The Quaich: 2007

Monday 19 November 2007

Scottish Music Lyrics - Ye Banks and Braes

Ye Banks and Braes

Ye banks and braes o' Bonnie Doon,
How can ye bloom sae fresh and fair?
How can ye chant ye little birds,
And I sae weary, fu' o' care?
Ye'll break my heart, ye warbling birds,
That wanton through the flow'ry thorn,
Ye mind me o' departed joys,
Departed never to return.

Aft hae I rov'd by Bonnie Doon,
To see the rose and woodbine twine:
And ilka bird sang o' its luve,
And fondly sae did I o' mine.
Wi' lightsome heart I pu'd a rose,
Fu' sweet upon its thorny tree!
And my fause luver staw my rose,
But ah! he left the thorn wi' me.

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Scottish Music Lyrics - Wild Mountain Thyme

Wild Mountain Thyme

Oh, the summertime is coining
And the trees are sweetly blooming
And the wild mountain thyme
Grows around the blooming heather,
Will ye go, lassie, go?

Chorus:
And we'll all go together
To pluck wild mountain thyme.
All around the blooming heather,
Will ye go, lassie, go?

I will build my love a tower
Near yon pure crystal fountain,
And on it I will pile
All the flowers of the mountain,
Will ye go, lassie, go?

Chorus

If my true love she were gone,
I would surely find another,
Where wild mountain thyme
Grows around the blooming heather,
Will ye go, lassie, go?

Chorus

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Scottish Music Lyrics - Westering Home

Westering Home

Chorus:
And it's westering home, and a song in the air,
Light in the eye, and it's goodbye to care.
Laughter o' love, and a welcoming there,
Isle of my heart, my own one.

Tell me o' lands o' the Orient gay,
Speak o' the riches and joys o' Cathay:
Eh, but it's grand to be wakin' ilk day
To find yourself nearer to Isla,

Chorus

Where are the folk like the folk o' the west?
Canty and couthy and kindly, the best;
There I would hie me, and there I would rest
At hame wi' my am folk in Isla.

Chorus

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Scottish Music Lyrics - Uist Tramping Song

Uist Tramping Song

Chorus:
Come along, come along,
Let us foot it out together,
Come along, come along,
Be it fair or stormy weather,
With the hills of home before us,
And the purple of the heather,
Let us sing in happy chorus,
Come along, come along.

O gaily sings the lark,
And the sky's all awake,
With the promise of the day
For the road we gladly take;
So it's heel and toe and forward,
Bidding farewell to the town,
For the welcome that awaits us
Ere the sun goes down.

Chorus

It's the call of sea and shore
It's the tang of bog and peat,
And the scent of brier and myrtle
That puts magic in our feet;
So it's on we go rejoicing,
Over bracken, over stile,
And it's soon we will be tramping
Out the last long mile.

Chorus

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Scottish Music Lyrics - The Road to the Isles

The Road to the Isles

A far croonin' is pullin' me away
As take I wi' my cromak to the road.
The far Coolins are puttin' love on me,
As step I wi' the sunlight for my load.

Chorus:
Sure, by Tummel and Loch Rannoch
And Lochaber I will go,
By heather tracks wi' heaven in their wiles;
If it's thinkin' in your inner heart
Braggart's in my step,
You've never smelt the tangle o' the Isles.
Oh, the far Coolins are puttin' love on me,
As step I wi' my cromak to the Isles.

It's by 'Sheil water the track is to the west,
By Aillort and by Morar to the sea,
The cool cresses I am thinkin' o' for pluck,
And bracken for a wink on Mother's knee.

It's the blue Islands are pullin' me away,
Their laughter puts the leap upon the lame,
The blue Islands from the Skerries to the Lews,
Wi' heather honey taste upon each name.

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Scottish Music Lyrics - The Road to Dundee

The Road to Dundee

Cauld winter was howlin' o'er moor and o'er mountain
And wild was the surge of the dark rolling sea,
When I met about daybreak a bonnie young lassie,
Wha asked me the road and the miles to Dundee.

