Essential conservation works to the Great Hall at Kisimul Castle on Barra, have started Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has announced. The works will look to employ new interventions to address concerns with the concrete and its internal reinforcement bars. A secondary structure will be installed beneath the existing concrete, using non-ferrous materials, timber and blockwork, which will be more suited to the aggressive maritime environment. This will allow HES to safely carry out further necessary works to the interior of the Castle. It is estimated that the Great Hall works will take approximately three weeks to complete.
This follows an intricate operation to temporarily relocate historic objects from the Great Hall to ensure their protection while the works are underway. The artefacts, which are owned by The Macneil of Barra, include six muskets, two halberds and an impressive armorial. The muskets and halberds are stamped with dates from 1742 and 1743, dating them back to the time of the Jacobite Risings. The armorial, a metal coat of arms which has been painted and lacquered, includes depictions of a Lion Rampant, a masted ship and Kisimul Castle, and was presented to Clan Macneil in 1968. The relocation activity also allowed for the documentation of the objects to be updated with new photographs and measurements, with condition checks also taking place.
A key milestone
These works are the next stage in HES’s long-term goal to reopen Kisimul Castle to visitors once it is safe to do so. Last year, High-Level Masonry inspections and associated works took place to the exterior of the Castle. These works were the start of a programme to address concerns related to the Castle’s concrete and reinforcement bars following a major 20th century restoration, as well as the impacts of salt and moisture from Kisimul Castle’s coastal location.
In March this year, HES also carried out repairs to the slipway which will help to facilitate access for visitors once the Castle has reopened. James MacPherson, District Architect at HES, said: “We are delighted to be progressing works to the interior of the castle which is a key milestone in our programme of conservation work and is another step forward in our long-term plans to reopen Kisimul Castle to visitors. We appreciate that the communities of Barra and Vatersay are keen to showcase Kisimul Castle to visitors who arrive from all over the world, and we will continue to work closely with the local community. We are pleased to run free seasonal boat trips around the bay and Castle again this year and hope visitors enjoy exploring the wider area while access to the Castle is currently restricted.”
Kisimul Castle is closed until further notice to allow for conservation works.
The Scottish Banner speaks to Jacqueline McLaren, the Lord Provost of Glasgow.
Jacqueline McLaren, the Lord Provost of Glasgow.
The Lord Provost is Glasgow’s First Citizen and the position dates back hundreds of years. Can you briefly tell us about the role of the Lord Provost and just how proud you are to hold this historic title?
JM: It is a great honour to be singled out as the First Citizen of a city this size and the role itself goes back 550 years, and I am the sixth woman to hold this position. There will be more women to come after me of course and it is a 5-year term. The Lord Provost role is to meet and greet people who come from all over the world when they visit Glasgow. We have conferences, civic receptions, various birthdays and key events taking place year-round and we do a lot of engagement with the young people in the city about civic pride. We have thousands of young people here at the city chambers because they are the future of the city, so you need to try and get them involved in the process as early as possible.
I like also going into communities to meet people and local community groups. I am from the north of the city, and I know all the community groups in that area, but it’s great to try and touch base with other community groups that are doing similar work across the city. It inspires me and makes me want to do more. Glasgow is full of extraordinary people doing great things.
Glasgow is celebrating 850 incredible years in 2025. Can you tell us about the Glasgow 850 celebrations and how visitors can get involved?
JM: Anybody can become involved, it’s all on the Glasgow 850 website. There have been a lot of things that have happened this year so far, we did the Port Stones of the original medieval city which is a tourist point of interest, if people want to see how big the city was back in 1175, which was then only a small settlement of about 300 people, just off High Street at the Cathedral. That was the original settlement of Glasgow around that area.
We did the Port Stones for people to see what the city looked like then, and if you look at the city now and just how amazing it has become. Glasgow is now a booming city of nearly 1 million people and Glasgow 850 celebrates our story. There are lots of events happening and we invite everyone to come along and get involved.
The River Clyde. Photo: VisitScotland/Kenny Lam.
The phrase ‘People Make Glasgow’ is so much more than a marketing slogan, it is fact. What is it about the Glaswegian character, humour and spirit that inspires you?
JM: The straight talking, I love just been told by people and it’s just the straight talk. There is no hidden agenda with people in Glasgow. If you’re a tourist visiting and you have your guide book in your hand looking for somewhere, a Glaswegian will walk up and say, ‘can I help you?’. Glaswegians are very friendly, and they will often show you where to go or may even take you to your destination, and then you hear their life story and then they want to hear your life story.
Glaswegians are like that, you can stand at a bus stop and between waiting for the bus and the time the bus arrives, you know the person’s life story. And there’s always information sharing, Glaswegians are very good sharing information with each other. That is what’s great about us, we’re just lovely friendly people. The world needs to realise that when they come here that is what they will find. I think we are the friendliest place on the planet.
Glasgow University viewed from Kelvingrove Park. Photo: VisitScotland/Kenny Lam.
The city of Glasgow gets its name from the Gaelic translation of Glaschu meaning Green Glen. The city has affectionately been also dubbed the ‘Dear Green Place’ as it boasts an impressive range of vibrant green and open spaces. What do you feel makes Glasgow so special in terms of its incredible greenspace offerings?
JM: For me the parks really do make Glasgow. If you look at places like the Botanic Gardens, which houses the beautiful Victorian glass houses, which you don’t see very many of them in the world. For me, it’s just the tranquil places, the beautiful places, and the places full of running water. We have the River Clyde, Kelvin and the Forth and Clyde Canal. We are surrounded by blue and green places, which is really good for your mental health. Right now in Stockingfield Bridge in North Glasgow we are transforming a derelict landsite into Scotland’s largest ceramic art park. Once it is finished Bella the Beithir the mythical serpent will become one of the points of interest on the Forth and Clyde Canal.
Ruchill Park gives people a great view of the city, people have enjoyed the view of Glasgow from this park since Victorian times. The park also gets around one million daffodils growing in it every year. Queens Park and Kelvingrove are also jewels of the city and have wonderful bandstands with lots of events taking place and beautiful walks to be done. Glasgow is a beautiful city with beautiful places to visit.
Glasgow 2026 will host the 23rd edition of the Commonwealth Games next summer. What can visitors to the city look forward to in 2026 and what impact does hosting an event such as the Commonwealth Games have on the city’s brand?
JM: Next year is going to be really buzzing with people from all over the world descending on Glasgow. Athletes will be living in hotels, so if you are a visitor, you may even be in a hotel with a famous athlete. Visitors coming to Glasgow for the Games can look forward to the atmosphere, which I think will be quite electric.
Since the 2014 Games we have moved on quite a bit as a city, and we have a lot more venues and places for people to visit. I think there will be some real excitement here and visitors will be part of that. The Games are a great thing for us to again host and shows that Glasgow can host world class events and do it well.
The Barrowland Ballroom is a dance hall and music venue in Glasgow. Photo: VisitScotland/ Luigi Di Pasquale.
In 2008 Glasgow was named a UNESCO City of Music. The city hosts some incredible music events and has a diverse music offering. What do you feel about the city’s vibrant music scene that makes it the music capital of Scotland?
JM: I have been going to clubs and pubs since I was young. We had music festivals and concerts and when you grow up in the city you are going to have the amazing music scene part of your life. Today the music scene is even better and has evolved.
In Glasgow you could tap the table to join in with a folk band or singalong. So, you can actually join in and be part of that experience. That is what is great about Glasgow, you are invited to be involved, and you become Glaswegian as soon as you sit down.
Inside Glasgow City Chambers. Photo: The Scottish Banner.
Glasgow City Chambers was opened by Queen Victoria in 1888 and is still today one of Scotland’s most impressive buildings. Can you tell us a bit about the building and how visitors can include a visit on their next trip to Glasgow?
JM: The City Chambers is a marvellous jewel in the crown of Glasgow. The building was built in 1888 and it was opened by Queen Victoria. The chair the Lord Provost sits on is a massive wooden chair with red leather, this same chair Queen Victoria sat on which she convened the first meeting here and I sit on that every six weeks when I convene the full council and make sure everyone’s voices are heard.
The building itself has the largest white marble staircase in all of Europe, more than the Vatican. Visitors can take the free tours available and get an inside look at this incredible building. I try a couple of times a month to visit a tour and speak to visitors about the building and the city. There are tours twice a day Monday to Friday and I encourage everyone who comes to Glasgow to come into the City Chambers.
Your role as Lord Provost will take you all over Glasgow and have you meet so many unique people and places. Do you have tips for a visitor to Glasgow? Perhaps even some of your favourite hidden gems someone may wish to consider including on their visit to Glasgow?
JM: The tour buses are great because they will take you to all the gems in the city. My favourite place is the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and I have been going there since I was a child. I love the smell as soon as I walk in and it is a home from home for me.
I would suggest readers do some research about Glasgow and look at what they really want to experience. So much is also free in Glasgow, our museums are free and we just ask people to leave a small donation in the boxes to help run these special places. It is important people experience all our culture when here, our food, music and history.
American theatergoers are about to get an opportunity to experience a living Scottish tradition in a brand new, uplifting, exuberantly theatrical context, when Ceilidh, an original musical, arrives at the M&T Bank Exchange at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center in Baltimore on Sept. 6.
A traditional Celtic gathering
A ceilidh (pronounced KAY-lee) is a traditional Celtic gathering that combines dancing, music and storytelling to emphasize human connection and community, with a “caller” spinning narratives that bring both friends and strangers together. For Ceilidh, acclaimed Scottish writers Scott Gilmour and Claire McKenzie have crafted a buoyant, boisterous score and a robust, heartwarming book that, as Gilmour tells it, weave “a generational tale, about a family that are linked together through ceilidh.”
Gilmour, who will play the role of the caller for the Baltimore run, explains that the musical—helmed by red-hot Broadway director and choreographer Sam Pinkleton, fresh off his Tony Award win for Oh, Mary!—“is, at its heart, a celebration of the power of tradition and heritage, but what interested us is physically connecting people now. It’s quite an ancient thing, ceilidh, but it has made its way through time by adapting to the people who are doing the dances.”
Immersive format
Scott Gilmour.
Those people will now include audience members: Ceilidh’s immersive format blurs the line between performance and party, inviting anyone to participate—if they wish. “You can join in the dances, or you can just sit and watch,” notes McKenzie, who met Gilmour when she was studying composing and he was an acting student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. “Ceilidhs in Scotland are like that; I’ve been to one where there was an 80-year-old grandmother sitting on the side, having a great time.”
Gilmour adds, “You get up and give it a go if you fancy, or if you just want to sit on the side and enjoy it that way, that’s OK too.”
While Ceilidh relays a particular story involving a family—a journey of belonging, identity, and rediscovery through music and movement—Pinkleton notes, “The ensemble of performers can also put on characters and take them off, if that makes sense. It’s as if the audience is being hosted by this family, so there are specific characters with names, but they’re also just people we’re dancing with.”
Welcoming people
The director, whose credits also include choreographing the celebrated musical Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812—for which Pinkleton earned his first Tony nomination—muses, “I’ve spent a lot of time making shows where the boundaries between actors and musicians and, frankly, performers and civilians are quite blurry. This is a very different show than Natasha, but what’s the same is that we want the audience to feel surrounded by the making of music and the telling of a story.”
Pinkleton adds, “I believe every act of theater is welcoming people into a thing, wanting them to have a nice time in our house. And I think Ceilidh, more than anything I’ve done before, essentializes that act of hosting strangers. I hope the magic of it is something that is much deeper and more ancient than us bickering at each other, as we love to do in 2025s, and simply asking, what do we share? How can I help you? Even if it’s as simple as looking at somebody and saying, ‘Can I have this dance?’”
Ceilidh the Musical is headed to Baltimore‘s M&T Bank Exchange at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center 9/6-10/12! Visit: www.ceilidhmusical.com
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo returned for its landmark 75th edition, honouring the heroes who have shaped its remarkable legacy. This year’s Show, The Heroes Who Made Us, blended military precision, cultural heritage, and artistic brilliance to celebrate the selflessness and dedication of those who have contributed to the Tattoo over the past seven decades. This special anniversary performance paid tribute to the Tattoo’s rich history while embracing its thrilling future.
The British Army took the Lead Service role this year, joined by a diverse international cast and anchored by the world-class Tattoo performers. With over 900 performers from across the globe, audiences were treated to an extraordinary journey through time and tradition, featuring talent from the Poland, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Ukraine, and the United States of America. Blending pageantry with theatrical flair, the 2025 Tattoo reaffirmed its position as a unique highlight of the world-renowned Edinburgh festivals. Celebrating values of connection, community, and shared heritage, this year’s performance reflects the enduring spirit that has defined the Tattoo for 75 years – while looking forward to its exciting future.
A performance unlike any other in the world
First across the drawbridge, as is tradition every year, The Massed Pipes and Drums once again filled the hallowed stage of the Edinburgh Castle Esplanade. Comprised of military and civilian pipe bands from across the globe, they set the tone for a performance unlike any other in the world. In a year dedicated to honouring heroes, The Orchestra of Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, travelled to Edinburgh, leaving Ukraine for the first time since 2018, due to the challenges of Covid and war to perform an unforgettable set for Tattoo audiences.
Making their Tattoo debut, the United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps will brought a slice of American history to Edinburgh with their iconic uniforms and stirring music. Also from America, the United States Air Force Honor Guard returned to showcase their unmatched precision and dedication. Adding further international flair, the Representative Band of the Polish Border Guard graced the Esplanade for the first time in 15 years.
Brisbane and Auckland
Adding something extra special this year, narration returned in the form of evocative storytelling performed by actor Terence Rae. Audiences were taken on a journey through the rich history of this iconic event, tracing its roots all the way back to its beginnings in 1950. Alan Lane, Creative Director at The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, said: “We don’t talk about heroes enough in this country. Whether this is military service or volunteers within our society, it is these people that help make life tick along that little bit more smoothly and that deserves to be honoured and celebrated. We are in such a unique position that we get to do performances as grand as the Tattoo and that’s why this year, we’re embracing our position at the top of the Castle (quite literally) during the Edinburgh festivals. The Heroes Who Made Us, is a testimony to the artistic nature of the Tattoo and will come with all the bells and whistles that people know us for.”
Jason Barrett, Chief Executive of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo added: “As we do every year, the Show features inspiring acts from around the world. This year we are especially privileged to welcome The Naval Orchestra of Ukraine, the first time they will have left their country since 2018. We couldn’t be more excited to celebrate our 75th, honouring our past while imagining our future. Early in 2026 we take the Show to Brisbane and Auckland – Tattoo 75 on tour bringing The Heroes Who Made Us halfway around the world.”
The 2025 World Pipe Band Championships concluded in Glasgow on August 16th with last year’s winners, Inveraray & District Pipe Band, retaining the top title. It is the fourth time the Scottish band, from Argyll and Bute, has been crowned World Pipe Band Champions.
George Watson’s College celebrate after winning the World Pipe Band Championships Juvenile Competition. Photo: Rob Casey/SNS Group.
In addition to lifting the 2024 trophy, it won the renowned contest in 2019 and 2017. Inveraray & District saw off stiff competition from runners-up, and 2022 champions, Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band of Lisburn, Northern Ireland, and North Lanarkshire’s Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band – the 2015 champions – who took third place.
Premier contest in the global piping competitive calendar
A general view as a pipe band performs during a World Pipe Band Championships Juvenile Competition at Glasgow Green. Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group.
The ‘Worlds’ – the premier contest in the global piping competitive calendar – brings together the best pipers and drummers on the planet to compete in the ultimate ‘battle of the bands’. The event is delivered by culture and sport charity Glasgow Life on behalf of The Royal Pipe Band Association with support from EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
This year’s spectacular showcase of skills and talent saw 15 countries represented by 207 bands, 53 of which were from overseas destinations including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Oman, the USA and Zimbabwe. Scotland entered the biggest national contingent – 122 bands. Northern Ireland had the second largest, with 25 bands, and next was the USA with 14 bands. ‘The Worlds’ attracts thousands of spectators to Glasgow every summer and attendance at this year’s exciting two-day contest was over 35,000. Audiences all over the world were also able to view highlights from the championships on both days via live streaming.
St John’s College Harare of Zimbabwe. Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group.
This year the major event included, on Friday 15 August, a dedicated youth competition. More than 1,500 under 18s competed in this new feature of the ‘Worlds’ which celebrated and recognised young talent in piping and drumming, and showcased the incredible talent and skills of the next generation. The grade winners were: Juvenile – George Watson’s College; Novice Juvenile A – West Lothian Schools; Novice Juvenile B – St John’s College Harare of Zimbabwe. Saturday’s contest, focused on the senior bands, and saw over 6,000 band members compete across the Grade 1, Grade 2, Grades 3A and 3B, and Grades 4A and 4B categories.
A fiercely fought contest
Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group.
Colin Mulhern, Chief Executive of The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association, said: “We are grateful to all of the competing bands, supporters and spectators who joined us for our 2025 championships. This year’s ‘Worlds’ proved to be a fiercely fought contest and our 2025 World Pipe Band Champions Inveraray & District Pipe Band deserve huge congratulations for winning the global title for a second year running. Every one of the bands can take great pride in their wonderful performances. They gave us a splendid competition and demonstration of their dedication to excellence, and their outstanding skills and talent.”
A general view of drummers during a World Pipe Band Championships Juvenile Competition. Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group.
Glasgow Life Chair Bailie Annette Christie said: “Glasgow is proud to host the global pinnacle of the competitive piping calendar, and of the city’s long association with ‘the Worlds. The championships are hugely valued by us as they shine an international spotlight on Glasgow as a fantastic and welcoming destination for events, attract visitors here from all over the world – boosting tourism and contributing greatly to the Scottish and city’s economy. We are grateful to all of this year’s fantastic competitors for playing their part in ensuring the great success of the 2025 ‘Worlds’ – and our congratulations go to Inveraray & District Pipe Band on retaining the World Champions title.”
A young Drum Major leads the pipe bands during a World Pipe Band Championships. Photo by Rob Casey/SNS Group.
Rob Dickson, Director of Industry and Events at VisitScotland, added: “The World Pipe Band Championships continue to be a spectacular celebration of Scotland’s rich cultural heritage, attracting thousands of talented musicians and enthusiastic spectators from across the globe. This year’s event once again showcased the incredible skill, passion, and camaraderie that define the piping community. Well done to all the bands who have taken part over the past two days, and congratulations to Inveraray & District Pipe Band on being crowned 2025 World Pipe Band Champions.”
The Highland Clearances are a pivotal moment is Scotland’s social, cultural and economic history. Karen Soutar, one of Historic Environment Scotland’s stewards at Doune Castle tells us what happened, when, and why.
