What's In a Name?

Quite a lot it would seem. In a week in which the Post Office announced a change in its corporate name (to Consignia) a member of the ruling Scottish Executive in Edinburgh suggested that a title of "Scottish Government" might be more appropriate. After all, Tom McCabe was setting out the plans for the launch of the new "Programme for Government" at the end of this month. Rightly, Tom McCabe, the Minister for the Parliament, suggested during an interview that the "Executive" title might be a bit confusing (especially as the term was applied also to the civil servants as well as ministers). He felt that the public in Scotland now consider the Scottish Executive to be "the government" as far as issues which affect them directly are concerned. Tom McCabe then appeared to be backed up by First Minister Henry McLeish. But then the suggestion reached their colleagues in the Labour Party in Westminster - and there was an explosive reaction against the idea. The Labour Party machine are accused of being "control freaks" at the best of times and they didn't like the idea of their power being usurped by a change of name in Scotland. Senior "sources" in Westminster were said to be "furious" with comments such as "They can call themselves the White Heather Club but they will never be the Scottish government". It was first of all claimed that there had been no prior discussion about the "name change" - then admitted that senior cabinet ministers in London had been involved in "loose discussions" as far back as November. When the subject was raised in the Scottish Parliament, Henry McLeish, the First Minister, was quite adamant (he apparently had backing from Tony Blair in Downing Street) and gave a robust defense. "We have no plans to change the name of the Scottish Executive as it stands in the Scotland Act because we don't need to - we ARE the government. We are taking the decisions on devolved matters in Scotland for the Scottish people" He then proceeded to deliberately use the term several times during the debate.

Footnote on "What's in a Name"?

The Isle of Man is an island in the Irish sea, with a population of around 70,000, halfway between England and Ireland. For a short time, many centuries ago, it was even part of Scotland. The Isle of Man has always had its own Parliament, the Tynwald, which acts as a self governing possession for internal affairs, under the supervision of the British Home Office. And they issue their own banknotes which are headed "Isle of Man Government".

Deadlock Broken on Teachers' Pay

Union leaders are ready to back an improved teachers' pay deal which, if accepted by the staff, would bring to an end a long-running wrangle. It will give them a 23% salary increase over the next three years, with a 10% increase in April this year. Salaries for new entrants into the profession would rise from 14,000 pounds a year to 18,000 pounds in an effort to attract new recruits. The range for head teachers will rise to 35,500 pounds to 69,000 pounds for the largest schools. Average teachers' pay would rise to 28,000 pounds by 2003. The deal will create problems for the Education Secretary in London who is trying to persuade teachers in England and Wales to accept 3.75% this year.

Scotland Watches the Eclipse

Whenever there are any celestial fireworks to be seen in the night sky, you can usually rely on the Scottish weather to bring in some thick clouds to spoil the show. But on Tuesday, Scotland turned out to be one of the best places to get of a view of the shadow of the earth moving across the moon and creating a reddish glow on its surface for about an hour as light from the sun was filtered and bent round the earth's atmosphere. In days gone by it used to be viewed as a portent of doom and angry gods.

Maradonna Signs for Dundee

First Madonna, now Maradonna.... Many readers who do not follow international football (soccer) may nevertheless have heard of the legendary Diego Maradonna, who played for Argentine and was named "Player of the Century" by the International Football Association. Maradonna is famous (some say infamous) for scoring a goal in a World Cup game against England in which TV video footage appears to show that it was helped along by his arm - afterwards nicknamed "the hand of God goal". Maradonna is now well past his peak (aged 40 and suffering a heart attack a year ago which he said had been brought on by cocaine abuse). So there was some astonishment at the newspaper headlines "Maradonna Signs for Dundee". True, the "signing" is a six figure sum for one charity match to take place at a date and time to be arranged. The cost of the appearance is likely to be more than offset by TV rights and ticket sales. There is no doubt that the announcement put the spotlight on Dundee and its football club but one commentator did ask whether it might end up being a freak show rather than the second coming of a superstar. Maradona last played in Scotland at Hampden Park in 1979 when Argentina defeated Scotland 3-1. One of Maradonna's Argentinian team-mates, Claudio Caniggia, now plays for the Dundee side and was instrumental in clinching the deal.