Says I 'My young lassie, I canna' weel tell ye,
The road and the distance I canna' weel gie,
But if you'll permit me tae gang a wee bittie,
I'll show you the road and the miles to Dundee.'

At once she consented, and gave me her arm,
Ne'er a word I did speir wha the lassie might be:
She appeared like an angel in feature and form,
As she walked by my side on the road to Dundee.

At length wi' the Howe o' Strathmartine behind us,
And the spires o' the toon in full view we could see;
She said, 'Gentle sir, I can never forget ye
For showing me so far on the road to Dundee.

This ring and this purse take to prove I am grateful,
And some simple token I trust ye'11 gie me,
And in times to come I'll remember the laddie
That showed me the road and the miles to Dundee.'

I took the gowd pin from the scarf on my bosom,
And said, 'Keep ye this in remembrance o' me',
Then bravely I kissed the sweet lips o' the lassie
Ere I parted wi' her on the road to Dundee.

So here's to the lassie—I ne'er can forget her—
And ilka young laddie that's listening tae me;
And never be sweer to convoy a young lassie,
Though it's only to show her the road to Dundee.

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Scottish Music Lyrics - Skye Boat Song

Skye Boat Song

Chorus:
Speed bonnie boat like a bird on the wing.
Onward, the sailors cry.
Carry the lad that's born to be king
Over the sea to Skye.

Loud the winds howl, loud the waves roar.
Thunderclaps rend the air,
Baffled, our foes stand by the shore,
Follow they will not dare.

Chorus

Though the waves leap, soft shall ye sleep,
Ocean's a royal bed.
Rocked in the deep Flora will keep
Watch by your weary head.

Chorus

Many's the lad fought on that day
Well the claymore could wield
When the night came silently lay
Dead on Culloden's field.

Chorus

Burned are our homes, exile and death
Scatter the loyal men;
Yet, ere the sword cool in the sheath,
Charlie will come again.

Chorus

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Scottish Music Lyrics - Scots Wha Hae

Scots Wha Hae

Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled,
Scots wham Bruce has often led,
Welcome to your gorie bed,
Or to Victorie!
Now's the day, and now's the hour;
See the front o' battle lour,
See approach proud Edward's pow'r
Chains and slaverie!

Wha will be a traitor knave?
Wha can fill a coward's grave?
Wha sae base as be a slave?
Let him turn and flee!
Wha, for Scotland's King and Law,
Freedom's sword will strongly draw,
Freeman stand, or Freeman fa',
Let him on wi, me!

By Oppression's woes and pains!
By your sons in servile chains!
We will drain our dearest veins,
But they shall be free!
Lay the proud Usurpers low!
Tyrants fall in every foe!
Liberty's in every blow!
Let us do or die!

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Scottish Music Lyrics - Scotland the Brave

Scotland the Brave

Hark when the night is falling
Hear! the pipes are calling,
Loudly and proudly calling,
Down thro' the glen.
There where the hills are sleeping,
Now feel the blood a-leaping.
High as the spirits of the old Highland men.

Chorus:

Towering in gallant fame,
Scotland my mountain hame,
High may your proud standards gloriously wave,
Land of my high endeavour.
Land of the shining river,
Land of my heart forever,
Scotland the brave.

High in the misty Highlands,
Out by the purple islands,
Brave are the hearts that beat
Beneath Scottish skies.
Wild are the winds to meet you,
Staunch are the friends that greet you,
Kind as the love that shines
From fair maidens' eyes.

Chorus

Far off in sunlit places,
Sad are the Scottish faces,
Yearning to feel the kiss
Of sweet Scottish rain.
Where tropic skies are beaming,
Love sets the heart a-dreaming,
Longing and dreaming for the homeland again.