There are few events in Scottish history more heartrending than the Highland Clearances. Songs have been sung about them, paintings created, poems written and plays performed. Most of you will have heard of them in one way or another. And their impact has left its mark on Scotland, even today. But what exactly happened, when, and why?
After the Jacobite Rising of 1745 ended at Culloden, an era of social, economic, and agricultural change began in the Scottish Highlands. Estates which had been forfeited by supporters of the Jacobite cause were taken over by new landowners. Up until then, the land had been divided into small townships or baile that people inhabited and farmed. These were overseen by someone known as a ‘tacksman’ who didn’t own the land themselves, but would sublet land to the tenants while making a profit. Flora MacDonald, who helped Bonnie Prince Charlie to escape after the Battle of Culloden, was a member of the tacksman class.
A change of land ownership was seen as an opportunity to change the approach to managing the land. Although changes had begun before the Jacobite Rising, the process increased in pace after 1746 as wealthy new landowners wanted to maximise their profits. Farms were consolidated into larger units, land was enclosed, and sheep were introduced, taking over from the more traditional stock of cattle. Rents were increased. Not only did the changes impact the landscape, but they displaced the people who lived there. All this is why, when we think of the clearances, we envision people being pushed off the land to make way for sheep.
While clearances took place on estates around Scotland, the Highland Clearances had the additional impact of devastating Gaelic-speaking communities. The combination of anti-Gaelic laws following Culloden, and then the Clearances destroying Gaelic-speaking communities, lead to a low point for Gaelic from which the language is arguably still trying to recover.
The first batch of clearances began in the 1750s and continued until after the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. Initially, most estate owners intended to redistribute the population to other parts of their lands, this tended to be coastal areas, which were not as agriculturally productive. There were some coastal crofts, but it was almost impossible for tenants to survive on these by farming alone. Some were encouraged to take up fishing or kelp farming. Kelp farming was big business from the mid-18th century as it was an important ingredient in the production of soap and glass. By the early 19th century, kelp manufacturing employed 60,000 people in Scotland.
However, in reality, many tenants were simply evicted with no intention of finding them a new location. In addition, those who were sent to the coast had no knowledge of this way of life, and they struggled to survive in their new situation. The end of the Napoleonic Wars brought economic problems and a series of disasters. Inflation soared, and the kelp industry floundered. In 1836-7 a potato blight hit the Highland region, and in 1846-8 there was a famine in the Highlands. Crofting rents collapsed, and some unscrupulous landowners saw this as an opportunity to get rid of their less profitable small tenantry once and for all. Some landowners even burnt down crofts to force the tenants out. All this resulted in the ‘second wave’ of clearances (1825-55), with the poorest tenants having their emigration out of the area arranged, and in some cases paid for. Although this would have been no consolation to the stricken people involved!
What happened to those who were evicted? Some did make a success of a new life on the coast or went to work on farms in the southern highlands and the lowlands. Others travelled to cities such as Glasgow and found employment in the factories there. But imagine what it must have been like, living one moment in the clean air and quiet of the Highlands, and the next working in a noisy, smelly city, surrounded by thousands of people.
Many Highlanders left Scotland altogether, and started a new life overseas. America, Canada and Australia were top destinations but Scots ended up all over the world. And sadly, many people starved to death or fell ill and died on the road, as they struggled to find somewhere to live and work after eviction. These Highlanders took their Gaelic with them to these countries. To this day, there are fluent Gaelic-speaking communities in Nova Scotia, and countries such as New Zealand have many Gaelic place names.
It’s hard to find reliable numbers for those evicted during the clearances, but estimates range between 70,000 and over 150,000 displaced people. Remember when we think of many parts of the Highlands as a deserted wilderness today, things were not always like that. The modern Highland landscape was manufactured by wealthy estate owners in their pursuit of more money, with no regard for the people who had worked the land for them for hundreds of years before.
But there was a glimmer of hope for those who remained crofters. In 1886, after many long years of poverty among remaining tenants, economic depression, and bad storms, the Crofters Holdings (Scotland) Act was passed. This came after a series of disputes and disorder, starting with the Bernera Riot in 1874 and culminated in a fierce battle, led by Skye crofting tenants, known as the Crofters’ War in 1882. A key figure of this Land Agitation movement was Màiri Mhòr nan Òran (‘Great Mary of the Songs’, or maybe more properly ‘Great Màiri, the Songstress’).
Renowned across Victorian Scotland and abroad, Màiri wrote many Gaelic songs now considered classics. Land agitation and Clearance was a key theme in her work. In perhaps her best-known song, Nuair Bha Mi Òg (When I Was Young), Màiri reflected on the changes that have taken place in Skye in her lifetime, and its many empty houses. ‘Nam faicinn sluagh, agus taighean suas ann / gum fàsainn suaimhneach mar bha mi òg’ (‘If I only saw people and houses there / I’d grow joyful, like I was when I was young’).
Crofters Holdings Act
In the aftermath of the Crofters’ War a commission was set up to look into the conditions the crofters were experiencing. This scrutiny did raise awareness of the terrible exploitation that the crofters were exposed to. While the recommendations of the commission were not enshrined in the Crofters Holdings Act, it did pave the way. The Act gave the remaining crofters security from eviction, the benefit of some improvements, and also introduced a court to set crofters’ rents, adjudicate on arrears and facilitate extensions to crofts. Although this was too late for many people, it significantly improved conditions for Highland crofters in the future.
Over the 20th century, land buyouts by local communities have taken place in several areas, giving control back to the people who live and work there. There were just three land buy outs between 1908 and 1971. But since the 1990s more and more of Scotland’s rural communities have been able to purchase the land they live on for the good of the people who live there. And in 2003, the Land Reform (Scotland) Act granted communities the right to buy land within their local area.
Living in one of the world’s most desirable and romanticised locations isn’t without its issues. Local communities are seeking to find the right balance when it comes to being a popular tourist destination. Many visitors to the Highlands are descended from the very people who left during the Clearances. A love of Scotland and the Highlands has been passed down through the generations, and descendants of the people who were expelled from their homes are keen to explore their roots. And Scotland is renowned for its warm hospitality, stunning landscapes and rich culture and history.
Local communities and businesses undoubtedly benefit from the tourism industry but it does bring its challenges – particularly around housing. Rural Gaelic communities are once again finding it challenging to make a life in the Scottish Highlands. The Highland Council’s Sustainable Tourism Strategy looks at the pressures and opportunities in detail. There are people leading the way in trying to find balance between the needs of local communities and visitors all over Scotland, not just in the Highlands. In 2017, Auchrannie resort on Arran became Scotland’s first employee-owned resort. Organisations like Scottish Community Tourism champion and support community tourism, which seeks to put communities and the environment first. And in the town of Kilmaronock, they’re exploring ways to repurpose their church for flexible community use, focusing on preserving its heritage for locals and visitors. This is a complex challenge with no simple answers but there are opportunities to share and learn as we go.
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
The Ship Hector replica made a dramatic return to Pictou Harbour in Nova Scotia in July with a powerful side launch that sent waves across the water, an unforgettable moment witnessed by an estimated 12,000 people along the waterfront and thousands more tuning in via live broadcast.
The launch marked a major milestone in the multi-year restoration of the iconic tall ship, a symbol of courage, migration, and connection for generations. The Ship Hector Society also wrapped up a major modernization of the Hector Heritage Quay Interpretive Centre, which received a combined $4 million in funding from the Province of Nova Scotia and the Government of Canada.
Scottish settlers to Nova Scotia
The revitalized centre features new immersive exhibits and educational experiences focused on migration, resilience, and Mi’kmaw and Scottish cultural heritage. Gaelic culture was also woven into the day’s events, recognizing the language, music, and traditions carried to these shores by early Scottish settlers aboard the original Hector – milling frolic, a Gaelic song workshop, highland dancing, blacksmith workshops and descendant genealogy tracing took place following the launch.
Vern Shea, Ship Hector Project Manager, said: “This wasn’t just about launching a ship. It was about years of craftsmanship, community effort, and cultural responsibility. We’ve rebuilt something that carries real meaning, not only for those who came before us, but for those who will come after. I’m incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished.” The Ship Hector is a replica of the original 1773 vessel that brought the first wave of Scottish settlers to Nova Scotia.
Objects recovered from a mysterious 250-year-old burial on Arnish Moor on the Isle of Lewis, star in a new exhibition, on now. The exceptionally well-preserved knitted bonnet and personal belongings of a young man, on loan from National Museums Scotland, are displayed for the first time in a generation at Kinloch Historical Society. In 1964, the body of a young man was discovered on Arnish Moor, south of Stornoway. Forensic analysis at the time revealed that he was around 20 to 25 years old and identified a fracture on the back of his head that indicates he may have been murdered. The young man’s identity remains unknown, but his clothing and personal belongings provide a rare insight into life in the Outer Hebrides in the early 1700s.
The knitted bonnet is now a brownish green colour, but analysis has revealed traces of indigo typical of the traditional blue bonnets worn in the Scottish Highlands and Islands in the 18th century. It is displayed alongside other personal items that were found with him, including a wooden comb and quills. These suggest he was educated and was perhaps a scholar or an apprentice clerk. The young man’s clothing, including a stylish but well-worn jacket covered in intricate hand-stitched repairs, is too fragile to be displayed.
Murder on the moor
Long jacket discovered on Arnish Moor, Lewis, 18th century. Photo: National Museums Scotland.
Although the young man’s remains were not discovered until the 1960s, stories of a murder on the moor have been passed down through generations, becoming part of the lore and identity of the local community.
Dr Anna Groundwater, Principal Curator of Renaissance and Early Modern History at National Museums Scotland, said: “We don’t know who this person was, but the quality of his clothes and possessions paints a portrait of a learned young man who cared about how he looked, despite being of limited means. We do know that his life was cut tragically short. It has been a privilege to work with colleagues at the Kinloch Historical Society and with the local community in Lewis to bring his story to life and learn more about the historical context and oral traditions that surround the mystery of the Arnish Moor Man.”
Leggings discovered on Arnish Moor, Lewis, 18th century. Photo: National Museums Scotland.
Anna MacKenzie, Heritage Manager at Kinloch Historical Society, said: “The story of the Arnish Moor Man is one that appears regularly in our local Folk Lore. What happened to this young man is a mystery. By hosting this exhibition, we hope members of the public will be inspired to revisit the tales they grew up with and seek the answers of this 18th century murder. The Kinloch Historical society are very proud of the relationship we are building with National Museums Scotland. They have been a great source of support and it is a privilege to be displaying these items, that have never been shown locally before.”
Arnish Moor Man is on now at the Kinloch Historical Society, Lewis, and runs until March 2026. For details see: www.kinlochhistoricalsociety.co.uk
Main photo: Curators examine clothing discovered on Kinloch Moor, 18th century. Photo: Duncan McClean.
500 years ago this year, the Archbishop of Glasgow Gavin Dunbar issued the most extraordinary curse against the lawless reivers – the gangs who raided across the Scots/ English border and who wreaked havoc on the lives of ordinary folk. The 1069-word curse in Scots was designed to be read out by priests in churches in the border lands and is amazingly thorough, cursing everything from their body parts to their animals and vegetables, as Judy Vickers explains.
The early 16th century was not a good time to be living on the lands on either side of the Scottish-English border. True, there was no point in the previous few centuries – ever since the Scottish-English border had started to form its modern route in the 11th century – where life had exactly been easy. Murder, theft, rape, kidnap and blackmail were part and parcel of everyday life. Cattle raids across the border could involve anything from a handful of men to 3,000 – a mini army, all armed and in their “steel bonnets” or helmets.
Reivers ruled
Galashiels Reiver Statue. Reiver statue at Galashiels. Photo: Ad Meskens, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Reivers ruled – clans with more loyalty to family than distant king or country – and their colourful nicknames reveal the brutality of their existence – such as Jock “Half-Lugs” (Half-ears) Elliot, “Fingerless” Will Nixon and “Nebless” (Noseless) Clem Crozier. Many were killed in these cross-border skirmishes, including children, and clergy on both sides were not immune – a fine price could be raised by holding a man of the cloth ransom. Perhaps understandable then that 500 years ago this year, in 1525, an exasperated Archbishop of Glasgow, Gavin Dunbar, lost all patience with the lawless gangs and issued a spectacular and remarkably thorough 1069-word curse in Scots designed to be read out by priests in churches in the border lands.
It starts with their body parts, moving from head to toe – “I curse thair heid and all the haris of thair heid [I curse their head and all the hairs on their head] . . . to the soill of their feit [sole of their feet]” – then curses them whatever they are doing – sleeping, walking, riding, sitting, standing, drinking and eating. It then includes their wives, children, servants, their pigs, hens and geese, their barns, stables, ploughs and even their cabbage patches.
He then calls for a range of Biblical horrors, including the flood of Noah, the fires of Sodom and Gomorra and the plagues of Egypt, to be rained down on them. “May the waters of the Tweed and other waters which they use, drown them, as the Red Sea drowned King Pharaoh and the people of Egypt . . . May the earth open, split and cleave, and swallow them straight to hell,” he went on, forbidding any Christian to have anything to do with them, and concluding: “And, finally, I condemn them perpetually to the deep pit of hell, to remain with Lucifer and all his fellows, and their bodies to the gallows of the Burrow moor, first to be hanged, then torn apart with dogs, swine, and other wild beasts, abominable to all the world.”
The growl of a toothless lion
The kind of leather jacket worn by Reivers. Photo: Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
It is the longest recorded curse in the English language but sadly failed to have little effect. It was “the growl of a toothless lion” according to Robert Borland, a Borders minister, in his book about the raids written in 1898. This was an area semi-detached from the rule of law in either Scotland or England, ever since the border had started to form its modern route in the 11th century as Lothian – the area around and south of Edinburgh – was absorbed into the Scottish kingdom. Kings on both sides needed to keep Border lords sweet – they had a habit of changing side if they thought they could get a better deal. And government-appointed wardens were either ignored if they came from outside the area or stuck to family loyalties if local.
The border roughly followed the same line as it does now but there were many disputed sections – in the 13th century, six knights from Scotland and the same number from England attempted to walk the route but failed to agree, nor was a second attempt with double the number of knights any more successful. At the time of the curse, an area at the western end of the border was known as the Debatable Land – a lawless no man’s land, a haven for outlaws – with several other “disputed lands” along its length. At Ba’ Green, for instance, the land was said to be held for the year by whichever side – Scotland’s Coldstream or England’s Wark – won an annual game of football. Few places had such civilised contests though; Berwick on Tweed, at the east end of the border, changed hands several times over the centuries, often bloodily – in 1296 much of the town was destroyed and many inhabitants massacred by the English king Edward I.
The area even had its own special legislation. The Law of the Marches ran in the Borders, allowing for Days of Truce where each side was given safe conduct in a chosen town while wardens attempted to sort out murder, theft and other disputes. The unique border law also allowed for the “hot trod”, where wronged parties pursued cattle rustlers (complete with burning turf on the end of a lance) and executed summary justice if they came across the perpetrators red handed.
Notorious reiver families
Black Middens Bastle House, which were common on the English-Scottish border. Photo: wfmillar, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
And while the lives of the reivers (the name comes from the Old English meaning to rob) could sometimes be romanticised – the ballad of Johnnie Armstrong about the capture and execution of the leader of one of the most notorious reiver families has him squaring up bravely to the king – the preamble of the Archbishop’s curse or monition makes it clear how horrific times must have been for ordinary folk. “We hear how that men, wiffis and bairs, redeamed by the precious blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and living in his laws, are innocently part murdered, part slain, burned, hurt, spoiled and ripped, openly by daylight and under silence of the night, and their farms and lands laid waste, and their self banished therefor.”
Dunbar, a fierce opponent of the new Protestant religion who oversaw the burning of heretics, was from an influential figure. His uncle was Archbishop of Aberdeen, he was tutor to the young James V and was made Lord Chancellor in 1528. But he was cursing at a bad time – the Battle of Flodden just 12 years earlier in 1513 had seen the death of the Scottish king James IV and the political situation between the two nations was unstable and volatile.
The reivers continued in their lawless ways then – during the reign of the English queen Elizabeth I later in the century there was even talk of rebuilding Hadrian’s Wall to contain the violence. Bastle houses – with the living quarters on the upper floor with any attackers having to climb a single defendable staircase – were common on both sides of the border. But it was only when the Scottish king James VI also took the crown of England that the reivers’ days were numbered. No longer were there two sides to play off against each other and eventually the reivers were clamped down on with many hanged or banished to Ulster.
Main photo: Reivers raid on Gilnockie Tower. Credit: G Cattermole, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Support the Scottish Banner! To donate to assist with production of our publication and website visit: The Scottish Banner
So opens the classic folk song Wild Mountain Thyme, based on poet Robert Tannahill’s early 19th century composition, The Braes of Balquhither. In just a few lines this love song paints a vivid picture of the promise and plenty of summer in the Scottish Highlands. It is a scene inextricably tied to a way of life long lost — the annual migration of people and their cattle to the summer shielings where such wonders awaited them.
Until the very time when The Braes of Balquhither was composed, from springtime through summer people from rural communities across Scotland left their permanent homes and accompanied livestock into the hills where they could be grazed on open, common ground. The notion of uprooting for several months of the year may seem unthinkable to modern people unless for a holiday, but for most of human history across much of the globe this was the norm.
Different communities varied the exact timings, but in general the typical shieling season went like this: upland grazing lasted from April through August, with animals accompanied into the hills categorically by age and desired output. Each group would graze for around a month before being brought back to the settlements and another led away in turn. Young animals – mostly cattle, horses, and sheep – would be brought out first in April, followed by dairy producing animals in May.
Shieling season
Shieling on Barvas River. Image: I F Grant Collection, Edinburgh Central Library.
Since dairy cattle needed to be milked daily, dairymaids accompanied them and lived with them in shielings all through the summer. This meant that a sizeable portion of any given community, mainly girls and women, were away in the shielings, returning only occasionally. It was a time of great merriment when they rejoined their villages in August with groups of fattened, productive livestock in tow.
This movement of livestock and attendant people into the upland shielings was at the heart of the ancient practice of transhumance. It is the seasonal movement of people away from their permanent residences into a wider landscape of habitation and productivity, known to anthropologists as a ‘task-scape’. Transhumance was and still is practiced by cultures around the world and was designated as part of the ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’ by UNESCO in 2023.
The ruins of a small stone shieling in Glen Lyon. Photo: David C. Weinczok.
If one were to walk into the hills in summer you would likely hear singing coming from the shielings as the women set their work to a rhythm. Boys would often bring flutes or fiddles and, as you might imagine, many a romantic pairing blossomed among the shielings. The shielings and transhumance system were not separate from community life, but a fundamental part of it.
