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By: David C. Weinczok

“Treacherous and vile wolves”. That’s how Walter Bower, writing on the island haven of Inchcolm in the Firth of Forth in the 1440s, described the Scottish nobility. In contrast, the crown – at the time worn by James I – was a bulwark against the self-interested, anarchic nobility. If any noble got too high and mighty, the king would lay siege to their castle, pry them out of their stone shells, put them in their place, and peace would return to the land. The knives were always out, and pointed in all directions.

At least, that is the version of late medieval Scottish history that many students have been taught to accept. It’s a top-down view, one in which the institution of the crown is the ultimate, and rightful, authority. In most conventional historical narratives, the crown is always presented as a force for stability, and the nobles always a force for ambition and chaos who need to be tamed like wild beasts.

Primitive state

It’s an enduring narrative, and there are numerous incidents that seem to support it. The alleged treason and subsequent execution of Murdoch, Earl of Albany, in 1425. The infamous ‘Black Dinner’ of 1440 resulting in the murder of the Earl of Douglas at Edinburgh Castle, and the murder by the king’s own hand of another Douglas Earl suspected of treachery at Stirling in 1452. The rebellion of the Darnley Stewarts in Renfrewshire in 1489, which required the king’s army to come calling with a royal artillery train in tow. James IV’s unsuccessful siege against Archibald ‘Bell the Cat’ Douglas at Tantallon Castle in 1491. On and on the list goes, full of examples of revenge, treachery, jealousy, violence and the rebalancing of power in favour of whoever sat on the throne.

It may surprise you, then, to learn that between 1341 and 1469 there were twice as many rebellions and three times as many civil war battles in England than there were in Scotland. Three times as many English magnates were killed for political reasons than their Scottish counterparts (even though the magnate class in each country was comparable in size). Looking further afield, we find that political violence in late medieval Scotland was no more rife, and in some cases markedly less so, than in other European kingdoms. So, why do we still think of that period, in Scotland specifically, as an especially venomous viper pit?

Many historians, especially during the mid-20^th century when disciplines like castle studies flourished, were stuck on the idea that Scotland was an irredeemably warlike nation. This is partly due to the firmly pro-Union politics of the era, in which the unquestioned orthodoxy was that the Union of the Crowns in 1603 and the Act of Union of 1707 had a ‘civilising effect’ on Scotland. This was accompanied by fervent support for the modern monarchy. From this perspective, the alleged anarchy of medieval Scotland was a natural consequence of its more ‘primitive’ state, one that was tamed by a unified central authority based in London rather than Stirling or Edinburgh.

Another factor was that many of the most prominent historians of the mid-20^th century had experienced first-hand the terror of one, if not two, world wars. Understandably, those experiences deeply shaped their perspectives and convinced them that Britain was a place constantly under siege by enemies outwith and within its borders. This trickled down in interesting ways, such as the now-rejected concept of ‘bastard feudalism’. This was the idea that medieval lords in their castles lived in constant fear of their soldiers and mercenaries rebelling. As a result, they designed their residences to keep their fickle retainers separate from themselves and their families.

Relationship between the nobility and the crown

As ever when studying history, taking into account the biases and perspectives of the historians who write it is just as important as understanding the events themselves. Not just modern historians, either. When Walter Bower deemed the nobility “vile wolves” in the 1440s, he knew it would go down well with his intended audience: the king. Along with the epic poem The Brus written by John Barbour in the late 14^th century, Bower’s Scotichronicon was part of a suite of ‘royal propaganda’ intended to legitimise the Stewart dynasty’s right to rule. While Scotichronicon did levy some critiques against king James I, it nonetheless presented the crown as the ultimate source of legitimacy and authority. When historians in the late 19^th and 20^th centuries read these medieval sources they found a worldview sympathetic to their own, leading many to adopt it uncritically.

More recent research by scholars such as Katie Stevenson, Jennifer M. Brown and Alexander Grant emphasises a more complex relationship between the nobility and the crown. For example, Hugh Montgomerie, a late 15^th century Ayrshire nobleman, was able to act with extraordinary impunity: he had the leaders of two rival families, the Boyds and Crawfords, assassinated, and utterly destroyed the Cunningham stronghold of Turnielaw. By any definition this was a disruption of the peace and a power grab by Montgomerie. Yet because he took the side of the future king James IV at the Battle of Sauchieburn, that king was content to forgive these transgressions. A noble’s ambition, it seems, was not a bad thing in itself. So long as you show up the for crown when it counted, the iron fist of the king’s justice would land somewhere else.

This vision of a more symbiotic relationship between nobles and the king is just one way that the narrative of a uniquely violent and adversarial medieval Scotland is being deconstructed in recent decades. Whenever we are presented with theories for how a society worked (past or present), it is a good idea to bear in mind the adage of the late Canadian political theorist, Robert Cox: “theory is always for someone and for some purpose”.

The more blood-drenched image of Scotland made sense to an overwhelmingly pro-Union generation of historians scarred by the horrors of industrial warfare. The more nuanced reality may not be as salacious a story as one in which nobles and kings constantly vied for power in a zero-sum game, but I believe it hits closer to the mark of truth. And that, ultimately, is what good faith historical revisionism is all about.     

Main photo: Tantallon Castle. Photo: David C. Weinczok.

The local community behind Braemar Castle is celebrating a significant milestone as work gets underway to restore the historic building and re-develop its grounds. The community management team is delighted that, thanks to their fundraising campaign and the generous response of donors alongside support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic Environment Scotland, the programme of work can now get underway. A feature of the landscape for over 400 years, since 2007, Braemar Castle has been under community management (Braemar is the first community-run castle in Scotland), and aspirations for this historic site go far beyond simple restoration.

An iconic landmark in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, the Castle has a fairy tale aspect with battlemented towers and turrets, a star shaped curtain wall and a bottle-necked dungeon.  Built in 1628 by John Erskine, 6^th Earl of Mar, as his Highland hunting lodge, it was a target in the first Jacobite uprising in 1689, torched by the infamous “Black Colonel”,  John Farquharson of Inverey.  Following the Battle of Culloden, the Castle was used as a garrison for Hanoverian soldiers to suppress any lingering Jacobite support.  Now, the Castle’s future rests with the small community of Braemar, a village of just 500 residents.  

Conserving the 17^th century castle

The “Raising the Standard” project will enable Braemar Community Limited to advance their goal of conserving the 17^th century castle as a visitor attraction.  But the plans will also create a community programme so that the Castle contributes to the future welfare of the whole region. An imaginative and far-reaching programme of learning and engagement will give opportunities for schools, charities and individuals to grow through creative activities both at the Castle as well as off-site.

Chair of Braemar Community Limited, Simon Blackett says: “We are grateful to our funders for recognizing the importance of this project and for supporting us in making our vision for Braemar Castle a reality. We, as a community group, have been gearing up to this moment for over 14 years and are delighted that capital works can finally begin in 2022. Our vision for Braemar Castle is much more than simply repairing and rebuilding walls, although that is a very important element of the work, it’s about breaking down barriers and reaching out into the local community and further afield, with initiatives that can help everyone, including some of society’s most vulnerable. After the impact of the past two years and the issues of uncertainty and isolation, mental health and wellbeing have never been more important.  This project will achieve a visually much improved Castle with the harling repaired but it will also take on the expanded role of engaging even more people with heritage.”

Braemar Castle has drawn visitors to the village since the early 50s, and since the community took over, has worked with schools and community groups on site but now a much more ambitious vision for community engagement and learning has been developed.  In future, it is anticipated that the Castle team will be welcoming greater numbers to Braemar for a more diverse programme as well as engaging more broadly with communities and groups across Aberdeenshire.

Fundraising continues to ensure that, on completion in 2023, the redeveloped Castle and its outreach activities have the greatest effect and impact across the North-East. 

To learn more or donate to this ambitious community project please visit  www.raisingthestandard.org.uk

A Celtic experience like no other set in the stunning Glen Innes Highlands, New South Wales. Witness the township embrace their Celtic Heritage and join in the festivities held among the Australian Standing Stones national monument. Glen Innes, located in regional New South Wales, proudly hosts the annual Australian Celtic Festival as one of their premier events on the first weekend in May, drawing visitors from all over Australia.

This year marks the 30^th anniversary event and the theme celebrates the Celtic nations of Brittany, Cornwall and Wales with an action-packed program from the 28^th of April until the 1^st of May.

The main event

Enjoy the major attractions at the Australian Standing Stones on Saturday the 30^{th of} April and Sunday the 1st of May. Catch the live action jousting tournament or highland games and strongman competition where you can compete for the 2022 title. Keep the kids entertained with loads of activities, browse Celtic inspired market stalls, meet your clan and learn about your Celtic heritage or simply enjoy the broad range of Celtic music, dance or traditional fashions. The festival has an exciting line-up with many crowd favourites returning to the stages and a variety of soft delicate melodies and big Celtic rock sounds. Ella Roberts, Murphy’s Pigs, Highlander, Limerick and The Gathering are just some of the talented and award-winning artists performing.

In a festival first, you’ll witness the launch of Tara from the creators of A Taste of Ireland. This ultra-modern Irish dance show features all-female performers and stages untold stories of the ancient warrior women of Ireland. This show is a must see along with the many other dance performances throughout the weekend.  Those interested in the history of the ancient Celts and Vikings can’t go past the re-enactment village and jousting demonstrations. The New England Medieval Arts Society (NEMAS) is a social community offering a look at Celtic and Viking culture from over 1000 years ago. Explore the village and find cooking stews, roasting meats, traditional games, arts and crafts and the practise of military drills plus various demonstrations and battles throughout the day. Nova Hollandia will also be demonstrating live jousting tournaments on horseback. Highland Muscle will be leading the Highland Games and Strongman competition with traditional heavy events for both women and men. A chance for adults to see if they have what it takes to take out the title in putting the stone, caber toss, and farmers walk with prizes up for grabs.  

After a full day of adventure kick back at the Boar and Drum Bar and listen to the music with old friends and new in the welcoming atmosphere.

Events happening around town

During festival week there is a range of fun events happening around Glen Innes for visitors and the community, catering to all interests and ages. On Thursday the 28^{th of} April, the Australian Celtic Festival hosts the official 100,000 Welcomes Concert at the Glen Innes and District Services Club. This is a taster of what’s to come and a popular event for early arrivers featuring performances by Asleep at the Reel, North and Elsewhere, Cape Byron Celtic Dance, Flashjack and Tara.

There will be a medieval long table dinner and entertainment on Friday 29^th April with delicious meats and accompaniments in a rustic setting at the Australian Standing Stones and the Cantorian Sydney Male Voice Choir will be performing at the Glen Innes Chapel Theatre as part of their tour on Saturday the 30^th April. Tickets are required for these events as spaces are limited. There are also some fantastic, free, family friendly activities to enjoy like the Street Parade where the official opening ceremony is held in the historic town centre and the crowds gather to watch the massed pipe bands, clans and societies marching in solidarity. Following the parade those who aren’t heading up to the festival can grab a bite from the main street and head to King Edward Park with their picnic blankets to join in the free entertainment at the Rotunda.

Find a place to stay

Glen Innes has many accommodation options to suit all budgets, from the humble motel to the luxurious and secluded farm stay, there’s also a great range of caravan parks and some free camping areas.  There’s also the option of seeing more of the beautiful New England High Country region in its peak Autumnal season by staying in Glen Innes’ surrounding villages and neighbouring towns that are under an hour’s drive to the festival.

Tickets for Australian Celtic Festival official events are on sale from 1^st March 2022, available online at www.australiancelticfestival.com where you can also find the full program of events happening around Glen Innes or follow Australian Celtic Festival on Facebook and Instagram.

A new campaign dedicated to restoring the paddles of the much loved Clyde-built paddle steamer, Maid of the Loch has been launched. The Maid of the Loch needs public support to raise funds for purchasing essential materials and equipment required to restore both port and starboard paddles. The monies raised with help procure new paddle floats, bearings and bushes as well as overhaul of the jenny nettles structure and painting of the interior of the paddle boxes. The ‘Jenny Nettles’ is the arrangement that makes the paddles feather resulting in more efficient propulsion. On the port side this is misaligned and requires significant refurbishment.

Replacement of the spring beams and the addition of ending/paddle turning gear are also required and are included in the restoration campaign aspirations. The current slipping will probably be of the longest duration on the journey to the ship sailing, so it is vital that the paddle work should be done now. Repairing the paddles is one of the most challenging jobs of the restoration process, however since most of the work is being undertaken by the dedicated team of volunteers involved at the ship it is possible to keep the costs at a much more manageable level.

Clyde-built ship engineering

Jim Mitchell, Industrial Heritage Director: “These funds will allow us to take the paddles to ‘as-new’ condition. The plan is for the ship to be returned to the Loch with all underwater work completed. This, along with the hull work will be a major leap forward towards the Maid sailing once more.”

The Maid is a magnificent example of Clyde-built ship engineering. Already a much-loved feature on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, she attracts thousands of visitors every year and, over the last 25 years, a loyal band of volunteers has focused every available hour on her recovery and conservation. With public support the Loch Lomond Steamship charity hope to safely steer the Maid to a new phase of her life, relaunching her as a fully operational paddle steamer on Loch Lomond. If we can show public support for the paddle refurbishment then we have a pledge from a benefactor to a generous amount of £15,000. All those who contribute to the appeal will be given exclusive access to a new online virtual tour of the entire ship.

The Maid of Loch is the last paddle steamer to be built in the UK and on the Clyde, it is also the largest to be built for an inland waterway.

Crowdfunder campaign link and video: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/maid-of-the-loch—paddle-restoration-campaign Donations to return the Maid to sailing can also be made through their dedicated website, www.maidoftheloch.org/donate

By: Nick Drainey

With a combined lifetime which would span a millennium, a group of sixteen friends aged sixty-plus are travelling from across the world to undertake the gruelling 96 miles of the West Highland Way. Stu’s Band of Brothers, most of whom first knew each other at school in Dundee, want to walk the long-distance footpath over some of the most beautiful and mountainous terrain in the UK to raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK, following the of one of their friends Stuart Fraser.

The Way

Stuart’s younger brother Garry said: “The name of our mission – The 1,000 Years Hike – derives from the sum total of our ages. We are travelling from across the world, from Scotland, England, Switzerland, Canada and Singapore. Few of us have the opportunity for regular walking in this kind of terrain, but some of the Brothers are experienced walkers with a couple who have already completed the Way.” Garry is one of the more experienced of the 16-strong group. “I’ve done the Way twice already, both times for charity,” he says. “And after the second I decided to call it a halt. You can get too much of a good thing! However, when I heard about this venture, I couldn’t say no to having another crack at it. Doing it with some of Stuart’s closest friends is an added bonus. Not only that, but Prostate Cancer UK was a great help to Stuart latterly, and I know hundreds of other sufferers have benefited from their support. So it was, as they say, a ‘no brainer’. I was a bit younger when I first did it, and all I really had to worry about was how to dodge midges. Now, my concentration is on dodging not only these wee beasties, but also avoiding sore knees and sore ankles! Still, we have our resident medic with us, a retired GP. I fancy he will have his work cut out!”

Stuart, originally from Dundee, passed away last September and for many of the group the challenge this May has a bittersweet feeling. Gordon Emslie was brought up in Broughty Ferry but now works in Singapore with a family home in Victoria, Canada. He says: “As an expat Scot and having been away from ‘home’ for forty-one years, the opportunity to walk the West Highland Way is undoubtedly a bucket list item. To have the pleasure to walk across Rannoch Moor, a place I have on many occasions remarked to be one of the most pleasurable and scenic places in the world, will be a great joy. Returning to Scotland even if only for a short time, it will be fantastic to reminisce and reacquaint myself not only with my long-standing (as opposed to old) friends but also with my great desire for haggis and bagpipes. Whilst it may not be the right time of year for the haggis, I will nonetheless keep an eye open for the beasties, if only on the local menus. The downside of this great adventure is that the walk is now in honour of our good friend Stuart Fraser. I know he will be with us on the walk which means we can expect a few thunderstorms along the way as he will no doubt introduce a few challenges for us. I can already see the wry smile on his face! He was a great friend, bringing laughter and support wherever he went. He was always quick with a quip but also possessed good common sense, keeping us all grounded.”

Strenuous hillwalking

Bobby McMahon also moved to Canada from Dundee. He left in 1979 and has not returned since 1992, so catching up with old friends will be a big of the challenge for him. He says: there are a number of reasons he accepted a place: “The challenge, the comradery, reconnecting with friends that meant so much to me during the formative years (and continue to do so) and contributing to a great cause.” And he is no doubt Stuart would be thrilled if he was there: “He would be looking forward to this immensely and wondering what tricks and daftness he could get up to.”

The West Highland Way, from Milngavie to Fort William, is usually completed in six to eight, difficult days. As well as the mountainous terrain, the unpredictable Highland weather can often delay walkers, as well as testing their resolve. The official website warns: “The West Highland Way involves some strenuous hillwalking … at times the route can be quite remote from roads and services. So, it is essential that you are well prepared and take the right advice.”

Bobby hopes his training in Canada will put him in good stead. He says: “After living on the Canadian Prairies for over 40 years my Canadian wife and I moved to Kelowna in British Columbia last August. Within a couple of weeks we started to hike, and we have over 50 under our belts already. If we had stayed in Winnipeg all the training in the world would not have helped as the Prairies are as flat as a billiard table.”

Meanwhile, Gordon Emslie has also been training but not quite as intensively. He is, however, undeterred. He says: “I am not sure how this mixed bag of aging cronies will cope with the challenge however it will be fun, and I am certainly looking forward to the ‘wee saunter’. As for my fitness, apart from hacking out my own trails around golf courses I have undertaken little in the way of hiking since I was a member of the 10^th Broughty Ferry Scout Group some 50 years ago. I anticipate my own personal challenge!”

To support Stu’s Band of Brothers on their quest to complete the West Highland Way, and to make donation, see: www.band-of-brothers.uk

It is with very heavy hearts that the Te Anau Tartan Festival committee announces the cancellation of its 2022 event. Chairman Chris Watson said the group had been excited about the events planned for this year and the huge numbers of people it would have brought to the town in New Zealand’s southland, which has been suffering from a lack of tourists since the borders closed in 2020.

However, after exploring all possible options, the committee determined there was just no way the festival could go ahead with the COVID-19 Protection Framework at Red and a predicted surge in Omicron cases still to come.