Chorus

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Scottish Music Lyrics - My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose

My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose

O my love is like a red red rose,
That's newly sprung in June.
O my love is like a melodic
That's sweetly play'd in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonnie lass.
So deep in love am I.
And I will love thee still, my dear.
Till a the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.
And I will love thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun;
And I will love thee still, my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.
And fare-thee-weel, my only love!
And fare-thee-weel a while!
And I will come again, my love,
Tho' 'twere ten thousand mile.

Tho' 'twere ten thousand mile, my love,
Tho' 'twere ten thousand mile.
And I will come again, my love,
Tho' 'twere ten thousand mile.

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Scottish Music Lyrics - Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond

By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes,
Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond,
Where me and my true love were ever wont to gae
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.

Chorus:

O ye'll tak the high road and I'll tak' the low road
An' I'll be in Scotland afore ye:
But me and my true love will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o Loch Lomond.

We'll meet where we parted in yon shady glen,
On the steep, steep side o' Ben Lomond,
Where in purple hue the Hieland hills we view,
And the moon looks out frae the gloamin.

Chorus

O brave Charlie Stuart! dear to the true heart.
Wha could refuse thee protection
Like the weeping birch on the wild hillside,
How graceful he looked in dejection!

Chorus

The wild birdies sing and the wild flowers spring.
An' in sunshine the waters are sleepin;
But the broken heart it kens, nae second spring,
Tho' the waefu' may cease frae their greetin'!

Chorus

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Scottish Music Lyrics - Ae Fond Kiss

Ae Fond Kiss

Ae fond kiss and then we sever
Ae fareweel, alas for ever,
Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee,
Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.
Had we never lov'd sae kindly,
Had we never lov'd sae blindly,
Never met-or never parted.
We had ne'er been broken-hearted.

I'll ne'er blame my partial fancy,
Naething could resist my Nancy:
But to see her was to love her:
Love but her, and love for ever.
Had we never lov'd sae kindly,
Had we never lov'd sae blindly,
Never met-or never parted.
We had ne'er been broken-hearted.

Fare-thee-weel, thou first and fairest!
Fare-thee-weel, thou best and dearest!
Thine be ilka joy and treasure,
Peace, Enjoyment, Love and Pleasure!
Ae fond kiss, and then we sever!
Ae fareweel, alas, for ever!
Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee.
Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.

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Monday 29 October 2007

Saturday 6 October 2007

Book - The Hidden Places of Scotland

The Hidden Places of Scotland has been extensively updated and
contains a wealth of interesting information on the history, the
countryside, the towns and villages and the many places of interest such as
churches, castles, monuments and great mansions. The guide is beautifully
illustrated and explores Scotland in a relaxed narrative style.

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Book - The Battle of Prestonpans 1745

This is the first history of the Jacobite battle fought on 21st September 1745 between the forces of the Hanoverian regime and Prince Charles Edward Stuart, better known as 'Bonnie Prince Charles'. Lieutenant-General Sir John Cope, the leader of the English army, has been ridiculed, in song and in history books, for losing the Battle of Prestonpans - the first major battle of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. His defeat led to the invasion of England, in which the Jacobites almost drove King George II from the throne. But was Cope really to blame? The Jacobite Risings occurred after Parliament ousted King James Stuart in 1688 and installed a new dynasty. Stuart loyalists, many of them based in Scotland, took up arms repeatedly in futile attempts to restore James' descendants. The 1745 Rising, led by Bonnie Prince Charlie, was the last. Martin Margulies traces Scottish history up to 'the '45', describes the sharply contrasting weapons and tactics of the opposing armies, and follows the Prestonpans campaign from the time Charlie landed, almost alone, on the remote Isle of Eriskay through the moment his tiny force destroyed Cope's regulars in an early morning highland charge.