The shielings themselves are still with us. The remains of thousands of small drystone structures dot the upland slopes of Scotland, often in small clusters near burns and under the shelter of hillocks or rock faces. Some shielings, especially in the Outer Hebrides and Northwest Highlands, were made from dried peat and earth and have vanished altogether. Some, in a fascinating interplay with the far more distant past, were raised atop and within Bronze Age and Iron Age structures like hillforts, duns, and wheelhouses. Many place names in Scotland are derived from this practice. Places incorporating ‘shiel’ as in Loch Shiel, ‘airigh’ as in Gleann Airigh in Argyll, and ‘ruighe’ as in Portree (Port Ruighe) in Skye all harken back to it.
Source of much folklore
Ruins of shielings in a cluster on the lower west slopes of Ben Lawers, Perthshire. Photo: David C. Weinczok.
Often situated in isolated, windswept areas far from the lights of villages, it’s no wonder that shielings were the source of much folklore – much of it sinister. By definition, shielings existed beyond the well-trodden, cultivated areas of human settlement, on the other side of the turf dykes which demarcated the boundaries of many rural communities. Upland areas are now, and were then, perceived as ‘liminal places’ straddling the line between civilisation and wilderness, between the known and the unknown. They are often replete with pools and lochans as well as caves, rock shelters, and glacial mounds. This makes such areas the perfect environment for entities like trows, giants, fairy folk, and water-horses.
On the Orcadian island of Rousay, the upland Loch of Knitchen is home to a water-horse who blends in with the herds brought up to graze by the shore-dwellers. When the hapless attendant, often a young man or woman, lays their hand on it to return it to their village they are dragged into the water and devoured. A similar tale haunts Loch an Eich Uisge – the Loch of the Water-horse – in Barra, where a young dairymaid narrowly avoided a gruesome fate by cleverly escaping a water-horse who took the form of a dashing young man. Nearby that loch is the Shieling of the One Night, so-called because shieling-dwellers refused to stay in it for more than a single night. Disturbances were attributed not just to the water-horse but to devils in a nearby cave which is said to lead into the centre of the island.
Pallaidh’s footprint at his shieling in Glen Lyon. Photo: David C. Weinczok.
Some beings even had shielings of their own. Pallaidh, the king of the úruisgean (also known as brownies or broonies), had his summer dwelling at Ruighe Pheallaidh in Glen Lyon while living for the rest of the year along the waterfalls above the town named after him, Aberfeldy (Obar Pheallaidh). He even left a footprint in a stone outcrop in Glen Lyon which is sometimes also attributed to Saint Palladius from the 5th century.
A major factor that ended transhumance and shieling culture in Scotland was the arrival of the Cheviot and Blackface sheep breeds. As discussed in my May article on How sheep conquered Scotland, these breeds required extensive and intensive access to lower, fertile grazing grounds, shifting communal priorities away from the uplands. The 18th and 19th centuries were also times of land enclosure, consolidation, and clearance, leading to the emptying of entire communities and the abandonment of huge swathes of upland areas once home to hundreds of seasonal shielings.
Back in vogue
The modern shieling in Abriachan Wood.
Today, shielings are coming back in vogue. Modern architects have used shielings as the inspiration for new homes built across the Highlands and Islands, and several conservation areas – such as Abriachan Wood near Loch ness – have reconstructed shielings to use as arts spaces. I fondly recall the sense of calm and community fostered by the Abriachan shieling while on a writing retreat with Moniack Mhor, during which we read poems and warmed ourselves in its shelter.
So, as the summertime comes and the trees are sweetly bloomin’, cast your mind back to a time when the lasses led the cows to the hills, the shielings rang out with music, and the circle of community life among Scotland’s rural landscapes gained another golden notch.
By: David C. Weinczok
Support the Scottish Banner! To donate to assist with production of our publication and website visit: The Scottish Banner
Calling all Clans, the City of Armadale Highland Gathering needs you! The City of Armadale (Perth, Western Australia) is hosting their annual Highland Gathering on 5 October 2025, and they would love to have you join them. Hosted alongside the Perth Kilt Run, this is the largest Highland Gathering event in Western Australia.
Featuring all things Scottish, this event brings together Scottish heritage and provides a great day out for the entire family. The gathering of Clans allows those with Scottish roots to explore, celebrate and connect with their history, and plenty of entertainment for all attendees, regardless of your heritage. The day will feature Highland dancing, and a traditional strong man competition. There will be a host of Scottish dogs to socialise with, live performances, and a place for stallholders and Clans to gather. It will have a Scottish inspired tavern, brought to you by the Scottish Masonic Charitable Foundation of Western Australia.
A huge gathering of Scottish culture and heritage
This year’s event will see the return of the Armadale Atlas Stones, nine reinforced concrete spheres ranging in weight from 9kgs-161kgs. Lifting stones have been a feature in many European cultures and serve as a traditional test of strength and endurance. Anyone can have a go at lifting these stones. How many can you lift? There will be pipe band competitions, a medieval fair, as well as a range of children’s activities and food stalls.
The Perth Kilt Run has grown year on year as an exciting addition to the Highland Gathering, now offering a 2.5km Classic and a 5km Warrior run. The 2.5km course is a flat concrete surfaced route for maximum accessibility. You can participate in this year’s event with your dog, with a specially designated start to ensure the safety of all our human and canine competitors in the 2.5km Classic with Dogs. This is a huge gathering of Scottish culture and heritage, shared by thousands of people who come to enjoy the atmosphere and festivities.
People are being invited to take a tour of Scotland in the mid-19th century through the online records of National Records of Scotland. When the Ordnance Survey (OS) created its first six-inch to the mile maps, its surveyors travelled the country to collect place-names and their spellings. They would use existing publications and local people as sources. It took them almost 40 years to gather all the information.
The result was arguably the first comprehensive gazetteer of Scotland. The Ordnance Survey name books detail just about every geographical feature from Out Stack, the most northly part of Shetland, to the Mull of Galloway, the most southerly part of Scotland.
The books date from between 1845 and 1880. They contain around 300,000 place entries and include everything from famous castles to small local landmarks.
The first comprehensive gazetteer of places in Scotland
This entry shares that Castle Street in Inverness was once known as Doomesdale Street due to it being the route to the gallows.
The Ordnance Survey name books were also the first systematic attempt at recording Gaelic place-names. The books offer a snapshot in time, capturing the country as it was in Victorian times. The Wallace Monument in Stirling was only at its foundation course at the time of being surveyed in 1861-1862.
The entry for Ardross Castle, location for TV show The Traitors, remarks on it being ‘an elegant modern building’. Archaeological features are sometimes sketched, including the Maiden Stone at Garioch in Aberdeenshire.
Archivist Jessica Evershed said: “The Ordnance Survey used the name books to inform the spelling of places on their first edition six-inch maps of Scotland. They could be considered the first comprehensive gazetteer of places in Scotland. These records will be fascinating to local and family historians, hoping to understand the evolution of the Scottish landscape and of the places their ancestors worked and lived. They can offer explanations of the origins of place-names from local people, including stories of how place-names came about. Sadly, some of these stories are now forgotten with the passage of time. You can search for a favourite historic building or landmark and compare the historical entry with how it looks today.”
Main photo: Maiden stone, Chapel of Garioch, Aberdeenshire. Entry includes a sketch of a Pictish stone cross slab with two possible local legends mentioned about its past neither of which was a happy tale for the eponymous Maiden.
Ancient stone structures can be found across Scotland, dating back thousands of years, offering the visitor an insight into Scotland’s incredible ancient communities. Steeped in history and surrounded by legends these mystical megalithic monuments tell us a story of civilizations long before us, who celebrated their most important ceremonies and rituals amongst them, and the importance these mysterious monuments have had for generations.
While thousands flock to Stonehenge each year, Scotland’s ancient standing stones offer a more peaceful alternative, with the added bonus of spectacular scenery and fewer crowds. Online searches for “standing stones” in Scotland has risen by 101% over the past quarter.
Tapping into this growing trend, VisitScotland has launched a refreshed guide to the country’s most atmospheric stone circles, helping travellers experience these ancient places that feel truly off the beaten path. Each year, more people are drawn to these ancient sites to watch the sunrise, honour seasonal change, or simply find a moment of connection and calm. From weathered stone circles on remote islands to mysterious alignments in wild glens, these make for the ideal locations for those looking to welcome the sun in a more reflective way. Here we look at just some of the incredible historical sites you can find on your next visit to Scotland.
Kilmartin Glen, Argyll
The ancient area of Kilmartin Glen in Argyll is home to more than 350 ancient monuments, including both the Nether Largie Standing Stones and the Temple Wood Stone Circle. The Nether Largie Stones are among the most significant prehistoric monuments in Scotland. Believed to be over 5,000 years old, the stones are thought to align with key astronomical events, including the midsummer sunrise. Set against a backdrop of green hills and misty moorland, the site offers an evocative space to experience the Solstice.
Temple Wood’s 13 standing stones form one of the best-preserved stone circles in the area. The site’s use began before 3000 BC and continued into the Bronze Age, with evidence of an earlier timber circle predating the stones by nearly 2,000 years. It’s a quietly evocative place that adds even more depth to the glen’s rich prehistoric landscape. To begin your journey, Kilmartin Museum is an essential first stop. Recently redeveloped, the museum provides fascinating context on the area’s archaeological heritage and offers a self-guided trail map linking many of the glen’s key sites by foot.
Machrie Moor Standing Stones, Isle of Arran
Recently named as an official UNESCO Global Geopark, the Isle of Arran boasts one of the most remarkable ancient landscapes in Britain. Situated on the west coast of the Isle, Machrie Moor is home to six stone circles, each with its own formation, age and story. The tallest stones, some rising over four metres, create a striking silhouette against the open sky. Reached via a one-mile path across moorland, this wild and windswept setting offers an atmospheric experience. As the sun dips or rises over the hills, the scale and symmetry of these ancient stones take on an otherworldly glow.
Sueno’s Stone, Moray Speyside
Towering at nearly 7 metres tall, Sueno’s Stone is Scotland’s tallest and most intricately carved Pictish monument. Situated on the eastern edge of Forres in Moray Speyside, this monumental cross-slab dates from the late 9th or early 10th century and was most likely designed to be a landmark, visible from a great distance. The stone still remains in its original location, a rarity among early medieval carved stones.
Enclosed within a protective glass structure, Sueno’s Stone is accessible year-round and free to visit. Its proximity to other landmarks, such as Brodie Castle, a grand 16th century castle that was the ancestral home of the Brodie clan for over 400 years, and Macbeth’s Hillock, where Shakespeare’s Macbeth is said to have met the three witches, makes it a great choice for those interested in Scotland’s history, both factitious and historical.
Clava Cairns, Inverness
Photo: The Scottish Banner.
Only a 20-minute drive from Inverness, Clava Cairns is one of Scotland’s most hauntingly beautiful prehistoric sites. This well-preserved Bronze Age cemetery complex features ring cairns, passage graves and standing stones, nestled in a quiet woodland setting. Built over 4,000 years ago, it’s thought the site may have been aligned with the midwinter sunset, but its spiritual atmosphere makes it a special place to visit at any seasonal turning point, including the Summer Solstice.
Steeped in myth and mystery, Clava Cairns has inspired everything from archaeological theories to fictional tales; it’s even said to have influenced the Craigh na Dun stones in the Outlander series. Visiting offers a chance to reflect, recharge, and experience a powerful sense of continuity between past and present. Just a short distance away you can also find the Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre, offering powerful insight into one of Scotland’s defining historic moments and providing an added layer of context for those exploring the area’s deep cultural roots.
Achavanich, Caithness
In the far North Highlands lies Achavanich, one of the country’s most enigmatic and distinctive prehistoric sites. Dating back over 4,000 years, this unusual horseshoe shaped arrangement sees its stones positioned with their broadest faces turned inward toward the centre, an orientation rarely seen in other stone circles across Scotland or beyond. Perched on a plateau near Loch Stemster, Achavanich offers a sense of scale and solitude that’s hard to match. Its remote location, dramatic skies, and curious construction make it an immersive place to reflect. With minimal light pollution and few visitors, it’s one of the most peaceful places in the country to mark the turning of the seasons.
The site lies within the Flow Country, the UK’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s first Peatland World Heritage Site. Considered the most outstanding example of an actively accumulating blanket bog landscape, the peatland ecosystem has been accumulating for the past 9,000 years. Nearby, you can visit the scenic Loch Rangag, which offers sweeping views across the peatlands, and the remains of Rangag Broch, one of many ancient landmarks that speak to Caithness’s remarkable archaeological past.
Ring of Brodgar, Orkney
The Ring of Brodgar is believed to have been constructed sometime between 2600 and 2400 BC. The surrounding burial mounds and stone setting likely date from between 2500 and 1500. The stone ring was built in a true circle, 104 metres wide and originally contained sixty megaliths; today only twenty-seven of these stones remain.
The reason for the creation of the Ring of Brodgar, which would have been a considerable amount of work in that time, is not known for sure, perhaps as an astronomical observatory, religious shrine or rituals. The Ring of Brodgar along with Stones of Stenness, Maeshowe and Skara Brae make up the Heart of Neolithic Orkney, awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 1999.
Ballochroy Standing Stones, Kintyre Peninsula
Located near the western shore of the Kintyre Peninsula, the Ballochroy stones are thought to be aligned with distant mountain peaks and possibly even midsummer sunsets. The three tall stones sit in a line with views across to the island of Jura, creating a natural observatory that links sky, sea and stone. It’s an ideal place for those seeking a raw, elemental Solstice experience.
The stones form part of the scenic Kintyre 66 route, which loops around the peninsula and highlights its natural beauty and heritage. Nearby, you can explore the harbour town of Campbeltown, known for its distilleries and historic waterfront, or take a short ferry to the peaceful island of Gigha, home to white-sand beaches and views across to Islay and Jura. It’s a corner of Scotland where ancient landscapes and island calm come together.
Calanais Standing Stones, Isle of Lewis
The Calanais Standing Stones were erected between 2900 and 2600 BC – before the main circle at England’s Stonehenge. Ritual activity at the site may have continued for 2000 years. The area inside the circle was levelled and the site gradually became covered with peat between 1000 and 500 BC. Peat cutting around the site in 1857 revealed the true height of the stones. It’s possible that there’s plenty more archaeology sealed beneath the peat that covers much of the Western Isles.
There are at least 11 smaller stone circles surrounding Calanais. Some of these date from much later than the central circle, which indicates the complex was in use for several centuries. These are crucial to help with the understanding of the significance of this area, and how the landscape was used by prehistoric people. The stones are set on a prominent ridge, easily visible from land and sea for miles around.
DUE TO EXTREME WEATHER THIS EVENT IS POSTPONED TO SATURDAY NOVEMBER, 22.
The unmistakable sound of bagpipes will echo through the vines once again as the Hunter Valley Highland Games returns to Saltire Estate, Lovedale, for a full day of Scottish heritage, athletic feats, and family fun. Set against the picturesque backdrop of one of Australia’s premier wine regions, this year’s event promises to be the biggest yet, with 11 Pipe Bands, traditional Highland dancing, the legendary Toss the Caber, and awe-inspiring Heavy Lifting competitions.
“This is more than just a sporting event,” said the organising committee. “It’s a powerful and joyful celebration of the Hunter Valley’s deep Scottish roots, with something for all generations.”
In addition to the thrilling athletic events, visitors will enjoy:
A Jacobite re-enactment display
Encounters with Highland Cows
Jumping castles and face painting for the little ones
Wine tasting at Saltire Estate winery
Market stalls, Scottish crafts, and more surprises throughout the day
Delicious food and coffee
Friendly dogs on leashes are welcome, and families are encouraged to arrive early to secure parking. With large crowds expected, visitors should bring a picnic rug or camp chair and settle in for a day steeped in Highland pride.
Hunter Valley Highland Games takes place on Saturday, 22 November and gates open at 8:00 AM at Saltire Estate, 113 Wilderness Rd, Lovedale NSW 2325. Tickets available via www.hvhg.com.au or www.trybooking.com/1336274
Following its successful launch in June this year, the Caledonian Society of Sydney is proud to announce its second event, taking place on Wednesday, August 14th at The Orient Hotel in The Rocks, Sydney.
Created as a modern platform for those with roots or strong ties to Scotland, the Society aims to foster community, connection, and collaboration within the Sydney business landscape. Whether through shared heritage or shared ambition, the Caledonian Society offers a space to network, share ideas, and build commerce among like-minded professionals.
“We’ve established this society to create something lasting — a network where Scots in Sydney can support one another in meaningful ways,” said Chairman Paul Gallagher. “It’s about heritage, yes, but it’s also about mentorship, business support, and making sure the next generation of Scots here feel welcome and connected.”
As part of its mission, the Society is committed to supporting young Scots entering the Sydney business world, offering not only professional guidance but a safe, supportive mentoring space to help them thrive.
The August 14th event is free to attend and will feature guest speakers, networking opportunities, and a chance to learn more about the Society’s goals and future plans.
With eyes already on a St Andrew’s Day celebration later this year, the Caledonian Society of Sydney is quickly becoming a key gathering point for the Scottish-Australian business community.
Glasgow is getting ready to once again welcome The World Pipe Band Championships – a spectacular Scottish cultural highlight that’s always greatly anticipated by audiences from near and far.
This year’s ‘Worlds’ will be held on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 August at Glasgow Green. It is the 77th time the renowned and historic international contest has been staged in the city. The global pinnacle of the piping competitive circuit, the championships bring together the world’s finest pipers and drummers to compete for glory in the ultimate, fiercely-fought ‘battle of the bands’. Last year’s ‘Worlds’ saw more than 7,000 competitors demonstrating their dedication, passion, skills and talent. The event attracted over 35,000 attendees and was also watched by huge virtual audiences worldwide, thanks to BBC broadcasts and streaming.
The two-day contest culminated in Scotland’s Inveraray & District Pipe Band taking the title of 2024 World Champions. Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band of Lisburn, Northern Ireland were runners-up and Simon Fraser University of Canada took third place. This year, with even more bands taking part – a total of 207, representing 15 countries from as far afield as Australia and New Zealand, Oman and Zimbabwe – the competition promises to be intense and exciting.
Organisers the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association are introducing a new format for the 2025 ‘Worlds’. On the first day, following the initial performances by Grade 1 bands, the focus will be on young talent. The Juvenile, and Novice Juvenile A and B bands will compete in a dedicated youth competition, giving more than 1,540 under 18s an unprecedented opportunity to shine on ‘the Worlds’ stage.