Back in 2023

Chris continued; “We will be working very hard in the coming months to resecure our special guests, and look forward to offering the same, if not better, programme at Easter weekend next year (7th-10th April 2023). We have had an overwhelmingly positive response from those we have contacted already, but we’re also mindful of the blow this will deal the local accommodation and hospitality industry which were looking forward to the economic injection the festival promised,” he said.

Full refunds will be offered to those who had already entered competitions or purchased show tickets.

“If you have booked accommodation, we would urge you to consider coming anyway, supporting our local operators, and exploring Fiordland and everything we have to offer,” Watson said.

For more information about the Te Anau Tartan Festival see: www.teanautartanfestival.co.nz

Robert Currie, Commander of the Name and Arms of Currie to be Honoured in Alexandria, VA

The Scottish Coalition USA has announced the selection of the 20th Annual National Tartan Day Award to Robert “Bob” Currie, Commander of the Name and Arms of Currie for his outstanding contribution as community leader and volunteer to our Scottish American community.

“We were unanimous is our choice of awardee. Bob Currie has devoted more than 30 years to supporting and promoting Scottish-American culture in the USA, from developing the outstanding Tartan Week festival for the past 20 years at Ellis Island every year during Tartan Week to producing the Pipes of Christmas concerts, both are now recognized as leading annual calendar events of the Scottish American diaspora. This together with Bob’s tireless work in support of the Learned Kindred of Currie and promotion of Gaelic culture makes him such an outstanding recipient.”

Currie commented, “First and foremost, I’m very grateful for the recognition from the award committee. Having remained faithfully committed to my love of Scotland for decades, I don’t really seek accolades, I work for the joy of introducing people of Scots descent into their wonderful and historic heritage. It’s all the better still when I see non-Scots or “affiliate” Scots, as we call them, share in this experience.”

Currie continued, “It is especially profound for me to receive this honor in its 20th year. This is a year of so many important anniversaries for me. I made my first trip to Scotland exactly 40 years ago in 1982. I formed the Currie Society ten years later in 1992. This year also marks the 20th year since we started our ‘Tartan Day on Ellis Island’ program. Ten years ago this year, we began rallying our Kindred via social media on Facebook and Twitter and now enjoy a strong worldwide following. And now we’re here in 2022 and I’ve just signed on as a staunch supporter of the new Lord Lyon Society and added a new music scholarship to our educational programming. It’s truly amazing how one trip to Scotland would change my life forever.”

“While I love all of Scotland, her beautiful country, history and warm and welcoming people, I must confess that my ‘Highland Heart’ belongs to the Island of Arran. It was from here in 1828 that my 3x great grandfather made the brave journey across the Atlantic to establish our family in Canada and later the US. I think about Neil and Flora Currie and often wonder what they think of all this celebration of family. I hope they are proud. Coincidentally, I was raised in a town called Scotch Plains! As you might surmise, the town was settled by Scots in 1684.”

The presentation is part of the Scottish Coalition’s and the National Tartan Day Capitol Committee’s Tartan Day Commemoration Event. The Commemoration will include with readings, music and messages from various Scottish American organizations across the USA celebrating Tartan Day locally in their own ways. The 2022 National Tartan Day Award will be awarded to Currie at a ceremony in Alexandria, VA on April 5, 2022.

About Robert Currie

Currie is a respected leader in the Scottish American community and has been involved in ethnic affairs and historic preservation for the last 30 years.

Following an international call for nominations, he was unanimously elected Commander of the Name and Arms of the Currie family – a Scottish bardic dynasty dating back to the 13^th century. The election was held in Glasgow, Scotland in 2017 and affirmed by the Lord Lyon, King of Arms in 2018 at a celebration in Edinburgh. Bob recently became a member of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs.

In his book, “Scottish Clans and Tartans,” noted author and historian Ian Grimble wrote, “Through the MacMhuirichs (Curries) the Literary Torch of in the Western Islands was preserved for generations. They were recognized as the as the most illustrious body of learned men who were specialists in the heroic literature and genealogy of the ancient Gaelic world.”

Currie, along with the support and guidance of the Scots Gaelic community reestablished the once famed literary dynasty by forming a family society in 1992. Now a “Learned Kindred” as opposed to a Highland Clan, the far-flung Curries have grown from strength to strength, now counting thousands in their membership rolls and multiple social media outlets on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter among others.

The Society’s signature events include “Tartan Day on Ellis Island” (founded in 2002) and the award-winning “Pipes of Christmas” concerts now in its 24^th year. The Society has distributed thousands of dollars in scholarships to deserving students in the US, Canada, and Scotland.

The Society is also the Title Sponsor of the US National Scottish Harp Championship and was at the forefront of developing cultural heritage tents specifically for harp, fiddle and Gaelic singing at Scottish games in the United States.

Currie was instrumental in forming the Bonnie Brae Scottish Games in Millington, NJ in 1986. From 1993 to 2002, Currie served as Chairman of the Ethnic Advisory Council for the State of New Jersey. Robert was appointed by Governor Whitman to the NJ Advisory Committee on the Preservation and Use of Ellis Island in 1998. In 2000, the committee’s work developed into the Save Ellis Island Foundation where Mr. Currie currently serves as Director and Secretary. 

In recognition of his years of service to the Scottish American community, Bob received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2017. He has also received an Honorary Doctorate from Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland and was also the recipient of the Saltire Award from St. Andrew’s University in Laurinburg, North Carolina.

In November of 2017, Bob received the International Gaelic Leader Award from Scotland’s Bòrd na Gàidhlig – the departmental public body of the Scottish Government with responsibility for Gaelic. It was established in 2005 and is based in Inverness. Bob is also an inaugural Supporters of the new Lord Lyon Society in Edinburgh.

Currie dedicates the award to his wife and daughters who have provided unwavering support and inspiration for his long road back to the Isles.

www.facebook.com/ClanCurrieSociety

www.twitter.com/ClanMhuirich

www.instagram.com/learned_kindred_of_currie/

www.youtube.com/user/clancurrie

This year is the 250^th anniversary of the death of Jean Cameron. Jean led 300 men to the raising of the Jacobite standard at Glenfinnan in 1745, even though she was a woman. Anti-Jacobites started many rumours about her, including that she was Bonnie Prince Charlie’s mistress, she had a wooden leg, she died of poverty in a stairwell in Edinburgh, and she wore men’s clothes, all to blacken her name and that of the Jacobites. In fact, after the failure of the 45, she moved to near what is now East Kilbride and though a devout Catholic, supported the local Presbyterian school, and it was said helped many poor Highlanders who visited her there as Judy Vickers explains.

She was, some claimed, a wanton debauched hussy, thrown out of school while still a youngster for her scandalous behaviour, who fathered children out of wedlock, and who became the mistress of a prince. Others said she was a mannish Amazonian, who wore male clothes, enjoying fighting duels and marched into battle at the head of her forces. In fact, it is just possible that Jean Cameron of Glendessary was a dignified noblewoman and a Jacobite loyalist whose biggest crime was to bring 300 men to Glenfinnan when Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard in 1745 at a time when many thought women should stay at home and stay quiet.

This month marks International Women’s Day on March 8 with a call to break down gender stereotypes – historic stereotypes which Jean paid a heavy price for due to her bravery in answering the call by clan chief Cameron of Lochiel to support the Young Pretender, as, in the absence of her brothers John and Allan, she was factor of the family estates in Morvern.

The Jacobite cause

In the years following the ‘45 uprising, when Charles Edward Stuart, grandson of King James VII (II of England) attempted to take back the throne of Britain which his family had lost to William of Orange in 1688, her reputation was dragged through the mud – plays, ballads and books were written about her, mostly for anti-Jacobite propaganda and the details of her life became more lurid with each retelling. In fact, following the ill-fated rising’s defeat at Culloden in 1746, Jean – often called Jenny or Jeanie – bought an estate in Lanarkshire and opened a school for orphaned children, living quietly until her death in 1772, 250 years ago this year.

Her death is one of the few definite facts known about Jean despite the outpouring of words about her, leading her to become a byword for all that was wrong with the female sex in the 18^th century.

It is believed that she was born around 1698 into a lesser branch of Clan Cameron, although through her mother she was related to the Cameron of Lochiel, the hereditary clan chief. Her immediate family held land in Morvern and were well-known supporters of the Stuart cause – her father had joined the 1715 uprising. According to one account she was sent to school in Edinburgh but became embroiled in a sex scandal while still a teenager and had to be sent to a convent in France by her family. But her behaviour there did not improve and she ended up being returned to Scotland. The account, however, is found in James Ray’s Complete History of the Rebellion from its rise in 1745 to its total suppression. He was a staunch Hanoverian who followed the Jacobite army from Carlisle to Derby in 1745 so that he could provide information to the Duke of Cumberland, leader of the British forces.

Other accounts say that she was married to a distant member of the Cameron clan and was widowed, or wed to an Irish officer called O’Neill who treated her badly and from whom she fled back to her childhood home. Whatever the truth, she was back in Scotland, looking after the family’s estates as her brothers John and Allan had travelled abroad before the prince called on the Highlands to rise in his cause.

She is said to have ridden at the head of 300 men, the Glendessary estate’s quota of men required to turn out at the command of their clan chief, Donald Cameron of Lochiel who supported the Jacobite cause.

Accounts strongly differ as to her appearance at the prince’s camp, though. According to Archibald Arbuthnot in A Brief Account Of The Life And Family Of Miss Jenny Cameron: The Reputed Mistress Of The Pretender’s Eldest Son, she arrived in a “sea-green riding habit, with a scarlet lapel, trimmed with gold, her hair tied behind in loose curls with a velvet cap and scarlet feathers . . instead of a whip, she carried a naked sword in her hand. A female officer was a very extraordinary sight, and it being reported to the young chevalier, he went out of the lines to meet this supply; Miss Jenny rode up to him without the least concern, and gave him a soldier-like salute.”

A lady of distinguished family, character and beauty

However, Aeneas MacDonald, one of the seven men of Moidart, captured after Culloden and exiled, later described her arrival rather differently; “Among the rest was the famous Miss Jeanie Cameron, as she is commonly, though very improperly called, for she is a widow nearer fifty than forty years of age. She is a genteel, well-looking handsome woman with a pair of pretty eyes and hair as black as jet. She is of a very sprightly genius and is very agreeable in conversation.” According to his account Jean didn’t accompany the army and was only with the prince “in public when he had his court in Edinburgh.”

Nevertheless, the idea of female soldier was a gift to the anti-Jacobite propagandists. In 1746 a musical play was performed at Drury Lane called Harlequin Incendiary or Columbine Cameron and popular ballads were written about her including Bonnie Jean Cameron, which included the line: “She prayed to the saints and bade the angels defend her, and sank in the arms o’ the Young Pretender.” Arbuthnot’s account also claimed she had had several children out of wedlock. She was also often mixed her up with another Jenny Cameron, who was taken prisoner by government forces in 1746 – this Jenny Cameron was in fact a milliner from Edinburgh. Whatever the truth, her name had become a byword for notoriety in the aftermath of the defeat at Culloden and the suppression of the Highlands.

A collection of memoirs printed almost ninety years after Culloden has a tale of a shopper buying snuff in Edinburgh when a beggar entered. Without speaking a word, the shopkeeper handed the beggar a coin, which was taken silently and the beggar left. The customer, however, having noticed the elegant hand of the beggar, asked the shopkeeper for more details and was told it was Jean Cameron who had followed the prince to France but been cast off, then rejected by her family on her return to Scotland.

And in Robert Chambers’ Traditions of Edinburgh, published in 1825, an even more tragic picture was painted: “Jeanie Cameron, the mistress of Prince Charles Edward, was seen by an old acquaintance of ours standing upon the streets of Edinburgh, about the year eight-six. She was dressed in men’s clothes and had a wooden leg. The celebrated and once attractive beauty, whose charms and Amazonian gallantry had captivated a prince, afterwards died in a stair-foot somewhere in the Canongate.”

In fact, in 1751, Jean bought the estate and mansion of Blacklaw near what is now the town of East Kilbride and renamed it Mount Cameron. Writing twenty years after her death, a local minister said she was remembered as “a lady of distinguished family, character and beauty”. She was also said to be “informed, intelligent and graceful”. Another said many poor Highlanders came to visit her in her new home and she was said to have opened a school for Highland children orphaned in the ‘45.

Why she left her beloved Highlands isn’t known although her notoriety and the repressive measures inflicted on the areas loyal to the prince may have been the cause. She asked to be buried back near her childhood home but her grave is at Mount Cameron. It now lies in an open area in a suburb which has built up around it but is marked by a cairn built in 1995 of stone brought from Acharn in Morvern.

Main photo: Jean Cameron. Photo: National Library of Scotland/Wikimedia Commons.

After the mists have risen at dawn, the town of Bundanoon becomes Brigadoon for a day (even the name on the station changes to Brigadoon!) The main street is closed and there is a bustle of activity as people prepare for the big parade. Visitors from all over Australia are making their way to Brigadoon (over 10,000 of them).

This annual event began on 21 October 1978, its principal aim to raise funds for local charities and bring tourists to Bundanoon in particular and the Southern Highlands in general thereby benefiting local businesses, guesthouses and hotels. Continuing to this day, “Bundanoon is Brigadoon” has become one of the most successful events staged in the area. From its humble beginnings of a handful of pipe bands and spectators, and is recognised worldwide and has grown to into one of the finest Highland Gatherings in Australia

A day of Scottish celebration

This great family day out draws in people from far and wide to the stunning NSW Southern Highlands for a day of Scottish celebration and numerous events which cater to everyone including: The Street Parade with pipe bands, marching Clans and Scottish societies and floats, Massed Pipes and Drums display, Scottish Country Dancing and Scottish Highland Dancing, individual pipe band performances throughout the day at 3 locations around the oval, Bonnie Bairns Competition for children under 5 years, Sydney Scottish Fiddlers, Children’s Games traditional and not so traditional, The Tartan Warriors-Lifting the Bundanoon Stones, The Australian Highland Heavy Weight Championship, and much more.

The Bundanoon Highland Gathering takes place on Saturday April, 2^nd in Bundanoon, NSW.  Early bird tickets are now available and to learn more see: www.brigadoon.org.au

The highly anticipated Season 6 return of epic drama series Outlander will premiere this month, putting to an end the two year ‘Droughtlander’ some have been experiencing. Production in Scotland of the hit international show was delayed due to the Covid pandemic, and this season will be eight episodes, less than the average 12-13 episode seasons. Season 6 will be however launching with an extended ninety-minute episode, new episodes will then premiere weekly.

The Outlander television series is inspired by Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander book series whose first eight books have sold an estimated 50 million copies worldwide, with all of them gracing the New York Times best-seller list. The television series has already been renewed for a seventh season. Outlander spans the genres of romance, science-fiction, history and adventure in one epic tale. It follows the story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945, who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743 Scotland. When forced to marry Jamie Fraser, a chivalrous young Scottish warrior, Claire’s heart is torn between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

Fraser’s Ridge

Season six of Outlander based on Gabaldon’s book A Breath of Snow and Ashes, picks up where the fifth season left off after Claire Fraser (Caitríona Balfe) had just escaped a violent encounter with Lionel Brown (Ned Dennehy) and returned to Fraser’s Ridge. The sixth season of Outlander sees a continuation of Claire and Jamie’s fight to protect those they love, as they navigate the trials and tribulations of life in colonial America. Claire and husband Jamie MacKenzie Fraser (Sam Heughan) now strive to maintain peace and flourish within a society which, as Claire knows all too well, is unwittingly marching towards Revolution.

They must defend their home, established on land granted to them by the Crown, not only from external forces, but also from the increasing strife and conflict in the community within their care. For the Frasers and their immediate family, “home” is more than simply a site in which they live, it is the place where they are laying the foundations for the rest of their lives. For the Frasers and their immediate family, ‘home’ is more than simply a site in which they live, it is the place where they are laying the foundations for the rest of their lives. If season four asked ‘What is home?’ and season five asked, ‘What are you willing to do to protect your home?’ then season six explores what happens when there is disharmony and division among the inhabitants of the home you’ve created: when you become an outsider, or an ‘outlander,’ so to speak, marginalized and rejected in your own home.

Season 7

The series lead actor Sam Heughan told Starz about Season 6, “Jamie’s past almost catches up with him… or comes back to haunt him, per se. We meet some characters that come back into Jamie’s life and some are good and some are more unsettling.” He added, “This season, we’ve had the build-up to this War of Independence, this revolution, and Jamie Fraser’s very much been part of that. He’s been on the side of the British. He knows they’re the losing side. As we get closer to that point, the stakes are higher… but also Fraser’s Ridge, there’s a revolution within the home as well.”

Production of the seventh season was confirmed in 2021 with production yet to start.  Season 7 will be based on Diana Gabaldon’s novel Echo in the Bone and will be pleasing for fans as it will be an extended 16-part season. US writer Diana Gabaldon released the ninth Outlander book late in 2021 called Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, and has committed to 10 books in the Outlander series.

Are you an Outlander fan? Do you have a favourite character, storyline or book? Share your story with us by email, post, or social media.

Images coutesy of Starz.

Outlander returns on Sunday March 6, 2022 at 9pm on Starz. Season 6 of Outlander will screen on the W Network in Canada.

Outlander returns on Monday March 7, 2022 at 7pm On Demand on FOXTEL, and available to watch 9pm every Monday on FOX ONE. Season 6 of Outlander will screen on Neon in New Zealand.

The largest spectacle of music and might in the United States, The Virginia International Tattoo will MARCH ON April 28 – May 1 with a triumphant return to Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. Celebrating its 25^th anniversary season, the 2022 Tattoo features an all-new international cast, a musical tribute to “March King” John Philip Sousa, and an emotional celebration of the resilience of the human spirit. 

Bringing together hundreds of performers from not only across the USA, but internationally, must be quite a challenge, can you tell us more this year’s cast and participating countries? 

VIT: Highlights of this year’s Virginia International Tattoo (VIT) include:  Band of the Netherlands Mounted Arms Regiment – “The Bicycle Band” – in their 4^th appearance at Virginia International Tattoo, WWI Era uniforms and history of Dutch bicycle cavalry and modern brass band excellence. Pipes and Drums of the Highlanders, 4^th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland will make their second trip to the Tattoo. One of the most historic Pipe Bands in the world. Pipe Major CSgt Peter Grant served as the lone piper at the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Pipe Major CSgt Grant serves alongside his brother Drum Major Sgt Ruaridh Grant, the first siblings to hold the appointments of Pipe Major and Drum Major at the same time in the history of The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Jordanian Armed Forces Band and Jordanian Armed Forces Pipes and Drums return to the Tattoo as they Celebrate the 100^th Anniversary of the Kingdom of Jordan. A strong British influence remains strong from the Transjordan Mandate of the early 1920s when the British helped set up and train the protectorate’s army following WWII.  