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Book - The Wallace Book

Through his personality, ingenuity and ability, he initiated a resistance movement which ultimately secured the nation's freedom and independence. Yet, Wallace was reviled, opposed and eventually betrayed by the nobility in his own day to re-surface in the epic poetry of the fifteenth century as a champion and liberator. Eventually, his legend overtook the historical reality, a process which has continued for centuries as manifested in modern media and film. A team of leading historians and critics from both Scotland and England investigate what is known of the medieval warrior's career from contemporary sources, most of which, unusually for a national hero, were created by his enemies. His reputation, from the time of his horrendous execution to the present, is examined to ascertain what the figure of Wallace meant to different generations of Scots. Too dangerous perhaps for his own era, he became the supreme Scottish hero of all time; the archetypal Scot who would teach kings and nobles where their duty lay, and who would live free or freely die for the liberty of his nation.

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Book - Clyde Built: The Blockade Runners of the American Civil War

The Blockade of the US's Southern ports during the American Civil War is well known and thoroughly documented, the conflict defined as a massive game of chess between two steely opponents - the aggressive Navy of the Federation and the determined Confederate States. However, this black-and-white interpretation of events neglects the role of Scotland in this historical siege, sidelining the Scots to mere shipbuilders and suppliers. In reality, their role in the Blockade was much more pronounced. The Blockade Runners illuminates the events of the Blockade as viewed and experienced from Scotland. The shipbuilding industry was overwhelmed at the scale of profit available, and these financial rewards stimulated much ship building activity in the Clyde. Aside from being the principal provider of steamers and armed cruisers to both sides of the American Civil War, the Scots saw further opportunity in promoting private ventures, both on the water and off, as they sent privately owned Blockade runners into the stand-off, and also provided a location for secret agency activity from both sides. The ideological conflict unfolding between American anti-slavery supporters and anti-abolitionists also spread to the other side of the Atlantic and forced the Scots to examine their own values, polarising opinions and forcing the individual to reassess their position on the most basic human rights.

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Book - Hugh Miller: Stonemason, Geologist, Writer

Hugh Miller was born in 1802 in Cromarty, Ross-shire. He started his working life as a stonemason's apprentice; he later became a social commentator and crusader. His was a household name in his lifetime, not only in Scotland but across the English-speaking world. With the benefit of recent research for the 2002 conferences, this biography does full justice to the self-educated man, a figure of renown in the 19th century, whose literary genius and scientific acumen still resonates in the 21st.

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Friday 14 September 2007

Book - In Famed Breadalbane

This is a history of a district of the Grampian Mountains in western Perthshire, bordered by Lochaber and Atholl on the north and Strathearn and Menteith on the south. We long have been in pursuit of this elusive regional history, which begins with an account of the region in earliest times and proceeds through the coming of the Scots, the Celtic church, the coming of the Campbells, the establishment of the Campbells of Breadalbane, down into the 20th century. It is of particular relevance for the Campbell, MacNab, Buchanan, Cameron, Dewar, Drummond, MacDonald, MacDougall, MacEwen, MacFarlane, MacGregor, MacIntyre, Mackay, Mackenzie, MacNaughton, and Menzies families, as well as many others. A wealth of local history!

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Thursday 13 September 2007

Take a Pride in Perthshire - Aberfeldy win 3rd place

Aberfeldy flower power. Thanks to a fantastic effort by the committee of Aberfeldy's Move2Improve, volunteers, local community and local businesses the town won third place in the large village category in this years Take a Pride in Perthshire competition.

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Saturday 8 September 2007

Book - Highland Reflections by Donald Fraser(Aberfeldy)

Donald Fraser’s book Highland Reflections is a fascinating insight into a lifetime spent in and around forestry. It is also an account of life in the Highlands, and offers a very personal reflection on the often radical changes seen and experienced by that society over recent generations.

Highland Reflections is the story of a Perthshire man brought up on a highland estate in the 1930’s, who spent the majority of his life working for the Forestry Commission based in a variety of locations in central and highland Scotland.

As well as being the story of a forester, the book charts Donald’s life and is populated by an array of lively characters encountered over his period of service and beyond. Highland Reflections also includes accounts of general and historical interest directly related to forestry life. It unfolds at a gentle, conversational pace and will reinforce the views held by many on the nature of rural life and its qualities.

