Edinburgh and Glasgow’s Rivarly Began Over Bread
It has been recently suggested that the centuries-long rivalry between Scotland’s capital and Scotland’s largest city all started over bread. It seems to have begun in 1656 when the Glasgow town council spoke of their worries about the low quality of bread its local bakeries were producing, and two bakers from neighbouring Edinburgh cheekily offered [...]
Clan Murray Chief, John Murray, 11th Duke of Atholl, dies aged 83
John Murray, the Chief of the Murray clans and 11th Duke of Atholl has died in a South African hospital on Tuesday, 15th May after suffering a stroke. He was 83. The Johannesburg born Murray became Clan Chief and inherited the Dukedom after his cousin George Murray, 10th Duke of Atholl passed away unmarried in [...]
Hill and Adamson
Buried in the beautiful Victorian Dean Cemetery in Edinburgh is David Octavius Hill, a painter who, along with Robert Adamson, pioneered in Scottish and aesthetic photography. They founded the Hill & Adamson Studio in 1843, Scotland’s first photographic studio, when the medium of photography was still very much in its infancy. And from this partnership, [...]
Map of 2012 Highland Games and Scottish Events – Updated for North America!
View 2012 Highland Games and Scottish Events in a larger map A map pinpointing many of the Highland Games and Scottish events taking place this year across Scotland and North America. If anyone out there thinks I’ve missed some, please feel free to let us know!
Glasgow’s New Church Is Going To Be Rubbish
A new church is set to be built in Glasgow made out of recycled items ranging from empty beer cans to bales of straw. The church, theatre, and community centre will be situated in Milton, north Glasgow. It has been described as one of the country’s most ambitious recycling projects, and it has had the [...]
Clan Donald Society wanting to restore reputation of ‘Fighting Mac’
The Clan Donald Society are looking to restore the reputation of one of the Victorian era’s most celebrated soldiers, Major General Sir Hector ‘Fighting Mac’ MacDonald. In his hometown of Dingwall, the society are holding a ceremony at the weekend at the 100ft memorial tower to mark the 159th anniversary of MacDonald’s birth. Born near [...]
Braemar Castle
Braemar Castle in Aberdeenshire was first built by the 18th Earl of Mar, John Erskine in 1628, using it as a hunting lodge and strong hold against the powerful neighbouring Farquharson family. The castle replaced the nearby Kindrochit Castle, which is said to have been built sometime in the 11th century. In 1689, John Farquharson, [...]
‘The Scottish Clans’ e-book now available from ScotClans
Do you have a kindle? Because ScotClans can now proudly present an e-book version of their extensive clan histories. ‘The Scottish Clans’ features brief histories of over 300 Clans and Armigerous families from all over Scotland. Discover the events that have shaped your Clan and hear about the people who form part of your Scottish [...]
World’s Largest Kilt
The iconic Golden Driller statue in the Oklahoma city of Tulsa has been made a temporary Scotsman after he was dressed in what has been claimed as the world’s largest kilt. The statue has been dressed in the 170 yard Black Watch kilt to help kick off the Oklahoma Scottish Festival, which starts on the [...]
Travel guide warns Vikings of hostile Scottish natives
An Icelandic ‘travel guide’ from the 13th century gave warning to any Viking thinking of heading to ‘Skotland’ to do a bit of plundering that they should be wary of the aggressive natives with their incomprehensible language, and, of course, the country’s dreadful weather. This information was gathered from the experiences of a number of [...]


Recent Comments