Scottish Blog

The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is a breed of terrier originating from Scotland.

The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is different to other dog breeds originating from Scotland because of its “different” appearance, and while many of the Scottish breeds of dog are known throughout the world and have become so popular that many would be hard pressed to guess Scotland as their country of origin, the Dandie Dinmont Terrier is still an exception.

The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is similar to other terriers in appearance, it is between 8 and 11 inches tall, weighing between 18 and 24 pounds, most of which is muscle. For the most part it has fur similar to a Scottish terrier, except for its back where the fur is disproportionately short. It is also famous for its white topknot, which consists of soft, long white fur.

Despite what its appearance might suggest, the Dandie Dinmont Terrier is a hunting dog in origin, specializing in otters and badgers. The breed was created in the 17th century in the Cheviot area of the Scottish-English border. It is the only dog breed in existence to draw its name from a fictional character, in this case being Dandie Dinmont, from the Sir Walter Scott novel “Guy Mannering”.

Hogmanay is the Scottish celebration of the last day of the year.

Technically Hogmanay is the equivalent of the Scottish celebration of New Year, although putting it in such plain terms is certainly unfair to the event. In an interesting paradox, Hogmanay has become more a more unified celebration of the approaching year then its equivalent elsewhere, but it has achieved this by its un-unified customs and traditions that are localized to areas and even towns.

Hogmany is thought to stem from the Norse celebration of Winter Solstice and the Gaeilic celebration of Samhain. A number of other celebrations of the same time contributed to shape Hogmanay, as the celebration of the Winter Solstice is almost universal.
As I said earlier, Hogmany is unique due to its varying traditions, although there are some which are practiced throughout the country. One of these is the tradition of “first-footing”, which involves the first person to cross the threshold of their friend’s house after midnight giving them a symbolic gift. Originally this gift could have been salt, although this is no longer common, and a bigger gift like a piece of Scottish heirloom jewelry would be a more likely sight.

More regionalized traditions of Hogmanay vary greatly from one area to another. As an example Stonehaven in Kincardineshire has a tradition of constructing balls made out of flammable materials and featuring them in a parade which starts at the stroke of midnight. Some small fishing villages base their first-footing gifts around the local produce, normally in the form of a decorated hearing. While metropolitan areas of Scotland, like Edinburgh are said to lean more to the heavy consumption of alcohol and signing for their Hogmanay merriment.

Auld Lang Syne is a Scottish poem, often sung at New Year’s celebrations.

Auld Lang Syne is a product of one of the most popular poets in the world, Robert Burns. In the present day it can be heard amongst many revellers celebrating New Year’s around the world, Hogmanay in Scotland or Burn’s Supper. Interestingly enough it is actually used a graduation song in Taiwan, Hong Kong and the graduation ceremonies of the Indian and Pakistani armed forces. The popularity of the song has extracted it so far from its roots that many no longer recognise it as a true Scottish heirloom given to the world by one of the world’s best known Scots.

The lyrics to Auld Lang Syne were written in the latter half of the 1700s and forwarded to the Scottish Musical Museum. At the time he claimed that he did not if fact create the lyrics as they were part of a traditional Scottish folk song, although as it was the fashion at the time to claim such antiquity, most people cast doubt on such a claim.

As Auld Lang Syne was written over 200 years ago and had enjoyed popularity from that point it is only natural for it to have evolved with the spoken language of the region it is sung in. In fact, Auld Lang Syne as sung today has a number of differences, although these are mostly due to differing pronunciation.

These are the lyrics to Auld Lang Syne as sung today:

Should old acquaintances be forgotten,
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintances be forgotten,
And days of long ago!

Chorus:

For times gone by, my dear
For times gone by,
We will take a cup of kindness yet
For times gone by.

We two have run about the hillsides
And pulled the daisies fine,
But we have wandered many a weary foot
For times gone by.

We two have paddled (waded) in the stream
From noon until dinner time,
But seas between us broad have roared
Since times gone by.

And there is a hand, my trusty friend,
And give us a hand of yours,
And we will take a goodwill drink (of ale)
For times gone by!

