KELSO – Friday November 20th Going – Heavy (Soft in places) Given the horrendous weather that struck Cumbria and Southern Scotland in the preceding 24 hours it was a bit of a surprise that this meeting took place. The River Tweed had flood warnings and I’d pretty well expected this meeting would get called off. It’s testament to the drainage at the course that the meeting went...
Highland region. Scotch Whisky. Dalmore Gran Reserva Single Malt Scotch Whisky Tasting Note.. The rich malty flavours tantalise the tongue. - Classic, complex sweet flavours which linger long in the mouth. Marmalade & Christmas cake with subtle hints of roasted coffee and chocolate. However it is the taste of ripe oranges and lemon peel that offers the elegant zesty top notes. To fully appriciate...
Pùr, The Lassies Reply (MacDug Music, 2009) Bringing something different to this year's homecoming celebrations, The Lassies' Reply is a contemporary interpretation of a selection of songs by Robert Burns. What makes this recording special, if not unique, is that Burns' work is performed in a combination of Sots and Gaelic, with Roderick Macdonald translating Burns' original words in to the...
Founded in 1790 Balblair is the second oldest working distillery in Scotland. It is situated on the Dornoch firth, one of the most stunning scenic areas of Scotland. The area is known as the 'parish of the peats' whilst the name Balblair means battlefield or town of the plain. . Balblair Elements Single Malt Scotch Whisky Alc/Vol. 40% Tasting Notes: Nose Light, fresh with a hint of autumn mist. Colour...
Hereunder the text of a talk I gave at Aberdeen at the weekend, titled ‘On the “trembling margin”: Irish-Language Trace Elements in Contemporary Irish Poetry in English’. Yes, it is woefully incomplete. I don’t discuss Heaney or Montague, the first of whom has every bit as deep a scholarly knowledge of Irish as Thomas Kinsella, but without the Gaelic Atlas with the weight...
Glenmorangie Scotch Whisky Distilling Equipment 8 Swan necked stills (tallest in Scotland) Matured principally in American oak bourbon barrels The Distillery was the first to introduce finishes other than sherry This unique range of malt whiskies was initially matured in American oak casks for at least 10 years and then transferred into casks which had previously contained Madeira for a further period...
Rumours have it that Jambo peer George Foulkes has been seen traipsin the streets of Edinbugger with his auld pal Jack McConnell who in celebration of Oidhche Shamhna/ Halloween has dressed himself up as 'an ex Worst Minister'. Foulkes himself has been chappin doors, claiming to be a 'Socialist Lord', singing 'The Sash' and asking folk if he can have their nuts. This comes on the same day that the...
From that perennial source of interesting things, English language Swedish daily, The Local (Thanks folks): Sweden should consider joining its Nordic neighbours in forming a five-country federation in order to increase the region’s weight on the international stage, a Swedish historian proposes. A union between the five Nordic countries – Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland –...
To His Lordship Pope Adrian VI, Dearest Brother and Pontiff, I hope your stay in Rome has seen you well in these days of Ire and Mischief. Here in the North we have made steady progress in our ‘weeding’ of the Tempter’s corrupted Flock, few of whom we have managed to successfully placate at the Knees of Our Father. It is a grim business, this botany of the Spirit, but I write you...
Kathy Watts, installation artist Cupar Arts Festival sitting outside the giant silo, biting her tongue, deep in thought. Installation inside this cavernous space. Now I have to say this is one of the most disturbing and uncomfortable environments I have ever experienced, I have been a caver, explored limestone caverns in similar light conditions but this takes the biscuit. North Fife Scotland.
From the British alternative music hotbed of Scotland comes Flood of Red and their debut full-length ' Leaving Everything Behind'. 14 songs of melodic post-hardcore and nicely slides in with 'The Edge Of The World (Prelude)', a calm, somewhat slick intro track and is beautifully led by Jordan Spiers' soothing tongue with a slight Scottish twist. The album then kicks into gear with tracks like 'The...
Scotland’s 60,000 Gaelic speakers will be able to use their mother tongue if they want to communicate with European Union officials in Brussels and Luxembourg, and ministers can speak the language in meetings with their continental colleagues.
If Scotland under Alex Salmond chooses independence and joins the euro, as Jackie Ashley suggests ( Cameron may well be the last ever UK prime minister , 5 October), it will leave the British prime minister governing an independent England – as presumably the Welsh will follow and Northern Ireland will be forced to unite with the Republic. In such circumstances, if I were prime minister, I would...
A new report from Highland Council has detailed the higher attainment of Gaelic Medium pupils. New report, but not really 'news'. "Pupils learning Gaelic "match and better" their peers in other subjects, Highland Council has said. It said figures compiled from SQA exam results showed more credit level awards were attained in the language than for English. The council said youngsters...
Dougie MacLean & Kathy Mattea - Turning Away Progress marches on. Anything else is by nature 'conservative', i.e. backward and stuck in the past. But progress can also include a recognition and a will to retain that which is of value. Is it part of the 'Scots cringe' that sees us let that which is of immense value slip away? Gaelic is one example. It is at the heart of our identity as Scots. It...
Videos
