On a Wednesday evening in Edinburgh, direct your ears upwards while wandering up Victoria Street from the Grassmarket and you might just hear a bit of Gaelic tune floating out onto the street below. Còisir Dhùn Èideann (Edinburgh Gaelic Choir) meet once a week in the Quaker Meeting House, just a few streets away from […]
Greetings folks! This blog is coming to you live from the Outer Hebrides and will follow my travels on my first trip straying from the Scottish mainland. I’ll be spending most of my time on the Isle of Barra with Clan Macneil, where I’ve been invited to attend a special ceremony at Kisimul Castle. I’m […]
A much-loved and respected pillar of the North Highlands community and wife of the late chief of Clan Mackenzie has died. Lilias, Countess of Cromartie, passed away peacefully on 11th October 2013 at her home Dower House in the clan seat of Castle Leod at Strathpeffer. Born on the 25th March 1918, Lilias Janet Garvie […]
This article originally appeared on Clan Macnab’s website, which has just undergone a revamp. You can visit the website by clicking here. The striking and imposing character glaring down from Sir Henry Raeburn’s celebrated portrait The Macnab seems to be the perfect figure of an eighteenth century highland chief. This giant of a man stands […]
A new photographic exhibition is set to open that will shine a light on abandoned crofts throughout the Western Isles of Scotland. Entitled Leaving Home: An Alternative View of the Outer Hebrides, selected photographs will be accompanied by memoirs from those who grew up in the houses, which reveal what life was like in the […]
Fife Council have been given the green light to build a transport hub on the site of one of Scotland’s decisive battlefields. The Battle of Pitreavie (1651), was one of the key battles during the War of the Three Kingdoms. It marked the end of Scotland’s last hold-out against subjugation by Oliver Cromwell’s New Model […]
Earlier in September Amanda and I traveled to the Scottish Borders to spend an afternoon at Hume Castle, where part of this years Clan Hume/Home gathering was taking place. Held every five years, the gathering provides a way for clan members to connect in person with one another, while learning about their heritage and exploring […]
On Monday Amanda and I were privileged to be able to attend the service in commemoration for the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Flodden held at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh. Over 40 Clan Chiefs were in attendance and you will be able to read the list of names below. The service included lessons […]
From a cannonball found lodged in the wall of a castle, to a Bronze Age body wrapped in a sheepskin – it’s been a thrilling week in the field of archaeology. Here’s the lowdown on the latest uncovered artifacts found in Scotland: What – Cannonball Era – Most likely 1644 Found – Wedged in the […]
Archaeologists and volunteers are set to begin the search for body pits from Scotland’s worst ever battlefield defeat. Beginning work in early September, archaeologists hope the successful location and excavation of the mass graves of the Battle of Flodden could lead to their official designation as war graves and thus granted protection under law as […]