And surely you will pay for your pint,
And surely I will pay for mine!
And we will take a cup of kindness yet
For times gone by!

1850-1894

Robert Louis Stevenson is one of the most authors in the world and a renowned Scot.

Robert Louis Stevenson is the author of one of the world’s best known, widely read and adapted books, Treasure Island. Although in the present day, this fame sometimes overwhelms him, leaving many not knowing that he is of Scottish heritage and also the author of many more equally well written novels.

Robert Louis Stevenson was born on the 13th of November, 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He came from a line of Lighthouse engineers and priests, which proved difficult for him as he was set on pursuing a career in literature. After proving that he had not aptitude for engineering, in his first year at the University of Edinburgh, he pursued a degree in law, as a backup for his career in writing.

Robert Louis Stevenson was an avid traveler and is said to have had a strong love for adventure. His experiences in travelling throughout the various Pacific Islands is what is said to have been the inspiration for his best known novel, Treasure Island.

Although by various records Robert Louis Stevenson is one of the most widely translated authors in the world, he was for a long time looked down upon by members of literary circles. He was in some instances condemned by Virginia Woolf and thought by many to be nothing more than an author for children. In recent years though the popularity of Robert Louis Stevenson amongst literary circles has been raised for its apparent critical insights into society.

Scottish News: The man known as the Naked Rambler has scorned a chance of freedom by emerging from Edinburgh Sheriff Court in the nude and immediately being arrested.

The Golden Retriever is a breed of dog originating in Scotland.

The Golden Retriever is probably one of the most popular dog breeds in the world today. In fact, if counted by registrations, the Golden Retriever is the most popular family dog today.

The Golden Retriever breed originates around the Glen Affric area of Scotland, in the 1800s. Until 1952, countless rumors circulated around the origin of this dog, most involved something along the lines of a wealthy estate holder buying a troupe of dogs from a passing Russian circus. Although stories of this nature have been put to rest, with the release of the original breeding records.

The need for a breed for a dog like the Golden Retriever is closely tied to the development of firearms. With the development of increased range of common guns, there came a need in the sport of hunting for retrievers who were able to find and bring back downed birds over longer distances. The kill also had to be retrieved in good condition, which ruled out many of the aggressive or hard mouthed breeds that were available at the time. With this in mind, selective breeding brought fourth the modern Golden Retriever.

The Golden Retriever as it is recognized today can come in many forms. Holding a wide range in not only color but coat length. Yet there is an element which is maintained between almost every dog in the Golden Retriever breed.

The temperament of the Golden Retriever is said to be one of its biggest drawing points. Mainly it is described as kind, with a fondness for not only it master but strangers. It is this which brought it forth from Scotland to homes in almost every country in the world.

Ian Rankin is a popular Scottish novelist, best known for his Inspector Rebus stories.

Ian Rankin was born on the 28th of April 1980, in Cardenden, Fife, Scotland. Ian Ranking attended Beath High School in Cowdenbeath. After graduating he continued his education at Edinburgh University. His auto-biography claims that after graduating, Ian Ranking relocated to London for four years, followed by six years in France. During this time, and before he could afford to become a full time novelist, Ian Rankin is said to have held a number of unrelated jobs. These included a hi-fi journalist, a punk musician, a alcohol researcher and a grape picker. Currently he resides in Edinburgh.

Ian Rankin did not originally intend to be a crime fiction writer. He aimed at a more mainstream audience, apparently in keeping with the themes of Robert Louis Stevenson and Muriel Spark. He is said to have been slightly disturbed by the initial classification of his books as crime novels. He was later reassured and even encouraged by one of his tutors to keep writing in the theme.

The Inspector Rebus novels which Ian Rankin published are predominantly set in Edinburgh, this combined with their distinct writing style has lent them to becoming a staple of the Tartan Noir style of writing.

Morag is said to be a Scottish lake dwelling monster, similar to the world famous Loch Ness monster.

Morag is said to inhabit Loch Morar, in Morar, Lochaber, in the Highlands of Scotland. The body of water which Morag is said to inhabit measures roughly twenty eight square miles, in surface area. It is also the deepest freshwater body in the British Isles, with some areas reaching an average depth of 310 meters. Some have used this as light evidence of the existence of Morag.

