and far between just now so it’s great that Stirling has gone ahead with a virtual event and given us the chance to compete again.
“Stirling Highland Games is very close to my heart and I hope everyone will support the 2021 virtual show as we look forward to getting back to live events next year.”
The heavyweight contest is followed by an adaptive event with six competitors – all injured military veterans.
The five men and one woman demonstrate their strength in a series of challenges – smashing seven world records in the process.
There is music from the Balaklava Pipes and Drums, the band of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Association, before the focus switches to the food and drink show beginning with a cookery demonstration by Tony Singh.
Stirling Highland Games has become famous for its food and drink offering which Mr McGrandles has built up and expanded since the social enterprise he founded, Ceangail CIC, took ownership of the Games in 2013.
This year’s event captures award-winning food and drink producers from across Scotland on film and showcases them in an episode which also includes clips from a variety of Scottish restaurants and a feature on where to enjoy the best burgers in Stirling.
The final section is a creative event which presents a talk on Stirling’s Heroes and Villains from well-known historian Dr Murray Cook and a performance from Stirling Gaelic Choir.
The 2021 Highland Games has been sponsored and grant-funded by various organisations including Active Stirling, EventScotland, Scotland Food and Drink and Forth Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Long-term supporters Specsavers Stirling sponsor the Heavyweight and Bruce Challenge events and Retail Director Susanne Akil is looking forward to the day.
She said: “We’ve a longstanding relationship with Stirling Highland Games and as part of Stirling’s community, we are keen to support important local events.
“The Games is a great day which brings people into Stirling and is very much a part of the city’s heritage and I look forward to watching it online this year.”
HM Queen Elizabeth visits the AG Barr plant at Cumbernauld where the company makes its world famous Irn Bru drink.
Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn travelled to AG Barr’s factory in Cumbernauld where Her Majesty officially opened their new process facility. Established over 140 years ago in Scotland, AG Barr has since created a portfolio of successful drinks including the iconic IRN-BRU drink, which launched in 1901. IRN-BRU is a carbonated soft drink made to an original secret recipe, which contains 32 flavours. Other popular drinks manufactured by AG Barr include Rubicon fruit and juice drinks and Strathmore Still Spring Water.
Royal Week
The Duke of Cambridge, The Earl of Strathearn, at the AG Barr plant at Cumbernauld.
During the visit, Her Majesty and The Earl of Strathearn were given an overview of the history of the company before meeting employees to learn about the company’s place in local community life. Her Majesty and His Royal Highness also viewed products created at the factory before signing their visitor’s book.
The Queen was in Scotland for Royal Week where she will be undertaking a range of engagements celebrating community, innovation and history. The Queen also visited businesses, charities and cultural institutions that highlight the pioneering work taking place to further community engagement, education, technology and efforts to combat climate change.
The Adelaide Scottish community celebrated Tartan Day with events which celebrated Scottish heritage and culture in July. A Tartan Day anniversary concert was held in the Burnside Council ballroom and was officially opened by the Lord Mayor of Burnside, Mrs Anne Monceaux. Due to Covid rules a traditional haggis was not allowed to be used and shared for the Address to the Haggis was not permitted, instead a painted rubber balloon was used to mimic a haggis and was deflated by Sam Mathers who used his dirk to cut the ‘haggis’ at the appropriate moment.
The Kirkin’ of the Tartan church service took place at the Wesley Uniting Church, Kent Town and this service was attended by the South Australian Governor, His Excellency, the Hon Hieu Van Le AC and his wife Mrs Lan Le. The service included Clan bearers, Scottish dancers from the Garrick School of Highland Dancing and pipes and drums.
The planned Tartan Day Anniversary March of massed pipe bands which was to be held on the afternoon of 4th July through the city of Adelaide was cancelled due to the Covid situation in South Australia.
The UK’s only community run castle, the 17th century fairytale concoction has played witness to 400 years of turbulent Scottish history, now Braemar Castle launches world record attempt calling for over 1500 people to dance their socks off for the Castle’s future.