Highland Reflections takes readers on a lifetime’s journey starting in Blair Atholl, and includes life in Fife, Inverness, Angus and Lochtayside. The story also takes in visits to Avoch in the Black Isle, Islay, and RAF national service in the 1950s England.

This is the diverse narrative of a career in and around forestry and it offers readers an often lighthearted insight into a highland man’s life spent in a very specialised industry.

Highland Reflections by Donald Fraser (Wm Culross & Son, Coupar Angus)ISBN 1 873891 80 6

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Childrens Activities - Victoria Park - Aberfeldy

Victoria Park in Aberfeldy has a recently upgraded fantastic play area. It includes safety surfacing, earth mounding and natural play logs, boulders and planting, challenging rope climbs, various swings, slide and a silicon-glass shade sail (7mx7m) which will provide some much needed shelter in the park along with a wide range of seating. This new area adjoins the existing skate park.

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Thursday 23 August 2007

Aberfeldy Bed and Breakfast

This comfortable, modern bungalow can be found in a peaceful location within minutes of the town centre of Aberfeldy, at the heart of Highland Perthshire, one of the most beautiful and scenic areas in Scotland.

A warm welcome is given to every guest by the host, Cathy Ross, ensuring a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. A large spacious lounge is available for all guests where you can watch TV or chat with the other guests. A large traditional Scottish breakfast is served at separate tables in the dining room or in the conservatory with picturesque views of the surrounding hills.

Aberfeldy is situated by the beautiful River Tay which flows from the picturesque Loch Tay. There is a fine selection of coffee shops, restaurants, gift shops and galleries along the main street which runs through the town.

From the town square you can walk the "Birks of Aberfeldy", originally known as the Den of Moness, made famous by the poem of the same name by Robert Burns. He wrote this poem while visiting Aberfeldy in 1787. The spot where he sat is now marked with a plaque. The Birks(birch trees) is now one of the most popular walks in Perthshire.

Aberfeldy is an excellent base for touring Highland Perthshire and the rest of Scotland as it is geographically placed almost in the very centre of the country which allows trips to Loch Ness, Glencoe, Oban, Edinburgh and the Trossachs to be undertaken in one day without the need for moving accommodation.

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Sunday 22 July 2007

Birks of Aberfeldy

The Birks of Aberfeldy which is a steep sided, wooded glen and the Falls of Moness are among the most spectacular and accessible walks in Perthshire. The circular walk, also a nature trail, follows the path alongside the Moness Burn reaching the highest point where it crosses the bridge above the Falls of Moness. There are seats and viewpoints on the way. The map shows the car parks and footpaths. The main walk can be extended by taking the path through the "Lower Birks" into Aberfeldy town centre.

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Saturday 7 July 2007

Scottish Interest Books - Queen Amang the Heather

Queen Amang the Heather: The Life of Belle Stewart
By Sheila Stewart

Belle Stewart (nee MacGregor) was born in 1906 in a bow tent on the banks of the river Tay, into a travelling family of tinkers and pearlfishers. When she was seven months old, Belle's father died, and the family was no longer able to travel full-time. They settled in Blairgowrie, scraping a living picking fruit and potatoes. Growing up, Belle was surrounded by stories and songs that had been passed down over centuries through the generations of Scottish travellers. She continued learning, singing and writing songs as she travelled around Scotland and Ireland with her piper husband Alec Stewart, who she married in 1925. Perhaps her best known song, "The Berryfields o' Blair", spread amongst the travellers and was collected by Hamish Henderson in the 1950s. He managed to track down Belle as the writer of the song and so began to record the songs and stories of her family.

The 'Stewarts o' Blair', as they were known, became stars of the folk scene, performing in concerts all over Europe and the United States. Belle's performances were compelling. Dazzling audiences with her warmth and elegance, she was awarded a BEM by the queen for her contribution to folk music. She died in 1997. In "Queen of the Heather", Sheila Stewart tells the moving story of her mother's life and career. Interspersed with the Stewarts' songs and stories told in Perthshire cant, this biography is an insightful and personal tribute to one of Scotland's most renowned folk singers, as well as to the rich culture of the travelling people.