Friday’s finale will be a massed performance by all the young bands followed by their prize-giving celebration, ensuring a memorable, inspiring experience for competitors and spectators alike.
On Saturday, the spotlight is on the senior bands as their competition hots up. The two-day ‘Worlds’ will culminate in the final awards ceremony, when the top six senior grade bands and three drum major grades receive their awards before the announcement of the 2025 World Pipe Band Champions.
Colin Mulhern, Chief Executive of The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association, said: “Our decision to stage a dedicated youth competition as part of the 2025 World Pipe Band Championships is underpinned by our mission to nurture young talent in piping and drumming. Showcasing the incredible talent and skills of the next generation, the youth competition also reinforces our ongoing commitment to the future of pipe band music.We hope as many people as possible will come to support these brilliant young performers as they take their well-earned place at the heart of the world’s premier pipe band event. As ever, tickets are in great demand for the event, so anyone who doesn’t want to miss out on the experience should book now for Friday 15 and Saturday 16 August.”
On both days, spectators at the iconic ‘Worlds’ can look forward to a great day out, with family-friendly entertainment and activities, inspirational performances, and sensational sounds and sights. They can expect:
207 bands – 53 from overseas – amassing on Glasgow Green to perform, showcase their skills and talent and compete. The bands represent 15 countries; the largest contingent is from Scotland (122 bands), followed by Northern Ireland (25 bands), USA (14 bands), and Eire (10 bands).
Competitors’ ages range from novice juveniles in their early teens to experienced seniors, the oldest of whom are in their 70s. More than 1,500 musicians will compete in Friday’s youth competition and, on Saturday, over 6,000 band members will compete across the Grade 1, Grade 2, Grades 3A & 3B, and Grades 4A & 4B categories.
One of the world’s most colourful championships – with most bands wearing different tartans. Traditionally, pipers and drummers wear kilts in their band’s chosen tartan (usually related to clan affiliation, their founder’s heritage or regimental links). Their resplendent uniforms are topped off with distinctive Glengarry bonnets.
Roughly 52 km or 32 miles of tartan worn by competitors (as the average length of fabric in a traditional kilt is between 5 and 7.5 metres of tartan).
A wealth of traditional Scottish music. The pieces bands are required to play to demonstrate their skills differs according to their grade – from march time signatures at lower levels to MSRs (a set of tunes consisting of a March, a Strathspey and a Reel) or musical medleys at higher levels. The top Grade 1 bands play both an MSR and a medley.
A wide variety of market, food and drink stalls, an Innis & Gunn bar, and a mini traditional funfair.
The championships take place during the world’s biggest week of piping, alongside Glasgow International Piping Festival Piping Live! which this year celebrates its 22nd edition, with events taking place from Monday 11 August to Sunday 17 August.
‘The Worlds’ are staged on behalf of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association by Glasgow Life – the charity which delivers culture and active living events and experiences to support mental, physical and economic wellbeing in Glasgow. The event is supported by funding from EventScotland, part of VisitScotland.
Glasgow Life Chair, Bailie Annette Christie, said: “Glasgow is privileged to be home to the world’s biggest celebration of Scotland’s national instrument. Every summer our great UNESCO City of Music is filled with sensational sounds and sights as the traditional and contemporary music of the bagpipes is showcased during our prestigious World Pipe Band Championships and vibrant Piping Live! festival. The continued success of both events demonstrates the thriving interest there is worldwide in Scottish culture and music.The Worlds and Piping Live! are extremely important to, and valued by, Glasgow; they enhance the city’s international profile, boost tourism, and contribute significantly to our economy. We are therefore delighted once again to welcome performers, competitors and visitors to these wonderful events.”
Rob Dickson, VisitScotland Director of Industry and Events, said: “There is definitely no better place in the world than Scotland to experience the magic of piping, and both the World Pipe Band Championships – the pinnacle of the competitive piping calendar – and the vibrant Piping Live! as part of our diverse portfolio of events and festivals taking place this summer. Events like these not only bring people together to share unforgettable experiences, they also play a vital role in helping driving Scotland’s visitor economy. They attract audiences and participants from across the globe, boosting local businesses, supporting jobs, and showcasing our rich cultural heritage to the world. Glasgow will once again provide the perfect stage as competitors from across the globe come together to showcase their talents at ‘the Worlds’, while Piping Live! brings the city to life with a vibrant celebration of both traditional and contemporary bagpipe music.”
Further details of the 2025 World Pipe Band Championships, and tickets for the event, are available at www.theworlds.co.uk. Highlights from the event will be broadcast on BBC Scotland on Thursday 21 August.
Details of the full festival programme for Piping Live!, which is organised by The National Piping Centre, can be found at https://pipinglive.co.uk/.
New research from the University of St Andrews has shown that those who claim to see the Loch Ness Monster are not influenced by traditional depictions of what she looks like. Throughout history, people have drawn serpentine aquatic monsters that undulate vertically at the surface of the water with visible humps. Even today Nessie memorabilia depicts the monster as having three humps.
In a new paper, published in the history of science journal Endeavour, Dr Charles Paxton of the University of St Andrews and Adrian Shine of the Loch Ness Centre looked at the history of hooped sea monster imagery and considered its current cultural prevalence. They investigated the frequency of such imagery in postcards, finding that around 25-32% of all Nessie postcards have hooped imagery. However, this swimming method would be very inefficient, so no real animals would swim this way at the surface.
Portrayals of monsters
Those who claim to have seen Nessie seldom report hoops or humps – such description only occurs in around 1.5% of Nessie reports, implying that witnesses are not influenced by all the souvenirs and postcard imagery. This result goes against previous work which suggests witnesses are quite often influenced by media and other portrayals of monsters.
In the Nessie case, witnesses may not have seen a real monster, but these recent results do suggest that most witnesses do try to report what they experienced. Dr Paxton, from the University’s Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling (CREEM), said: “Scholars often assume that monsters are generated by cultural expectations, but it is always useful to test obvious hypotheses. In this case it really seems witness do not generally report the impossible, even though the hooped monster is a common portrayal of Nessie.”
Outlander: Blood of my Blood, the highly anticipated prequel series, premiered Friday, August 8, on STARZ/August 9th in Australia on Stan and on Neon in New Zealand.
In advance of the series, new artwork was made available, teasing the two lead couples — Julia Moriston (Hermione Corfield) and Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine); and Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) and Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy).
The MacKenzie brothers, headstrong Dougal (Sam Retford) and shrewd Colum (Séamus McLean Ross).
Outlander: Blood of my Blood brings viewers from the war-torn battlefields of WWI to the sweeping Highlands of 18th century Scotland, promising two new love stories filled with loyalty, passion and desire, as the young couples defy the forces that seek to tear them apart.
New episodes of the timeless romantic drama will be available to stream weekly for 10 episodes on Fridays only on the STARZ app, all STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms in the USA. Also on Stan Saturday’s in Australia and Neon in New Zealand.
Two fated love stories
Jamie Roy (Brian Fraser) and Rory Alexander (Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser).
Outlander: Blood of my Blood spotlights two fated love stories set in different time periods, which explore the lives and relationships of Julia Moriston (Hermione Corfield) and Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine) in World War I England, and Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) and Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy) in the rugged Highlands of early 18th century Scotland.
These two new couples must fight against all odds to defy the forces that seek to tear them apart as their love stories unfold across time.
Jeremy Irvine (Henry Beauchamp) and Hermione Corfield (Julia Moriston).
A stand-alone prequel series, Outlander: Blood of my Blood features new cast, characters and stories welcoming viewers unfamiliar with the Outlander universe, while also providing origin stories of fan-favourite characters from early seasons of Outlander, and offering new perspectives that will change what viewers of the original series think they know.
In addition to Corfield, Irvine, Slater and Roy, who play the parents of Outlander’s central couple, Claire and Jamie, Outlander: Blood of my Blood stars Tony Curran as Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, Séamus McLean Ross as Colum MacKenzie, Sam Retford as Dougal MacKenzie, Rory Alexander as Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser, and Conor MacNeill as Ned Gowan.
Jeremy Irvine (Henry Beauchamp) and Hermione Corfield (Julia Moriston).
New episodes of Outlander: Blood of my Blood will air weekly on Fridays at 8:00 pm ET/PT on STARZ in the U.S. and at 9:00 pm ET/PT in Canada.
New episodes of Outlander: Blood of my Blood will air exclusively on Stan in Australia and Neon in New Zealand.
Main photo: Harriet Slater (Ellen MacKenzie) and Jamie Roy (Brian Fraser).
Clans will gather once again at Kryal Castle, Ballarat, to the rousing sound of a lone piper calling all kin within the mighty Castle walls, as the Highland Spectacular returns for its third year on Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 August 2025.
A celebration of Scottish heritage and culture, this year’s event promises to be even more spectacular, with Simon Abney-Hastings, the 15th Earl of Loudoun, returning as the Chief of the Day.
Displays of skill and strength
The crowd favourite battle between the knights of England and Scotland returns to the main arena. Lances will be smashed in the heroic joust to prove once and for all that Scots are indeed the superior warriors.
Armiger for Clan McKinnon and event producer, Andrew McKinnon, will wear the arms granted by Lord Lyon on his jousting shield, making him one of the few knights to fight under their own arms since the Middle Ages.
You’ll also see ‘The Bruce’ demonstrating his prowess in the skill-at-arms, riding his mighty steed against de Bohun, and witness incredible feats of strength as the burly lads and lasses from Highland Muscle demonstrate caber tossing, hammer throw and other expositions of superhuman Highland strength.
Scottish culture comes to life
For those who have never been to Edinburgh for the Tattoo, this is as close as you can get outside of Scotland. See massed pipes and drums celebrating the music of Scotland in the main arena, and enjoy spirited Highland dancing.
For the animal lovers, there will be Highland ponies, a Highland cow, and the noble deerhound display.
Even more Clan tents will be available this year, offering attendees information on Scottish family origins and ancestry. There will be vendors selling kilts and Scottish regalia, haggis, potato scones, whisky and other delicious Scottish fare. Our featured Clan for the event will be Clan MacDonald.
On Saturday evening, enjoy a traditional Highland Feast with haggis and other fine Scottish culinary delights. Accompanying the delicious food will be selected whiskeys and a talk about the distilling and tasting notes. After dinner, take part in a ceilidh, with the stirring Hebridean tunes of Auld Alliance, who will also teach you traditional dances.
Medieval family fun
There’s plenty on offer at Kryal Castle to keep kids of all ages entertained, with the knight’s school, archery, demonstrations, face painting, spell casting, potion-making and hands-on learning. Entry also includes access to the dragon’s labyrinth, the knight’s tower and throne room.
Highland Spectacular creative director, Andrew McKinnon, is excited about seeing the event grow in 2025. He said: “We saw thousands of people attend last year from the huge Scots diaspora around Ballarat and the Central Highlands region of Victoria. It was the biggest turnout to date. I hope that we can attract more proud Scots from wider afield. Kryal Castle is only an hour from Melbourne. To see all the amazing attractions and displays of Scottish culture in a Castle setting makes this the closest thing to being in Scotland. Let’s not forget Ballarat has its own tartan!”
A proud history
The Scots have a proud history in the Ballarat area. Many were attracted by the gold rush and were motivated to emigrate by poverty, famine and social upheaval. The city of Ballarat was first surveyed by William Swan Urquhart, born in Ross Shire, Scotland in 1818. Scottish emigrants took to the opportunities provided by early 19th century Ballarat, becoming merchants, foundry men, bankers, investors, pastoralists, and mine or business managers.
Their success can be seen in the number of Scots who became notable in public life and for their benevolence in public institutions such as schools, hospitals and public buildings. Notably, statues of both William Wallace and Robert Burns adorn the streets of Ballarat.
The Highland Spectacular is proudly presented by Kryal Castle. Kryal Castle Highland Spectacular tickets are all-inclusive and on sale now. Tickets are available from the Kryal Castle website, www.kryalcastle.com.au/pages/highland-spectacular.
A new and unique book celebrates a rarely acclaimed figure behind the founding of Hibernian Football Club.
Scotland’s capital city is famous for many things, Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, the Royal Mile, Princes Street, the port of Leith. It was home to many celebrated people: Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and John Knox among them. It is renowned for its dramatic townscape and the architecture of James Craig, Robert Adam, and William Henry Playfair and others.
The 19th century city architect David Cousin’s Scots Baronial style is evident in the High Street, Cockburn Street, Jeffrey Street and elsewhere. In one of his creations, the Catholic Institute at 16-28 St Mary’s Street, a new entity was launched by the local parish priest on 6th August 1875.
Canon Hannan in his clerical robes.
Edward Joseph Hannan of St Patrick’s church in the nearby Cowgate announced that a football team was to be created for the benefit of his parishioners, mostly poor first and second-generation Irish who had escaped the Great Famine in the 1840s.
That football team, Hibernian Football Club, celebrates its 150th anniversary this coming season. The author of Edinburgh’s First Hibernian, history graduate Mike Hennessy, is a lifelong Hibs fan which is what prompted him to shine a light on this rarely acclaimed figure who arrived in Edinburgh from Ballingarry, Co Limerick in 1861 at the age of 25 – and stayed till his death 30 years later, founding Hibs along the way.
Scotland’s capital
Edinburgh from Old Calton Cemetery.
Father Hannan arrived had an immediate impact on his arrival in Edinburgh, working to improve the physical and moral condition of his parishioners, living in some of the most appalling slum tenements with little sanitation, chronic overcrowding and the temptations of alcohol on every street corner and down each dark close. When the Irish arrived, they had little in the way of possessions, had few skills and many could not speak English, making them largely unemployable.
Hannan’s objective was to enable his fellow Irishmen to become valued citizens of Scotland’s capital, contributing to the wealth of the city and to be welcomed rather than shunned by their largely Presbyterian hosts. The vehicles he chose were education, exercise and temperance and to that end he opened a branch of the Catholic Young Men’s Society (CYMS) in 1865 and moved it into the premises on St Mary’s Street in 1870. The Catholic Institute was newly built following the Edinburgh Improvement Act which had paved the way for the demolition of many of the slums and the building of Cousin -designed replacements.
Freemason’s Hall in Blackfriars Street, an example of the baronial style.
Hannan involved himself with the civic fabric of the city, joining the Parochial and Schools boards, sponsoring the multi-denominational United Industrial School and building St Ann’s school in the Cowgate. The buildings have survived to the present day, as has the presbytery he built adjacent to his church. By involving himself in such matters, he ingratiated himself into Edinburgh society and was able to promote the interests of his parishioners and the poor in general. It is one reason why, when his football club was initially denied admission to the Edinburgh Football Association and the Scottish equivalent, on the grounds that they were Irish and not Scottish, he was able to convince the authorities to reverse their decision and not exclude his parishioners from the new and rapidly expanding game. At that time, Edinburgh boasted only four clubs, namely the 3rd Edinburgh Rifle Volunteers (ERV), Thistle, Hanover and Heart of Midlothian, so Hibernian (by the 1880s also referred to as Hibs) added momentum; and a substantial following.
The Associations had also made their decisions based on a false premise. In the first few years after its founding, around half the playing staff had been born in Edinburgh, and one in England, and many of the club’s financial backers were Scots, not Irish. When Father Hannan launched the club, in the great hall of the Catholic Institute which became known as St Mary’s Street Hall, he could hardly have foreseen that within 12 years they would have won the Scottish Cup, an all too rare occasion since then. Nor that in the post war period it would boast arguably the best forward line Scotland has ever seen, the Famous Five. Gordon Smith, Bobby Johnstone, Lawrie Reilly, Eddie Turnbull and Willie Ormond. Nor for that matter that it would be celebrating 150 years in 2025.
The club has been at the forefront of change in several areas, from pylon floodlights, electronic scoreboards, shirt sponsors and undersoil heating to being the first British team to participate in what is now the Champions League, and the first Scottish team to tour Brazil in the 1950s.
To mark the founding of the club, there will be a series of events throughout the year which will be publicised on the club website, beginning with an exhibition at St Mary’s Street Hall, where it all started, open to all fans, on the 6th of August (visit: www.hibernianfc.co.uk/150).
Edinburgh’s Little Ireland
The Catholic Institute in St Mary’s Street, a good example of the Scots baronial style.
And to coincide with and further mark the occasion, the first ever biography of Canon Hannan will be published. It tells of how he was born on a farm near Limerick, the second of 11 siblings of how he witnessed the worst excesses of the famine as a teenager, and attended seminaries in Limerick and Dublin where his academic record was outstanding, prior to arriving in Scotland.
The book describes the social divisions, the national and political rivalries and the religious tensions in Edinburgh in the second half of the 19th century, the industrialisation and urban development of Scotland’s capital, and the emergence of the game of association football, providing a backdrop to the achievements of the man, and how it was that he came to found the club.
Edinburgh’s First Hibernian, out now.
There is some new and unique research, from original documents, and an extensive list of books and articles, which gives a new perspective on exactly how the club came to be founded and the origins of its name, its motto and its early strips; how it lost half of its 1887 Cup winning team to the newly formed Glasgow Celtic; how it became embroiled in the politics of Irish Home Rule; before temporarily stopping playing altogether for some 18 months in 1891, after its home ground, Hibernian Park, was repossessed by its landlord for redevelopment.
Moreover, it takes the reader on a trip of Edinburgh’s Little Ireland, the area from the Cowgate to the Grassmarket, noting its tributaries such as Blackfriars, Niddry and Guthrie Streets where Hannan visited his sick parishioners. And was on one occasion struck down by typhoid. It visits landmarks that still stand today such as the Heriot Schools, Freemasons Halls and Protestant and Catholic churches and schools which stood cheek by jowel, and traces Hannan’s weekly trips to Castle Street or Lauriston in carrying out religious and civic duties.
Hannan memorial in the Grange Cemetery.
Edinburgh’s First Hibernian has glowing testimonials from a number of high profile individuals such as Charlie Reid of the Proclaimers, Malcolm McPherson, Hibs former Chairman, Edinburgh councillor Margaret Graham, and Hibs legendary player Pat Stanton who provides a foreword
As one of them, the broadcaster and former professional footballer Pat Nevin aptly puts it, ‘You don’t have to be a Hibernian fan to enjoy it, but it might help.’
The richly illustrated book is available from 6th August in hardback (£25) from various bookstores in the City and from St Pat’s Church, or can be pre-ordered online from Thirsty Books: www.thirstybooks.com/bookshop/edinburghs-first-hibernian
Main photo:Easter Road Stadium and the impressive Edinburgh skyline at dusk.
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The National Library of Scotland’s official birthday is fast approaching, with the 100th anniversary of its creation via an Act of Parliament falling on Thursday 7 August.