Virginia International Tattoo Dance Company – A total of 32 dancers from 3 nations. Led by Aileen Robertson, a well know Highland Dance instructor from Scotland, whose first Tattoo was the Virginia International Tattoo in 2006, went on to become the director of Highland Dance at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. During that process we wrote a letter of recommendation with a contingency, that she could come back to Virginia! We are thrilled that Aileen is returning to lead our first ever Virginia International Tattoo Highland Dance Group. 

The U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps is the only unit of its kind in the U.S. Armed Forces. The musicians of this unit recall the days of the American Revolution as they perform in uniforms patterned after those worn by the musicians of General George Washington’s Continental Army. Musicians of the highest calibre, the Corps uses 10-hole fifes, handmade rope-tensioned drums and single-valve bugles, which bring to life the exciting sounds of the Continental Army. 

U.S. Marine Forces Reserve Band will return with pulse pounding music and their signature re-enactment of the Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima is an iconic photo of U.S. Marines raising the U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in the final stages of the Pacific War. All members of the band are trained riflemen and fulfill Corps-wide physical fitness and combat training requirements, just like any other active-duty Marine. The band is prepared to “Fight Tonight” and can be called upon to provide security, both domestically and overseas, by order of the Commander, Marine Forces Reserve. 

Andy Carlisle’s Tartan Army is a gathering of many of top solo pipers and drummers in the United States, many who have won national championships, as well as awards at international competitions. The majority are students and contemporaries of Highland Bagpipe Soloist Andrew Carlisle, who has been with the Virginia International Tattoo for over ten years. Recruiting pipe bands during a pandemic proved challenging so Carlisle invited some of his students and former students to come and form a “pick-up” band to enhance the Tattoo Massed Pipes and Drums. All embraced the opportunity and are sure to be a very strong musical ensemble. 

U.S National Scottish Fiddle Champion Seán Heely is one of the most creatively versatile and captivating young artists of his generation. He is a as well as an award-winning Irish Fiddler and singer in the folk and Gaelic traditions of Scotland and Ireland. Seán holds a degree from University of South Carolina in Classical Violin Performance and has performed in Scotland, Ireland, and at across the United States. 

Additional U.S. Military performers including the U.S. Air Force Heritage of America Band, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Herald Trumpets, U.S. Marine Corps FAST Company and U.S. Navy Fleet Forces Band. 

The Tattoo also has its very own tartan, can you tell us more? 

VIT: The Virginia International Tattoo is embracing Scottish Tattoo tradition with its own tartan design.  The tartan is the inspiration of Virginia Arts Festival Board Chairman, Jim Hixon and therefore named the Virginia International Tattoo Hixon Tartan. 

The tartan was designed in Scotland by Alastair Dunn, award winning bag piper and Pipe-Sergeant of nine-times World Champions Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band.  The fabric was loomed by R.G. Hardie & Company, Ltd in Glasgow, Scotland.  

Tartan is a pattern consisting of crisscrossed horizontal & vertical bands in multiple colors.  The tartan is particularly associated with Scotland.  The colors of the Virginia International Tattoo Hixon Tartan, steeped in tradition and bound to its roots, perfectly demonstrate the rich heritage the Tattoo celebrates and the great state in which it resides.  The dominate blue, “Festival Blue”, embodies the Virginia Arts Festival and pays tribute to those who bring the arts to life.  The red, white and blue threads intricately woven throughout the tartan symbolize the patriotic themes and the heart-stirring performances synonymous with the Tattoo.  The Virginia Flag and the Norfolk Seal are illustrated by the blue hues interlacing the tartan.  And the grey stripes proudly guarding the red, white and blue remind of us the massive grey hulls that guard our harbor and the mighty jets whose presence overhead keep us ever mindful of the men and women who sacrifice for our freedom. 

The Tattoo is really an all-ages event, with a great school outreach program, and offers something for the whole family. How rewarding is it to host an event that crosses generations and brings in people to Virginia from across the country and the world? 

VIT: The Tattoo has the ability to connect across generations. One of our guests wrote about the Tattoo, “This was the first time in our family’s history that we were able to sit through an ENTIRE performance with ALL eyes watching, ALL mouths smiling, ALL minds engaged, ALL fingers and feet at peace, ALL hearts happy. Thank you for this special night. It is now our family’s annual favorite event!” 

Can you tell us about the Tattoo rehearsal process? Is it very difficult because of the large amount of participants?  

VIT: There are some unique rehearsal challenges for the Tattoo. Musical rehearsals are relatively straight forward. All of the performers receive music well in advance and we can usually get the music polished up in one rehearsal. The overall choreography is what is most difficult. Getting every person, musical instrument, microphone, lighting instrument, video camera, and Flag in the right place at the right time is a very involved process. I rely on a production team of more than 100 to help make it happen.  

How do you prepare yourself for each performance? 

VIT: We do a production meeting following each rehearsal and student matinee to review any and all production challenges that need to be addresses. It is important to address any changes with the entire team because one person deciding on their own to “improve” something seemingly innocent can affect a lot of other people in ways that they can’t imagine. From the moment that meeting ends until the next performance begins the team is trusted to implement the changes as discussed.  

Is there anything else you want to share about the 2022 Virginia International Tattoo? 

VIT: The 2022 Virginia International Tattoo – our Silver (25^th anniversary edition)– will be an extraordinary homecoming for all involved. The Tattoo will return to its long-time home at Scope arena in Downtown Norfolk, Virginia; our international performers will be back with a renewed desire to share their music, culture and traditions; and the free preshow Tattoo Hullabaloo will once again wow crowds for hours every day. 

The Virginia International Tattoo will take place April 28-May 1^st at Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. Tickets and Information: www.vafest.org, by phone at 757-282-2822. 

Leith’s iconic Burns statue has been returned to its home on Bernard Street, as Scotland prepares to celebrate the national bard. The 19^th century bronze sculpture was put into storage in December 2019 to make way for Trams to Newhaven construction. It has since undergone specialist conservation work before its reinstatement at Bernard Street’s junction with Constitution Street.

On the morning of Burns Night (Tuesday, 25 January), Council leaders, tram project officers and contractors were joined by conservationists and former Edinburgh Makar Alan Spence to unveil the monument. They also marked the placement of a new time capsule underneath the statue, alongside an original capsule discovered in 2019, which contained relics from both the late 19^th century and the 1960s.

Home in Leith

Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “I’m delighted to see this much-loved Robert Burns statue returned to its home in Leith and spruced up thanks to specialist conservation work. It’s fantastic that so many members of the community have been able to contribute to the new time capsule placed underneath the statue. Thanks to their input we’ll be able to share an insight into Leith today with future generations, just like our 19^th century forebears did when they buried the original time capsule.”

In November the Trams to Newhaven project reached its two-year point and, despite challenges posed by the Covid pandemic, including a 13-week site shutdown, remains on track for opening for revenue service in Spring 2023. The entire section from York Place to London Road is expected to be completed in Autumn 2022.

On Tuesday, Alan Spence read out a specially written poem, which has been added to the 2021 time capsule created for the statue’s reinstatement. The capsule also contains poems and stories by Victoria Primary School pupils, a letter from the Edinburgh Burns Club, coins from 2021 and a face mask, amongst other artefacts. This has been placed in a purpose-carved socket in the plinth underneath the monument along with the original time capsule, which originates from when the statue was first erected in 1898. This was opened when the statue was moved in December 2019 and its contents include newspapers, coins and a letter from the Leith Burns Club. From 1961, there were newspapers and a letter from the people who had opened the original time capsule.

By: Dr Wade King

The song Loch Lomond is well-known by Scots. Most of us learnt it as children. The lyrics are not immediately clear; it is a lament about “me and my true love” but it does not say who they were. The story behind the song is true. “Me and my true love” were Robert King and his wife Janet Kissock who lived in Renfrewshire from 1673 to 1746. They courted in 1698 – 1700 and married in 1700, to be parted by his death 46 years later.

Robert King’s baptism was recorded on 3^rd January 1673 in the Old Parish Registers of the parish of Kilbarchan [ref. O.P.R. 568/1053 Kilbarchan] as “Robert son lawful to James King and Agnes Ffairy”. His parents were from the Dudwick estate at Ellon in Aberdeenshire. They had to leave Dudwick because they belonged to the Scots Episcopalian church, were Tory by political persuasion and their families had supported King Charles I in the Civil Wars of 1638-1649. The King family of Ellon were attainted specifically by a 1644 Act of the Scots Covenanter (anti-Royalist) parliament because General James King, Lord Ythan, had led the Royalist army centre at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644. Also in that Royalist army were James’s brothers William and John, sons of the King family of Barra in the Garioch district of Aberdeenshire. That William King was the grandfather of James King who married Agnes Ffairy.

In 1652 Cromwell led an English army into Aberdeenshire to kill Royalists or drive them from their lands. James King and Agnes Ffairy fled before Cromwell’s forces. With other Episcopalians and Tories, they moved south to Renfrewshire, a Whig area where Cromwell would be unlikely to seek them. Many settled around Paisley, near Glasgow. The local Presbyterians were generous in letting them worship in one of the side chapels of the Abbey in Paisley. This was named the Non-Conformist Chapel to disguise its congregation. The Episcopalian families recorded their baptisms and marriages in the Old Parish Registers there for generations. These Episcopalian records were thought by genealogists to be lost until a few years ago, when the current author discovered them hidden in plain sight in the Abbey registers.

Robert King grew up on the family farm in Kilbarchan with his father James King, his mother Agnes Ffairy, his younger brothers William and James, and his younger sister Janet. Robert is recorded as attending Kilbarchan Kirk on 30^th June 1686. Members of the extended King family lived around the Clyde, with other Episcopalian families that had sought refuge in the 1650s. In childhood, the King children roamed the farmlands along the Clyde and later the hilly country north of the river, out to the Highland hills around Loch Lomond, where the boys hunted the wild red deer.

Janet Kissock

Janet Kissock was born around 1680 but no record of her birth has been found. She was the daughter of George Kissock of Cumnock in Ayreshire. He later moved his family to Auchinleck in Ayreshire.

In 1698 Robert King met and became enamoured of Janet Kissock. In 1699 Robert aged 26 and Janet about 19 were courting as “true loves”, roaming in the gloaming along the River Clyde and the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond. They married in her family church in Auchinleck on 20^th August 1700. They lived in Cumnock, Ayreshire and later in Beith, Renfrewshire, where Robert developed a farm and a mill. They had three sons, George born 1702, William born 1705 and James born 1707, and a daughter Janet born 1709.

Politics in Scotland became polarised between the Whigs in power in Edinburgh, supported by the Hanoverian government in London, and the Jacobites wanting restoration of a Stuart King, “the King over the water”, James VIII of Scots. In 1715 came the first major Jacobite rising, “the Fifteen”. Robert was a Tory, a Royalist and a Jacobite, like all his family, so he took his weapons and went to join the Jacobite army raised by John, Earl of Mar. Robert was then aged 42. He enlisted in Mar’s army and fought in the Battle of Sheriffmuir on 13^th November 1715. The battle was indecisive and the surviving Jacobites retired. Robert went home to Beith and his soulmate, Janet Kissock.

Meanwhile, King James VIII’s son Charles Edward Stuart, remembered as Bonnie Prince Charlie, campaigned in France for a Stuart restoration. He pressed King Louis XV of France for financial and military support.

In 1745, Prince Charlie landed in western Scotland, raised his banner at Glenfinnan and declared he had come to reclaim his father’s throne. Robert, then aged 72, took his weapons and joined the Prince’s cause, enlisting in the Atholl Brigade being raised at Blair Atholl by Lord George Murray. Because of his experience, Robert was appointed the Brigade’s (only) Sergeant, or Training Officer. As such he taught the three battalions of the Atholl Brigade battle tactics, especially the Highland Charge, which involved a lot more than is commonly thought. Robert taught the clansmen to run forward, brandishing their weapons and shouting warlike slogans, until they were 20 feet from the Sassenach (English) line, then fire their muskets and pistols at the English, throw those weapons as hard as they could to injure the Sassenachs, then drop down as the English returned fire over them. Then, when the Sassenachs were reloading, Robert would shout the order for the Atholls to stand up, form wedges and hack into the Sassenachs with their broadswords and dirks.

Culloden

Robert is listed in the muster roll of the Prince’s army as King but he took the nom-de-guerre of MacRae, the maiden name of his first daughter-in-law, because the King family had started to grow wealthy again, running ships from Port Glasgow to the American colonies, and he feared if he was captured under his real name the English would take vengeance on the family business.

Robert led the Atholl Brigade in the charge at Prestonpans on 21^st September 1745, when General Cope’s English army was routed by the Scots. Robert continued serving the Prince in the Jacobites’ march into England in late 1745, when they reached Derby, and then the return march to Scotland. Later, Robert led the Atholl Brigade in another highland charge at Falkirk Muir on 17^th January 1746, when the Scots defeated the Sassenachs again. Things seemed to be going the Scots’ way until the English Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, led a large, heavily armed English and Hanoverian army into Scotland to suppress the Rising. The Scots and Hanoverian armies came together at Culloden moor just east of Inverness on 16^th April 1746.

At Culloden, Cumberland declared he would give the Jacobites “No Quarter”. Prince Charlie’s generals argued about whether to fight that day and if so the best tactics. Lord George Murray ordered Robert to lead the Atholl Brigade onto the moor on the right wing, the position of honour, while the generals continued arguing.

Robert formed up the Atholl Brigade’s second battalion on the moor and took his position in the middle of the front rank. They stood for twenty minutes while the English artillery bombarded them. Finally, Lord George Murray gave the order to charge. Robert led the Atholl’s in a highland charge down the right side of the battlefield. First, the Atholls came under musket fire from treacherous Campbells hidden behind walls on their right. Then the Atholls came under volley fire from Wolfe’s English infantry drawn up perpendicular to the main Sassenach line, so as to pour musket fire into the attacking Scots from their right flank. Robert led the Atholls into Wolfe’s regiment, and they did great slaughter there. Then Robert led them on into Barrel’s and Munro’s regiments of the main English line, and the Atholls did great slaughter again, although at the expense of heavy Jacobite casualties.

Robert fought with his broadsword and dirk for forty minutes, no mean feat for a man of 73 years. When he realised the battle was going against the Scots, Robert led an orderly withdrawal and the Atholl Brigade, or what was left of it, left the battlefield in good order with pipes playing, then dispersed into the Highlands.

A love bond

After Culloden, redcoat Sassenachtroops scoured the Highlands to hunt out Jacobites. They ravaged and killed Highlanders, whether Jacobites or not, killed their livestock and burnt their dwellings. In July 1746 Robert was captured and taken to Carlisle Castle in northern England, where he was confined in the dungeons with about 200 other Jacobite prisoners-of-war.

The English feared another Jacobite rising and wanted to ensure there were not enough Highlanders to form another Jacobite army. Initially they decided to execute all Jacobite prisoners-of-war in their keeping, as they had done with the Scots wounded and captured at Culloden. However, they also wanted to reach a political settlement with the Scots, so they decided to execute one in ten of their Jacobite prisoners and let the others go free. Because of his age, 73 years, Robert volunteered to be one of those executed, so allowing a younger man to go home.

On 18^th October 1746 Robert and nineteen other Jacobite prisoners-of-war were taken from Carlisle Castle to nearby Harraby Hill. There they were executed by the atrocious English way of killing “traitors”, being hung, drawn and quartered. After the appalling process, their heads were placed on spikes over the castle gateway and their quartered body parts were sent to be displayed in four distant locations in England.

Robert’s execution inspired the words of the folksong Loch Lomond. The young Jacobite whom Robert saved “took the high road” (that is, he walked home) and Robert “took the low road” (was killed) but Robert was “in Scotland” (in spirit) “afore ye” (before the younger man reached home); but “me and my true love (Janet Kissock) would never meet again on the bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomond” where they had courted 46 years before.

Thus, Loch Lomond is a love song, about a love bond that lasted almost 50 years. It is also a lament, about the severing of that bond by the Sassenachs when Robert and Janet might have lived together for many more years. It is a lament too for the Highland culture crushed by the Sassenachs after Culloden in the bloody aftermath of the battle and then the devastating Highland Clearances.

The author is the five-greats grandson of Robert King who led the charge at Culloden. He is immensely proud to be of Scots heritage and, in a sense, a son of Culloden, and is profoundly moved whenever he hears the tune Loch Lomond.

Tourism group launches campaign to find kindred spirits.

Visit Wester Ross, a voluntary tourism association based in Wester Ross in the Scottish Highlands, has launched a campaign designed to attract visitors who have an affinity with Wester Ross and the people that live there.  Launched in January, Are you a West Coaster? comprises a series of films featuring West Coasters who run businesses in Wester Ross and are looking to develop sustainable tourism to the area, which is also designated a Biosphere by UNESCO. Douglas Gibson, Co-ordinator at Visit Wester Ross, explains what it means to be a West Coaster: “People living in Wester Ross share the same mindset. We are passionate about where we live, we treat our stunning natural environment and each other with respect and we are proud to welcome visitors from all over the world and share our home. But a key difference is that we take ‘Highland time’ – this landscape and our culture has developed over a long period of time and is not something that needs to be rushed. We think there are fellow West Coasters all over the UK and indeed the world. People who want something different, people who want an authentic experience in a place where people, place and land are inextricably linked, people who want to stay and spend quality time, not just pass through for a selfie. So, we are asking people to identify as a West Coaster and come and spend some quality, Highland time with us.”

Breath-taking landscapes

A series of films will be released featuring West Coasters in their places of work, talking about what it’s like to live in Wester Ross and the impression the area makes on visitors. Viewers will be introduced to the Mountaineer West Coaster, the Nature West Coaster, the Water West Coaster, the Cultural West Coaster and the Foodie West Coaster, each giving their perspective and asking the question: Are you a West Coaster? This campaign is the latest development in the tourism strategy for Wester Ross, supported by national efforts spearheaded by VisitScotland to develop sustainable tourism. Natasha Hutchison, General Manager of the Wester Ross UNESCO Biosphere, is proud that Wester Ross has been included in the world’s first UNESCO trail which was launched by VisitScotland last year.