Madonna Creates Tourist Scramble

Hotels in the north of Scotland are reporting a sudden surge in bookings following the publicity given to the area as a result of the wedding in December of Madonna and her film producer boyfriend Guy Ritchie. The Highlands of Scotland Tourist Board (HOST) says that their Highland Wedding Web site is averaging nearly 1,000 visits a day since it was launched on 8 December. There has been a 25% increase in bookings for marriages in Scottish castles and other venues. And it's not just people from overseas who are looking for a fairy-tale wedding in a fairy-tale castle. Enquiries have increased from the rest of the UK also.

Teachers' Jumbo Jaunt Shot Down

Glasgow City Council were severely criticised this week for hiring a jumbo jet to take 700 teachers to London to attend a computer show at a cost of 36,000 pounds. Education chiefs claimed the trip was "good value for money" but others said that the training should have been delivered in Glasgow. Normally only a few teachers travel to the annual computer show at Olympia in London but recent capital expenditure on computers in schools has encouraged education chiefs to authorise the flights. Around 250 teachers and officials went on three successive days, returning to Glasgow in the evening. One opposition councillor commented "Come fly with me seems to be the motto of this administration". But part of the cost is being paid by the companies involved in upgrading the technology in the city's 400 schools and the computer show involves presentations by hundreds of hi-tech companies.

Rail Repair Work Making Progress

What has been described as the biggest programme of repairs carried out on Scotland's rail network in the last 50 years, is now almost two-thirds complete. It was a broken rail back in November which caused a train derailment in Yorkshire, plunging the rail network into chaos as speed restrictions were imposed until miles of suspect track had been replaced. Engineers have been examining miles of track using ultrasound equipment and highlighting stretches which need to be replaced because of hairline cracks. The Edinburgh-Glasgow service returned again to a frequency of trains every 15 minutes this week as more work was completed. The last speed restriction on the Edinburgh-Glasgow line will be lifted on January 19. But it was not all good news. Busy rail services from Fife to Edinburgh were disrupted this week by the imposition of 20mph speed restrictions on sections of the line after Railtrack engineers had spotted previously undetected cracks in the rails.

Half Price Rail Fares

Since the problems on Britain's railways arose last November, thousands of rail passengers have deserted the trains and are using alternative transport - car, bus or plane. In order to lure them back, Richard Branson's Virgin Rail have announced that ticket prices on their Glasgow-London service are to be halved from February 5 to March 4. A return ticket will cost 38.50 pounds instead of 77 pounds. But as the track repairs are still ongoing, firm timetables for that period are still not available and many observers think that Branson has moved too early. But Virgin Rail hope that by February journey times will be back to normal, with the London-Glasgow service reduced to six hours. Other companies are said to be considering their own approaches to incentives to entice passengers back.

Private Schools in Merger Talks

Less than 5% of pupils in Scotland attend private, fee-paying schools (with many of these in Edinburgh). Nevertheless, these private schools have a long tradition and their pupils often excel in examinations for University and so exert a greater influence on the educational scene than these numbers suggest. So there was considerable interest in the statement this week from Laurel Park School (an independent, all-girls school in Glasgow) which said that they were in discussion with Hutcheson's Grammar (a long-established co-educational school, also in Glasgow) about "sharing resources". This is seen as a prelude to a merger, thus losing Laurel Park's status as an all-girls school. There is a growing trend amongst independent schools to merge.

City Centre Road Collapses

Part of Union Street in Glasgow collapsed on Tuesday as engineers battled to repair a burst water main. The road at the corner of Gordon Street, near to Central Station, is a traffic bottleneck at the best of times and the road closure created gridlock. Repairs were not completed until the following day.