On that day, visitors to the National Library at George IV Bridge Edinburgh and Kelvin Hall in Glasgow will be given their own copy of a special edition centenary comic, created by Beano especially for this occasion. Until copies run out, that is!
National Librarian Amina Shah said: “Beano is the longest running weekly comic created every week in Dundee for almost as long as we’ve been in existence. Beano is loved by kids and adults alike, alongside many iconic characters like Dennis, Gnasher, Minnie and Bananaman. We cannot think of a more appropriate and fun way to mark our official birthday.”
Craig Graham, Beano’s Director of Mayhem, said: “100 years of the National Library of Scotland? That calls for maximum mayhem! It’s been a total joy to bring a bit of Beano mischief to such a brilliant milestone. We had a blast creating the story, and we hope visitors have just as much fun diving into it. The Bash Street Kids managed to get lost in the archives and luckily, no priceless manuscripts were harmed (we think!)”
Visitors on the day will also get the chance to meet special guest Dennis the Menace (who will be kept under the watchful eye of Library staff!).
The special Beano edition features the George IV Bridge building on the cover, while inside the comic readers will be treated to The Bash Street Kids’ visit to the National Library.
On the morning of Thursday 7 August the Library will give away 500 copies of the special edition Beano to lucky visitors at George IV Bridge, Edinburgh and Kelvin Hall, Glasgow. They will be given out on a first-come first-served basis. Visitors will also have the opportunity to sign a giant birthday card, which will be stored in the Library’s archives in perpetuity.
The National Museum of Flight at East Fortune, East Lothian celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Located on an atmospheric former wartime airbase, the attraction has been telling the story of flight and Scotland’s aviation heritage since 1975 and will mark its golden jubilee with a summer programme of special events for visitors. The Museum’s creation followed the donation of a Supermarine Spitfire to the Royal Scottish Museum (now National Museums Scotland) in 1971. Unsuitable for display in Edinburgh, it was instead stored in a hangar at the former RAF airbase at East Fortune. Further aircraft donations followed, including a Hawker Sea Hawk from RNAS Lossiemouth, before the Museum of Flight opened its doors on Monday 7 July 1975, displaying many of the aircraft that remain popular today.
A world-class showcase of civil and military aviation
Concorde at the National Museum of Flight. Photo: Sean Bell.
The National Museum of Flight’s collections have since evolved into a world-class showcase of civil and military aviation. Exhibits include an Avro Vulcan delta-winged bomber as well as an RAF Red Arrows Hawk T.1A that took part in a flypast over Edinburgh in 1999 to celebrate the opening of the Scottish Parliament. The attraction’s most famous exhibit is Scotland’s Concorde which arrived in 2004 following an epic 16-day journey by land and sea from Heathrow airport. The iconic aircraft now sits as the centrepiece of a special exhibition about the story of supersonic flight.
In recent years, the Museum has undergone significant development including the transformation of two former Second World War buildings into the new Fortunes of War and Fantastic Flight galleries. Another major milestone came in 2016 with the restoration and redevelopment of two Second World War hangars which now house an impressive collection of civil and military aircraft presented alongside interactives and films that tell the stories of those who flew them. Conservation work completed in 2024 also means that the site’s Second World War blast and air raid shelters can now be explored.
The story of flight in Scotland and beyond
Spitfire in the military aviation hangar at the National Museum of Flight. Photo: Paul Dodds.
This summer the National Museum of Flight is offering a special programme for visitors, including its popular 360 Fest on 6 September. The event features high-energy mountain bike stunt shows, pedal-powered activities, circular circus workshops and STEM-themed sessions. Throughout the season, there will be a series of engaging lunchtime talks about the Second World War from Ian Brown, assistant curator of aviation with topics ranging from the Enigma machine to the RAF’s food production efforts and the wartime bombing of Haddington.
Visitors will also be able to borrow a Second World War satchel packed with contents that offer a glimpse into RAF life during the Second World War and allow families to discover some of the skills required to be part of the Special Operations Executive. They can also test their code-breaking skills in the Second World War Puzzle Room.
Steve McLean, General Manager at the National Museum of Flight, said: “This is a hugely exciting milestone for the National Museum of Flight. For five decades, we’ve been telling the story of flight in Scotland and beyond, inspiring visitors through our iconic aircraft, fascinating interpretation and displays, and our unique location. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we’re proud to look back on our remarkable history and delighted to offer a summer of engaging events that will entertain and inspire our visitors about the science and story of flight.”
The National Museum of Flight is open seven days a week from 10am until 5pm. For more details visit: www.nms.ac.uk/flight
When people think about the Glengarry Highland Games they think about pipe bands. The Games are famed for their pipe bands and of course, it’s the home of the prestigious North American Pipe Band Championships™. This year’s Games will be sure to please everyone who comes to Maxville on August 1 and 2 with fifty-three pipe bands gathered to play in the massed pipe bands. Of those bands, forty-five will be competing on Saturday for the Grades 1,2,3,4 and 5 North American Championships.
The Games are thrilled to welcome last year’s North American Pipe Band Champions, the 78th Fraser Highlanders from Milton, Ontario as well as US bands from New York, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Utah and past champions, the Dunedin Pipe Band from Florida. Canadian bands represent the provinces of Nova Scotia, British Columbia, PEI, Quebec and over twenty bands from Ontario including the Games’ own Glengarry Pipe Bands.
Both Friday and Saturday will provide lots of opportunities to enjoy even more piping and drumming competitions starting with the amateur solo events on Friday. The prestigious Piobaireachd Society Gold Medal competitions held in a church in downtown Maxville are always a popular attraction showcasing the art of classical piping. Friday is capped off with the massed bands at the spectacular Friday Night Tattoo, an evening of pageantry and music capped off with a dazzling display of fireworks.
The main event is on Saturday with the professional solo piping and drumming competitions, the tenor and bass drum contests and the pipe band competitions. The massed bands take to the field again at noon hour for the Official Ceremonies and then the full complement of fifty-three bands will perform at the Saturday evening closing where more than 1,500 pipers and drummers will fill the infield with a sight and sound that will be remembered long after the last note has faded away.
The 2025 Glengarry Highland Games will take place in Maxville, Ontario August 1 & 2, 2025. For full details visit: www.glengarryhighlandgames.com.
Osprey watchers are being treated to a rarely seen – and possibly never before captured on film – polygamy saga playing out at a nest in the Tweed Valley. Forestry and land Scotland (FLS) cameras are capturing in real time the fascinating behaviour of two female ospreys and one male who have set up a home as a trio – a form of polygamy known as polygyny with a male breeding with multiple females.
Fascinating insight
The cameras set up as part of The Tweed Valley Osprey Project are providing a fascinating insight into the natural behaviour between the adult birds – Mrs O, a female who has previously nested at the site and a new female and young male – as the partnership and nesting behaviour develops during the season.
Tweed Valley Osprey Project Co-ordinator, Diane Bennett said: “So far things are looking good. The females seem amicable and tolerant with both having mated with the male bird and laying four eggs between them. The only tension witnessed so far has been on the arrival of a fish delivery from the male as the two females both make a grab it. Mrs O usually wins the fish and flies off to feed but has been seen to return with a portion remaining and letting the other female have it. This nest behaviour with all the birds in the same nest is very rare and as far as we know it is the first time this has ever been on a livestream camera with most other research involving such a set-up previously conducted though distant observation. Getting to watch this saga close up as the season unfolds is exciting both for the drama but also for the important research insights it will allow.”
Safe places
The background and identity of the new arrivals is unclear as while they both have British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) rings to generate information on the survival, productivity and movements of bird, they are not fitted with coloured, alphanumeric Darvic rings that allows researchers to identify individual birds. The Tweed Valley Osprey viewing centre at Glentress is accessible to all users.
Ospreys have been coming to breed here since the 1990s and the project – funded and managed by FLS and supported by a team of volunteers – aims to protect and provide safe places for them to settle and nest. Sadly, the four chicks which hatched in the nest have died from starvation. The Tweed Valley polygyny saga can be viewed at the Wildlife Hub at Glentress Forest in Peebles between 10am- 4pm each day, where the camera is streaming live onto the big screen, with volunteers on duty most of the time, to interpret what is happening with the osprey family.
Regular updates and video clips of behaviour and snapshots of the birds taken from the livestream are added to Tweed Valley Osprey Project Facebook Page which can be followed, to see how they progress though the season at: www.facebook.com/tweedvalleyospreyproject
Photo: A camera screenshot from the live stream. Image: FLS.
Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the National Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture has launched Scotland’s first-ever Gaelic Poetry Path. Slighe nam Bàrd will provide a poetic pathway around the Isle of Skye, aiming to introduce local, national, and international visitors to a taste of Gaelic heritage, song, and poetry. Tourists are now able to collect a free Slighe nam Bàrd – Poetry Paths pamphlet and accompanying map from Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, located in Sleat in the Isle of Skye.
The pamphlet will provide a detailed guide around Skye’s stunning landscape, stopping at seven major locations connected to a Gaelic song or poem. A QR code for each location provides a recording of the poem/song to enable people to listen to the Gaelic audio in the environment that inspired the creative piece.
Skye’s poetic Gaelic landscape
Abigail Burnyeat, Head of Research at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the National Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture, said: “People often come to Skye for its beautiful scenery, but the aim of Slighe nam Bàrd is to showcase the connection between Gaelic culture and Skye’s mesmerising landscape. Through Slighe nam Bàrd, tourists will be able to engage with the landscape whilst listening to Gaelic poems and songs that add to our understanding of the locations on the trail, giving people an opportunity to experience for themselves the Gaelic culture and history at the heart of the Isle of Skye.”
Meg Bateman, Professor in Gaelic Language and Culture at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig and Bàrd a’ Chomuinn Ghàidhealaich, added: “Slighe nam Bàrd provides a one-day poetic road-trip around the Isle of Skye, allowing people to engage with local Gaelic poetry whilst immersed in the Skye landscape. The pathway consists of seven poems/songs, each one carefully chosen to represent a range of locations, centuries, styles, and subjects to give a full flavour of Skye’s poetic Gaelic landscape. From Somhairle MacGill-Eain to Màiri Mhòr nan Òran, the pathway will guide people from the south of the island to the very north, discovering Gaelic poetry along the way.”
Glasgow’s medieval roots have been commemorated in stone as part of a project to preserve its history and provide valuable hands-on experience for stonemasonry students in the city. The Port Stones Project, part of the year-long celebrations commemorating Glasgow’s 850th birthday, mark the city’s rich history by placing four stone markers at the approximate locations of the original medieval city gates. In collaboration with the Merchants House, Trades House, and City of Glasgow College, the project is a unique endeavour that honours Glasgow’s past and engages young people in preserving this heritage, while working on a practical project with valuable learning opportunities.
Glasgow’s history
Lord Dean of Guild, Lord Provost Jacqueline McLaren, Deacon Convenor, Andy Pollok, City of Glasgow College.
The project involved the design and production of the port stones by students from the City of Glasgow. Each stone, designed by construction apprentices, after discussions with students and senior pupils as part of the college’s Schools’ Partnership Programme, incorporates Glasgow City Council’s coat of arms as well as the crests of Trades House and Merchants House of Glasgow, Glasgow Dean of Guild Court Trust and City of Glasgow College. Bethan Baillie from Cathkin High School, said; “It was amazing to be part of something that marks Glasgow’s history in such a permanent way. We had a look at old maps, talked about the layout of the stones, and discussed where they were going – and now people will see our work as part of the city.”
Each Caithness stone marker is also engraved with a compass point denoting the ‘port gate’, the Glasgow 850 logo, a brief historical description and the year it was laid. Blending traditional skills with modern laser cutting technology modern apprentices painstakingly cut individual pieces, with precision, to form the full flagstones. Callan, a first-year stonemasonry apprentice at the college, said; “Getting to be involved in the cutting of these stones for the city’s 850th was a proud moment. It’s not every day you work on something that’s going to stand in Glasgow for generations. It really brought home why I chose this trade.”
Medieval city gates
Medieval Glasgow ran from the River Clyde, up through the Saltmarket, along High Street and up to the Cathedral. The historical locations for the stones, installed by the council, are based on the approximate sites of the original medieval city gates. These locations were chosen based on historical documents and maps, including the Medieval City Map: Glasgow’s Medieval City development between 1150 and 1550 produced by Glasgow City Council in conjunction with West of Scotland Archaeology Service.
Lord Provost of Glasgow, Jacqueline McLaren, said; ”This project symbolises the unity and collaboration of three historic civic institutions in Glasgow, and one that reflects a shared commitment to civic pride and legacy. Together, with the College, this project has allowed the students to contribute something tangible in this special year – something that they can be proud of and that can be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.”
The Glasgow 850 celebrations mark a significant milestone in the city’s history, commemorating 850 years since Glasgow was granted burgh status, in 1175. The year-long programme includes a variety of events and activities designed to engage and inspire people of all ages, reflecting Glasgow’s dynamic past, present, and future.
A new exhibition at National Records of Scotland will explore how the birth of the railways transformed the country. Scots on the Move: Railways and Tourism in Victorian Scotland is part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, running between 4-29 August 2025.
Held in General Register House’s spectacular Adam Dome on Princes Street, the exhibition will be free and open to all. Drawing on Scotland’s national archives, the exhibition will transport visitors to the dawn of the steam era. It starts before the first passenger railway in the early 19th century and ends with the rise of the motor car over a century later.
An exciting moment in Scotland’s history
Edinburgh Waverley Station staff, May 1905.
The exhibition will capture moments which changed Scotland forever. Spectacular viaducts and grand stations sprang up as remote communities became connected. The period also saw the birth of iconic rail routes including the West Highland Line. Before railways, journeys were a battle against harsh terrain and weather. Now everyone could travel, from day trips down the Clyde to luxury Highland holidays. Visitors will follow the evolution of the train from Stephenson’s ‘Rocket’ to Queen Victoria’s royal carriages.
The exhibition will also explore how Victorians felt about railways. Fears over the changing landscape mixed with exciting freedoms and a brand new industry: tourism. Items on display chart the development of the railway across the century including tourist guides and booklets, posters and letters. Alison Byrne, Chief Executive of National Records of Scotland said: “Our summer exhibition will capture an exciting moment in Scotland’s history. Railways normalised travel and shaped holiday habits which we still recognise today. It will be a great opportunity for visitors to take a peek inside Scotland’s national archive and sample some of the history that National Records of Scotland preserves for current and future generations.”
This August Edinburgh International Festival presents a hand-picked selection of leading international and local artists in the world’s Festival City, with 24 days of world-class opera, dance, music and theatre. The Festival’s 2025 programme offers opportunities to experience world-class artists in thought-provoking and unconventional ways – including an eight-hour choral extravaganza, a distinctive outdoor promenade dance piece and a circus infused opera.
Audiences can also get involved in many Festival performances, from an outdoor mass-singalong to interactive concerts where the audience chooses the repertoire. Two major world premiere productions in UK theatre and dance: Make It Happen, an eye-opening take on the 2008 financial crisis set in Edinburgh, starring Brian Cox and Mary, Queen of Scots, an iconic story of one of Scotland’s most famous women, that blends classicism with modernity. In a landmark year for choral music, marking the 60th anniversary of the Edinburgh Festival Chorus, this renowned chorus of singers from around Scotland performs at the monumental Opening Concert.
Now in its third year under Festival Director and celebrated Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti, the 2025 programme welcomes over 1,700 artists from 42 nations to Edinburgh —including 600 from Scotland—across 133 performances. The Truth We Seek is the theme underpinning the 2025 Edinburgh International Festival, inviting audiences to explore their relationship with truth – within themselves, between one another and in understanding our place in the world.
The world’s Festival City
Nicola Benedetti. Photo: Laurence Winram.
Nicola Benedetti, Festival Director, Edinburgh International Festival said: “Our 2025 Edinburgh International Festival invites you to explore The Truth We Seek—a journey into the elusive nature of truth, in our personal and public lives. In an era of ‘alternative facts’ and manipulated narratives, the arts offer us something deeper: a poetic and metaphorical wisdom that is both more nuanced and more precise. This Festival—born in the city of the Enlightenment—has championed artistic expression as a means of discovery, insight, and mutual understanding. This year, we proudly present seven world premieres, exceptional international and Scottish artists, and celebrate 60 years of our Festival Chorus as well as the brightest emerging talent. Join us this summer as we seek and find truth together. Your curiosity will be rewarded with thought-provoking, and potentially transformational, experiences that you simply won’t find anywhere else.”
Edinburgh International Festival is the original festival. It’s the one that started it all, the igniting spark that established Edinburgh as the world’s Festival City. The Edinburgh International Festival was founded in 1947, the inspired idea of Rudolf Bing, a cultural pioneer and Jewish refugee, working with a group of civic and artistic leaders. Together, they created a festival that transcends political boundaries through a global celebration of the performing arts.
Over the following 77 years the International Festival’s hand-picked programme of world-leading dance, opera, music and theatre has continued to bring people of different cultures and viewpoints together every August. Meanwhile, the International Festival’s sister festivals have grown up around it – each of them contributing to the atmosphere of unparalleled excitement that transforms the city each summer. Shining far beyond what you see on stage, the International Festival also offers year-round pathways for people of all ages and backgrounds to discover and participate in live performance.
The Edinburgh International Festival takes place from 1-24 August 2025, at venues across the city. Learn more at: www.eif.co.uk.
They came, they saw, but did they conquer? That’s the first question on many peoples’ minds when considering Rome’s efforts to subdue Scotland. Pseudo-histories and long-busted myths still endure in the popular imagination, while even Scotland’s foremost historians and archaeologists debate the extent and nature of Rome’s brief but dramatic presence north of Hadrian’s Wall.
Leading on from last month’s summary of the history of Scottish castles, I’m here to put all our legionaries in a row when it comes to the fundamentals. When did they arrive? Why did they leave? Did Scotland truly remain unconquered by them? Read on for a crash course in the Roman invasions of Scotland. The first coordinated incursion into what is now Scotland occurred in 78 or 79AD under the Governor of Britannia, Gnaeus Julius Agricola, though scouting parties no doubt ranged north for several years before then. As far back as Emperor Claudius’ invasion of Britannia in 43AD, Roman navies circumnavigated the British mainland and reached even allegedly received submission from the king of Orkney.
The reach of Rome
Illustration depicting the Battle of Mons Graupius, fought between the Romans under Agricola and the Caledonians led by Calcagus.
Fresh from annihilating local druidic resistance in Wales, Agricola proceeded into southern Scotland to extend the reach of Rome to the limits of the known world. Beyond Britannia was, they believed, ultima thule, the most distant point on earth. If Rome could conquer Britannia, nowhere on earth would be beyond its grasp.