Natasha highlights the significance of the UNESCO Biosphere designation for Wester Ross: “UNESCO Biospheres are often located in breath-taking landscapes and Wester Ross is no exception. This makes them wonderful places to visit. But living in a UNESCO Biosphere is about actively working towards a sustainable future and finding that delicate balance between development and conservation to ensure the wellbeing of our people and place for generations to come. We hope that this campaign strikes a chord with people and encourages visitors who are as passionate about Wester Ross as we are.”

Wester Ross was recognised as a Biosphere Reserve in 2016 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for the fantastic array of landscapes, wildlife and cultural heritage that the region offers. Biospheres house dynamic local partnerships, rooted in communities that work collaboratively with Biosphere teams in a global network, to explore how – through education, science, culture, communication and information – we can learn to live in harmony with our environment.

More information about Visit Wester Ross can be found at: www.visitwester-ross.com

Tucked away in a secluded bay on Scotland’s west coast, the remote island of Gruinard concealed one of British Intelligence’s most deadly secrets for over half a century.  Gruinard Island is a small island approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) long by 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) wide, located in Gruinard Bay. The island was selected by Second World War scientists as the perfect spot to test an anthrax bomb after the government of the day became anxious about Hitler’s capacity to develop biological weapons.  The experiment in 1942 was horrifically successful, in that it annihilated a flock of sheep and left the 520 acre island enshrouded in anthrax and out of bounds to any human being until 1990. Approximately 95% of people infected with anthrax die.

Gruinard’s importance

Even though particulars of the pollution programme were familiar locally, Gruinard’s importance was officially recognised in documents declassified in 1997. It was during the 1980s that Dr David Kelly (who tragically committed suicide after being involved in the controversy about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction), was head of microbiology at the Chemical Defence Establishment at Porton Down and oversaw the operation to decontaminate the island.  Cleaning and purifying an entire island proved a mammoth challenge, but ultimately it was accomplished in 1986 with the help of 280 tonnes of formaldehyde dissolved in seawater.

On 24 April 1990, after 48 years of quarantine and four years after the cleaning of Gruinard, the island was certified as safe and four years later a local crofter, John Robinson successfully reintroduced sheep. According to the wartime newspapers, scientists concluded that anthrax had ‘enormous potential’. The wartime government was so taken aback by this statement that it declared that “these forms of frightfulness” should play no role whatever in the war effort.

Today you can take kayaking tours around the island and take it in its beauty. However some experts still today insist that the island will remain dangerous for several hundred years, as it is simply impossible to destroy the remnants of the anthrax in its territory.

The National Tartan Day New York Committee is honored to announce award-winning Scottish actress Karen Gillan as Grand Marshal of the 2022 New York City Tartan Day Parade. The popular Scottish-themed event, entering its 24th year, will be held in midtown Manhattan on Saturday, April 9, 2022, returning in person for the first time since 2019. Gillan will helm the parade, followed by a lively procession of Pipe & Drum bands, Highland dancers, Scottish family clans, Shetlander Vikings and more. The annual celebration of Scottish heritage and culture brings together a rich tapestry of participants along with many thousands of spectators.

“I am absolutely delighted to represent Scotland in the next New York City Tartan Day Parade,” Gillan says. “I’m honored to help celebrate Scotland in America, and I look forward to playing a part in broadening the public’s awareness of Scotland’s history and cultural contributions.”

Karen Gillan is internationally known for her film, television and stage acting in productions including fan favorites from the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, in addition to several other projects such as Gunpowder Milkshake, Jumanji, Jumanji: The Next Level, and Doctor Who. Her most recent credits include Dual and the upcoming The Bubble. She is currently in production on Marvel’s Guardian’s of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and it was recently announced that she will be voicing the title character in Rhona Who Lives by the River for Disney+. Gillan’s work has been recognized with multiple British film and television awards, such as an Empire Award and a National Television Award. She has additionally received a Teen Choice Award in the United States and nominations for a BAFTA Scotland Award and Saturn Award.

Gillan was born and raised in Inverness, Scotland. In addition to her impressive roster of acting credentials, she is also a filmmaker and garnered a Best Feature Film nomination from British Academy Scotland Awards for her Inverness-set film The Party’s Just Beginning.

Registration for the 2022 NYC Tartan Parade is now open. Groups and individuals are invited to march in the 24^th Annual New York City Tartan Day Parade on Saturday, April 9, 2022 for free and can register by visiting:  www.nyctartanweek.org

By: David McVey

James IV is usually remembered as the tragic king who not only lost the Battle of Flodden in 1513, but also died on the field. In fact, he was a very much more complex and interesting figure who influenced both the world of the church and the world of the arts. One place where these interests came together was Linlithgow Palace.

Linlithgow figures prominently in the Flodden story; it was in St Michael’s Kirk (adjacent to the Palace and also surviving today) that, before Flodden, James reportedly saw a blue-gowned apparition that warned him not to march with his army to England. Well, we can take that, as all such stories, with a hefty pinch of salt but if James IV were to see a ghost when in church, he’d be likely to see it in St Michael’s for he regularly went to Linlithgow. He commissioned a number of developments and enhancements to the palace. It’s been called ‘James IV’s Pleasure Palace’, but it was also a place of prayer with its own Chapel Royal – as if St Michael’s Kirk wasn’t grand enough.

The arts

James IV had one especially distinguishable characteristic; he travelled about his kingdom a great deal, being seen in public, carrying out engagements and making agreements with local power bases. This was a probably a deliberate contrast to his late father, James III (a lot of Stewarts were called James) who had been criticised for rarely venturing outside Edinburgh. James, by contrast, progressed, in traditional royal fashion, between his various palaces including Edinburgh, Linlithgow, Stirling Castle and Falkland.

James encouraged the arts. He ordered the completion of the Chapel Royal and the Great Hall at Stirling Castle (both of which we can still appreciate today) and poets like William Dunbar and Gavin Douglas were encouraged to flourish. James became the patron of King’s College, Aberdeen in 1505 and in 1507 licensed Scotland’s first printing press. Scottish sacred music also began to get noticed, Robert Carver being its key figure.

Carver was an Augustinian canon at Scone Abbey near Perth, but also a composer of church music. He is most notable, however, for compiling what is now known as the Carver Choirbook, a collection of polyphonic sacred music, which included some of his own compositions. The National Library of Scotland suggests that the Choirbook was put together at some point between 1513 and 1520 (ie, after James IV’s death), possibly for use in the chapel at Scone Abbey, or the Chapel Royal at Stirling Castle. However, it’s just possible that the collection was compiled a little earlier for use in the Chapel Royal at Linlithgow Palace in the presence of James IV.

James IV was devoted to the cult of St Catherine and was known to celebrate her feast day (November 25) at Linlithgow. His alleged spectral warning about Flodden came in the St Catherine’s Aisle of St Michael’s Kirk and he paid fifteen visits to a healing well at Liberton in Edinburgh that was dedicated to St Catherine. The well still survives, in the grounds of a restaurant, and is sometimes known as ‘the Oily Well’ because of the oil that naturally appears on the water from local shale deposits. It may be significant, then, that the Carver Choirbook includes a number of works referencing St Catherine.

The sound of live Renaissance worship

Two research projects, involving Edinburgh University and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council – Space, Place, Sound and Memory and Hearing Historic Scotland – have been investigating the appearance, layout and acoustic properties of the Linlithgow Chapel Royal during James IV’s time. The aim is to enable people today to experience what the sound of live Renaissance worship was like. Linlithgow Palace is now mostly ruinous (though still impressive) and the Chapel Royal is a bare, roofless, windowless space. The researchers surveyed the existing chapel using laser technology and studied the likely furnishings and layout of the space in James IV’s time. The aim was to make recordings and to develop an app that would allow listeners to experience the music as it might have sounded in Linlithgow’s Chapel Royal in its heyday.

Informed by the Hearing Historic Scotland project, a CD was recorded and issued, composed of selections from the Carver Choirbook (although none of the chosen music is by Carver himself) including some pieces dedicated to St Catherine. The music was performed by the Binchois Consort, conducted by Andrew Kirkman. James VI is known to have celebrated Easter at Linlithgow in 1512, so the selections are designed to be a possible order of service for that occasion, performed in the presence of a king who reverenced St Catherine. Using the app, listeners can compare how the music would sound in the recreated chapel of 1512, with the sound in today’s cold bare space.

Renaissance sacred choral music may not be your cup of tea, but these studies add to our understanding of James IV. It’s remarkable how much of the world that he knew can still be visited today. The sacred well at Liberton is freely accessible and so are James’ royal palaces, although Stirling, especially, was much remodelled later by his son James V. Even the burial place of his parents, James III and Margaret of Denmark, can be visited at the site of Cambuskenneth Abbey, a quiet spot near Stirling.

Much of what we know about James concerns his piety; the chapels, the music, the sacred sites. There is also his Book of Hours, a spectacular illuminated prayer book created probably in Ghent, Belgium, and now held in the Austrian National Library in Vienna. And yet, in the strange world of the 15^th and 16^th centuries, he was able to combine his religiosity with a liberal love-life. He had several children by a string of mistresses.

James IV was a fascinating if not a particularly admirable man. Recent research now enables us to appreciate even the music he heard during his devotions. He was more than just the king who received a ghostly warning about an impending battle, ignored the warning, and rode out to his death.

You can see a sample page of the Carver Choirbook at the National Library of Scotland’s website: https://digital.nls.uk/scotlandspages/timeline/15032.html

Details of the Hearing Historic Scotland and Space, Place, Sound and Memory research can be found at: https://www.eca.ed.ac.uk/research/space-place-sound-and-memory

Main photo: Linlithgow Palace. Photo: VisitScotland.

The Scottish ski season is ready to return with a bang after two lost years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. That’s the view of Snowsport Scotland CEO Trafford Wilson, who believes the first full season since the beginning of the pandemic, ongoing uncertainty around overseas travel, plus the impact of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, create the perfect conditions for a snow sports boom in Scotland as its five resorts prepare to fully open this winter. More than 750,000 tickets are sold at Scottish snow sports venues every year in an industry worth more than £30 million to the nation’s economy annually. The Scottish Ski Industry (SSI) also supports a workforce of more than 1,000 people, as well as almost 50 elite athletes involved in the Snowsport Scotland performance programme, which includes stars such as freestyle skier Kirsty Muir. 

However, the pandemic has significantly restricted the last two winter seasons, meaning the upcoming 2021/22 ski season is pivotal to the recovery and future of the industry in Scotland. The past two years have been challenging for the Scottish snow sports industry – with the stop-start disruption of the pandemic grinding ticket sales to a halt, resulting in snow sport facilities facing a £20m reduction in revenue.  Snowsport Scotland, the governing body overseeing Scottish snow sports activity at all levels, independently verified Snowsport facility losses from the pandemic over the past two winter seasons – even accounting for mitigation from furlough, redundancies, and deferred capital payments – are more than £12m.

Look to Scotland this winter season

However, despite the difficulties, Mr Wilson, who marks four years at the helm of Snowsport Scotland in May, believes Covid-19 provided opportunity by putting the industry under the magnifying glass and highlighting its importance to Scotland’s economy and tourism industry. He said: “While Covid has been a massive headache to say the least, particularly the stop and start nature of it, it’s also provided the opportunity to gain heightened support from the Scottish Government and other agencies and promoted the national importance of the snow sports industry.  Snow sports matters in Scotland. As evidenced through independent research the snow sports industry injects £30m into the Scottish economy every year, supports a workforce of more than 1,000 professionals, plays an important role in tourism, and allows literally hundreds of thousands of people each year to enjoy the physical and mental benefits that snow sport activities offer.”

In response to the many financial setbacks spurred on by Covid-19, the Scottish Government provided a £7m “ski centre fund” to safeguard Scotland’s commercially run snow sport centres – Nevis Mountain Range, Glencoe Mountain Resort, The Lecht Ski Centre, Glenshee Ski Centre, Bearsden Snowsports Centre, Snow Factor – Glasgow, Newmilns Snowsports Centre and Glasgow Ski and Snowboard Centre.

However, for the centres and the communities around them to thrive, Mr Wilson believes more investment is needed, which will hopefully be achieved in part, by strong ticket sales in the coming winter season.  With thousands of people also facing uncertainty due to the ever-changing quarantine rules in European countries, Mr Wilson hopes more people may look to Scotland this winter season.  

He said: “There’s a golden opportunity to get people in the UK thinking about coming to Scotland as concerns remain about travelling abroad. We hope that this opportunity allows more people than ever before to experience snow sports in the UK; and want to come back for more in the years to come.  It’s fundamentally important we have a good season. We want people to ski and snowboard in Scotland, enjoy it, and make it a habit going forward. This winter season presents a great opportunity for people to make the most of the varied terrain on offer, explore our backcountry playgrounds and to learn how to ski or snowboard on home soil.  With GB Snowsport looking to confirm 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic squads, Snowsport Scotland expects to see a strong base of Scottish athletes included. We are enormously proud of the number and quality of athletes preparing to compete at the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics and look forward to seeing how their performances help inspire the next generation of snow sport participants in Scotland.”

For more on Snowsport Scotland and its activities, visit www.snowsportscotland.org.

Did you know?

•There are 5 mountain resorts in Scotland; Cairngorm Mountain; Glencoe; Glenshee; Lecht 2090; and Nevis Range.

•There are 16 artificial snow sport centres; Aberdeen Snowsports Centre; Glasgow Ski & Snowboard Centre; Midlothian Snowsports Centre – Hillend; Snow Factor; Bearsden Ski and Board Club; Newmilns Snow and Sports Complex; Polmonthill Snowsports Centre; Firpark Ski Centre; Alford Ski Centre; Glenmore Lodge; Huntly Nordic and Outdoors Centre; Lagganila Outdoor Centre; Loch Insh; and, RM-Condor Arbroath.

•There is calculated to be demand for approximately 840,000 ‘skier days’ per year in Scotland, with 580,000 taking place on artificial slopes and a further 260,000 at mountain resorts.

•750,000 ‘skier days’ were recorded in the 2018-19 winter season (the last season recorded prior to covid)

•Currently, 18 of the 48 athletes on the UK Sport funded winter sports programme are Scottish.

•Snowsport Scotland’s membership has increased by 39% over the last 4 years (4,112 new members).

American author Diana Gabaldon has brought the romance and drama of Scottish history to life for more than 50 million readers worldwide with her bestselling Outlander novels. Gabaldon’s novels, and the Starz television series they inspired, tell the story of a British army nurse who mysteriously travels back in time to 18^th century Scotland. Now, The National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA will recognize her extraordinary contributions to Scotland and America’s shared heritage by presenting her with the 2022 Great Scot Award at their 15^th annual fundraising gala, A Celebration of Scotland’s Treasures, on April 14, 2022.

“2022 has been designated Scotland’s Year of Stories, and so it seems especially appropriate to honor Diana Gabaldon, whose stories have come to embody Scotland and Scottish culture for millions of readers and television watchers around the world,” said Helen E.R. Sayles CBE, The National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA’s chair. “We are delighted to have the opportunity to thank her for inspiring so many readers to explore and fall in love with Scotland.”

Ms. Gabaldon’s first novel, Outlander, was published in 1991, and the story has extended across eight additional New York Times bestselling volumes. Her books have sold 50 million copies in 39 languages and 114 countries. The latest and ninth book, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, was published in November 2021.  Largely set in 18^th century Scotland, many of the Outlander novels use actual historic events as the backdrop for Claire and Jamie Fraser’s romance. Some of these, including the 1746 Battle of Culloden, are historic sites now in the care of the National Trust for Scotland. In addition, National Trust for Scotland properties including Falkland Palace, Preston Mill, and the Village of Culross, have been used in filming the Sony/Starz television series based on Ms. Gabaldon’s work. The series stars Catriona Balfe and Sam Heughan, and its sixth season premieres on March 6, 2022.

Americans have embraced Scottish culture through their love of Outlander

“I have seen firsthand how Americans have embraced Scottish culture through their love of Outlander,” said Kirstin Bridier, executive director of NTSUSA. “Many Outlander fans have contributed generously to the preservation of National Trust for Scotland sites associated with the novels and television show – sites like Preston Mill. We could not ask for a better ambassador for our work.”

The presentation of the Great Scot Award is at the heart of a black-tie event that raises funds to support Scotland’s largest conservation charity. Past recipients of the award include documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, comedian Sir Billy Connolly, award-winning actors Alan Cumming and Brian Cox, endurance athlete and world-record breaking cyclist Mark Beaumont, sculptor Andy Scott, and authors Denise Mina and Alexander McCall Smith.

A Celebration of Scotland’s Treasures is a festive evening that features a whisky tasting by The Macallan; the recitation of Burns’ Ode to a Haggis by Alasdair Nichol, Chairman of Freeman’s auction house and a frequent appraiser on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow; Scottish country dancing; and live and silent auctions. Before heading home, guests form a circle, clasp hands, and sing Auld Lang Syne. The National Trust for Scotland cares for 100 natural and cultural heritage properties across Scotland, including several sites that commemorate historic events described in Outlander or used for filming the Sony/Starz television show.

The Great Scot Award will be presented on April 14, 2022, at The National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA’s first in-person fundraising gala since 2019. The National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA (NTSUSA) exists to support the work of Scotland’s largest conservation charity. NTSUSA makes grants for projects that protect Scotland’s natural, built, and cultural heritage on behalf of future generations. Since 2000, NTSUSA has committed more than $10 million in funding for the National Trust for Scotland’s most urgent conservation priorities. Donations to NTSUSA, a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization, are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. To learn more about NTSUSA or to become a member, please visit www.ntsusa.org.

To learn more about the A Celebration of Scotland’s Treasures gala, visit www.ntsusa.org/about-us/celebration-gala.

Main photo: Great Scot Award honoree Diana Gabaldon with Outlander stars Catriona Balfe and Sam Heughan.

It is a custom observed worldwide by millions every New Year, now research has uncovered why revellers link arms when they sing Auld Lang Syne. A study of Robert Burns’ best-loved song links the practice to freemasonry, where singing with arms crossed and hands joined was a parting ritual in many Lodges. University of Edinburgh musicologist Morag Grant, who has just published a book about the song, spotted the Masonic connection while sifting the archives of Glasgow’s Mitchell Library. A newspaper report of an Ayrshire Lodge’s Burns Supper in 1879, describes the song being sung as members formed ‘the circle of unity’ —a common masonic ritual, also called the ‘chain of union’.