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Scottish Interest Books - The Hired Lad

The Hired Lad - By Ian Campbell Thomson

Ian Campbell Thomson relives his time as a young farmworker on a Stirlingshire farm after the Second World War.

It is a touching coming-of-age tale: we see the author make new friends and romances while finding his own way in a changing world. He describes the passing of age-old country ways, as technology begins to replace traditional farming methods.

The book is dedicated to Donald and Blossom, the magnificent pair of Clydesdale horses with which he ploughed, until the sad day when they were replaced by a smart Fordson tractor. Of those early times he writes: ` I often wondered how far I walked in a day behind the plough. My guess was somewhere between 12 and 15 miles...the words "the ploughman homeward wends his weary way" just about sums up the end of the day trudge back to the farm, with darkness closing in and the stable work to be done.'

Peopled with memorable characters including the hard-working `boss', and the wise Aunt Kit, this is a unique tribute, full of humour and nostalgia
to a disappearing culture.

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Scottish Interest Books - Women of the Highlands

Women of the Highlands
By Katharine Stewart

THE HIGHLAND FREE PRESS, 16 March 2007
`the grande dame of mainland Highland literature'

Dundee Courier,23 March 2007
"But when 92-year-old Katharine Stewart decided to write her latest in a long line of books on Highland culture, she made a conscious effort to explore the contribution of WOMEN to Highland history, charting the development and preservation of the yarns, myths and songs that contributed to the development of Gaelic civilisation, and the impact women specifically have had on Highland history through the ages."

Scottish Review of Books,13 May 2007
`an uncomplicated look at history, the kind of take on historical continuity that reassures and comforts, rather than disturbs or unsettles.'

`her over-riding argument - that women of the Highlands contributed just as much to the culture of the region as well as to its survival as its menfolk did - is hard to refute.'

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Scottish Interest Books - The Flowers of the Forest

The Flowers of the Forest: Scotland and the Great War - by Trevor Royle

In "A Strange and Wild Place", Sandra MacPherson recorded her extraordinary life as a Highland chieftain's wife on Glentruim estate, weaving her own story with tales of infamous Macphersons of old. In her latest book, she broadens her horizons to include the whole of Badenoch and Strathspey, introducing a multitude of old and new tales from the area, as well as providing more personal recollections of her experiences there.

In addition to stories featuring members of her own MacPherson clan, she also includes tales of love, battle, adventure, intrigue, danger and dark secrets, as well as chilling accounts of witchcraft, the supernatural and the unexplained. Together, these stories paint a vivid picture of this very special corner of the Highlands - not only of its richly varied landscape made up of farmland, forest and stark, imposing mountains, but also of the people who have lived and loved there through the centuries, and of the changes over time that have inevitably affected and continue to mould their lives.

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Scottish Interest Books - People of the Wild Cat Country

People of the Wild Cat Country: Tales from Badenoch and Strathspey - by Sandra Macpherson

Today we are as far away from the First World War as the Edwardians were from the Battle of Waterloo, but it casts a shadow over Scottish life that was never produced by the wars against Napoleon. The country and its people were changed forever by the events of 1914-1918. Once the workshop of the empire and an important source of manpower for the colonies, after the war, Scotland became something of an industrial and financial backwater. Emigration increased as morale slumped in the face of economic stagnation and decline. The country had paid a disproportionately high price in casualties, a result of the larger numbers of volunteers and the use of Scottish battalions as shock troops in the fighting on the Western Front and Gallipoli - young men whom the novelist Ian Hay called 'the vanished generation [who] left behind them something which neither time can efface nor posterity belittle.'

There was a sudden crisis of national self-confidence, leading one commentator to suggest in 1927 that 'the Scots are a dying race.' Royle examines related themes such as the overwhelming response to the call for volunteers and the subsequent high rate of fatalities, the performance of Scottish military formations in 1915 and 1916, the militarisation of the Scottish homeland, the resistance to war in Glasgow and the west of Scotland, the boom in the heavy industries and the strengthening of women's role in society following on from wartime employment.