The campaign of the late 70s and early 80sAD saw the only large-scale pitched battle yet known between Romans and Caledonians. According to Tacitus, Agricola’s son-in-law and biographer, it occurred at a place called Mons Graupius, the Graupian Mountain. A transcription error in the 15th century led to the Graupians being spelled to this day as the Grampians. This is the battle that gave us the Caledonian chieftain Calgacus’ epic speech extolling the “last of the free” to defend their homeland against Roman tyranny – though Calgacus was almost certainly invented by Tacitus to give Agricola a worthy, named adversary.
No one knows precisely where this battle was fought, but Tacitus records that some 10,000 Caledonians were slain while fewer than 300 Roman auxiliaries fell. Propaganda aside, the Highland tribes were scattered but not wholly defeated. Their time for revenge would come. Meanwhile, Agricola fought an insurgency and never again managed to lure the locals into a pitched battle. Southern Scotland as far as the Tay had been secured for Rome and the tribes to the north had been cowed, but not for long.
The Antonine Wall
Plan of the Roman fort of Camelon along the line of the Antonine Wall.
By 90AD all Roman forts north of the Forth-Clyde line were abandoned, as too were some major forts further south. Evidence from several forts show signs of burning, though whether this was done by Romans wishing to deny local tribes any spoiled or by the tribes themselves in anger, no one yet knows for sure. The legions returned within a few years though made no major progress until the late 130s and early 140s AD when the Antonine Wall was built, stretching from Bo’ness on the Forth to Old Kilpatrick on the Clyde.
The Antonine Wall was a major undertaking, comprising 17 forts with a total garrison of some 7,000 legionaries and auxiliaries. Significant remains can still be seen at Rough Castle in Falkirk, Croy Hill, and the bathhouse at Bearsden. It was occupied for only 20 years before the Romans had to withdraw south once more, though not before they dealt some devastating blows to the locals. A massive assault was orchestrated on the native hillfort of Burnswark near Lockerbie, with stone and bolt-throwing siege engines, massed slingers and archers, and thousands of legionaries arrayed against the Selgovae tribe on the hilltop. None were spared, a terrible lesson in the price of defying Rome’s ambitions.
Another campaign was mounted in the 180s under the Emperor Commodus, though by the end of that decade many Roman forts from the Tay to the Tweed were again burnt – this time, almost certainly by native hands hoping to drive the invaders out forever. The final confirmed campaign of any scale came with the Emperor Septimius Severus and his sons, Caracalla and Geta, in 208-211AD. Severus gave Caracalla explicit orders to annihilate men, women, children, and animals alike, and archaeological evidence bears out that these orders were followed with ruthless comprehensiveness. However, Severus’ death in York in 211 halted the campaign, and Hadrian’s Wall once again became Rome’s northernmost frontier in Britannia.
A possible campaign was mounted in the early 4th century, but no conclusive evidence for this has yet been found. So, far from never invading Scotland or making much progress in it, Rome mounted at least five major periods of campaigning which brought imperial troops as far north as the Moray Firth near Inverness. For those who believe that Rome under-invested in its northern invasions, in the late 2nd century AD 1 in 5 Roman soldiers in the entire empire were stationed in northern Britannia.
Their reasons for withdrawing are hotly debated to this day. Rome extracted raw materials from Scotland as well as countless enslaved people, but the area’s riches were nothing like the silver veins of Iberia or the spice and salt roads of the eastern Mediterranean. Some argue that the Caledonians were simply too ferocious for the Romans, or that the Highland topography proved too challenging. Yet, Rome conquered equally warlike peoples in Germania, the Balkans, Cappadocia, and elsewhere, and met with even more challenging terrain in the form of the Pyrenees, North African deserts, and indeed among the Alpine Gauls in northern Italy.
There is simply no single answer or cause for why Rome failed to conquer Scotland, just as there is no single answer for why modern empires such as the United States or Soviet Union failed to conquer Afghanistan. The Roman occupation of Scotland was intended to be permanent, with Roman towns and the locals converted to Roman ways, but in the end it amounted to purely military occupation. There were no civitas (towns), grand villas, or civic infrastructure projects like aqueducts – only forts, marching camps, roads to facilitate the movement of troops, and defensive lines in the proverbial sand such as the Antonine Wall and Gask Ridge system west of Perth. Tribes who revolted against the Romans or who merely got in the way of conquest were subjected to brutal punitive campaigns and massacres.
The military nature of the occupation left little love lost between natives and invaders. Only a handful of dragonesque brooches, hallmarks of Romano-British culture, survive in the southeast at locations like Trimontium, one of the hubs of the invasion effort. In southern Scotland there are only the merest hints of anything resembling the entrenched Romano-British culture which emerged further south.
Locals in what is now the Scottish Borders, Lothians, and Dumfries and Galloway certainly traded with the Romans, while some tribes accepted bribes meant to keep them out of the way. The most famous example is the Traprain Treasure, a hoard of Roman silver hacked up and given to the Votadini tribe whose capital was atop the whaleback hill of Traprain Law in East Lothian.
The story of the Roman invasions of Scotland has captured imaginations for centuries despite only occurring for what is, in historical terms, the blink of an eye – around 140 years from first incursion to the final withdrawal. Increasingly, more scholarly and popular light is being shone not on the invaders, but on the native peoples who resisted them and who lived their lives with the shadow of the Empire looming over them.
This is the focus of the work being done by organisations including the Trimontium Trust in the Scottish Borders and the Scottish Crannog Centre in Perthshire. Both have many fantastic online resources where you can continue your journey of understanding the legacy of the Roman invasions of Scotland, and how – albeit for a brief time – they contributed to the Scotland we know today.
Main photo: Roman generals and emperors depicted in the frieze of the Great Hall of the National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh. William Hole, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Glengarry Highland Games welcomes Colin Patrick MacDonell of Glengarry, the 24th hereditary Chief of Glengarry as the Guest of Honour for the 2025 Games. The first Macdonell’s arrived in what is now Glengarry County in 1784 as United Empire Loyalist refugees after the American Revolution. They were followed in 1786 by two groups of MacDonalds who left Scotland for the Canadian wilderness after years of famine and increased farm rents.
From these first pioneers, MacDonell’s and MacDonald’s have spread throughout Canada and the United States. This year, the Glengarry Highland Games is calling on all members of Clan Donald to return to Glengarry and the Glengarry Highland Games on August 1st and 2nd.
A premier Scottish cultural event
Colin Patrick MacDonell of Glengarry.
Games President Don Gamble said; “Our Glengarry Highland Games were born in 1948 bringing to Maxville a premier Scottish cultural event enjoyed by generations. As part of our celebration, we are proud to remember our Scottish Highlanders who came to settle these lands over two hundred years ago and we honour the past by recognizing the many Clans that attend our Games each year highlighted by the Clan parade prior to the official opening. As President of this year’s edition, I am humbled that Glengarry, the Chief of Clan MacDonell of Glengarry has accepted my invitation to be the Games Honoured Guest. Failte air aoigh le urram (Welcome honored guest.)”
Patrick MacDonell of Glengarry has lived in Canada for 60 years. He is a graduate of the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry, is a Registered Professional Forester (ret) and a Certified Management Accountant (ret). Glengarry worked in the west coast forest industry and then moved to Southeast Asia to represent his company, overseeing the company’s investments. On returning to Canada, Glengarry held a number of senior positions with industry and Government. Glengarry lived in the Yukon for twenty years and retired as a Director with the Yukon Territorial Government. Glengarry lives in North Vancouver, BC with his wife Lourdes. Glengarry takes a keen interest in Clan Donald. He is a member of The High Council of Clan Donald Chiefs, the Clan Donald Society of Scotland, a life member of the Clan Donald Society of Nova Scotia, and a life member of Clan Donald USA, North Pacific Region.
Clan Glengarry
Fittingly, his daughters were Highland dancers and his grandchildren also dance. He was the band manager and a piper with a Vancouver Island pipe band and attends all the local Highland dancing competitions and Highland Games. Colin Patrick MacDonell of Glengarry said: “As Chief of Glengarry, it is my great pleasure and honour to be with so many of the descendants of the original United Empire Loyalists and the Clan Glengarry members who, in the late 1700s, entered the virgin old-growth forests of Eastern Ontario, and, using their own arms and backs, tamed the land creating the wonderful communities we now see. God bless their memories, and may we each contribute new memories to this continuing story. On behalf of my family and Clan Donald members joining us today, I extend a warm welcome to the thousands attending the 76th Glengarry Highland Games. Cragan an Fhithich!”
Glengarry will participate in the Official Ceremonies at noon on Saturday, August 2, 2025, and welcome all to another exciting version of one of North America’s premier highland Games.
The 2025 Glengarry Highland Games will take place in Maxville, Ontario August 1 & 2, 2025. For full details visit: www.glengarryhighlandgames.com.
The newly imagined Piping Live! festival and World Pipe Band Championships are set to stage another summer spectacular showcasing the country’s national instrument.
Glasgow is preparing to host the world’s biggest week of bagpipes this summer, with the return of Piping Live! from Monday 11th to Sunday 17th August, and The World Pipe Band Championships on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th August. Renowned as a UNESCO City of Music, the city is tuning up for the events that attract attendees and participants from across the globe.
The world’s biggest piping festival
The world’s biggest piping festival, Piping Live! – which is organised by The National Piping Centre and is now in its 22nd year – attracts over 30,000 attendees annually to Glasgow for an eclectic programme of entertaining events at venues across the city to celebrate the contemporary and traditional sounds of Scotland’s national instrument. This year, organisers are proud to unveil a show-stopping reimagined outdoor ticketed space at their home on McPhater Street, complete with a Centre Stage, The Bothy (an acoustic tent) and other exciting new additions to the already hugely successful event that shines a global spotlight on Scotland.
Piping Live! Artistic Director, Finlay MacDonald, said: “We are very proud and delighted to present this year’s edition of Piping Live! to the people of Glasgow and beyond. Thanks to the supporters, funders, performers, participants and attendees who continue to invest their time into our festival, we can continue building on our diverse, inclusive and engaging programme that showcases the breadth and depth of piping traditions and contemporary influences. This year, we are so looking forward to festival goers and performers experiencing our enchanting and newly-imagined festival site at McPhater Street. Expanding upon our popular Street Café, we know this new investment will allow us to bring an even wider variety of talent to Glasgow: with an array of emerging talent, international performers, live events and showcases planned for the festival’s run.There are opportunities for pipers and spectators of all levels and ages – from ‘come and try’ sessions, high-level competitions, enjoying street performances or at our Big Band event – you don’t have to be a piper to enjoy the wonders of Piping Live! The countdown is now on to August for when the city will be awash with the sounds of pipes and host to performers from every corner of the world.”
PipingLive! at the National Piping Centre.
This year’s Piping Live! festival, which aims to be a celebration of diversity and culture in piping, is delighted to be welcoming pipers and performers from all walks of life to participate in its dynamic programme.
Across its seven-day run, it will offer everything from fierce competitions between globally recognised musicians, to captivating concerts, reel-y enchanting recitals and more – with musicians from Australia to Ukraine and everywhere in between, showcasing their talent and skills in the captivating offering of free and ticketed events – before the week comes to a fitting crescendo with The World Pipe Band Championships at Glasgow Green.
The pinnacle highlight of the international competitive pipe band calendar
2024 World Pipe Band Champions Inveraray & District Pipe Band. Photo: Alan Harvey/SNS Group.
Meanwhile, The World Pipe Band Championships – organised by The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association and delivered by the city’s culture and sport charity Glasgow Life – is an iconic event the city first hosted in 1948 and has staged every year since 1986. As the pinnacle highlight of the international competitive pipe band calendar, it attracts thousands of spectators from near and far every year to watch the world’s best talent compete in the ultimate ‘battle of the bands’.
Glasgow City Council Convenor for Culture, Sport and International Relations, and Chair of Glasgow Life, Bailie Annette Christie, said: “Scotland is renowned as the global home of piping, and Glasgow’s reputation as a fantastic destination for music lovers is also recognised widely by its designation as a UNESCO City of Music. And with the city hosting both the world’s biggest piping festival and the premier competitive pipe band event – there’s definitely nowhere better to enjoy world-class piping than Glasgow in August during the city’s 850th birthday year. Offering great entertainment and memorable experiences celebrating our nation’s culture, heritage and music, Piping Live! the World Pipe Band Championships are much-loved highlights of our city’s cultural programme. Both events are very valued by Glasgow; they make a significant contribution to our visitor economy, attracting many thousands of pipers and spectators, as well as the attention of the world’s media, to further enhance the city’s profile. It’s a pleasure and privilege for Glasgow to host these incredible piping extravaganzas, and we look forward to welcoming attendees from near and far this summer.”
The World Pipe Band Championships – a much-loved event that’s hugely popular with competitors, supporters and spectators alike – always attracts thousands of visitors to Glasgow to experience the stirring sights and sounds, and memorable atmosphere, of the event. Attendance at last year’s premier pipes and drums showcase reached around 35,000 – with huge viewing figures online too – watching an impressive line-up of nations competing. That included countries as far afield as Australia, Oman and Hong Kong; the biggest contingent of bands (119) was from Scotland, the second largest was from Northern Ireland, and the third largest was from the USA.
Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association Chief Executive, Colin Mulhern, said: “The World Pipe Band Championships is an iconic event that is incredibly important to the global piping community. Bringing together in Glasgow the very best bands in the world, it’s always spectacular and an unforgettable experience for competitors and spectators alike. Last year’s Worlds saw 204 bands from 13 countries taking part, and more than 7,000 pipers and drummers taking to the field at Glasgow Green to compete in the ultimate ‘battle of the bands’. We can certainly expect another wonderful showcase of piping and drumming at this year’s event, with a hard-fought contest for all of the categories and of course, the title of this year’s world champions. As always, tickets will be in great demand, so we’d encourage everyone planning to come along to book their tickets as soon as possible.”
Piping Live! 2025 programme highlights – from Monday 11th to Sunday 17th August – are at: www.pipinglive.co.uk. More information on the World Pipe Band Championships 2025 on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th August, including the livestream of this event, visit: www.theworlds.co.uk.
2025 marks the incredible 50th anniversary of the PS Waverley’s first sailing in preservation. Waverley is the world’s last seagoing paddle steamer and named after Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley novels. The Scottish Banner spoke with Douglas McGowan MBE, President of the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society, on this milestone year for one of Scotland’s most iconic and historic vessels to have ever sailed.
Douglas for this that do not know, can you tell us a bit about the history of the iconic PS Waverley?
DM: The Waverley was built in 1946 on the Clyde for the London and North Eastern Railway Company to replace the previous Waverley which was sunk by enemy action at Dunkirk in 1940. She was built primarily for the Craigendoran to Loch Goil and Loch Long service, calling at Arrochar to connect with the Loch Lomond paddle steamer Maid of the Loch. During her career in public ownership, she was also used at peak periods to assist on the main ferry routes such as Wemyss Bay-Rothesay and Gourock-Dunoon.
She lost her striking red white and black funnels with nationalisation of the Clyde steamer fleet in 1948 when her funnels became buff with a black top. During the 1950’s and 60’s and up until 1972, she was owned and operated by the Caledonian Steam Packet Company mainly on a variety of Clyde cruises but in 1973, the CSP Co was amalgamated with MacBraynes to become Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd (CalMac). The new funnel colours to reflect this change of ownership became red with a black top and red lion rampants on the sides of the funnels. By this time, Waverley had become unique in her maritime status: she was now the world’s last seagoing paddle steamer.
August 8th 1974, James Watt Dock, Greenock: from L to R: Terry Sylvester, Waverley Steam Navigation Co, Douglas McGowan, WSN Co, Sir Patrick Thomas, Chairman Scottish Transport Group, John Whittle, General Manager, Caledonian MacBrayne.
You were involved in the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society purchasing the Waverley for just £1 in 1974. Can you tell us how this came about and what it was like to receive such an offer and what do you think would have happened if the Society had not taken on the Waverley?
DM: My colleague Terry Sylvester and I, representing the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society, had struck up a good relationship with the General Manager of CalMac. From 1970, we had various meetings at their Head Office at Gourock, suggesting various ways to improve the marketing and public awareness of Waverley as a unique vessel within their fleet. Several of our proposals were implemented and a mutual trust and respect grew between us. For example, we suggested they paint the funnels a different colour from the rest of their fleet of car ferries. They also painted the paddleboxes black: both of these initiatives were suggested to improve standout from the rest of their fleet.
However at the end of the 1973 season, as we expected, Waverley was withdrawn from service as she was losing money and required considerable expenditure on her boiler, paddle wheels and timber decks. I received a phone call from the CalMac General Manager in November 1973 asking if I could attend a meeting in his office. I expected the worst……to be told “thank you for all your efforts in supporting us to keep the Waverley sailing but sadly, we have to take her out of service and sell her to the highest bidder.” The evening before that fateful meeting, Terry phoned to tell me that he wouldn’t be joining me at the meeting. “I don’t see much point in travelling all the way from south Wales to Gourock just to be presented with the ship’s bell as a memento.”
And so, it was just the two of us at that meeting. Looking back now, 52 years on, it certainly was a surreal moment when I was told that CalMac’s parent company, the Scottish Transport Group, had decided that in view of all the support and assistance offered to CalMac, their Board had decided to gift this historic ship to our preservation society (PSPS). You could have knocked me down with a feather! At first, I thought it was a wind up! A 700-ton paddle steamer which had a passenger certificate (then) for 1,350 passengers……as a gift! But, then came the bad news, “You will have to give us £1 to make the deal legal!” I phoned Terry that evening and told him “Well, you were absolutely right, they want to give us the ship’s bell BUT they are giving us the rest of the ship as well!” The rest as they say is history. But had we declined this amazing “Paddler for a Pound” offer, she would have been sold to the highest bidder….and that could have resulted in razor blades! Perish the thought!
The Waverley is synonymous with sailing down the Clyde and “Doon the Watter”. What is it about the magic of Waverley do you feel have captured the imagine of generations of Scots?
DM: The Waverley had become not only the last Clyde paddle steamer but the world’s last seagoing paddle steamer. In the early 1970’s, the PSPS proactively marketed her as a very special ship. The cruise down the river Clyde to Dunoon, Rothesay and the famous Kyles of Bute has been loved by generations of Glaswegians and became known as “Doon the Watter”. When Waverley became the “last of the line” she was synonymous with this special voyage that their parents and Grandparents had done before them, keeping the tradition very much alive. There is something magical about leaving the narrow confines of the River Clyde in Glasgow and 2 hours later experiencing the beautiful scenery of the Firth of Clyde.