Global popularity

Dr Grant says the tradition of singing the song at times of parting, and doing so with crossed hands, emerges in the mid-19^th century – not just among Freemasons, but in other fraternal organisations too. The Masonic link is hardly surprising, according to Dr Grant. Burns was a Freemason all his adult life and the organisation was instrumental in promoting his work during his lifetime and after his death. Dr Grant has studied a range of historical sources – including written accounts, newspaper reports, theatre playbills, printed music and early recordings – to illuminate the song’s path to global popularity.

“Auld Lang Syne’s sentiments didn’t just resonate with Freemasons”, says Dr Grant. “Some of the earliest reports of the song’s use at parting come from American college graduations in the 1850s.” Within decades, the use of the song at graduation had crossed to Japan, where the well-known tune — known as Hotaru no hikari—is still played at the close of business in some shops.

Dr Grant’s study shows that Auld Lang Syne’s global fame predates the invention of sound recording and radio. Many commentators had previously linked its rise to the dawn of the broadcast era. Historical analysis suggests otherwise. In 1877, Alexander Graham Bell used it to demonstrate the telephone, and in 1890 it was one of the first songs recorded on Emil Berliner’s gramophone. The song’s use at New Year emerged around the same time, principally through exiled Scots gathering outside St Paul’s Cathedral in London, but also expatriates living abroad. By 1929, the tradition was so well established internationally that a line from the song was displayed on the electronic ticker at New Year’s celebrations in Times Square. The Scouts too played a key role in spreading its fame. The song was sung at the end of the first World Scout Jamboree in 1920 and versions in French, German, Greek and Polish soon followed.

Song’s origins

Dr Grant’s book, Auld Lang Syne: A Song and its Culture, also explores the song’s origins and Burns’ role in creating the modern song from older models. The book examines the part played by his publisher, George Thomson, in picking the tune generally sung today, which is not, in fact, the one Burns intended. Auld Lang Syne quickly became popular with Scottish audience when it was published in this form in 1799 and soon became well known elsewhere.

A key step in this process was its inclusion in an opera called Rob Roy Macgregor, or Auld Lang Syne – which premiered in London in 1818. Before long, it was being performed in North America. Says Dr Grant, who’s based in the Reid School of Music at Edinburgh College of Art: “It’s remarkable how this song, written in a language which even most Scots don’t fully understand, has become so synonymous with New Year the world over. The many traditions and rituals associated with the song – as well as it simple, singable tune – are key to understanding its phenomenal spread, and why we still sing it today. Auld Lang Syne is a song about the ties that bind us to others across the years and even though its appeal is now global, it’s very much rooted in the world Burns inhabited,” says Dr Grant.

Auld Lang Syne: A Song and its Culture by M J Grant is published by OpenBook Publishers and is available to read free online at: www.openbookpublishers.com/product/1253

Viral Scottish yoga star Finlay Wilson is back with his new book Wild Kilted Yoga: Flow and Feel Free, get ready for more tartan, more dramatic scenery and more tips and tricks to make your yoga practice extra special. Finlay took time to speak to the Scottish Banner on his love of yoga, his rescue dog Amaloh, tartan and of course Scotland. 

Finlay you have fused Scotland’s incredible scenery, the iconic kilt and the ancient, but non-Scottish, practice of yoga to become a viral Scottish yoga star a few years back. Since then, you have helped sell yoga, kilts and Scotland to the world. How has your life changed since 2017 and are you still surprised how merging these elements has been enjoyed by millions of people across the world?

FW: It constantly surprises me that every week new people engage with it. I get messages and comments from all over, some first timers to yoga, but most that are big fans of Scotland. If it gets more people thinking about yoga and a practice for themselves, then great!

You have said your dog Amaloh is the reason you created Kilted Yoga and that you rescued Amaloh from Sri Lanka with a yoga strap as a collar. Can you tell us more and how has having Amaloh in your life changed you?

FW: If it weren’t for the on-the-spot decision to rescue him, the chain of events would have meant Kilted Yoga never happened! Once Amaloh was over here, I made a video about him that went viral. In the small period of time afterwards people waited for the “what’s next” and were receptive to Kilted Yoga. His three million views were knocked out of the park within 24 hours! On a more serious and less digital note, I had just gone through an awful divorce and having him suddenly in my life gave shape to my days, keeping me from sinking too deeply. He also really enjoys being around when I am doing Yoga, so he was like a familiar that encouraged me to do even that.

As the world changed so drastically last year with many facing isolation and depression. How do you find yoga has helped you during the pandemic and how have you had to adapt your business during a Covid world?

FW: Yoga is my daily practice. The pandemic added a lot more pressure but what it did was move me outside. I found to deal with the challenges mentally, I had to augment my practice by getting outside more and became an avid cyclist, gardener and walker. From a business point of view, teaching online wasn’t new to me, so we were able to transition straight away to online classes without missing a beat. While practicing online isn’t the same as being in person, it was a means to and end that kept our community together and in a routine for the 18 months. Our staff all stayed on full time and our audience grew to span the world, that was a very unexpected bonus!

You do a lot of community outreach from your Dundee based studio and help children, young adults and families and recently became an Ambassador for the Prince’s Foundation, can you tell us more?

FW: I sure can. The studio, Heart Space, just celebrated 10 years since I opened it and now that we are back into the swing of things (albeit with physical distancing still in place) we have a full schedule of classes for families that are free. So far, we offer pregnancy yoga, parent and baby yoga, parent and baby barre, kids yoga, kids aerial yoga, and kids aerial silks and a class called Yoga for Every Body. All of our other classes help fund this and the work we do in the community. With community centres and groups still working out this new environment, we are hoping to keep developing and reforging connections we had 20 months ago.

With this focus and skillset, I was approached by The Prince’s Foundation to be an ambassador for the incredible work that the foundation does around mental health, wellbeing, and education. Without it being too much of a theme, as we come out of the pandemic, my role will become clearer as we find new ways to work with each other.

In 2017 you released the bestselling book Kilted Yoga: Yoga Laid Bare which introduced many to yoga and also some spectacular Scottish scenery.  Now you are releasing Wild Kilted Yoga: Flow and Feel Free. Can you tell us more about the new book, working with your twin brother and how making this book you were able to visit special places in Scotland from your childhood?

FW: Not only was it amazing to get out when restrictions lifted, I also hadn’t spent any meaningful time with my twin brother since the start of the pandemic. So, to be able to go out with a project and a plan felt incredible. Now, the weather had other ideas and we were hit with blizzards as soon as we got to Glen Coe in May, hail, gale force winds and torrential rain. We had to move some of our locations around and for each sequence (fire, water, earth, and air) we shot in two different locations for each as we navigated the weather. Only one of the locations, air, was new to me as we trekked along single track roads for hours to get to Sanna Beach. It looks more like Caribbean waters than what you would associate with Scotland!

Alastair has taken almost all of the images you see on my pages, we do a calendar every year and I wanted to work with someone that knows me very well, understands the poses and when I am fully in them, but also to celebrate that he is as much an essential part of kilted yoga as the guy doing the yoga!

The book follows on from book one which set the foundations of the practice I teach and moves into four very different sequences that build on these foundations. Each sequence has a different energetic with flowing movements for water and strong holds for fire. There is also a bonus chapter in there for two people practicing together, just like book one.

In 2018 you created the Kilted Yoga tartan which gives a nod to the mystical Scottish wolf. Can you tell how important it is for you incorporate kilts in your work and to also champion the art of kiltmaking and Scottish textiles?

FW: I did indeed. The colours are a cry back to a wolf’s coat with a shot of red through there for other parts of my environmental studies with Red Deer and Scot’s Pine (which has a lovely red hue to the bark). It matches the wolf tattoo on my forearm and is something that has held my imagination since I was younger and began my studies. Prickly Thistle helped design and weave the tartans and a big part of their message is the permanence of traditional Scottish industry vs. fast fashion and plastic-based materials. I know a lot of people growing up inherited a kilt, it has a lifespan beyond that, unlike most clothes and I really put mine through its paces.

Finlay what would you tell someone, regardless of their age, who wants to try yoga? Also, can you tell us about some of the ongoing benefits yoga has given you and how does it make you feel to be taking yoga to such a new level across the world?

FW: A lot of people have tried yoga, one of the things we try to let people know is that there are many styles, systems, methodologies and personalities out there. Depending on what you need (and you may not even know) it is worth shopping around a little. One teacher’s interpretation of gentle may be vastly different to another’s. It is useful to find a teacher that is knowledgeable and experienced, especially if you are navigating any injuries but it is best to check with a physical therapist about the best route for that.

For me, yoga makes me less reactive. I have a core that feels steady in the face of challenges. Breath work and endurance have helped me on so many occasions it doesn’t need mentioning! It is this that I hope brings people to my classes, the desire to explore what they can do rather than adding to a list what they can’t do.

And finally, Finlay in your book and your videos you get to travel across Scotland and show off its beauty to many. How does Scotland’s natural settings compliment yoga and do you have a favourite part of the country to visit when not rolling out the yoga mat?

FW: I love practicing all over but if it’s a peat bog and soaking, I am usually miserable!  Give me dry and grippy rock and we are on to a winner. It’s the fresh air, the feeling of life in with each breath. Whenever I am away travelling it is something I look forward to on my return.

Wild Kilted Yoga: Flow and Feel Free by Finlay Wilson is available now. For more information or to keep up with Finlay see: www.finlay-wilson.com

Photo courtesy of: Alastair Wilson/Hodder & Stoughton.

CelticFest organisers are pleased to announce that Early Bird tickets are now available for the CelticFest Gathering, the festival’s main ticketed event to be held on Saturday 26 March 2022 at the Warwick Showgrounds. For the very reasonable price of $15 for adults and $5 for school age children, festival-goers will be able to immerse themselves in a full day of events to celebrate all things Celtic, including highland games heavy events, pipe band competition, Irish dancing, highland dancing competition, clan gathering, Celtic choir, medieval village, Celtic-themed markets, and music from bands such as Limerick.  In the evening, Irish band The Gathering will get everyone up on their feet and dancing. CelticFest Gathering tickets are available at www.eventbrite.com.au.

A celebration of the Southern Downs’ rich Scottish and Irish heritage

CelticFest is a celebration of the Southern Downs’ rich Scottish and Irish heritage and continues on from the Warwick Caledonian Society’s 150^th Anniversary celebrations in March 2021.

“Those who attended the 150^th celebrations in March 2021 will have some idea of what to expect,” said Alexander Manfield, the Society’s chieftain. “From medieval re-enactments to marching bands, from highland games to highland dancing, from pipe bands to Celtic rock bands, from highland coos (cows) to haggis, it will be like the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo right here in Warwick.” The Warwick business community will also experience the benefits of CelticFest, with accommodation providers already receiving bookings for the event, Manfield added. “The Warwick Showgrounds is going to transform into a sea of tartan, armour, music, dance and traditional food,” he said. “This is going to be a brilliant festival.”

CelticFest organisers are also delighted to announce that Warwick Sandstone, Warwick Friendly Society, Proterra and Ironside Industry have committed to providing sponsorship for CelticFest. “It is our pleasure to be able to contribute towards an exciting new festival, CelticFest – another reason to put our great town of Warwick on the must-visit map,” said Jill Bockman, from Warwick Sandstone. “Warwick Sandstone wishes the CelticFest planning committee good luck for an exciting and great outcome.”

Celtic-themed events

In addition to the main Saturday event, CelticFest Community events will be held on Friday 25 March and Sunday 27 March. Some of these events will be free, and some will have their own ticketing. The CelticFest Community events will be held across many of the towns and villages in the region including Warwick, Killarney, Allora and Clifton, and will celebrate the area’s Celtic heritage, music, art, dance and natural beauty including workshops, performances and tours.

Club Warwick RSL, a key CelticFest supporter, will host toe tappin’ Irish band Limerick (the Saturday after St Patrick’s) Day, and is planning other Celtic-themed events leading up to CelticFest. Southern Downs Steam Railway will offer a trip to Clifton on Sunday 27^th  March, which will include lunch at O’Shanley’s Irish Bar and Restaurant. The Warwick Art Gallery is holding a Celtic-themed art exhibition, titled ‘Cruthaich’ (Gaelic for ‘create’) between March 3-April 19, 2022, for which it is currently inviting submissions from artists; submissions close 11 February 2022.  

Meanwhile Scots PGC College will run a Pipe Band competition, also on Sunday 27^th March, and Glengallan Homestead and Warwick’s Pringle Cottage will host roaming pipers while celebrating the region’s history. Warwick Parkrun will host a Scottish-themed parkrun on the morning of Saturday 26th, and is inviting those in town for CelticFest to get their tartan on for a running start to the event. This is just a taste of what CelticFest visitors can expect from what is sure to be an event that will have something to suit everyone’s interest. CelticFest is assisted by the Local Event Funding Program (LEFP), which is a temporary funding program facilitated by Southern Downs Regional Council and jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments as a component of the 2019 Queensland Bushfires Community Recovery Package under Category C of the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

Information about CelticFest and the CelticFest Community events will be placed on the CelticFest website at www.celticfestqld.com.au, and also on the CelticFest Warwick Facebook page as they are confirmed.

A Winter Indoor/Outdoor Celtic Festival, to be held on Saturday February 19, 2022 at the WNC Agriculture Center in Flecher, North Carolina.

Entertainment will include Live Celtic Music from bands like ALBANNACH from Glasgow Scotland, Kilmaine Saints from Pennsylvania and Unspoken Traditions from Cherryville, NC. The opening ceremony will occur at 11:00 am with the awakening sounds of The Grandfather Mountain Pipe and Drum Band.

Other entertainment will include LIVE Full Armored Sword Fighting at The Castle by The Warriors of Ashe.

More Features:

•             Border Collie Demonstrations

•             Celtic Educational Role Play Groups

•             Scottish Athletic Demonstrations

•             Celtic Dog Clubs

•             Genealogy Research

•             Celtic Foods

•             A Royal Court

•             A Celtic Village of Artisans and Craftsmen

•             Kilts everywhere!

Mission: The Asheville Celtic Festival is the focused event of the Asheville Celtic Group, a Non-Profit 501 (c) 3 Corporation. The group was founded for the primary purpose of creating various platforms for education on the subject of the historic Celtic cultural influences of settlers from the Seven Nations to the specific region of the Western North Carolina Mountains dating from 1750 to 1850.

For more details see: www.ashevillecelticfest.com or www.facebook.com/ashevillecelticfest

Researched and written by volunteers at Culloden Visitor Centre, ‘The Road to Culloden’ follows the deadly game of cat and mouse between Government and Jacobite forces, concluding with the Battle of Culloden.

Four volunteers at Culloden Visitor Centre – Peter Cowe, John Easson, Ewen Macniven and Emma Tautscher – spent months piecing together information from a variety of sources for the newly released The Road to Culloden podcast series. The script was then checked by the National Trust for Scotland’s historians before being given the seal of approval from Professor Murray Pittock, the Trust’s Scottish History advisor and a world expert on Culloden.

The 275^th anniversary of the battle

Each 15-minute episode takes a different point of the story as its theme. A new episode will be released every few weeks until April 2022, marking the end of the commemoration of the 275^th anniversary of the battle. These podcasts also mark the beginning of Culloden’s programme of ‘war stories’ – this will run over the next two years, tying in with VisitScotland’s Year of Stories 2022.

The Road to Culloden podcast has been supported by many experts and members of the public, all passionate about the history of both the place and the people, before and after the Battle of Culloden. We are deeply grateful to those who have shared their expert knowledge and to those who donated to make this series possible, including eminent military historian Christopher Duffy, Professor Murray Pittock, the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA and donors to Culloden’s Fighting Fund. The Road to Culloden has been recorded by veteran broadcaster Clare English and a new episode will be released every 4 weeks.

Episodes

At time of press five episodes are now available and episodes include:

1) Matters a-Rising! From political power struggles to dynastic divisions and civil war, part one of the Road to Culloden podcast, Matters a-Rising, positions the central players in the 1745 Rising and sets the scene for the battle for the throne of Great Britain.

2) Cat chases mouse, or does mouse chase cat? Take part in a deadly game of cat and mouse as Prince Charles and his Jacobites advance across Scotland, pursued by Government troops. Ambushes, subterfuge, and brutal skirmishes defined the opening salvos of the campaign and saw the rebel Prince take up residence in Holyrood.

3) The long way there and back. Following victory in the Battle of Prestonpans Prince Charles Edward Stewart’s eye turned to England and the next stage in the Jacobite Rising. Advancing into England at breakneck pace and with London in their sights, poor intelligence and internal squabbles would ultimately shape the Jacobites’ vision.

4) Decisions, decisions. An out-voted Bonnie Prince is forced to head home under duress as the momentum shifts in the 1745 Rising. Sensing blood, the Government marches north in hot pursuit, with ‘Rebellious Scots to crush’, but there was still hope and victories ahead for the Jacobite forces.

5) The Battle of Culloden and its immediate aftermath. Harried and hunted, the exhausted Jacobites gather at Drummossie Moor for what would be one final and emphatic confrontation. The final episode of the Road to Culloden takes us onto the battlefield and among the ranks for the battle and tells of its brutal aftermath, the effects of which still resonate today.

Listen to The Road to Culloden at: https://pod.co/the-road-to-culloden-podcast

A tartan incorporating the colours of Scotland’s national nurse uniform has been created by nursing students and is the first of its kind to celebrate the profession. The woven cloth features shades of blue with burgundy detail to echo the official outfits worn by NHS nurses, healthcare assistants and student nurses across the country.  The tartan was conceived by Nursing Studies students at the University of Edinburgh, home to the UK’s first nursing degree, the UK’s first nursing research unit, and Europe’s first Professor of Nursing Studies. The Nursing Now – Edinburgh Nursing Studies tartan symbolises identity, kinship and solidarity for nurses, according to its registration with the Scottish Register of Tartans.