Edinburgh's Flagship Transport Project Breaks Down

The City of Edinburgh Rapid Transport (CERT) project, which aimed to provide a 15-minute bus service on special guided trackways from the city centre to the airport, has been left at the bus stop following the withdrawal of a major private-sector backer. A consortium led by bus company FirstGroup and construction firm Balfour Beatty had been selected as the preferred bidder for the 50 million pound Private Finance Initiative project in March 1999. The system was supposed to have been up and running three years ago but then a decision was made to involve private rather than totally public finance. FirstGroup say that additional finance was required above that originally committed and that the City Council's own bus service was now operating a new link to the airport, undermining the project.

Student's Union for the Future

Paisley University have announced plans for a 2.5 million pound development to create a student's union building in the heart of the town. It will be built opposite the university's Wotherspoon Building and is being hailed as proof of a commitment to provide the best possible facilities for students. In comparative tables, Paisley often comes near the foot compared with other universities. But it also has a reputation for encouraging students from deprived backgrounds.
The illustration shows the general layout of the buildingg of Paisley University with the High Street at the top and George Street at the foot.

Disappointment As Hi-Tech Plant Delayed Again

In 1997, a billion pound hi-tech plant at Dunfermline was being built by the Korean company Hyundai for the production of semi-conductors but it was then mothballed before it had been completed. The economic problems in Korea and the Far East and the fall in the price of DRAM chips contributed to the demise of the project. So there was delight in April 2000 when electronics giant Motorola announced that it was to take over the facility with a 1.3 billion pounds investment to manufacture the latest chips for the next generation of mobile phones. However, the company announced this week that they are delaying the opening of the plant for twelve months and it will not open until the end of next year or perhaps into 2003. The company said, however, that the delay would allow the factory to produce 12-inch silicon wafers instead of 8-inch, putting it in the forefront of world technology.

Chicken Factory to Business Park

An outdated chicken factory could become Edinburgh's newest business park if outline planning permission is granted by Edinburgh City Council. The 60-acre site is at Newbridge to the west of the city, beside the motorways going both west and north. Meantime, a public enquiry has begun on a proposed further phase of development at Edinburgh Business Park at South Gyle.

Census Creates Hundreds of Jobs

Recruitment has begun to fill 7,500 temporary jobs related to the national census which takes place on April 29. A full census is carried out in the UK every ten years and forms the basis of many planning decisions over the next decade. There are 2.3 million homes in Scotland and the forms are delivered and collected by hand.

Edinburgh On-Line Café Closes

One of the longest established on-line cafés in Edinburgh closed recently as competition from newer and larger establishments eroded its business. Cyberia, on busy Hanover Street in the centre of the capital was one of the first to have a Webcam in the window to allow surfers on the Web to see what the weather was like in the centre of Edinburgh.

Jobs Boost for North of Scotland

An upturn in North Sea oil-related activity has produced a clutch of drilling refit contracts, creating 350 new jobs in the Cromarty Firth area. Last year the oil fabrication yard at Nigg closed and 1,000 workers were paid off. A number of oil drilling rigs which are currently anchored in the Cromarty Firth are to be upgraded and brought into working order again.

Russia Boosts Demand for Scottish Barley

Reduced drinking of vodka and an increased consumption of beer in Russia has led to an demand for malted barley (barley which has started to germinate and then been dried to stop its germination). This is expected to help Scottish growers who planted an increased acreage of spring barley last year.

410 New Tartans

A Perth-based textile firm which specialises in tartan for kilts and upholstery had been working in secret for the last thirty months creating 410 new tartans. The MacNaughton Group will unveil the new designs at a "Made in Scotland" trade fair at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre at the end of January. The designs are for specialist purposes - such as Muted Maxwell and Dress Jardine and they will more than double the company's existing range of tartans. The managing director of the MacNaughton Group is the seventh generation of his family to run the business since it was formed in 1783.
The tartans shown in this illustration are existing ones, not the new ones created by MacNaughton Group.