Waverley’s maiden voyage was on June 16, 1947. Waverley has been lovingly restored with new decks, cabins and engines over the years. What features of the ship are you most proud of and why?
DM: The Waverley has to comply with all modern regulations which includes an annual drydocking. Her amazing original 1947 triple expansion engines are at the very heart of Waverley. I’m very proud of playing my part in her preservation and when I see Fathers with their captivated sons and daughters watching these cranks whirling round and taking in the intoxicating aroma of hot oil and steam, yes, I say to myself it’s all been worthwhile!
Waverley at Crinan, May 2025.
2025 marks the 50th anniversary since the Waverley’s first sailing in preservation. Can you tell us what special events are planned during this milestone year, and did you ever envisage marking 50 incredible years of service?
DM: It is quite amazing to think that Waverley is celebrating 50 years as a preserved steamer this year and carried over 6 million happy passengers in the process! Looking back to 1975, our first year of operating Waverley, we did have a number of unexpected operating issues to deal with. There were some days when I thought we’d be doing well to keep her going for 50 days, never mind 50 years!
We are marking our 50th anniversary with calls at “new” piers for the first time such as Salen on the Isle of Mull and Rochester in Kent. Piers need the Waverley and Waverley needs piers! There is currently an ongoing project to have Helensburgh pier reopened. The Waverley’s survival over 50 years is due to a very large band of mainly volunteers from all walks of life who have regularly given their time and sometimes money to help keep those paddles turning. We are inviting them on a special cruise during the summer to thank them.
Douglas McGowan MBE.
This year PS Waverley will visit 74 ports and piers around the UK. How does it make you feel that you have been part of a team of people who have allowed millions of people to enjoy the Waverley over the years? Also how does it make you feel to see so many people still wanting to be part of this unique piece of Scottish maritime history?
DM: Even after 70 years of sailing aboard the good ship Waverley, I still get a thrill when I go up that gangway! I’m immediately immersed in a different world, a world of relaxation, sea air, and the reassuring steady beat of the paddles. Sheer nectar! But most of all, what really makes me proud is seeing happy families on deck on a summer’s day, children totally animated and having fun, whether it’s having a tasty portion of fish and chips in the dining saloon, watching those hypnotic engines doing their stuff or Mum and Dad enjoying a relaxing refreshment in the Jeanie Deans lounge. We are in the entertainment industry, and it does my heart good seeing people having a great day out. Above all, Waverley is not stuffed and mounted in a museum, she is a living thing, alive and well, paddles thrashing, engines whirling round, that unique steam whistle sounding and happy passengers!
It is a real credit to the entire Waverley team that she is still sailing in 2025. How important, and difficult, is it for the Society to continue to keep the world’s last seagoing paddle steamer in service?
DM: There are many challenges associated with maintaining a 1947 paddle steamer in service. Health and Safety and new regulations play a major part, all of which cost money. Often, new specialised replacement parts have to be specially made, sometimes by our own engineering team. And we are very fortunate to have an excellent management team led by a very passionate General Manager. In addition, the Board of Directors of both Waverley Steam Navigation company (the Waverley’s owner) and Waverley Excursions (the Waverley’s operator) offer full support behind the scenes. In recent years, our marketing team have been very proactive on social media which has brought to Waverley an entirely new audience.
And finally, Douglas you have such a strong connection to the Waverley there must be some incredible stories to tell? Can you share with any personal highlights you have experienced with your association to the world’s last seagoing paddle steamer?
DM: Our first sailing on 22nd May 1975 with specially invited guests was very memorable. We had succeeded in returning the Waverley to service as a preserved vessel! Bringing both our baby daughters on board for the first time was rather special and even today, all those years later, they still love the Waverley. And we now have 5 proud Grandchildren, who simply delight on coming aboard “Papa’s boat”!
But the culmination of my full time 34 career in the chocolate industry merging with the Waverley arrived when I was appointed President of the Confectioners Benevolent Fund in 2001 with a special Dinner at the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich. Waverley transported the 350 guests, the great and the good from the UK’s confectionery industry from London’s Tower Pier to Greenwich. Over the years, I have had the privilege of meeting many celebrities, MP’s, Mayors and Councillors on board and shaken several thousand hands!
Probably the biggest but most unexpected accolade of all was receiving the MBE in the 2017 New Years Honours from Prince Charles (as he was then) at Buckingham Palace. An amazing day enjoyed by myself, my wife Jean and my two daughters Lynn and Jan.
For more information, or to help and support the Waverley for future generations to enjoy, visit: www.waverleyexcursions.co.uk
Early bird adult weekend tickets are now available for CelticFest 2025, to be held in Warwick, the Celtic Capital of Queensland, at the Warwick Showgrounds on Saturday 4 October and Sunday 5 October. Available until sold out, the $50 early bird adult weekend tickets are the cheapest way to get to CelticFest, the largest Celtic festival in Queensland. Once they’re gone, they’re gone – don’t miss out, and make sure your family and friends don’t miss out either.
City visitors are encouraged to #GetTheirCountryCelticOn at this year’s event, with CelticFest celebrating the region’s rich Celtic heritage while also providing a taste of Queensland country. And with CelticFringe events on offer from Friday 3 October, CelticFest patrons will just have to stay the whole weekend to fully immerse themselves in the Celtic in the Country experience!
Celtic entertainment
The highly-anticipated ticketed CelticFest event, which in 2023 attracted over 10,000 attendances, will bring back favourites such as the Australian Highland Games Championships – caber toss, anyone? The Gathering Irish band, highland cows from Keans Agri Leyburn Highland Stud, the Medieval Arena, knights in single combat and pitched battles, pipe band and dancing displays, Irish dancing, Celtic-themed markets, Celtic animals, the gathering of the clans, Celtic-inspired bar and food – and much more!
There’ll also be camp-drafting and Australian Light Horse displays in the Main Arena, giving the event that real ‘Queensland country’ feel. CelticFest 2025 will run over two days, with a full program of music on the Main Stage on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday night is CelticFest Party Night, with The Gathering Irish band headlining a night of foot-stomping, rock-on Celtic music on the Main Stage, and the Darling Downs Irish Club hosting a ceili (Celtic bush dance) in the Doug Feez Pavilion. Supporting acts and other program inclusions will be announced over the coming months.
CelticFest will also again host the Australian Highland Games Championships, and visitors can watch professional strongmen and women as they perform many feats of strength, including putting the stone, the farmer’s walk, and the perennially popular caber toss. The medieval village will be open for CelticFest attendees to stroll through, providing a window into a bygone era, including combat between knights of yore, graceful dancing displays of women through history, and the daily life of those who lived in feudal times. Visitors will also be able to watch displays from roaming entertainers – including pipe bands, the graceful Women in History and tribal belly-dancers – and highland dancers, marvel at the gloriously gentle Highland cows, wander through Celtic-themed markets, trace their genealogy, and feast on Celtic-themed food and drink.
CelticFringe
CelticFringe events return in 2025; these are events which are separately organised and ticketed (where applicable) by local businesses and community organisations and they will be held in a variety of venues in Warwick and around the Southern Downs. CelticFringe music events include Australian Celtic Women ‘craicing’ the CelticFest weekend open with a feature-length concert at the Club Warwick RSL on Friday 3 October, and CelticFest visitors can also #GetYourCountryCelticOn with Limerick MCB performing at the Sandy Creek Pub. Meanwhile Highlander Celtic Rock Band will give a rousing show at the closing CelticFest weekend concert on Sunday 5 October – also at Club Warwick RSL.
The Southern Downs Explorer Heritage train will run a tour to Clifton and Greenmount on Friday 3 October and, on a sporting note, Warwick parkrun will host a Celtic-themed parkrun on the banks of the Condamine River on Saturday 4 October – including a kilted dash! More CelticFringe events will be announced over the coming months.
Earlybird adult CelticFest weekend tickets are now available for $50 from the CelticFest website at https://www.celticfestqld.com.au/tickets, until sold out, after which online pricing applies. There is no senior or pensioner pricing, however children under 18 go free. A new ticket type this year is a separate CelticFest Party Night ticket for Saturday evening only; but CelticFest Party Night is also included in the Saturday and weekend tickets.
In addition, three-night campsite-only passes are available from the CelticFest website, priced at $90; all campers will also need to separately purchase CelticFest weekend tickets.
For more information, please follow the Festival on Facebook and Instagram at CelticFest Warwick, or visit: www.celticfestqld.com.au.
Leading tourism and whisky experts have revealed their hopes for an enriching and sustainable revival of Scotland’s legendary Whisky Coast, once home to the ‘Whisky Capital of the World’.
Plans for over 13 new distilleries, as well as a number of innovative new whisky experiences and hotels, have recently been unveiled across Argyll and the Isles – an area which encompasses four of Scotland’s recognised whisky regions – Campbeltown (once known as the Whisky Capital of the World), Islay, Highlands (Oban and Loch Lomond) and Islands (Jura and Tobermory).
Glen Scotia Distillery, Campbeltown.
Recognising the significance of this, Cathy Craig, CEO of the Argyll and Isles Tourism Cooperative said: “Whisky, or Uisge Beatha has shaped communities and culture throughout Argyll and the Isles for centuries, so it is incredibly exciting to hear it could continue to do so in the future with so many planned new developments offering a world-class whisky experience across the region and existing businesses diversifying to offer new visitor experiences. These will be a fantastic addition to our year-round whisky calendar. Already known as Scotland’s Whisky Coast due the high volume of world-class distilleries dotted along our coastline, this would give visitors so many more immersive ways to learn more about our important whisky heritage and why our destination, with its abundance of fertile landscapes, produces some of Scotland’s finest food and drink.”
Renowned whisky author and Master of the Quaich Charlie Maclean added: “These developments are potentially massively significant for Argyll and the Isles. Whisky production in Argyll peaked in the nineteenth century when there were thirty-four distilleries producing some two-hundred thousand gallons a year, so with all the new developments, the area could be reaching or at least matching an all-time high.”
New whisky experiences
Caol lla, The Islay Home of Johnnie Walker. Photo: Grant Anderson.
New whisky themed visitor experiences in Argyll & the Isles include:
Ardbeg House (new for 2025) – Opening in September, Ardbeg House will offer visitors ‘the ultimate whisky and hospitality experience’ on the Isle of Islay, Ardbeg’s island home. Inspired by the island’s wild and untamed landscape, this stunning new hotel celebrates the spirit of Islay and the legendary stories of Ardbeg and its whiskies. Ardbeg House brings together the best of Islay’s offerings – both on the plate and in the glass.
Whisky and Waves (new for 2026) – This new sailing tour operator is launching a wide range of whisky and sailing cruises aboard their 40ft yacht. Sailing from Oban’s North Pier and Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, each cruise will feature a complimentary whisky tasting experience showcasing some the very best single malts that Scotland’s Whisky Coast has to offer. Experiences include a ‘Sail and Sip’ Whisky Distillery Crawl. Speaking about his new venture, founder Michael Sharkey said: “We’re thrilled to be setting sail with our new whisky adventures in 2026. It will be a fantastic year for Scotland’s Whisky Coast as we see some of the new distilleries take shape and The Clipper Race returns to Oban. Guests sailing with us will be given a chance to get a taste of the best of both worlds, enjoyed responsibly under our expert guidance.”
Island Nights, Whisky Flights at Another Place, The Machrie (new for 2025) – Another Place, The Machrie on Islay, renowned the world over for its championship golf and great food and drink, has launched a new whisky experience in partnership with progressive B Corp distillery Bruichladdich, which itself was revived in 2000. The new two-night escape gives whisky lovers the chance to immerse themselves in the spirited heritage of Islay whisky. Guests will enjoy a guided tour of the Hebridean distillery, which is home to Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte and Octomore single malt whiskies, as well as The Botanist (Islay’s first dry gin). As well as enjoying all that the island has to offer, guests can sample a complementary dram in their room – the perfect Islay nightcap. Speaking about the new experience Judi Blakeburn, chief commercial officer at Another Place, The Machrie said: “Ensuring our guests enjoy memorable experiences that authentically showcase the island’s unique heritage, and the importance of protecting wild settings is at the heart of what we do. So, we’re very pleased to be working with one of the island’s most progressive distilleries to offer guests a new experience that will take them to the heart of Scotland’s whisky isle.”
The Wee Still at Oban Distillery (new for 2025) – Nestling beneath the steep cliff that overlooks Oban, one of Scotland’s oldest sources of Single Malt Scotch Whisky has opened a new bar for 2025. A great way to conclude a tour of their working distillery, where visitors can learn about the whisky-making process, stopping at the production area, old filling store and dram room along the way.
Published proposals highlight plans for 13 new distilleries across Argyll and the Isles, including three in Campbeltown, six on Islay, one at Luss on the Banks of Loch Lomond, one at Inveraray Castle, and one in Ardrishaig, a coastal village on Loch Gilp.
Scotland’s Whisky Coast
The Oban Distillery.
This complements the destination’s year-round programme of whisky experiences. Highlighting another way in which Argyll and the Isles is unique as a whisky destination, whisky enthusiast, founder of World Whisky Day (in May each year) and author of The Pocket Guide to Whisky, Blair Bowman said: “Argyll and the Isles encompasses four of Scotland’s recognised whisky regions, earning it the title of Scotland’s Whisky Coast. Whisky is quite literally known in Scottish Gaelic as the Water of Life, uisge beatha, which is very apt. There is something magical about each and every sip. When you pick up a glass from Argyll and the Isles, you’re not just picking up a drink, you’re picking up a story of Scottish life too. It tells you story of history, a story of culture and a story of craftmanship – from the farmers producing barley to the unique distillation processes.”
Argyll and Bute Council Leader Jim Lynch added: “Argyll and Bute is well known for its outstanding food and drink sector, and if these new developments come to fruition, they will provide a welcome boost to the area and the local economy. We already have more than 20 distilleries in Argyll and Bute producing world-class whisky, gin, and rum products. From large-scale companies to small micro-distillers, this fast-growing market creates much-needed employment and makes a valuable contribution to the local, Scottish and UK economies. In addition to new distilleries and visitor experiences, several existing distilleries in Campbeltown, Mull, Oban, and Islay are continuing to sustainably expand production, improve visitor facilities and develop pioneering approaches to sustainability and environmental responsibility. It is fantastic to see such innovation and growth happening right here on our doorstep.”
Did you know?
Glen Scotia Distillery.
-According to the Scotch Whisky Association, 13 distilleries have opened across the whole of Scotland in the past five years.
-Argyll and the Isles is currently home to 20 distilleries producing world-class whisky and gin products.
-At its peak in the nineteenth century, Argyll was home to more than 30 distilleries. This figure could be matched if all the proposed developments go ahead.
-Oban Distillery, perched on the picturesque harbour, is one of Scotland’s smallest distilleries.
-For many, the ultimate whisky experience is a trip to Islay. This tiny wee island boasts nine working distilleries, producing whiskies that truly reflect their environment with a characteristic peaty flavour and a hint of salty air and seaweed.
-Campbeltown. Was once the ‘Whisky Capital of the World’ and home to 34 whisky distilleries – now just three remain. Kilkerran Distillery which opened in 2004 – the first distillery to open in Campbeltown for over 125 years.
-Single-malt Scotch whisky is special in provenance, heritage, production and taste. Made by a unique process of distillation and maturation, only whisky distilled in Scotland can claim the exclusive title of Scotch.
A milestone moment in Nova Scotia’s maritime and cultural heritage is fast approaching. After five years of restoration work, the Ship Hector, a symbol of Scottish immigration and perseverance, will once again take to the waters on July 12, 2025, marking a new era for the ship’s storied history.
The launch event will include a formal ceremony, cultural performances, heritage displays, and the highly anticipated dockside launch of the Hector into Pictou Harbour – a rare spectacle, as traditional ship launches of this kind are seldom seen today.
“The side launch of the ship will be an unforgettable sight, and spectators can expect quite a show when the Hector makes her big splash,” says Vern Shea, project manager for the restoration. “Seven sliding ways will be positioned under the Hector, secured, and when released, will allow the vessel to slide down the standing ways and into Pictou Harbour. Once afloat, she’ll be stabilized and inspected before being secured at Pier C.” The opportunity to step aboard for deck tours will be available when all post launch preparations are completed in the days following the launch. Visitors will be able to experience the ship’s craftsmanship up close while the vessel is afloat.
Bring history to life
Ship Hector making a splash in 2000.
Beyond the launch itself, visitors can also immerse themselves in heritage experiences that bring history to life, including Gaelic song workshops, an 84th Regiment Afoot Encampment, Highland dancing, and bagpiping performances that celebrate Scottish traditions. Members of Pictou Landing First Nation will participate in the Ship Hector launch through cultural expressions and contributions to the day’s program highlighting the connection between the Mi’kmaq people and early settlers. Hands-on maritime activities, such as blacksmithing and knot-tying will showcase skills that shaped seafaring life in the 18th century and genealogy experts will be on hand to help Ship Hector descendants trace their family roots, connecting past and present.
Throughout the entire launch weekend, Pictou will be alive with festivities, from free outdoor waterfront concerts and a Pictou Yacht Club regatta to a headline Launch Day concert at the deCoste Performing Arts Centre. Adding to the excitement, the iconic Bluenose II will make a special visit to Pictou, welcoming guests aboard for deck tours. Local restaurants will also be stepping up, hosting live entertainment and offering themed specials. As phase one of the ship’s restoration nears completion, the Ship Hector Society is also completing a major transformation of the Hector Heritage Quay Interpretive Centre. Supported entirely by federal and provincial funding, the new centre will feature interactive exhibits that tell the story of the Scottish settlers’ partnership with the Indigenous Mi’kmaq people of Pik’tuk.
Honouring the legacy of those who came before us
On September 15, 1773, approximately 200 Highland Scots arrived aboard the Ship Hector to Nova Scotia. They were the first of thousands to come to Canada and the Hector was the first ship to bring emigrants directly from Scotland to Nova Scotia. “Launching the Hector is more than just putting a ship in the water,” said Wes Surrett, Chair of the Ship Hector Society. “It’s about honouring the legacy of those who came before us and the shared stories that continue to shape who we are – stories of immigration, resilience, and community. The settlers who arrived on the Hector wouldn’t have survived without the help of the Mi’kmaq people, who have long stewarded the lands and waters of Piktuk. That early relationship, and the generations of perseverance that followed, laid the foundation for who we are today. This launch is about honouring all of that. It’s a moment for everyone who sees themselves in the history of the Hector.”