Celebrating nursing

The colourful project has been developed in partnership with Nursing Now – a global campaign established in 2018 to promote nursing and its vital role in improving health and transforming heathcare – and as part of the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, which was designated by the World Health Organisation in 2020 to celebrate and enhance nursing.  Jamie Smith, a nurse at NHS Lothian and a PhD student at the University, and Georgia Duffy, a former student at Edinburgh and also a nurse in practice at NHS Lothian, initiated the idea for the tartan and its design and said:  “Tartan is such a symbol of kinship which is synonymous with Scotland. We thought by creating this special tartan just for nurses it could help recognise their contribution – a way to support those who are always there to support us.”

A range of tartan merchandise – including facemasks, lambswool scarfs, shawls, stoles, wraps and tartan ties have been developed. People can also show their support for nurses with a charity tartan ribbon available for purchase on the Nursing tartan website. Georgia Duffy, NHS Lothian nurse said: “Capturing the essence of nurses and nursing was paramount to us on the creation of the tartan. Using the national uniform colours achieves this through highlighting the diversity within the workforce. Anyone can wear the tartan and we hope everyone will and can.”

Sales of the products will help raise funds for projects which will equip nurses and midwives to tackle global healthcare challenges.  Proceeds will also support The Burdett Trust for Nursing, a charitable trust which funds a range of projects to empower nurses and make significant improvements to the patient care environment. The Burdett Trust provides support for the Edinburgh Global Nursing Initiative – a University project launched in 2020 which connects nurses worldwide to share research, innovations and knowledge to boost people’s health outcomes. The global initiative’s pioneering projects have a focus on innovating nursing and midwifery in areas where health systems are affected by challenges such as disease outbreaks, poverty and conflict.

The Scottish members of a consortium set up to save a unique collection of literature for the nation have welcomed the news that their international appeal has reached its target of £15 million. This means that the Blavatnik Honresfield Library (formerly Honresfield Library) – a treasure trove of items from the world’s most beloved writers, unseen by the public for almost a century – will no longer be sold at open auction and instead will be shared with libraries and other organisations across the UK. The library, collected and curated by a Rochdale businessman in the 1800s, comprises priceless manuscripts, rare first editions and irreplaceable letters. These include works by Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, Jane Austen and the Brontë siblings.

A UK-wide consortium led by The Friends of the National Libraries, which includes Abbotsford, the National Library of Scotland and the National Trust for Scotland, was successful in raising half the funds needed from hundreds of individual donors, as well as the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Scottish Government, the Foyle Foundation, and other organisations, with the balance coming from a generous donation by Sir Leonard Blavatnik – the largest ever given to the UK by an individual for a literary treasure. This achievement has also been made possible by the vendor’s willingness to give the consortium the time needed to launch and run the fundraising appeal, to which countless people from Scotland, the UK and around the world contributed.

Coveted collection of literary treasures

Arrangements will be made in the coming months for the Scottish organisations to take possession of key works from the collection, conserve them and make them publicly accessible. These include an early volume of poems by Robert Burns in his own hand – containing some of his earliest recorded literary works – known as the First Commonplace Book, as well as individual autograph poems (Cessnock Bank and the Brigs of Ayr), and some of the poet’s earliest correspondence, including the only extant letter to his beloved father.

Other Scottish material of huge importance is the complete working manuscript of Sir Walter Scott’s iconic novel Rob Roy, part of the autographed manuscript of Scott’s verse romance, The Lay of the Last Minstrel, his travel journal of an expedition off the Scottish coast in 1814, a copy of Border Antiquities with extensive manuscript revisions, and an exceptional group of Scott first editions in their original condition.

Culture Minister Jenny Gilruth said: “It’s important for the nation that this coveted collection of literary treasures has been saved from being sold into private hands. Once again, books which play a crucial part in Scotland’s literary history were in danger of being withheld from public view. These include some of Robert Burns’s earliest works and the manuscript of Sir Walter Scott’s Rob Roy. The Scottish Government is pleased to support the Honresfield Library appeal by providing £400,000 to ensure these valuable books return to Scotland where our culture and heritage organisations will ensure they are cared for, preserved and made available to the public.”

MacLeod, Gandy, Mathieson & Carlisle to teach at Balmoral’s Winter Workshop.

The Balmoral School of Piping & Drumming is offering a weekend-long Winter Workshop for Pipers, February 4-6, 2022, for a fee of $275 USD. Students who refer new students will receive $50 off the price of the Workshop for each new student referred.

Attendees will receive online instruction via Zoom, with tech help available for those who need it. Our guest piping instructors—Roddy McLeod, Andrew Carlisle, Bruce Gandy, Robert Mathieson— have all won major awards and have incomparable records of teaching and promoting pipe music around the world.

Roddy MacLeod, MBE, of Glasgow, Scotland, won his first Gold Medal at the Northern Meeting in 1986, Argyllshire Gathering Gold Medal in 1988. He is a 10-time winner of the Piobaireachd at the Glenfiddich Solo Piping Championship and has won the overall title five times. While Pipe Major of the Scottish Power Pipe Band, he led it to over 45 Grade 1 Championship prizes including the Cowal Championships and All Ireland Championships. He was Principal of The National Piping Centre from 1996 -2020.

Originally from Northern Ireland, now a resident of Pittsburgh, Andrew Carlisle has won numerous top awards: A Grade Strathspey and Reel at Oban, the A Grade Piobaireachd & Overall at The Cowal Highland Gathering, US Gold Medals for both Light Music & Piobaireachd, and three All-Ireland titles at Senior level. He’s 3-time winner of the Macallan Trophy at Lorient, Brittany, France. Andrew holds the prestigious positions of Professor of Music and Director of Piping at Carnegie Mellon University.

A resident of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Bruce Gandy was a member of the 78^th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band when they were the first non-Scottish pipe band to win the World Pipe Band Championships in 1987. His solo awards include the Canadian Gold Medal, Gold Medal at the Northern Meeting, Gold Medal at Oban, and Bratach Gorm. He is a 3-time winner of the MacCrimmon Memorial Cairn for Piobaireachd and is a Vancouver Indoor 6-Time Metro Cup Winner.

From Hamilton Scotland, Robert Mathieson is a composer of pipe music, as well as an award-winning Pipe Major. He served as pipe major of the Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band of North Lanarkshire, Scotland, from 1986 to 2010. The band won 30 major championships under Mathieson’s leadership and was a 5-time winner of the World Pipe Band Championships.

Special deal for band members! Bring at least a few members of your pipe band to Balmoral and you’ll receive a highly customizable band clinic, tailored to your band’s needs, as part of your Winter Workshop.

For further details see: www.balmoralschoolofpiping.org/winter-workshop

An elite dance company of New Zealand’s champion Highland Dancers, renowned for performing innovative choreography worldwide, will perform an exclusive show at the 8^th Te Anau Tartan Festival this Easter. The Highland Dance Company of New Zealand is usually in demand performing its energetic and contemporary acts at festivals, tattoos and shows around the world, but opportunities have been stalled by the Coronavirus pandemic.

With assistance from the Regional Events Fund, which was created to stimulate domestic tourism and travel between regions through holding events, the Te Anau Tartan Festival’s invitation to the dance company to headline this year’s event was met with overwhelming enthusiasm. The company will perform a revised version of its Heart of the Highlands show, which included Invercargill in its 2018 tour, specially adapted to suit the Te Anau town hall stage at the Fiordland Events Centre. As part of their goal to inspire and encourage other young dancers, the company is giving those competing at the festival the exciting opportunity to apply to be part of the cast.

How exciting and innovative Highland Dancing can be

Numbers are limited and priority will be given to Southland-based dancers. Te Anau Tartan Festival convener Kirsty Pickett, who is also a Highland Dancing teacher, said the festival committee was extremely excited to be hosting the dance company, and she hoped as many people as possible would take the opportunity to come and witness the spectacle, “I can’t emphasise enough just what a unique opportunity this is. While we see them in competition around the country, these dancers usually only come together as a troupe for international performances. Shows around New Zealand are rare. Although it’s grounded in our traditional technique, the choreography and costuming is contemporary and dynamic and will appeal to a wide range of people. I think people will be genuinely surprised at just how exciting and innovative Highland Dancing can be. What these dancers are doing for Highland Dancing is akin to what Riverdance did for Irish dancing.”

Past and present champions and nationally-ranked dancers make up the cast, including the reigning New Zealand Champion, Angus Hendry. Full programme details will soon be unveiled, but the Dance Company will perform two shows over the course of the Tartan festival, the first to open the festival on Friday, 15^th April. Tickets will be available on the festival website: www.teanautartanfestival.co.nz. Alongside highland dancing and solo bagpiping competitions, other events planned are the ever-popular have-a-go highland games on Saturday, 16th April, that the whole family can take part in, along with food stalls and a market. And, for the first time, piping and Highland Dancing workshops will be offered on Sunday, 17^th April, to encourage competitors and their families to stay in the region longer, and learn from some of the country’s leading tutors.

For details on the Te Anau Tartan Festival see: www.teanautartanfestival.co.nz

Main photo: Reigning New Zealand Highland Dance champion Angus Hendry, of Palmerston North, will join the New Zealand Highland Dance Company at the Te Anau Tartan Festival this Easter. Photo: Chris Watson/Profocus Photography.

30-year project joins prestigious European group of awe-inspiring rewilding areas.

An ambitious 30-year landscape-scale rewilding initiative to link up a majestic sweep of the Scottish Highlands as one vast nature recovery area connecting Loch Ness to Scotland’s west coast has been launched by charity Trees for Life, and joins a select group of prestigious European rewilding areas.  The Affric Highlands initiative follows three years of consultation between Rewilding Europe, Trees for Life, and other local partners and stakeholders. It will restore nature across a network of landholdings potentially covering an area of over 500,000 acres stretching from Loch Ness across the central Highlands to Kintail in the west, and encompassing Glens Cannich, Affric, Moriston and Shiel.

Trees for Life has brought together a broad coalition of landowners, communities and others to boost habitat connectivity, species diversity, and social and economic opportunities in the region, while tackling climate breakdown. With community involvement and partnership working central to the project, a diverse group of 20 landowners covering at least 25% of the total area and six organisations are already on board, with hopes that more will join. Work is underway to further involve local people, with practical action to connect areas of rewilding land due to begin in 2023.

Affric Highlands

During a ceremony attended by partners and stakeholders at Glenurquhart Public Hall in Drumnadrochit by Loch Ness, Affric Highlands was officially welcomed by Rewilding Europe as the ninth member of its network of large pioneering rewilding areas – taking the organisation one step closer to its ultimate goal of 10 such areas in Europe. Rewilding Europe’s eight other awe-inspiring rewilding areas are Portugal’s Greater Côa Valley; the Danube Delta in Ukraine, Romania and Moldova; Romania’s Southern Carpathians; Croatia’s Velebit Mountains; Italy’s Central Apennines; Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountains; the Oder Delta in Germany and Poland; and Swedish Lapland.

“With Scotland’s rewilding movement growing rapidly – and the Scottish Rewilding Alliance calling for Scotland to become the world’s first Rewilding Nation, with the rewilding of 30% of the country’s land and sea by 2030 – Affric Highlands will take large-scale nature recovery to a new level, providing a catalyst for the local economy at the same time,” said Steve Micklewright, Chief Executive of Trees for Life. He continued: “The Highlands have huge potential to help nature to come back and so help people to thrive, and to make a leading contribution to tackling the global climate and nature emergencies. We are delighted Affric Highlands is now one of Rewilding Europe’s large rewilding areas that are inspiring hundreds of other rewilding projects across the continent.”

Because engaging and involving stakeholders from the beginning is crucial to the success of any rewilding initiative, Rewilding Europe has been working with Trees for Life to lay the foundations for this over the past three years – including through meetings with over 50 local stakeholders, drawing on experience from other major rewilding sites across Europe, and a scoping study.

A beacon of hope

As well as connecting habitats, Affric Highlands will bring people together to help nature recover, and strengthen connections between communities and the wildlife on their doorsteps. Forest rewilding has been at the root of Trees for Life’s work for three decades. The charity has so far established nearly two million native trees to restore the unique and globally important Caledonian Forest at its own 10,000 acre estate at Dundreggan in Glenmoriston, and at dozens of other sites in the Highlands, including Glen Affric. In 2023, Dundreggan will become home to the world’s first Rewilding Centre – showcasing how large-scale nature recovery can give people amazing experiences, create jobs and benefit local communities. Rewilding Europe says this work in the Highlands has been a beacon of hope for reversing declines in habitat and wildlife that have left vast swathes of Scotland overgrazed, treeless, denuded, drained and over-managed, to the point that little remains unmodified by humans.

“Affric Highlands is a bold, exciting and inspiring venture for nature’s recovery as Scotland moves up the biodiversity league table. Our decision to accept the project as our ninth rewilding area reflects the hard work and achievements of Trees for Life, its volunteers and its partners,” said Frans Schepers, Managing Director of Rewilding Europe. “Including Affric Highlands in our portfolio of major European rewilding areas will help magnify rewilding’s impact in the Highlands, and put it firmly on the global map.” 

The project will take a grassroots, community-driven approach that grows organically – harnessing an interdependence of nature, people and businesses to create a more resilient area for the future. Rewilding Europe’s rewilding principles, best practices and wealth of Europe-wide practical experience will help to shape and guide Affric Highlands on its rewilding journey.

Find out more about Affric Highlands at: www.treesforlife.org.uk/affric-highlands

UNESCO has announced Perth is to join their Creative City network as a City of Crafts and Folk Art – the first in the UK. After a highly competitive bidding process, Perth will join the established global group of 50 countries from across the world in celebrating craft, including Jaipur, Cairo and Carrera.  Perth’s application was written during the pandemic, led by Perth and Kinross Council and with extensive consultation amongst craftspeople and makers. Further work with the creative and business sectors will take place in early 2022.  It was also announced that Belfast will join the network as a Creative City of Music. 

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) was launched in 2004 to promote cooperation among cities which recognise that creativity is a major factor in their development. The network membership lasts forever, as long as the city continues to meet the UNESCO requirements.

Craftistown

The Perth bid focused on the importance of craft to the history and heritage of the city -it was known as ‘Craftistown’ from the early 16^th century because of the importance of trades and its Incorporation of Guilds. It detailed how craft is still essential today with a wealth of creative talent across the whole area and the growing creative industry sector. Being a UNESCO city has huge positive impact on a city and the surrounding region; it is a world recognised badge of quality for the area, a driver of funding streams and a way of creating new commercial and learning opportunities for creatives and makers to live and work in.  The bid centred on Perth itself but the designation will include the whole of Perth and Kinross. 

Perth joins the Scottish cities of Dundee, City of Design; Edinburgh, City of Literature and Glasgow, City of Music.  Karen Merkel, Non-Executive Director for Communication & Information, UK National Commission for UNESCO, said: “The UK National Commission for UNESCO is delighted to welcome Perth to the family of UK UNESCO Creative Cities, which now counts four cities in Scotland. Located in the heart of Scotland, Perth’s status as an historic centre of excellence for the trade and production of crafts has been recognised on a global scale for the first time.  The inhabitants of Perth, especially those who make their livelihoods in Craft and Folk Art, can celebrate that, through this UNESCO Designation, their enduring heritage of making, educating and celebrating Craft and Folk Art can continue long into the future.”

By: Judy Vickers

When a group of Norse fighters crept up in the dead of night, getting ever closer to a sleeping Scots army, it must have seemed to them that the idea of going barefoot to allow a silent attack was a tactical master stroke. But the Ayrshire landscape had a surprise in store, something that is still remembered today, more than 750 years later.  Walking over a bed of thistles without footwear is too much for most, and the invaders shrieked in pain as the sharp prickles pierced their skin. The Scots were alerted and saw off the Norsemen, a precursor to the ensuing Battle of Largs where King Haakon Haakonsson’s men were seen off, ultimately ending five hundred years of Norse occupation.

An emblem of Scotland

While the events of 1263 may be interesting, and they certainly had a major impact on the future of Scotland, it is the thistle that has come out the real winner. From that tale of soldiers being thwarted by the plant, it has become an emblem of Scotland with a global reach, marked by Royal Orders, flags, coins, army units, universities, sports teams and even mascots. Perhaps the most prestigious commemoration of the thistle is The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, the oldest chivalric order in Scotland.

According to the Royal Household: “The Order of the Thistle is the greatest order of chivalry in Scotland, recognising sixteen Knights with the highest honour in the country and recognises Scottish men and women who have held public office or who have contributed in a particular way to national life.”

Its origins are steeped so far back in the mists of history that no-one really knows when the order was founded. Some say King Achaius made an alliance in 809 with the Emperor Charlemagne and began it then. Others claim it was started at the end of the 15^th century by James III who had adopted the thistle as the Royal plant badge. What is known is that James VII of Scotland (James II of England) gave a statutory foundation to the order in 1687 – to reward Scottish peers who supported the king’s political and religious aims.

The Queen appoints people to the order as her personal gift, and current knights and ladies include Lady Marion Fraser, a music teacher and former Director of St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh as well as former Chief Scout of the United Kingdom, Sir Garth Morrison. The order has its own chapel at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh and uses the motto Nemo me impune lacessit (No one harms me with impunity), which is the Latin motto of the Royal Stuart dynasty of Scotland.

The Scots Guards also use the motto Nemo me impune lacessit, and have the thistle on its regimental badge. The thistle appears on the badge of the Yeomen of the Guard as well – a bodyguard for the monarch which originated in 15^th century England but expanded with the Union of the Crowns in 1603. Following the union, James VI of Scotland incorporated the thistle, with a Tudor rose, into a royal badge and the flower now appears in the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom, as well as the emblems of major public bodies, such as the United Kingdom’s Supreme Court.

A symbol of strength

But it is not just nobility and the state who lay claim to the thistle as a symbol of strength. In modern Scotland it can be seen in many aspects of life, notably sport. The football teams Partick Thistle and Inverness Caledonian Thistle are the obvious examples, but it is also the name of the national netball team and Clyde the Thistle was the mascot for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

It is also the emblem of the country’s rugby team, who also began the tradition – followed by other sports – of singing Flower of Scotland before games. In fact, images of the thistle are so widely seen in Scotland, you could be forgiven for not noticing them – the flower also forms the basis of the logo for the Scottish National Party and Police Scotland and is the emblem for the Encyclopaedia Britannica, which originated in Edinburgh. Coins in Scotland have made use of the symbolism of the thistle, starting in 1474 with currency issued by James III. In 1536 a sixpence (commonly called a bawbee) was minted under James V showing a crowned thistle. Five pence pieces were minted with a thistle on them until 2008 and are still in circulation.

