Scotland: The (BIG) Gathering of Clans...
 

this July 25-26, 2009 in what the Scottish Tourist Board brags is "largest clan gathering on Scottish soil in modern times."

some 30,000 clan members are expected to gather over the two days

there will be a Clan Pageant down Edinburgh's Royal Mile and there will be Highland Games in Holyrood Park by Holyrood Palace and Scottish textiles will be hawked - and no clan gathering would be complete without a whole lot of boozing with typical foods and whiskeys

(Info from EventScotland -www.eventsscotland.org)

That would be whiskies not whiskeys Pal. Whisky is the Scottish drink, Whiskey is everyone else's attempts at it.

pal - I don't mean to nitpick, but it is whiskys.

Thanks both - i usually have to Google to see what the Scottish spelling is as i can never remember.

single malt?

Whisky (don't know where the s came from.)

I think the Canadians also spell it whisky.

Seagram's big plant in Windsor, just south of Deeeetroit, on the river - a landmark that was handy for bootleggers in Prohibition to boat the 'water of life' over to Deeetroit.

Great, an event promoted by a plastic Mac in front of a blue screen and who couldn't even be bothered to turn up for the launch - let alone actually live in Scotland.

Smacks to me that someone is trying to make Scotland into another Ireland - full of the "old charm and sights"

Yup, the mock Jocks now have a "Tartan Day" in the US.
I remember being in a small hotel in Scotland where an American couple were getting very exited about meeting their "Clan chief".
A Scot muttered when they'd left the lounge, "I didn't say that his ancestor chucked their ancestor off his croft and replaced him with a flock of sheep!"

Now lets try to remember are tartens actually authentic or just the invention of some 19th cent weavers with too much cloth on their hands.


Still on a positive note it is good the Clans are meeting and will make a fine display

And I guess we have to support the tourism industry now our financial services industry is going belly up :-(

Yes indeedy Caroline

the Scottish tourist board or whatever they call it says:

"In honor of the 250th brithday of Scotland's national poet Robbie Burns, a yearlong program of celebration has been created to recognize Scotland's contributions to the world and the country itself as a destination for tourists"
"Homecoming Scotland (www.homecomingscotland.com) is a gov't-led initiative in conjunction with VisitScotland (www.visitscotland.com) and EventScotland (www.eventscotland.org)"

Wow - 250th - gotta be some hellacious Burns Day (Night?) parties this Jan 25 - Burns Day featuring lots of whiskies being gulped.

Susan russell, a PRS exec with VisitScotland chortles:

"Scotland is famous for Burns, whiskey, golf, 'great minds and inventions' and as being the ancestral homeland of millions around the world"

what - no mention of shortbread?

pal - WHISKY!!!

Agreed it's "Whisky"

Susan russell, international PR executive with VisitScotland is quoted as saying 'whiskey'

but i do believe that this article, from TravelAgent magazine may have copy edited her quote into American

therefore Whisky, like in "WHISKY!!!! Please, is correct

thanks for the corrections

I only hope that whisky tastes like whiskey

VisitScotland says:

"Fans of Scottish music will have plenty to appreciate throughout Homecoming, esp in Glasgow, where they can listen to massed pipers at the World Pipe Band Championships in August."

You know one bag piper is to much for my ears - just that screeching - ugh but mass those pipers and the music becomes rather wondrous.

(Ireland gave birth to the bagpipe and then they sent pipes to the Scottish, who never got the joke.)

>>some 30,000 clan members are expected to gather over the two days

Where are they going to fit that many motor homes?

Like I said....

http://tinyurl.com/6dvm8n

Got me with that again, Sheila!

This is my current favorite version of "Caledonia", maybe because of the pictures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZrdo...eature=related

This is my favorite Scottish link on YouTube. It starts in Edinburgh, then to Loch Ness and ends in Glasgow. Very, very clever.

Oh and as someone says in the review section, never tease a snowman.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xfiqrkV_ZqI

joe

"Agents can also go to www.scotsagent.com - a free educational website that will teach them more about Scotland."

<<< (Ireland gave birth to the bagpipe and then they sent pipes to the Scottish, who never got the joke.) >>>

Bagpipes were invented in the Middle East and the first evidence of them being in Britain was the 14th century. The first evidence of them in Ireland was the late 16th century

Got that from a book on the Irish - a very popular book a few years ago written by a Celtic scholar - but hey i don't know.

If he was a Celtic scholar, he didn't know.
The original inhabitants of the British Isles were Ancient Britons of various tribes.
There's no evidence that the Celts ever set foot in the place.
DNA evidence has shown that the majority of British and Irish are genetically identical apart from a few pockets of Scandinavians and Anglo-Saxons.
We're all British, in fact.

Bagpipes are found all over the world.

This site tells something about the origins and the different types
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A748208

Bagpipes are found all over the world.>

Yes and the world is poorer for it

Just can't stand that lone piper all over Europe these days screeching away