The Ship Hector is set to evolve beyond its role as a dockside attraction. The next phase of this ambitious project will see the vessel transformed into Canada’s largest fully rigged, electric-powered passenger sailing vessel, offering tours and sail training programs. Targeting full operational status by summer 2027, the Hector will serve as a landmark of Canadian heritage, a premier tourism destination for Nova Scotia, and a vital economic driver for the region. With the final phase of work expected to begin after the ship is back in the water, the “Charting Our Course” capital campaign aims to raise an additional $1.8 million to com
On July 12, 2025, history will make waves once more as the Ship Hector replica returns to the water in a spectacular public event dubbed ‘The Big Splash’. Two decades after the original launch in 2000 and after five years of meticulous restoration, thousands are expected to gather on the Pictou waterfront to witness this rare and emotional moment in Nova Scotia’s story.
The Lord Provost of Edinburgh has officially opened the newly completed Floral Clock in Edinburgh’s West Princes Street Gardens. This year, the landmark celebrates the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and 200 years of braille, the tactile code that enables blind and partially sighted people to read by touch.
The Lord Provost was joined by representatives from RNIB and visually impaired members of the community to mark the completion of the new design, which takes three gardeners six weeks to create. More than 35,000 flowers and plants are used in the clock, which will be in bloom until October. This includes plants like antennaria, crassula, echevaria, sedum and saxifrage and annuals such as pyrethrum, begonias and geraniums.
Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Robert Aldridge said: “Seeing the floral clock take shape is a wonderful annual tradition and this year doesn’t disappoint, with a beautiful display in honour of a worthwhile cause. The RNIB provides essential support to blind and visually impaired people, and in 2025 they mark a real milestone with the 200th anniversary of braille. I hope the clock’s design will give people pause to reflect on just how important braille is to all those to use it. Thanks to the hard-working parks team who have spent the past six weeks creating the clock, which will be enjoyed by many thousands of people throughout summer.”
The 200th anniversary of the invention of braille
The Lord Provost Robert Aldridge above this year’s Floral Clock. Photo: Edinburgh City Council.
The RNIB is the UK’s leading sight loss charity which offers practical and emotional support to blind and partially sighted people, their families and carers. This year, the RNIB is marking the 200th anniversary of the invention of braille, a code based on six dots used to represent the alphabet and numbers. James Adams, Director of RNIB Scotland, added: “It is a great honour that RNIB has been chosen for this year’s floral clock. It marks the 200th anniversary of the invention of braille which opened up opportunity for blind and partially sighted people to be able to access the written word, and with that came the liberation of being able to also receive information that is taken for granted by wider society.
Braille is a system that endures, and continues to transform the lives of blind and partially sighted people, offering them privacy, independence, and opportunity. RNIB was brought into existence to improve tactile literacy and we still work every day to widen access for blind and partially sighted people. Therefore, we are delighted to have Braille200 so prominently marked in the heart of Edinburgh and give everyone the opportunity to celebrate braille and include accessibility in their lives.”
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.
Sixty years ago, five founding fathers of today’s Scottish Heritage USA filed in New York for incorporation of a non-profit organization to “recognize and enhance original bonds of ancestral and national character among the peoples of Scotland and of North America; to disseminate knowledge of their respective cultural heritages, and to support the preservation of historic sites and maintain of centers of artistic and literary endeavor.”
Threave Gardens and Castle: One of the earliest actions taken by Scottish Heritage USA was to bring students from the National Trust for Scotland’s Threave Gardens and Nature Reserve to the US to study at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.
From the genesis of Scottish Heritage USA’s founding in 1965, the organization has been committed to supporting a strong relationship with the National Trust for Scotland (NTS). It began with Scottish Heritage underwriting student exchanges between NTS’s Threave Gardens in Scotland and Longwoods Gardens in Pennsylvania. In 1974, the board approved $12,000 for an information center at the Georgian House at No. 7 Charlotte Square in Edinburgh, and later $30,000 to NTS for Georgian House renovations.
That same year, the joint sharing of a tent at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games at MacRae Meadows near Linville, North Carolina. That tradition continues to this day, along with Scottish Heritage USA donating over $1.5 million to the National Trust for Scotland and its USA Foundation in the intervening years, including $300,000 for the Culloden Visitor’s Center, $250,000 for renovations of the Dwight Eisenhower suite at Culzean Castle and Gardens, and support for projects such creation of the online Robert Burns Library Collection, St. Kilda and Arran archeology, restoration of Hill House and Falkland Palace, the Glencoe Restoration project and numerous renovations to NTS properties, lands and museums for public access and use.
Supported many heritage and cultural projects
The Bachelor’s Club is one of only about 200 thatched cottages remaining in Scotland. Scottish Heritage USA supported two historic conservation projects associated with Robert Burns: Souter Johnnie’s Cottage and The Bachelor’s Club in Tarbolton.
“Scottish Heritage USA’s work has not been limited to National Trust for Scotland projects. The organization has supported many heritage and cultural projects here in the US such as An Crios Greine global piping contest, Blue Ridge Pipes and Brass, Mill Prong Preservation, the Tartans Museum in Franklin NC, The Pipes of Christmas in New York, New Jersey and Boston, and American Scottish Foundation’s Tartan Week concerts at Bryant Park,” according to Scottish Heritage USA President Peter McC. Wilson IV.
“One of our most visible projects in the US has been the sponsorship and management of the Scottish Cultural Village at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games each July. We also set aside a portion of our member funds to support summer camp scholarships for disadvantaged youth in highland dance, pipe and drum and Scottish fiddling.”
Jink and Diddle School of Scottish Fiddling students Paula Johnannesen Desimone of Saint Charles, IL and Rebecca Longhenry of Henrico, VA received scholarships from Scottish Heritage USA.
Scottish Heritage USA is holding a special Anniversary Gala Dinner on July 13 at the end of the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games to celebrate the organization’s Diamond Jubilee. A festive dinner, traditional Scottish music and song by Scottish Heritage minstrel Colin Grant Adams and Master Fiddler Jamie Laval, stories of Robert Burns from the National Trust for Scotland’s Learning Manager Chris Waddell, and recognition of Scottish Heritage USA’s decades of success will make this an evening to remember for all.
The reception and dinner costs $85 per person for members and $100 per person for non-members. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to www.ScottishHeritageUSA.org
Scottish Heritage USA was founded in 1965 to recognize and strengthen the bonds of friendship between the peoples of Scotland and the United States. The non-profit association has members across North America, supporting partnership with the National Trust for Scotland as well as a variety of cultural and heritage programs, places, educational events, and scholarships.
Main photo: Colin Grant Adams – Scottish Heritage USA’s minstrel.
During renovations, an exceptionally rare Victorian Crossley engine, was found tucked away in the attic of CoDE The Court, where it had remained hidden for decades. It is now on display in The Lost Close, the underground vaults of the building.
Built in 1878, this marvel of Victorian engineering, it was far ahead of its time, used to regulate the temperature of the Edinburgh Police Chambers, and its survival offers a rare glimpse into 19th century innovation.
One of the most exciting finds in Scotland
Photo: James Armandary Photography.
Remarkably, this engine is the second-oldest surviving Crossley four-stroke engine in the world and the oldest in Europe. Only two other examples exist, the oldest is housed at the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan, USA, and another in Denmark. Its discovery, in near original condition, by founder Andrew Landsburgh, adds a significant chapter to Britain’s industrial heritage. It’s unclear whether the engine was newly installed in the building or a second-hand acquisition.
Adding to the intrigue, research revealed a royal connection. In the 1800s, Edinburgh Police Chambers and Balmoral Castle, the Royal Family’s Scottish residence, had the same system installed; adding to the royal connection, this rediscovered engine had originally been installed in the short lived “Royal Aquarium” at Waverley, before being moved to the police chambers in 1881 where it was installed for the purpose of ventilation.
Andrew Landsburgh, Director and Founder of CoDE Concepts, said “This is one of the most exciting finds in Scotland. We found it during The Court’s renovation, posted a photo online not knowing what we had, and suddenly experts from around the world were contacting us telling us we’d uncovered something incredible. What began as a refurbishment turned into the discovery of a vital piece of Edinburgh, and the world’s industrial heritage. This engine connects us directly to Scotland’s innovative past and the very beginnings of technology which still powers the modern world. We’ve brought it down from the attic to The Lost Close, the underground vaults of the building, where visitors can experience this historic find firsthand.”
A piece of engineering history
The crane used to move the Crossly engine.
The story of this extraordinary discovery also featured in the documentary Potential Energy, which delves into how the engine was found, its relocation from the attic to The Lost Close, underground vaults of the building and the possibilities of restoring it for modern use. The engine is currently on display at The Lost Close.
To mark this discovery, The Lost Close is launched the Scottish Innovations Tour, exploring the country’s contributions to innovation and industry. Visitors will journey through The Lost Close, now the permanent home of the Crossley ‘Otto Silent’ engine, and uncover Edinburgh’s role in shaping global technological progress.
James Armandary, Tourism Development Lead of The Lost Close, said “This is an incredibly exciting addition to The Lost Close. It’s not every day you uncover a piece of engineering history that bridges the gap between Scotland’s past innovations and technology we take for granted today. This building continues to surprise us with its storied history and with the launch of the Scottish Innovations Tour, visitors will not only be able to see the engine up close but also explore Edinburgh’s long-overlooked role in shaping global industry.”
The Lost Close, hidden for nearly two centuries beneath layers of rubble from the Great Fire, was also rediscovered during renovations in 2019. Lost Close was originally the vault for the first purpose-built bank in Scotland. The underground space beneath the old courthouse is now home to events such as whisky, gin and beer tasting, as well as historical storytelling.
Portobello High School and Queensferry High School will be the first secondary schools in Scotland to pilot a zero-phone policy, with Portobello High School and Queensferry High School introducing the policy last month- with young people required to store their phones in pouches at the start of each school day.
All learners from S1 to S6 will be responsible for storing mobile phones in secure and lockable Yondr pouches during the school day. The storage pouches are locked and un-locked magnetically, with phones remaining in the pupils’ possession throughout the school day.
Protect the learning environment
The phone-free policy has been introduced following extensive engagement with pupils and parents and carers over a six-month period, with focus groups meeting to discuss the policy and 86% of parents and carers of children attending Portobello High School positively supported the introduction of the policy. It is hoped that the new phone-free policy will protect the learning environment, encouraging young people to stay in class and focused on learning without the distraction of checking or responding to a notification on a phone.
Research shows that a phone free school environment positively impacts young people’s mental health and wellbeing, both in school and at-home, encouraging a healthier approach to managing time online and increasing face-to-face interaction.
Focus on learning
Councillor Joan Griffiths, Education, Children and Families Convener, said: “I’m pleased to see Edinburgh schools leading the way in introducing a mobile-phone free school environment. Mobile phones in classroom settings are increasingly competing with the teachers for learners’ attention and limiting access to mobile phones during the school day is only a positive thing for our young people. I know that schools across Edinburgh, and indeed the country, are exploring ways to manage mobile phone use, including restricting phone use during the school day. The new pouches provide an innovative way for our young people to have distance from their devices while having the reassurance that they are still in their possession. We hope that this new policy will increase focus on learning, reduce classroom distractions and help improve wellbeing.”
Australian Jim Stoddart was born in a Glasgow Tenement and raised in a Glasgow Housing Scheme 1943-1965. Jim will be taking readers on a trip down memory lane, of a time and place that will never be the same again, and hopes even if only a few people in the Scot’s Diaspora have a dormant folk memory awakened, then he shall be more than delighted.
Victory in Europe
The 80th anniversary of V.E. Day was celebrated joyously in Britain in May with many ceremonies to mark the occasion. My wife, Jean, and I have known and appreciated since childhood how significant was the contribution to that victory from Commonwealth countries such as Australia Canada and New Zealand – and of course our cousins from the U.S.A. Victory in the Pacific was still to come but watching the celebrations on Sky UK and the BBC brought memories back for us and prompted us to reflect upon the sacrifice of our parents’ generation to bring Victory to Europe .
Born in 1943, Jean and I were ‘war babies’ and oblivious to the intense bombing surrounding our tenement homes lying close to the River Clyde in Glasgow. Its shipyards, its docks, its steelworks and heavy engineering workshops were significant targets of the Luftwaffe during World War II. About 1,500 civilians died at Clydebank, the location of John Brown’s Shipyard, on one dreadful night.
Air Raid Warden
My father tried to enlist in the Royal Air Force as a gunner for the turret guns of a Lancaster bomber but was refused. He was a riveter in the Harland & Wolf shipyard, in a reserve occupation. He was needed like others in the shipyards throughout Britain who were constantly building and repairing ships to compensate for the tonnage of those being sunk running the gauntlet across the Atlantic to feed and arm Britain. So after his shift at the Shipyard he became a member of Glasgow’s Civil Defence as an Air Raid Warden. That was dangerous enough. On one particular night he nearly died when on patrol accompanied by a police officer. A landmine (a parachute bomb) was dropped at the end of our street. We lived next to the Princes Dock. These were massive bombs intended to land more gently than a conventional bomb so as to cause maximum lateral damage to buildings. They literally sucked the air out of people’s lungs leaving them dead but their bodies almost intact.
My dad and the police constable were lucky because they had both run toward the parachute believing it was a German pilot bailing out from a bomber shot down by the city’s ack-ack guns. A soldier behind a baffle wall shouted for them to stop – screaming “It’s a bomb!” They were all blown back up the street with only minor injuries. My older brother and sister lost school friends that night, their school friends’ broken bodies placed in a makeshift mortuary in the co-operative dairy lying on the other side of our street. My wife’s dad, Cecil (Charlie) Smith was a boy soldier in India before partition of the sub-continent into India and Pakistan. Stationed at Rawalpindi in the 73rd Field Battery, of Northern Command, he is seen in photographs decked in dress tropical uniform, breeches, riding boots, spurs and pith helmet. He’s beside the horse-drawn guns of the Royal artillery and in other multiple photographs of champion teams with shields representing football, hockey and mounted sports. He left the army circa 1938 to start an apprenticeship as an electrician. That didn’t last. It was now 1939 and he is called back in to service with the ill-fated British Expeditionary Force (BEF) into France with the 306 Battery of the 77th Highland Field Regiment. Then comes escape and rescue from Dunkirk as part of the walking wounded on the last hospital ship to leave the beaches. He is later fighting in the North African, and Italian campaigns, then on to Greece and Albania.
National heroes
The famous 51st Highland Division was tasked to be the rear guard to allow the rest of the BEF to escape the Beaches of Dunkirk. The 51st were literally sacrificed for the common good. All of them were killed, wounded or taken prisoner. Jean’s favourite uncle, Frank Simpson, was part of the ‘new’ 51st division with a lot to live up to. Frank was deployed to North Africa against Rommel’s Africa Corps and fought in the Battle of El Alamein. There was a high cost in dead and wounded for the many national heroes of the eighth army as quoted by Winston Churchill. He was part of the victory parade at Tripoli with Winston Churchill taking the salute. Later we find Frank at Messina because it was decided the best way in to Germany was through Sicily and Italy. Frank in his story- telling after the war said that the Scots got on particularly well with the Australian troops. I guess they had a very similar egalitarian attitude toward superior officers. Although the Australians found it hard to believe that any Scotsman like Frank could be teetotal.
Frank Simpson made his own little impact on military history as recorded in a book The Story of an Artillery Regiment of the 51st Highland Division by BSM Sam Wallace M. M. On the third of September 1943 at Messina 308 Battery, part of the 51st Highland Division was completing the last of a barrage of 29 rounds of rapid fire with ‘super charge’. We can imagine how hot the guns had become when the order was given to CEASE FIRE. Wallace in his book says: Actually Sergeant Frank Simpson fired off the last shell from the gun after cease fire which saved the gun. He was later told that he had disobeyed orders…Five guns were disabled and lost that day because the shells left in the guns on CEASE FIRE were stuck there because the heated barrels contracted on cooling. There was a final outcome from this catastrophe because the artillery training manual was amended to read CEASE FIRE – EMPTY GUNS.
Nevertheless according to his son, Campbell Simpson, he was demoted to corporal at the time for using common sense and a knowledge of schoolboy science to save his 25 pound howitzer. His demotion was not recorded in the official history. His son, Campbell, believed he got promoted back to sergeant when his team were back in preparation for Operation Overlord, the D-day landings. Frank landed on Sword Beach near Ouistreham in Normandy and eventually fought through Belgium and Holland as the Germans breached the dams in their retreat back to Germany. By Christmas 1944 Frank was in the Ardennes at the Battle of the Bulge. He said that because of the cold and before they could fire their shells they had to heat the cordite in them over a fire. The 51st Highland division crossed the Rhine on the 23rd March 1944. The German army were in full retreat as the allies advanced. Frank ended his service doing policing and guarding duties in occupied Germany.
The dawn of peace
My older sister was Dux of her primary school and had the honour of becoming the Queen of the Old Govan Fair in 1945. This was a traditional celebration with roots going back to early medieval times. It was a massive pageant attended by many thousands of Glasgow’s citizens. They lined the streets of Govan, Plantation and Ibrox to watch the colourful floats and tableaux, the pipe and brass bands and the marchers from all sorts of organisations. Money raised on the day went to the local hospital. Speeches at the coronation from honoured guests included:-
“Ladies and Gentlemen, it was on the third of September 1939 that hostilities broke out with all the attendant horror that we witnessed and suffered…We are able once again to hold the Old Govan Fair celebrations with all their glories and traditions. Wartime restrictions have brought us difficulties, not previously encountered, but this is our brave attempt to depict the Govan Fair as it was in the pre-war days. I now call upon Mrs Neilson of the Elder Cottage Hospital to crown Miss Jane Stoddart, pupil of Lorne Street Public School Queen of the Fair for 1945.
I am pleased and honoured…on behalf of the people of Govan, to perform the ceremony of crowning you, Miss Jane Stoddart, as Queen for the ensuing year. Together with your loyal subjects I wish your majesty every felicity during your reign… Your majesty begins her reign at an auspicious and happy time, at the dawn of peace after a long and trying war in which you subjects have given valued and effective service in the field, and in the shipyards and factories of Govan. The local people have every reason to be proud of their magnificent contribution to bringing about peace.”
My sister was then off to the hospital with her four maids to wish the patients well on their road to recovery. The reporter from the Govan Press found it difficult to estimate the massive number of people attending the historic procession and crowning but it seemed to him that the whole of the 100,000 population of Govan had turned out together with crowds of servicemen returned from the front. He describes gum–chewing American GI’s, Canadian tank men, Aussie diggers and Chinese seamen all enjoying and joining in with the fun and festivities. The post-war return of the Old Govan Fair was one of many small steps toward normality and hope for this stoic generation who deserve to be remembered for winning Victory in Europe for all of us.