The Scottish thistle also has worldwide appeal and is in the coat of arms of Nova Scotia. Meaning New Scotland, the province was given the name after British conquest in the 18^th century. The flags of Montreal, Canada and in the United States Annapolis in Maryland also use the thistle, as does the crest of Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania.

But which thistle are we talking about?

Many images of thistles on crests, flags, coins and badges are based on the cotton thistle. However, while native to most of Europe, it is only in the last few centuries that it has spread as far as Scotland and in medieval period it would not have grown in the country.

But the spear thistle could well be the thistle trodden on by Norse fighters more than seven hundred years ago. It is still found widely in Scotland, and across the world, including Australia and North America.

Some have wondered if the true thistle of Scotland is the musk thistle, the romantically named melancholy thistle or Our Lady’s thistle. But whatever the actual species, it has a long-lasting place in the culture of Scotland which shows no sign of disappearing.

Main photo: Spear thistle. Photo: Charles J Sharp/Wikimedia Commons.

By: David McVey

In 2014 BBC 2 ran a three-part documentary entitled The Stuarts, presented by Dr Clare Jackson of the University of Cambridge. The series began with James VI and 1, meaning that over 200 years of monarchical history were omitted, as if the Stuarts only became interesting when their dynasty took over the English throne. In fact, the Stuarts – or Stewarts – presided over colourful times when they ruled Scotland alone. And it all began at Dundonald Castle in Ayrshire.

The site of Dundonald Castle has a long history. There was probably an Iron Age settlement on the hilltop and the obvious defensive qualities of the steep, rocky hill were continued when a motte and bailey structure occupied the site. The present structure was built around a 13^th century tower which may have been the gatehouse of an earlier version of the castle.

A royal dynasty

The castle belonged to the Stewarts, the hereditary High Stewards of the kings of Scotland who became a royal dynasty themselves. Their first monarch was Robert the Steward, who became Robert II in 1371 at 55. Only four years earlier he had been a prisoner in Lochleven Castle, as would his descendent Mary Queen of Scots 200 years later. He lived at Dundonald and is believed to have improved and enhanced the building in the 1350s. The intent was not, it’s believed, defensive, but rather just to impress. As you approach the castle on the steep path from the Visitor Centre you can only imagine that he succeeded; your view of the castle emerges in an imposing way.

Robert II died at Dundonald in 1390 and his successor, Robert III was also associated with the castle. In fact, it’s possible he also died in his bed here in 1406, though Rothesay Castle on Bute is more likely. A family of local magnates, the Cochranes, bought the castle in 1636 and almost immediately began robbing the stonework for the rebuilding of nearby Auchans House. Cochrane was a Royalist, and after the Restoration was rewarded by being made Earl of Dundonald. A descendent, and 10th Earl of Dundonald, was the legendary naval figure Admiral Thomas Cochrane (1775-1860). A swashbuckling adventurer, Cochrane even served in the Chilean navy during a period when he was out of favour with the Royal Navy. He became the 10th Earl in 1831. His buccaneering adventures are said to have been an influence on two fictional naval heroes; CS Forester’s Hornblower and Patrick O’Brian’s Jack Aubrey. And further, the Star Trek team’s debt to Royal Navy history and fiction is well-known, so their supposed inventor of the Warp Drive, Zefram Cochrane, is surely a tribute to the 10th Earl of Dundonald.

A beautiful rising ground

Dundonald Castle was never lived in again after the Cochrane era. Boswell and Johnson visited the ruin in 1773 during their tour of Scotland and Johnson was apparently much amused that such a grubby ruin could have been a royal residence. Johnson used this as the basis for another tongue-in-cheek snook to cock at Scotland’s relative poverty. Johnson doesn’t mention the visit to Dundonald in his A Journey to the Western Isles of Scotland but Boswell, in his parallel The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides says of Dundonald:

“It stands on a beautiful rising ground, which is seen at a great distance on several quarters, and from whence there is an extensive prospect of the rich district of Cuninghame, the western sea, the isle of Arran, and a part of the northern coast of Ireland.”

He laments its ruinous, roofless state and goes on: ‘we could not, by any power of imagination, figure it as having been a suitable habitation for majesty.’ Johnson joked about ‘King Bob’ and, according to Boswell, ‘roared and laughed till the ruins echoed.’ As there always are with historic castles, Dundonald has tales of underground passages, leading to Stane Castle and Seagate Castle near Irvine, and to the other Cochrane home at Auchans. Almost certainly there is nothing to these tales, but the children will enjoy hearing them and constructing stories around them.

The building came into state care in 1953. While it is still structurally looked after by Historic Environment Scotland (HES), its day-to-day management is in the hands of a local volunteer group, the Friends of Dundonald Castle. They run a small Visitor Centre with toilets, a café and a small museum. During 2021 HES was forced to undertake consolidation work on some of the building and so it was closed off to visitors. It’s almost a relief to see access limited for a reason other than Covid. However, the Visitor Centre remained open and you can still view the building from outside a temporary fence.

Dundonald Castle has a car park and Stagecoach bus 10 runs here from Kilmarnock. Check in advance to see whether the castle has fully reopened.

Main photo: Dundonald Castle. Image: VisitScotland.

Five years after he died at the age of 37, nine of Robert Burns’ close friends got together to remember him. It was 21 July 1801, the anniversary of the poet’s death. Led by the Reverend Hamilton Paul, they met at Burns Cottage in Alloway to raise a glass to the memory of their friend and quote some of his work. They didn’t know it at the time, but this was the first Burns supper. Haggis and sheep’s head were on the menu, while they recited Address to a Haggis and sang some of the great man’s songs.

Caroline Smith, Operations Manager at Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, said: “The toast to Burns’ life is where the Immortal Memory comes from in today’s Burns Suppers. It was a recollection of his life and some of the things he did. They also recited some of Burns’ liveliest works – as we still do today.” The friends planned another get-together, this time on the anniversary of Burns’ birth, but they got the date wrong and met up on 29 January. It wasn’t until 1803 that they met on his actual birthday, 25 January, now the date on which we remember him.

The Bard’s life

Today you can visit Robert Burns Birthplace Museum to see the cottage where the first Burns Supper was held, then get an insight into the Bard’s life with the letters and manuscripts on display in the museum. You can also see prized personal objects such as his writing set. “We have old menus of Burns Suppers in our collection, and in the early years they ate things like boiled sheep’s head, food that was common at the time”, says Caroline. After the first event in Alloway, the Greenock Ayrshire Society started the tradition of the annual Burns Supper.

By 1815, Sir Walter Scott had organised a Burns Supper in Edinburgh, but this was a much grander, literary affair than the celebrations in the west of Scotland. Now, more than 200 years on, we still get together to share the work of the Bard. The haggis is piped in, there are moving recitals of his songs and poems, finishing with a wee dram and a rousing rendition of Auld Lang Syne.

Text courtesy of the National Trust for Scotland. For more information on the Trust or to help them protect Scotland’s heritage see: www.nts.org.uk

Did you know?

Burns Cottage

-This cosy three-room cottage is where Burns was born and lived until the age of seven. Take a look at the tiny box bed that young Robert shared with three of his siblings.
-Burns and his family lived side by side with their farm animals. In the kitchen, they ate their meals together, read by the crackling fireside and received their earliest schooling. The kitchen area is brought to life with a spooky rendition of Tam o’ Shanter, re-creating the atmosphere of the house where Burns’s imagination was first fired.
-Throughout, the walls of the cottage are daubed with fragments of Burns’ verse and a braw selection of Scots words, such as ‘hawkie’ and ‘crambo-jingle.’ Outside is the small cottage garden where Robert tended the crops alongside his father and brother Gilbert.
-The cottage was a privately rented residence and then an alehouse for most of the 19^th century, before being restored to its former glory by the Burns Monument Trust in 1881.

As I write this in Edinburgh on the 4^th of December, it is fully dark outside by 15:45. Elsewhere in Scotland, night comes much sooner. Two days ago, a friend who recently moved back to Orkney after several years living in the Central Belt lamented the loss of all-natural light there by 14:30. Tellingly, the Scottish Gaelic term for the month of December is An Dùbhlachd, ‘the darkness’. Confronted with the diminishing daylight, there are two responses: to hibernate, which is wholly sensible; or to embrace the novelty of seeing your world in a whole new (lack of) light, which is arguably less so. More and more, I find myself doing the latter.

Evidenced by the above, at this time of year, ‘dark’ does not necessarily equate to ‘night’ so many of the following wanderings were done in the early evening rather than in the wee hours of mid-night. It always felt safe, although I acknowledge that as a man often accompanied by a dog, that safety comes in no small part from a place of privilege. Before you take inspiration from this, bear that in mind and take whatever steps you need to, perhaps by bringing a companion along, to stay as safe as can be. I can vividly recall the moment when I became enamoured with exploring after dark.

Historic landscapes

One November evening I was standing on a narrow wooden walkway, unable to see either its beginning or end, surrounded by bog and the ambient silence of night. I was visiting Finlaggan, once the capital of the medieval Lordship of the Isles, in Islay. Finlaggan is a sort of geographic fractal – two islands in a loch on an island in a sea. Earlier that day I visited by daylight, and was curious to see how the cover or darkness transformed the place.  By necessity, each step on this return journey was more deliberate. The ability of my senses to orient myself was considerably dulled, yet rather than blunting the experience I found that it heightened it. By day, the wooden walkway was just a practical, if novel, way of staying dry; by night it felt like a tunnel or portal, inexorably drawing me closer to its invisible yet inevitable destination. Standing halfway along it, for all I knew the world at either end had ceased to exist. It was a little bit terrifying, but utterly thrilling. Arriving flashlight in hand on Eilean Mòr, Finlaggan’s ‘big island’, each step forward exposed a tiny new sliver of the unknown. Casting the light over the fragmentary ruins of a stone chapel, which in daylight seemed entirely innocent, made it appear like a giant’s grasping hand rising up from the dark, waterlogged earth. Everything was familiar, yet otherworldly and slightly hair-raising. I’ll never forget it.

Another experience, also in Argyll, cemented this newfound thrill. Kilmartin Glen is one of Scotland’s most extraordinary historic landscapes. It contains castles, cairns, rock art, standing stones, crofts, medieval settlements, hillforts, harbours, and so much more. I arrived there one April evening as the sun had mostly set, under a soft blue and purple gloaming. After dinner and in full darkness I went to Kilmartin Church to visit one of my favourite collections of medieval and Early Modern artefacts. Within a former mausoleum turned lapidarium are 23 grave slabs, carved between the early 13^th century and 1712. They are carved with images of swords, warriors and knights, standing side by side in an unbroken line along the walls from left to right, surrounding you as you enter. I turned on the flashlight and moved it over each one in turn, casting them into sharp, shadowy relief. The spotlight made them appear like statues in the niches of a church, which I’m sure they would be happy to hear. I had seen them several times before, but always in daylight. For reasons I can’t quite explain, this time it felt as though I got to know them better than in all of the previous times combined.

During the past two years when the world sometimes shrank to what’s within walking distance of my front door, I sought out the nocturnal sights of my Edinburgh neighbourhood, Stockbridge. I noticed that how I thought about places that had become mundane through daily repetition took on new, interesting characteristics. There is a set of stairs next to the local pharmacy that I always found intriguing – a zigzag of arched steps that appear almost to float, especially in the dark, wedged into a narrow multi-level close (the Scots term for an alley used as a thoroughfare). I had been up and down them several hundred times before, but as my curiosity piqued due to the lack of anything ‘new’ to see, they became not just any steps, but my favourite steps. Passing by them now I always take a look, as if checking in on an old friend.

Embracing the dark side

Light takes on a whole new life in the dark. My phone is equipped with a function called ‘Night Sight’, which artificially enhances the visibility of features in the dark. It is not quite an honest representation of what the eye sees, but it captures the spirit of it. Blues contrast with oranges, the sky appears ever so slightly illuminated, and the glare from street lamps sends little sparks across the image. With this new way of seeing, I took hundreds of pictures of places I had long ago stopped bothering to photograph. A local twisting path affectionately called ‘the Snakey’ was transformed into trees that seemed almost ablaze against the coldness of the sky. The lights of Dean Village became a scene emanating storybook cosiness. A tiny patch of garden along the Water of Leith containing similar tree specimens to those in the nearby Royal Botanic Garden looked as though it might play host to the next revelry of the faerie folk. St Bernard’s Well, a place known for its healing waters and statue of Hygieia, Greco-Roman goddess of hygiene and health, became a monument of shadows that you might expect Mr Hyde to pounce out from. Other, grander monuments in Edinburgh’s city centre, like the Scott Monument and Edinburgh Castle itself, were no less subject to this transformation.

Maybe this all sounds daft to you and you’d rather stay curled up under a blanket with a hot drink in hand throughout winter, and that’s perfectly reasonable. Normally I would do the same. The circumstances thrust on us since March 2020, however, have necessitated new ways of engaging with our local communities and own our sense of curiosity. Exploring Edinburgh and other Scottish historic sites after hours has been my way of keeping that curiosity alive. Plus, there’s no rule saying you can’t tuck in with a hot toddy afterwards as a reward for embracing the dark side.

STARZ have announced, Outlander stars Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish will hit the road again for a six-episode second season of the hit travel docuseries Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip with Sam and Graham – this time in New Zealand. Graham who is originally from Scotland calls New Zealand home and will be sure to enjoy showing Sam around his adopted land, with filming is expected to take place in 2022.

Epic adventure

Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip with Sam and Graham is a fun-filled buddy travelogue. Heughan and McTavish will continue their immersive adventure travel experience, this time in New Zealand. They will revel in the Scottish influence of New Zealand, while diving into its own history. In Season one, the two reunited for an epic adventure in Scotland, exploring their heritage and meeting an incredible collection of people who truly showcase what it means to be Scottish.

The half-hour, eight-episode first season of the series offers the duo’s one-of-a-kind perspective on everything from Scottish clans and the Battle of Culloden to whisky tasting and folk dancing, with Sam and Graham’s witty banter and hijinks leading the way. Whether hanging off the edge of a cliff, wrangling a flock of wild sheep or discovering the true legacy of their Outlander characters, both men dive headfirst into each and every experience.

Misty green landscapes and towering peaks, ancient city streets and tales of the past, freshly opened casks and the scent of seasonal dishes… they are all calling. Calling explorers, thrill-seekers, beach-goers, city-breakers, solo travellers, families, and everyone in between – no matter the season Scotland is the place to enjoy world-class food and drink, events, films, history and culture.

Inspired by the sense of ‘fernweh’, that ache to see far flung places beyond the doorstep, visitors from all over the world are invited to experience the magic of Scotland. Whether meeting new people, sharing new experiences, reconnecting with nature, or just breathing in the fresh air, memories to last a lifetime are waiting to be made in Scotland.

Having worked tirelessly over the past 18 months to adapt to and embrace the new normal, Scottish businesses are open once more and are ready to welcome visitors. Health and safety protocols and guidelines remain in place, and while travel continues to look a little different, visitors can enjoy a safe return to Scotland. Visitors should look out for the Good to Go logo which indicates the businesses that are adhering to government and public health guidance in order to operate safely.

The pandemic has also been a force for positive change, as tourism continues to develop in a responsible way. Visitors are encouraged to respect communities and the environment when exploring Scotland, and to slow down and take time to savour moments along the way – the journey, the destination and the people.  

What’s happening in 2022

Year of Stories 2022

1 January 2022 – 31 December 2022, Nationwide

Scotland’s Themed Year will shine a spotlight on a wide-ranging and far-reaching programme of events and festivals throughout 2022. Visitors to Scotland will be able to experience a diversity of voices, take part in events and explore the places, people and cultures connected to all forms of Scotland’s stories, past and present.  2022 will be a year to celebrate stories inspired by, created, or written in Scotland. Every culture has its stories to tell, and Scotland has a particularly rich heritage of stories and storytelling to spotlight and celebrate. These include our local tales, oral traditions, iconic books, and tales told on the big screen – all inspired by Scotland and its culture and reflected back by many diverse voices and across the widest range of forms. Visitors can follow in the footsteps of Sir Walter Scott, explore the lands that inspired Outlander and find a great read in Wigtown Booktown. Scotland’s Year of Stories will begin on 1 January 2022 and run until 31 December 2022.  

The Burrell Collection

March 2022, Glasgow

Following a multimillion-pound refurbishment, The Burrell Collection is set to reopen in March 2022 set against the beautiful backdrop of Glasgow’s largest green space, Pollok Country Park. The refurbished building, with new gallery spaces, displays and facilities will be an exemplar of sustainable low carbon design. One of the largest personal collections to be amassed, The Burrell Collection displays objects from Europe and Asia representing five millennia of art and history. The collection contains work from the late medieval and early Renaissance, Chinese art, Islamic art and more. On reopening, the museum’s gallery space will have increased by 35%, allowing important and unique objects from the Collection, which have not been seen for decades, or have never been on permanent display, to go on show. New displays will give visitors a better understanding of the artworks, the people who made them and some of the people who have owned them. Highlights include Chinese pottery and porcelain produced over a 5,000-year period, making it one of the most significant collections of Chinese Art in Europe; paintings by renowned French artists including Manet, Cézanne and Degas; Medieval treasures including stained glass, arms and armour and over 200 tapestries and carpets, which are among the finest in the world. 

The Famous Blacksmiths Visitor Attraction 

April 2022, Gretna Green

Famous for runaway weddings since 1754, Gretna Green is a magical place to get married in and to visit. The Famous Blacksmiths Shop will unveil their newly developed Gretna Green Experience in April 2022. Visitors can immerse themselves in the new storytelling experience to learn about the thrill of the chase, meet the Anvil Priests and be a part of the long history of enduring love that is woven into the site.

Jack Vettriano: The Early Years Exhibition

17 June-23 October 2022, Kirkcaldy, Fife

Taking place at Kirkcaldy Galleries, this exhibition will feature early painting by Scottish artist Jack Vettriano. On display will be nearly a dozen paintings produced before he decided to become a full-time artist, signed Jack Hoggan, his birth name. In recognition of the process of development and evolution from the self-taught artist to one of the world’s most sought-after living painters, Vettriano has chosen to return to Fife where he was born and spent his formative years.

