With only one week to go until the beginning of the largest Highland Games held outside of Scotland, this years gathering at Grandfather Mountain is shaping up to be one of the biggest. The games are held in the North Carolinian high country over four days attracting more than 50,000 punters, and coincide with the […]
If you still haven’t seen Episode 9 ‘The Rains of Castamere‘ in the latest season of Game of Thrones, you should probably stop reading this post right about now. It’s a well-known and begrudgingly accepted fact that Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin loves to kill off central characters. In episode nine of the […]
Why is the image of a lion so prevalent in Scottish Clan heraldry? Why would a beast that was never native to Scotland feature so heavily? The image of the lion in art and culture dates back to pre history and cave paintings. Our ancient ancestors who’s story began in Africa would have admired these […]
While doing a little bit of research the other day I came across the story of a very interesting Scottish character Arthur Furguson. Here is his story: One sunny morning in 1923 a wealthy American tourist from Iowa was standing in Trafalgar Square gazing with admiration at Nelsons Column. A very well dressed and polite […]
The MacGregors were once the most feared and persecuted clansmen in Scotland – forced to renounce their ancient ancestry or face execution. Clan Gregor was effectively erased from existence after King James VI decreed the name MacGregor should be abolished following the murder of the King’s Forester, killed for hanging some clansmen for poaching. For […]
Dougie Vipond meets contemporary clan chiefs to see how the clan system operates in a modern Scotland. Clan MacGregor
The name Cameron originates from the Gaelic words ‘cam’, meaning wry or crooked, and ‘sron’ meaning nose, suggesting that the progenitor of the Clan Cameron had a crooked nose! Cameron is one of the most popular in the Highlands, and the name of Lochiel, the Chief of the Clan, has always stood for everything that […]
An old Clan feud has resurfaced after plans were announced that the remains of Rob Roy MacGregor were to be dug up. The legendary outlaw is believed to have been buried in Balquhidder, Stirlingshire. But the chief of Clan MacLaren now plans to exhume a body for DNA testing, proving once and for all if […]
The BBC has begun the re-broadcast of the series ‘Scotland’s Clans’ with the story of Clan Armstrong. This was broadcast here in the UK on Monday night and is available online on the BBCi Player. I have to say that the presentation was first rate and whilst there will no doubt be a few that […]