Bridge Too Far Divides a Community

The distance between Lerwick, the capital of the Shetland Islands in the far north of Scotland and the neighbouring island of Bressay to the east, is only just over a mile. Communications are by a regular ferry service which takes less than ten minutes (weather permitting). But a proposal to build a bridge to the island at a cost of 15 million pounds has divided the island community in two - with those who see the economic benefit of better communications lined up against those who do not want to change the island way of life. Those in favour say that the ferry service is inadequate and that access to hospitals and other services would be dramatically improved. And the bridge would be toll free in place of the steadily increasing ferry charges. But tensions are growing, with many of the Bressay residents keeping quiet, for fear of offending their neighbours who may hold opposing views. A petition has been organised demanding that a secret ballot should be organised to establish what the majority of Bressay residents really feel about the bridge.

Smallest Chief Takes Over From Biggest

The new Chief Constable of Strathclyde Police (the largest force in Scotland) is to be William Rae, the Chief Constable of Dumfries and Galloway (the smallest police force not just in Scotland but in the UK). Mr Rae was the only applicant from Scotland - the other contenders were from forces in England. Strathclyde Police are the second largest force in Britain - only the London Metropolitan Police are larger. Mr Rae has been a policeman since 1966 and he is currently president of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland. He will start his new appointment on 1st July. The retiring Chief Constable of Strathclyde, Sir John Orr, commented that morale was currently high amongst the Strathclyde police force with crime at its lowest level for many years and detection rates at an all-time high.

Declining Bird Population

A report from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has highlighted the decline in the number of birds in our countryside. Kestrels, lapwings, plovers, pheasants and skylarks are amongst those which have declined in recent years. The RSPB blame intensive farming methods which have ripped out protective hedgerows as a major factor. But in Scotland it is the wading birds such as oystercatchers which have declined significantly. But it is not all bad news as numbers of wrens, house martins, herons and robins have shown an increase.

Star Wars in Stirlingshire

In the past, surfers looking via search engines for information about the Stirlingshire village of Balfron, have frequently found themselves in outer space. While that is not an infrequent occurrence with search engines, in the case of Balfron it was because there is a mythical planet Balfron in the Star Wars books and movies. The planet is a pretty grim place and the Balfron Heritage Group have decided to try to redress the balance. They have created a new Web site with a history of the village and up to date news. According to local legend, Balfron got its name from the Gaelic for "town in mourning", supposedly because a number of children were taken from the village in the 14th century. The legend is not clear on whether this was as a result of wolves or from a Viking raid. The Balfron Village Web site is at here. Search engines please note!

Weather in Scotland This Week

After a mild start to the week with temperatures around 7/8C (45/46F) and some rain, there was a dry, cold spell for the rest of the week as an area of high pressure covered the north of Scotland. Daytime temperatures fell to 3/4C (37/39F) with night-time temperatures in Highland glens with clear skies falling to as low as -8C (18F).

This picture of these holly berries was taken back in October. The combination of cold weather, snow and hungry birds has resulted in the tree now being completely cleared of berries.

Another Appeal for Clipper Ship

The Scottish Maritime Museum at Irvine in Ayrshire is to apply again to the Heritage Lottery Fund for finance to save the world's oldest clipper ship, the sailing vessel "Carrick". The ship was launched in Sunderland in 1864 as the "City of Adelaide" and was one of the main ships used to transport emigrants from Britain to Australia. For 40 years it was a landmark on the Clyde when it was moored in the centre of Glasgow as a floating naval club. It was taken to the Maritime Museum for restoration and preservation but the Museum ran out of funds after spending nearly a million pounds. An earlier appeal to the Lottery for funding was turned down because the Museum was "not financially viable". But a recent grant from the Scottish Executive has given it a better financial footing. There is considerable interest in the sailing ship in Southern Australia and there is a promise of a financial contribution from there to assist in the preservation.