It was the place where James VIII was declared King of Scotland and James III of England as part of a failed Jacobite rising, it was torched by the Black Colonel in 1689, and used as a garrison for Hanoverian soldiers after the rebel Jacobite defeat at the Battle of Culloden, but now Braemar Castle is set to play a positive role at the heart of the future sustainability of its local community in and around Braemar. An iconic landmark in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, the Earl of Mar’s castle is a fairytale concoction of battlemented towers and turrets, a star shaped curtain wall and a bottle necked dungeon, the future of which rests with the small community of Braemar, a village of just 500 residents. The only castle in Scotland/UK under community management, for the last 14 years the village has been preparing it to be a 5 star visitor attraction, while also creating a new community programme so that the Castle contributes to the future welfare of the whole region by providing opportunities for charities, schools and individuals to grow through creative and communal activities.
World record attempt
As it works towards an ambitious re-imagining of its role, setting out to realise its social and educational potential and make a transformative impact locally and in communities throughout the north-east of Scotland, Braemar Community Limited announces a series of summer events which celebrate traditional aspects of the local culture, educate and preserve fading craft skills, and seek to reach those far and wide interested in supporting the Castle’s future. Catriona Skene, events coordinator at Braemar Castle is hoping to break a world record attempt for most people performing a choreographed dance online, using the accessibility of Zoom to bring those with ancestral links to the area, and those who enjoy Scottish heritage together with a band and dance callers online to perform a Military Two Step. Whether based in LA or Tokyo dancers can join in the fun and support the community’s ambitions for the Castle by paying £5 per person to take part. The previous record is 500, but the record for the world’s largest Scottish country dance is 1,453 and the hope is to exceed both of these targets and go down in history with 2,000.
Raising the Standard
Drystane Dyking is a dying art, so familiar across the Scottish countryside, intrinsic to many a famous photo of its landscape but only five craftspeople now have the skills required to maintain and build these beautiful features of our countryside. A small number of people will get the opportunity to try their hands and develop their skills on weekends through to September in the Castle grounds. This summer Alan Breck’s Jacobite and Redcoat armies undertake their training at Braemar Castle. This year Breck’s a highly anticipated book, by local historian, Maureen Kelly of the Braemar Local History group, on the Jacobites of Upper Deeside will be launched alongside the annual spectacle. Other events over the summer include the Braemar Castle Scramble golf tournament, and an ongoing series of coffee talks on the history of the Castle, Clan Farquharson, the Jacobites and the war among other fascinating topics.
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Any money made through these activities will be put towards the community charity’s campaign Raising the Standard, which will fund the £1.6m conservation and re-development project planned for completion in 2023. It has already received generous support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Castle team is well advanced in raising £600,000 in gifts from individuals, trusts and companies. Raising the Standard will re-define the role that Braemar Castle plays in the wider community. Having always drawn in visitors and worked with schools and community groups on site, it has now developed a vastly more ambitious vision for community engagement and learning. In future, the Castle team will welcome greater numbers to Braemar for a more diverse programme of activities. It will also look outwards and engage more broadly with communities and groups in Aberdeenshire.
This Labour Day long weekend, Canmore Highland Games (CHG) will roll out its 30th annual festival. They are committed to creating a safe, fun environment for all to enjoy Celtic Culture at its finest. After a great deal of anticipation, CHG are excited to announce the 2021 program of events. Saturday evening, the Taste of the Highlands Food and Drink Festival will feature regional wine, beer, and scotch whisky vendors in The Wild Rose Festival Tent. On Sunday, there will be no Highland Dance competition, however, there will be dance demonstrations throughout the day and a Massed Fling on the center field in the afternoon. Regional Pipes and Drums Bands will perform exhibition-style throughout the day. New for this year, we will be offering a Drum Major Workshop, and a couple of select participants will have the honour of joining the bands for the closing ceremonies. Heavy Sports will be competition as usual, with regional athletes battling for the top spot.
The Games will see a British Car and Motorcycle Show and Sheep Dog Demonstrations, and a Tug o’ War contest. Guests will shop at the Celtic Market, meet Clan representatives, and sample a wide array of delicious food from local vendors. Celtic bands Fraid Knot and Cabot’s Crossing will grace the stage through the day punctuated by the ever-popular Scotch Tasting presented by The Famous Grouse. On Sunday evening, CHG throw a Ceilidh for the record books with Canadian Celtic rock band The Arcana Kings. The Canmore Highland Games welcomes everyone to join us in a celebration this September. After a long period of collective struggle and sacrifice, it is time to raise a toast to our freedom.
The 30th Annual Canmore Highland Games will take place September 4-5, in Canmore, Alberta. For details see: www.canmorehighlandgames.ca