World’s first UNESCO trail 

Launched in October 2021, Scotland is home to the world’s first ever UNESCO trail which brings together some of the country’s most iconic, diverse and culturally significant sites. It connects 13 different UNESCO destinations, reaching from the biosphere in the south of Scotland to the island of St Kilda in the west, The North West Highlands Geopark, and the creative cities in the east, and much more in between. The trail is a proud testament to the richness and scope of Scotland’s awe-inspiring nature, its ancient and compelling history, the vibrancy of its culture, and its proud scientific and technological legacy. The trail encourages visitors to slow down, stay longer, visit all year round and to make sustainable travel choices, contributing to Scotland’s world-leading position as a responsible tourism destination.

Perth UNESCO City of Craft

Adding to the growing list of Scotland’s world heritage cities and sites, Perth has become the first city in the UK to be awarded status as a UNESCO City of Crafts and Folk Arts. With an important history and heritage of craft which began in the early 16th century, Perth and Kinross is alive today with a wealth of creative talent and a growing creative industry. Testament to this creativity is Perth’s plan to include craft as part of plans to meet its net zero target. Perth will join the UNESCO trail in 2023.

Sustainable sips

Scotland leads the way in eco-friendly sites, with a number of distilleries across the country running on renewable energy. 2022 is set to be another big year for the whisky industry.

Eden Mill

Spring 2022, St Andrews

Eden Mill will become one of Scotland’s first ever carbon neutral single malt whisky distilleries, which will welcome visitors to their new home in Guardbridge, St. Andrews in 2022. Power and heat for the stills will be generated locally by biomass plant and field electricity, and by solar panels installed by the University of St Andrews on the roof of the distillery and nearby buildings.

The Cairn Distillery

Spring 2022, Grantown-on-Spey

The Cairn, a name that pays homage to the distillery’s stunning location overlooking the Cairngorm mountains, stands near Grantown-on-Spey. Promising to be an immersive and memorable visitor experience for whisky lovers and adventure seekers, The Cairn is expected to attract a global audience for their spring opening.

Port of Leith Distillery

Summer 2022, Leith

Building on Edinburgh’s rich whisky heritage, Port of Leith Distillery will be Scotland’s first vertical distillery when it opens in summer 2022. With panoramic views from the top floor double height whisky bar, visitors will be able to spot Fife and the Forth Bridges, as well as Edinburgh’s iconic landmarks over a dram or two of single malt whisky. And, thanks to locally sourced barley, food miles and carbon impact are cut significantly.

Sustainable Scotland

Diverse landscapes, rich culture and unique experiences are what sets Scotland apart as a destination, and what makes a visit here so special. As a world-leading responsible tourism destination, Scotland is committed to building a better, more sustainable future, with the aim of keeping Scotland as beautiful as ever, for now and for future generations to enjoy.  2022 is the year to slow down, stay longer and savour the local charm. 

Powered by water

The Highland Council has declared a climate and ecological emergency and aspires to be net zero by 2025. The River Ness Hydro scheme opens in spring of 2022 and will help reduce the organisation’s carbon footprint, and further generation and use of renewable energy. The site is perfect for visitors of all ages who are interested in innovative projects dedicated to sustainability.

Travel in sustainable style

Lumo, a brand-new train service travelling exclusively down the east coast of the UK, has launched a new rail service connecting Edinburgh and London which will provide affordable and low-carbon travel. Lumo will initially offer low fares in a bid to encourage more environmentally friendly travel between the two capitals

Green footsteps

2022 is the year to discover new stories and embark on new adventures. The UK’s first Vegan Food Trail, which launched in September 2021, covers Argyll and the Isles, and with plentiful fresh ingredients and locally grown produce, it’s a great way to sample all the seasonal delights and embrace the joy of low impact living. 

Live events return

Live events are set to return to the big stage to delight audiences in person once again, and Scotland is the perfect stage for events big and small. 2022 is the year to make a date for an event experience like no other, only in Scotland.

Edinburgh Festivals

Home to 11 world-class festivals, Edinburgh is renowned as the world’s leading festival city, attracting an audience of over 4.5 million every year. In 2022, the capital will once more come alive with vibrant colours, shows and events for all ages, and with next year marking the 75th anniversary of the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Edinburgh International Film Festival, it promises to be a very special year. Here’s a taste of what’s on offer. 

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

5-29 August 2022, Edinburgh

Born from a belief that every story should be heard and celebrated, Edinburgh Fringe Festival is now the world’s largest arts festival, where visitors can watch a wide range of performances including theatre, comedy, dance, cabaret, opera, spoken word and more. And with an open access policy, anyone with a story to tell and a venue to host them can put on a show. 

Edinburgh International Festival

6-28 August 2022, Edinburgh

The Edinburgh International Festival was the original Edinburgh Festival, dating back to 1947, celebrating the performing arts with dance, music, opera and theatre from around the world. It brings ground-breaking art, unique collaborations, world premieres, unexpected takes on classic works, and more to captivate and entertain global audiences, all in one place here in Scotland.

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 

5-27 August 2022, Edinburgh

Returning to its iconic home on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle for the first time since 2019, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is back with a bang for 2022.

Edinburgh International Book Festival

13-29 August 2022, Edinburgh

Held in the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature, Edinburgh International Book Festival is the largest celebration of its kind in the world. Enjoyable for all ages, visitors can take part in creative workshops, meet famous authors and attend panel discussions.

Scottish International Storytelling Festival

Autumn 2022, Edinburgh

The Scottish International Storytelling Festival is an annual celebration of storytelling, oral traditions and cultural diversity. Visitors can let their imagination run wild with range of talks, tours and activities.

Home – Scottish International Storytelling Festival 

Highland Games

After a two-year absence, the ever-popular Highland Games return in summer 2022. Visitors and locals can experience a sense of community, heritage and celebration like no other, set against the backdrop of a gripping sporting spectacle of champions! At Highland Games across the country, attendees can marvel at the champions’ feats of strength and have a chat with the locals over a delicious plate of mince and tatties. This year, after 18 years of absence, Elgin Highland Games returns in July 2022, starring the undefeated Elgin tug-o’-war team.

Burns, beats and more…

In the vibrant capital of South Scotland, Dumfries, Big Burns Supper returns to celebrate all things Robert Burns, music and performing arts. The programme line-up includes a heady roster of international talent including performer Eddi Reader and comedian Russell Kane.  In Glasgow, Scotland’s UNESCO City of Music, Celtic Connections returns with an extensive programme of events to celebrate traditional folk, roots, Americana, jazz and soul music. As well as showcasing musical talent from around the world, hundreds of performances including ceilidhs, exhibitions, film screenings, talks, theatre productions, workshops and more will take place across Glasgow.

Text and images courtesy of VisitScotland. For details on these and other events and attractions see:  www.visitscotland.com

The Scottish Banner speaks to Tristan Cameron Harper

Tristan Cameron Harper is a photographer and mountain guide with a passion for Scotland’s incredible outdoors. Tristan took the time to speak to the Scottish Banner on his love of the Scottish Highlands, being a former professional ice hockey player and Munro Bagging.

Tristan you grew up in Dundee and have had a passion for sport your whole life. This passion led you to becoming a professional ice hockey player both in Scotland and abroad, can you tell us more?

TCH: Being a Scotsman playing Ice Hockey then eventually turning professional doesn’t really fit the expected narrative as ice hockey isn’t a common sport in the UK even though it’s gaining more momentum due to Great Britain doing well on the international platform and the professional league in the UK becoming more established.  For me personally, l started off playing Rugby in school always enjoying the physical aspect of it until one day a family friend introduced me to the world of Ice Hockey.  At that moment a chord was struck and l never really looked back, l felt this deep calling, imagining one day that l would play in Canada or America with some of the best and then hopefully making it to the NHL following in the footsteps of a few of my favourite players at the time Wayne Gretzky and Pavel Bure. 

Luckily for me l was fortunate enough my mum and dad let me go to an ice hockey training camp in Toronto during the summer months when l was about 14 years old where l was noticed by a former NHL player Roy Halpin who thought l had the skills to progress in the hockey world.  Without his help l would not have gotten the chance to play prep school hockey in Canada developing my skills further which took me back to Europe signing my first professional contract then back across the pond playing a few seasons between America/Canada, finishing my career in the UK. I had the passion from day one ever since hockey was introduced to me, as cliché as it sounds it was as if a fire had been ignited in my heart and all l ever did was live, think and breath hockey until I reached my next chapter in life. 

Your grandfather would take you as a boy to the Cairngorms and around the Highlands. How has that early exposure to Scotland’s natural setting stayed with you as an adult? 

TCH:  I don’t think l will ever forget those days when l was a wee boy, and my grandad would drive through parts of the Highlands while l sat in the back of his old classic Volvo wondering where he was taking me. Every time l sat in the back of that Volvo it seemed like an adventure and every time l got out there was always something new to see, he would talk about the Grampian Mountains religiously telling stories while stopping off in small Highland towns on route taking me to some great local bakeries and museums trying his best to educate me on all there was to know about the clans and the Highlands.  

So, l would say he did a pretty good job leaving an imprint of adventure, Scotland and how much history our land holds which to this day is a constant interest and passion of mine. 

You have a passion for Scotland and the incredible outdoors. Having travelled so much of the country can you tell us some of your favourite places, or where you recommend a tourist to Scotland should visit and why?

TCH:  Definitely not an easy question to answer as there is so many beautiful places and many special places to visit when in Scotland and especially during certain times of the year with how much the flora and fauna changes from season to season. Scotland is filled with an abundance of mountains, lochs, castles, stunning beaches, delicious local food, great pubs, and wonderful cities plus more.  My best answer I could give for this question would be what do you want to get out of Scotland?  Do you want to try experience elements of it all in one go?  Do you want to get lost exploring the highlands maybe finding yourself sleeping in a bothy deep in the Highlands wrapped up in your sleeping bag sipping on some whisky?

Do you want to take a dip in the refreshing Atlantic Sea on a lovely golden sand beach or maybe even do a bit of coastal cave exploring in search of folklore that may get shared around the campfire?

Or would you like to find yourself in a local pub down one of the narrow cobble streets tucked away in Edinburgh dancing the night away with locals in a ceilidh and attending festival shows.  There is so much to choose from, and it can be like jumping from different worlds, but if l had to name a few of my favourite places l would say the Orkney Isles are special, filled with beautiful beaches, ancient standing stones and broch’s, amazing local produce, an abundance of sea birds and sea life and of course friendly local Orcadians.

Must not forget the Orkney Science Festival either which is fantastically put together with some amazing talks and events. As for the mainland, l love the mountains, how raw they are and how much the geology differs from the west to east, on the west coast in particular you have Torridon an epic part of Scotland that has a tremendous selection of mountain ridges and climbing at hand.   And the Cairngorms the heart of the Highlands, the largest of National Parks in Scotland and someplace l would recommend exploring if you really want to immerse yourself in this raw terrain giving you that feeling of solitude away from all. And then one of my favourite lochs, Loch Coruisk, a once hidden gem located on the Isle of Skye along with a fair share of spectacular sites to explore on the Island including some caves, beaches, mountains, waterfalls and castle ruins. 

You also share some of your favourite places with visitors to Scotland with tours that explore the beauty of the nation, can you tell us more?

TCH: Of course, l am a fully qualified Scottish Mountain guide who offers day/multi day tours and bespoke packages with my business North Guides.  It can range from hiking mountains, camping in the highlands, visiting select sites, to going off the beaten track whilst remaining respectful of the landscape and locals exploring places that you would not normally see, chatting flora and fauna along the way and giving you the experience you hope to achieve while in Scotland.  

I offer a range of packages, it doesn’t always have to be hiking big mountains, it can be exploring forests, castles and going to areas that the big tour buses don’t take you. North Guides tries and aims to be as inclusive as possible to help individuals and families explore Scotland, be they Scottish natives or from further afield, and to make the outdoors as accessible as possible. For me it’s a pleasure to take clients to their dream locations as my main goal is to inspire you as best l can with my homeland and hopefully leave you craving the opportunity to come back and explore Scotland again. 

Tristan you have been crowned Mr Scotland, more than once, and competed at the Mr Universe competition. Can you tell us more and what opportunities this has created for you?

TCH:  Yes you caught me, l was indeed Mr Scotland for 3 years from 2016 getting the chance to attend Mr Universe, I finished 6^th overall in the world at the event and got to meet some lovely gents from all over the world who I still remain in contact with to this day.  It was a pretty cool opportunity but definitely not something l had intended to do, it all happened by chance.

It took me further in the modelling industry, walking in fashion events in New York and even appearing on The Real Housewives of New York and other TV appearances, more people wanting to work with me and came at a time when l was just about to retire from the sports world. It gave me an opportunity to see what path it may lead me down and what I wanted in life; it was a learning experience. A fun chapter though, some lovely folk along the way and I made a lot of connections local and further afield throughout the world at the time as a result. 

In 2017 you attended the New York Tartan Day Parade, how was it to be part of such an event and connect with international Scots?

THC:  What an event to be part of, never did l imagine how much support us Scots would get in the Big Apple and how many people love us across there.  It was all quite overwhelming but equally awesome at the same time to be part of it and getting the chance to march down 6^th Avenue. 

I have only attended this event on two occasions and both times l had an absolute blast, the event itself and events after are amazing, absolutely wild and filled with fun, and the amount of lovely people you meet along the way, it’s great.  I shall look forward to the next time l make it out for the New York Tartan Day Parade. 

As a Qualified Mountain Guide you have climbed some of Scotland’s most iconic mountains, would you call yourself a Munro Bagger? And which of Scotland’s munros (mountains over 3,000 ft/914.4m) are your favourite to climb?

TCH:  There was a point l might have deemed myself a Munro Bagger as I was reaching for each of those peaks one by one, l have about 200 Munros under my belt and probably done some of the same mountains a dozen times if not more.  But it’s not about bagging as much as I got to the point l just love being in the mountains regardless, l love the rawness and how peaceful they make you feel.  I have quite a few friends who are Munro Baggers so there is probably a good chance l will end up completing all of the 282 Munros with them just because I am happy to go for a walk in the mountains with my friends, but I don’t hike to tick off a list, I do it because I enjoy it as much as I love a challenge.

A few of my favourite Mountains are An Teallach on the west coast which has an amazingly beautiful ridge walk and even better if you manage to walk the ridge during a cloud inversion.  A little more inland l would say Aonach Eagach in Glencoe and my favourite in the Cairngorms and probably in Scotland is Carna Mhaim, not a particular hard Munro but a special one as its located right in the middle of the Cairngorms and almost like you are at the heart of the Highlands. 

You have a passion for photography and your website and social media is full of incredible images of Scotland. What is it about Scotland do you find makes it a photographer’s paradise and do you have a favourite time of year to shoot around the country?

TCH:  The thing about Scotland is that the weather is incredibly dramatic even at the best of times, and we have an abundance of glens located throughout the Highlands and each kind of has its own microclimate.  It’s a unique country as there is so much to photograph from a nature point of view.  l love how you can visit the same place a dozen times throughout the year and each time it feels and looks different giving you a different moment to capture with your camera.  

I believe from my perspective this is how l get the majority of my clients as l try as best l can to capture those special moments in time that might inspire people to explore places they would not think of.  If l had to pick a favourite time of the year l would have to say l love photographing in autumn going into winter, everything is gearing up for winter from tree leaves turning bright yellow/red and animals such as the red squirrels developing their thick darker red coat plus those fresh crisp clear starry nights. 

And finally, Tristan your connection to the outdoors and your love of Scotland is obvious to see. How does it make you feel to be an ambassador for Scotland and be able to show so many people around the world all that Scotland has to offer and highlight its incredible natural beauty?

TCH:  I feel extremely privileged l get this opportunity to do this for a living, the people l meet and how l can inspire someone through my photography, and guiding groups in person with my knowledge and understanding of the land. Each day that goes by l am thankful l am from such a beautiful country, and how much magic we have to offer and how many feel this way about Scotland and how far the passion of the Scotsman/woman travels throughout the world.

And I hope it inspires others to treasure their own homelands, discover what’s on their own back door too and get into the outdoors in general, as well as visit my beautiful homeland. 

For more information on how Tristan Cameron Harper can take you on an adventure via his photography or Explore Scotland Walking Tours see: www.north-guides.com

Friendship between Scotland and the USA celebrated on St Andrew’s Day.

The US Consul General visited the birthplace of Scotland’s flag to celebrate the close ties between Scotland and the USA. Jack Hillmeyer the US Consul General in Edinburgh visited Athelstaneford in East Lothian where the US flag was flown at the Saltire Memorial. The Saltire flies from the memorial in the kirkyard of Athelstaneford Parrish Church all year round, flood lit at night. The Saltire is rarely lowered, flying another national flag is a rare honour, particularly on Saint Andrew’s Day.

Commenting Mr Hillmeyer said: “It was a great honour to be in Athelstaneford on Saint Andrew’s Day and it was a tremendous honour to have the Stars and Stripes flown at the Saltire Memorial, it shows the depth of friendship of our two nations especially on this beautiful St Andrew’s Day.”

The birthplace of Scotland’s National flag

The Scottish Flag Trust is a volunteer run charity and donations help to cover annual running costs and maintenance. Donations are essential to keep the memorial and flag heritage centre free to visit, so the story of Scotland’s flag can continue to be told. David Williamson, Chair of the Scottish Flag Trust said: “We were delighted to host the US Consul General on St Andrew’s Day and fly the US flag at the Saltire Memorial to celebrate the close links between Scotland and the USA. The Scottish Flag Trust has recently launched an international fundraising drive to restore and renew the birthplace of the Saltire with interest already shown from Saltire and Clan Societies in the USA. Today we are launching a new initiative to allow everyone to have the Saltire flown in their honour at the birthplace of our flag. People can go online to Saltire.scot and sponsor the flag for a day for themselves or for someone special”

Provost of East Lothian Cllr John McMillan said: “It was an honour to welcome the Consul General to East Lothian and to the birthplace of Scotland’s National flag in the village of Athelstaneford. With our historic links, and so many visitors from USA welcomed annually to our famous golf clubs along our coastline, we feel we have so many special points of interest for our USA visitors who will love to learn about the home of John Muir in Dunbar and spend time in our wonderful county.”

Tradition has it that the Saltire, Scotland’s National flag, originated in a battle fought in East Lothian, near the village of Athelstaneford in the Dark Ages. Today the flag flies proudly all year round from the floodlit Saltire Memorial in Athelstaneford Parish Church to celebrate this special connection. The Flag Heritage Centre at the back of the churchyard tells the story of the Battle of Athelstaneford.