Queen Victoria Fought for Scottish Kirk

Moves by the government of Prime Minister Gladstone to dis-establish the Church of Scotland in the 19th century were rejected by Queen Victoria, according to a new biography published this month. Queen Victoria died on 21 January 1901 and was well known for her preference for the down-to-earth nature of the Scottish Kirk, rather than the ritual and priestcraft of the Church of England. She preferred a clear and simple service and she started the tradition of attending Crathie church when she was in residence in Balmoral on Dee-side, Aberdeenshire. She even allowed the minister to preach for longer than the 20 minutes which she normally stipulated. Even though disestablishment of the Church of Scotland had been an election promise by the Liberal government, she refused to read the Queen's Speech at the opening of Parliament in 1894, if it included such a commitment.

Michelangelo Sketch for Scotland?

A sketch made around 1505 by Michelangelo is "within weeks" of being purchased by the National Galleries of Scotland. The drawing had lain forgotten for over 250 years in the Yorkshire stately home of Castle Howard. Timothy Clifford, director-general of the National Galleries is trying to negotiate the purchase, which is estimated to be valued at eight million pounds. The 10in by 6in drawing was uncovered in 1997 and was confirmed to be a genuine Michelangelo last year. It shows an old woman with her face hidden by the folds of her cloak. The drawing is in good condition and is thought to have been purchased in 1747 by the owner of Castle Howard. The art world has pointed out that there are no Michelangelos in a public collections north of Oxford.

Golf Balls for 7,000 Pounds?

Two rare leather and feather golf balls made by the legendary Musselburgh craftsman John Gourlay in 1840, are estimated to fetch 7,000 pounds when they are auctioned later this month. Most of this type of golf ball eventually fell to pieces, but these two rare items have survived. They are clearly marked with the Gourlay name and are in good condition.

Going for a Song

The birthplace of Lewis Grassic Gibbon, one of Scotland's foremost authors of the 20th century, has gone on sale. The croft near Auchterless, not far from Turriff in Aberdeenshire is now derelict, having been used as an agricultural store for more than 25 years. Lewis Grassic Gibbon (the pen name of James Leslie Mitchell) was born there on 13 February, 1901. There is already a Lewis Grassic Gibbon Centre which opened in 1992 in Arbuthnott, further north in Aberdeenshire where the author went to school. "Sunset Song" was the author's most famous work.

This Week in History

• January 14 1930 - Sir Thomas Mackenzie, New Zealand statesman and Prime Minister, died.
• January 14 1990 - Death of actor Gordon Jackson (see picture). His best known roles were in Tunes of Glory, Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Upstairs, Downstairs etc.
• January 15 1973 - Neil M Gunn, author of "The Silver Darlings" and many other books and short stories, died.
• January 15 1990 - Strathclyde Region Council applied for 250,000 summary warrants against rate payers refusing to pay "Poll Tax" (introduced in Scotland in April 1989).
• January 16 1746 - Retreating Jacobite army defeated Hanoverian forces at Battle of Falkirk.
• January 16 1707 - Treaty of Union of Scottish and Westminster Parliaments ratified.
• January 16 1945 - 52nd Highland Light Infantry and 1st Commando Brigade cross from Holland into Germany and assault Heinsberg.
• January 17 1795 - Duddingston Curling Society became the first curling club in the world to be formally organised.
• January 17 1883 - Author Compton Mackenzie (Whisky Galore etc) born.
• January 17 1926 - Moira Shearer, ballet dancer and film star, born Dunfermline
• January 19 1736 - Birth of James Watt, mathematical instrument maker, developed the steam engine, invented the condensor and copying machine.
• January 20 1937 - Benny Lynch crowned world flyweight champion.

For the other 51 weeks in history and a chronology of Scottish events see the Scottish Timeline.

Celtic Connections

There were those in 1994 who though that the organisers of a Celtic music festival in January in Glasgow were away with the Celtic fairies. But it is now in its 8th season and it has outgrown its original venue - the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, spreading to venues throughout the city. The opening concert, on 10 January, was a mixture of percussionist Evelyn Glennie, the "Blazin' Fiddles" and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Other performers in the Festival include the Celtic rock band "Wolfstone", Tom Paxton, "Old Blind Dogs", Dick Gaughan, Horse and "Salsa Celtica". And there are lots of ceilidhs and fiddle groups to get the feet tapping.

