Canada has the instantly recognisable maple tree, Japan has the whimsical cherry blossom, and England has the mighty royal oak. However Scotland seems to have missed the proverbial national-tree boat, as it was recently discovered that poor old Scotland is without a tree to call its own. After furious campaigning by a Glasgow tree campaigner, […]
Here’s some great news for my fellow small-screen junkies – a new Scottish series will soon be hitting our screens, filmed entirely in Gaelic and influenced by cult-hit Breaking Bad. Filming of Bannan (trans. The Ties That Bind) has recently begun on the Isle of Skye, with three pilot episodes commissioned by BBC Alba. Bannan […]
Inspired by the Scottish independence debate, the latest Asterix adventure sees the comic book hero travel to Iron Age Scotland where he meets the Picts. Author Jean Yves-Ferri explained that the story called Asterix and the Pechts includes a political slant, alluding to the looming 2014 referendum. Yves-Ferri is the first person other than the […]
One of the experiences that stood out the most on my Highland adventure a few months back was the amount of Scottish Gaelic I encountered. From road and railway station signs, to the greeting displayed on the entrance to McDonalds in Inverness, this was my first encounter with Scotland’s oldest surviving spoken language. It’s something […]
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 […]
The Scots are superstitious, and one of our most strongly held beliefs is that of the gift of second sight; the ability to predict events before they occur. Prophets, or seers, are well recorded in Scottish history and mythology from the Brahan Seer to Thomas the Rhymer; and this article looks at how their predictions cast a long shadow over the lives of people of Scotland
A statue has been unveiled in Winnipeg Canada marking the achievements of those who left Scotland for Canada during the Highland Clearances. It is the fist statue of its kind to be erected outside Scotland and is a twin of a sculpture called The Exiles, sited in Helmsdale in Sutherland. That memorial was unveiled by […]