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Scottish Interest Books - The Union

The Union: England, Scotland and the Treaty of 1707 - by Michael Fry

The story of modern Britain began 300 years ago, with the Treaty of Union between England and Scotland in 1707. In this fresh and challenging look at the origins of the United Kingdom, the first full study for four decades, Michael Fry traces the fault-lines of the present time right back to the treaty drawn up between the ruling classes of Scotland and England three centuries ago. In many previous histories this has been interpreted as mere dictation by England, which Scotland accepted for the economic gains it was supposed to bring.

Fry rejects the idea that the economy was of overwhelming importance and shows how Scots were able to exploit English ignorance of and indifference to their country, as evident now as then, to steer the settlement in their own favour. That left the future of Scotland, England and Britain open, not closed. The full implications are only being worked out in our own time. While focusing on the few years which led up to the Union, Fry's reassessment casts its net wider than existing interpretations. He includes the political history of England as well as of Scotland, all set against the backdrop of war in Europe and the emergence of imperialism. He compares the fate of the Scots with that of other small nations.

By a close, comparative reading of the evidence he manages to reconstruct the human as well as the political story, in the voices of the people where they can still be discerned, in plots and conspiracies long lost from view, in reports from battlefields and in the impassioned debates of the Scots Parliament as the nation steeled itself for the loss of independence which, even so, it would not allow to become irrevocable.

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Scottish Interest Books - The Summer Walkers

The Summer Walkers: Travelling People and Pearl-fishers in the Highlands of Scotland - by Timothy Neat

The Summer Walkers is the name the crofters of Scotland's north-west Highlands gave the Travelling People - the itinerant tinsmiths, horse-dealers, hawkers and pearl fishers who made their living 'on the road'. They are not gypsies, but are indigenous Gaelic-speaking Scots, who, to this day, remain heirs of a vital and ancient culture. The Summer Walkers documents an archetypal and vanishing way of life.

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Scottish Interest Books - Tears for a Tinker

Tears for a Tinker - By Jess Smith

In the first two books of her autibiography, Jessie's Journey and Tales from the Tent, Jess Smith told the story of her wandering years on the road with the last of Scotland's travellers, hawkers and gypsies. This third volume in the trilogy is Jess's at-times painful farewell to the travelling lifestyle which she loved.

Settling down to 'scaldy' (non-traveller) existence - marriage, kids and domesticity in a small council house - was never going to be easy for her. But though there were some tears, laughter is never far away. We move from a story of the car with no floor to a medical emergency, from the tall tales of her husband Dave's duck-hunt to his seafaring experiences, and from a chilling seance to a startling experiment with peroxide hair-colouring. There are more memories of Jess's early years on the road with her family in the old, blue bus.
Through it all are scattered wondeful gems from Jess's treasury of traditional tales - what the Loch Ness Monster really is, the strange fate of Blind Harry, and the ominous appearances of shapeshifters and werewolves. Handing on the tales told to her as she grew up, Jess reminds us that though most travellers have gone from the roads, their approach to life, understanding of nature and precious cultural legacy lives on, no matter how times may change.

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Scottish Interest Books - Bruar's Rest

Bruar's Rest - By Jess Smith

The story open in the Highlands as the twentieth century begins. The gypsy wife of wild drunkard Rory Stewart dies giving birth to their second son. Many years pass, and Rory and his sons are rootless travellers on the roads of Scotland. One night, during a winter storm, they
save another traveller family from freezing to death in a blizzard. Bruar Stewart and one of the girls he rescues, the hot-blooded and beautiful Megan, fall in love. But the First World War is declared, tearing their lives apart. Bruar is reported missing in action, an Megan sets off on a
long and perilous journey to find him...

An epic tale of love and loyalty by the author of the spellbinding autobiographical trilogy, Jessie's Journey.

