The Kilt. Just saying that conjures up images of HIghlanders walking through the Scottish Glens. it is one of the most recognisable national dress seen in the Western World. All over there are women, and men, swooning at the thought of a man in a kilt, c’mon readers I know you’re all thinking it and […]
Now there’s a thought, King of America Charles Edward Stewart. Actually it was more than a thought du du dahhhhhhhhhh In November 1782 4 gentlemen from America arrived at San Clemente Palazzo in Florence to put this offer to the exiled King Charles Edward Stewart, who we all know as the Bonnie Prince Charlie. When establishing […]
Over 270 years ago, a mere 12 miles from Edinburgh, one of the first and arguably one of the most important battles of the Jacobite Rising of 1745 took place. It was the first step in a campaign to place a Stuart back on the British throne. In the early half of 1745, Charles Edward Stuart […]
The quaich is a traditional Scottish drinking vessel which was used to offer a guest a cup of welcome and also a farewell drink, usually a dram of whisky. The quaich has a rich heritage in Scotland. Indeed, they are a uniquely Scottish invention, having no apparent connection to any other European drinking vessel. The word […]
Intrinsically linked like bread and butter, whisky and the Clans are about as all things Scot as you’re going to get. Here are our top five links between the water of life and Scotland’s oldest families. 1. Dalmore In 1263, an ancestor of Clan Mackenzie saved King Alexander III of Scotland from being gored by […]
Let me start off this post with a caveat. If you are a serious scholar or indeed if you have ever read a book or even paid attention during a documentary about the Jacobite rebellions then best to move on – nothing to see here – mind your step on the way out. The reason […]
In the little community of Marchmont in Edinburgh, one of the interesting characters you’ll see about the streets is Sonny Fascia, otherwise known as DJ Sonny. I first met Sonny at the cosy pub in the heart of the area The Earl of Marchmont, where he introduced me to his unique brand of Scottish turntablism […]
A number of molehills have sprung up across the battlefield site at Culloden, much to the delight of a Jacobite supporters group. The Circle of Gentlemen – a Highland based Jacobite supporters society – is welcoming the site’s newest residents and hoping the creatures will be kept from harm. Said to have played a role […]
On the 20th of September 1746 the French ship, L’Heureux, sailed into Loch nan Uamh on the west coast of Scotland; it’s intention to rescue the beleaguered Prince Charles Edward Stuart and take him home. We’re all familiar with the prince’s abortive rebellion of 1745, his attempt to put his father back on the throne […]
It has just been announced that a of attle of Culloden which was drawn two years after Bonnie Prince Charlie’s defeat to a government army in 1746 is to go on display in Inverness. The National Library of Scotland will bring the 1748 map to the city’s Farraline Park as part of a road show. […]