Morag, unlike the Loch Ness monster is reported to have attacked people in the past, which to some adds to its believability. It is claimed that in the August of 1969, Duncan McDonnell, and Bill Simpson accidentally hit Morag with their speed boat. It is claimed that Morag then deliberately hit the boat. In response the creature was shot at and hit with an oar. It was said to sink after the gunshot. The description the two men gave of the creature bore a striking resemblance to the common conception of the Loch Ness Monster, three humps, a serpent like head, brown skin and a length of 25 to 30 feet.

Previous to this, Morag is said to have been sighted as early as 1887. Since 1891, when records of sighting began being kept, there have been 34 reported witnessing with a number of these being from multiple individuals at a time.

The Edinburgh International Film Festival is the longest continually running film festival in the world.

The Edinburgh International Film Festival began in 1947, since then it has run continually to this day and the indefinite future, making it the longest continual running film festival in the world today. In its early days, the Edinburgh International Film Festival was only accompanied by the Cannes and Venice film festivals, making it one of the most prestigious film festivals in the present day.

The Edinburgh International Film Festival was started by the Edinburgh Film Guild, which is coincidently the oldest continually running film society in the world. Since then it has staged sixty one film festivals throughout which they have refined their procedures.
Presently, there are three awards given out at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. The Grand Jury of the festival decided upon and awards the "The Michael Powell Award for Best New British Feature Film". The audience of the film festival is able to vote for the winner of the "The Michael Powell Award for Best New British Feature Film". Lastly, a select panel of judges decides upon the winner of the "Skillset New Directors Award". There are also a number of smaller awards given to short films and animations, but these do not generally feature as highlights of the show program.

The Edinburgh International Film Festival is divided into a number of film categories. Gala, which consists of films with either famous actors or directors in their production. British Gala, which is similar to Gala only with British personalities. Rosebud features films from only first or second time directors. Directors' Showcase are critical films from important directors. Night Moves contains horror or thriller themed films, which originate from countries where it would be difficult to showcase the movie in mainstream methods. Document plays documentaries. Retrospective, relatively unknown films from important directors. Black Box features abstract films. Mirrorball is the music categories, playing music videos and musical documentaries. The last categories is In-Person which features interviews with prominent film industry figures.

This is the final article describing the historical inaccuracies of the movie Braveheart.

While the movie Braveheart featured a number of strong misinterpretations of history, it also featured a number of smaller, less significant errors. Although individually these discrepancies are small , combined they have only added to the criticisms historians have about this movie.

In Braveheart, William Wallace is portrayed as being a commoner, hailing from a line of commoner parents. In real life William Wallace is actually descendant of Richard Wallace, a noble.

Braveheart portrays the Scottish fighters as all having worn kilts. While it is possible that some of the soldiers wore kilts, it was not a common occurrence even in everyday life at the time. Scottish soldiers are not recorded as having a wide spread use of kilts until the 1600s. Similarly, in a apparent attempt to convey Scottish culture to the viewers, bagpipes were played in various scenes of the movie. The bagpipes used were uillean bagpipes, which were invited in Ireland in the 17th century. Even the earliest Great Highland Bagpipe was not recorded until 1407, which makes it unlikely that any form of bagpipes would have been played at the time.

It was also shown in Braveheart that the Irish fighters at one point betrayed the English and fought for the Scots. This has no founding in histories or legends, in fact by all records it seems that the Irish were exemplary fighters on the English side.

It is shown in Braveheart that William Wallace rode out to battle sporting blue paint on his face. This is only support by a legend which says that he was visited by the Virgin Mary in a dream, who painted a blue saltire (the flag of Scotland). Although from watching the movie you will see that the paint on the face does not resemble the saltire and has a stronger bearing to Pictish war paints.

Scottish News: The Scottish Government is considering asking the United States to rethink its ban on haggis imports. Imports of Scotland's iconic dish were banned by the US in 1989 in the wake of the BSE scare because it contains offal ingredients such as sheep lungs...