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Scottish Interest Books - The Yellow on the Broom

The Yellow on the Broom: The Early Days of a Traveller Woman
By Betsy Whyte

Betsy Whyte was born into a family of travellers who roamed the Scottish countryside between the wars. The summers were the best times, out on the open road, while the winters were spent in houses, pining for the first sign of spring - the yellow on the broom. Betsy Whyte's vivid description of a childhood on the road amidst a misunderstood people is a rich evocation of a vanishing world.

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Scottish Interest Books - The Yellow on the Broom

The Yellow on the Broom: The Early Days of a Traveller Woman
By Betsy Whyte

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Scottish Interest Books - The Pearl-fishers

The Pearl-fishers - by Robin Jenkins

When the beautiful pearl-fisher, Effie Williamson, arrives in a rural Scottish village, with her grandparents and siblings, the residents react in many different ways, from hospitable warmth to outright rejection, exacerbated when the religious, gentle Gavin Hamilton takes the family into his home, the Old Manse. A difficult love blossoms gradually between Effie and Gavin under the scrutiny of the watchful locals.

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Scottish Interest Books - Clap Hands for the Singing Molecatcher

Clap Hands for the Singing Molecatcher: Scenes from a Scottish Childhood - by Roderick Grant

Laughter, tragedy and dramatic incident thread their way through the life of a growing boy and the lives of the people he observes. Roderick Grant's book is not merely one of nostalgic recall. It is a richly evocative memoir of a time and place when horses still drew ploughs and children walked seven miles or more each day to reach their school; and where shepherd and gamekeeper, farmer and labourer, forester, railway worker, teacher, laird and minister, and their families, were all part of a community, close-knit in its isolation from the changing post-war world.

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Scottish Interest Books - Tales and Travels of a School Inspector

Tales and Travels of a School Inspector - by Wilson John

John Wilson was an Inspector of Schools during the latter half of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth. His career in education spanned 50 years, during which time he inspected many schools in the Highlands and Islands, including Jura, Islay, Orkney, Argyll, Heisker and Iona. First published in 1928, the personal account of his experiences is both compassionate and humorous, providing a valuable insight into the social and educational conditions in the Gaelic Highlands and Islands following the 1872 Education Act.

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Scottish Interest Books - Isolation Shepherd

Isolation Shepherd - by Iain R. Thomson

In August 1956, a young shepherd, his wife, two-year-old daughter and ten-day-old son sat huddled in a small boat on Loch Monar in Ross-shire as a storm raged around them. They were bound for a tiny, remote cottage at the western end of the loch which was to be their home for the next four years. "Isolation Shepherd" is the moving story of those years. More than simply a sensitive and richly detailed account of the shepherd's life through the season, Iain Thomson's book also vividly captures the splendour of one of Scotland's most awesome landscapes, and depicts the numerous incidents that shaped the family's life there before the area was flooded as part of a huge hydro-electric project.

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Scottish Interest Books - Land of Mountain and Flood

Land of Mountain and Flood: The Geology and Landforms of Scotland
By Alan McKirdy, John Gordon, Roger Crofts

The sheer diversity of Scotland's rocks and landforms are the physical reminders of a fascinating physical and chronological journey which shows that the land that makes up Scotland today has travelled the world from the Equator to the South Pole and back north again, and has not always even belonged to the same continental landmass. This book, published by Birlinn in association with Scottish Natural Heritage will help the reader to understand Scotland's place in the geological history of the planet.

Three eminent geologists introduce and trace the country's development, unravelling and explaining what is seen now in the landscape and why it came to be the way it is. They show readers exactly where they can find evidence of these natural changes in the country's landscape on the ground in different parts of Scotland. The Geology of Scotland is an essential book for anyone who is interested in the natural world around them and who wishes to develop a good knowledge about the original formation of their country. It is accessible and beautifully presented, contains a huge amount of detailed information told in clear, comprehensible language and is enhanced throughout with specially commissioned illustrations, diagrams and photographs.

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