First Minister Sings For His Supper

Henry McLeish, the Scottish Executive's First Minister, will deliver the "Immortal Memory" at a charity Burns Suppper being held next week in Glasgow. 900 people will attend the gala event. The "Toast to the Lassies" will be delivered by Duncan Hamilton who is the Scottish manager of American Airlines, one of the main sponsors of the event. In the past, (and sometimes even today) Burns Suppers were all-male affairs so there was no response from the "lassies" but on this occasion Karen Dunbar, one of the stars of the TV comedy show "Chewin' the Fat" will respond on their behalf. In the last four years the event has raised 80,000 pounds for charity.

Minnie Farewell

After 40 years and 2,000 episodes, Minnie the Minx is retiring from the "Beano" comic. The gap-toothed pile of mischief has been drawn by the same man, Jim Petrie, all that time, but now at the age of 68 he is retiring - "to spend more time on watercolour dreamscapes". The first strip appeared on 6 June 1961 and the last was on 13 January. Mr Petrie acknowledges that despite all her escapades (such as putting the dishes in the washing machine), Minnie has kept him in porridge all these years.

Glasgow Rock Club "Best in Britain"

A BBC Radio One poll has voted the oddly named "King Tut's Wah Wah Hut", in Glasgow's St Vincent Street, the most influential small music venue in Britain. Oasis were spotted and signed there and the Manic Street Preachers dedicated a song to it. Radiohead, Travis, The Verve and many other rock groups received support from the venue. It was originally set up in 1990 in a small basement in the centre of Glasgow as a place for new bands to launch their careers.

Scottish Premier League Results

There were no games played in the Premier Division due to the winter break. The next matches are on 31 January.

Scottish Cup - 2nd Round

Montrose 1 Keith 1
Elgin v Queen of the South was postponed and the 2nd round replay between Cowdenbeath and Berwick was also off.

Scottish League Division One Results - 13 January

Ayr United 1 Inverness 1
Clyde 3 Raith Rovers 1
Falkirk 1 Livingston 0
Greenock 0 Airdrie 3
Ross County v Alloa was postponed

Rugby Results - 13 January

Boroughmuir 74 Watsonians 3
Melrose 38 Kirkcaldy 21
Currie v Heriot's FP and Glasgow Hawks v Gala were both postponed.

Scottish Football Association on the Move

The football (soccer) governing body in Scotland has been in their HQ, overlooking Kelvingrove Park at 6 Park Gardens in Glasgow, for the last 50 years. But this week the Scottish Football Association gathered all their files and memorabilia into packing cases and moved them to new offices at Hampden Park. They should have moved to the modernised stadium some time ago but all the uncertainty about finance for the redevelopment caused a postponement. The new offices in Hampden Park will provide the SFA with modern, state-of-the-art premises. But the memories of past Chief Executives at Park Gardens, such as Ernie Walker and Jim Farry, will no doubt haunt the old buildings for some time to come.

Footballer Puts Intruder in Hospital

Duncan Ferguson, who has played for Rangers and Scotland and is now an Everton player, showed once again this week that his reputation as a "hard man" is still justified. He disturbed two men who had broken into his luxury home in Lancashire during the night, while he and his wife and young baby were asleep upstairs. They attacked Ferguson with a bottle but the 6ft 4in tall Scot fought back. He restrained one man until the police arrived and the other fled. The police arrested the alleged burglar - and took him to a local hospital for treatment. Ferguson was the first football player in Scotland to be prosecuted for head-butting an opposing player during a football match in 1994. He spent 44 days in Barlinnie jail for that. But understandably he is being hailed as a hero for dealing with these intruders - who clearly had not checked properly into the background of the owner of the house they had attempted to break into.

Winter Break

The Scottish Premier League football teams are having a "winter break" with no matches from 2 January to 31 January.Most of the teams are jetting off to warmer climates for "training" with a few friendly matches arranged just to remind them about the rigours of the real world. Rangers and Celtic have set up camp in Florida and Hibernian are off to Torrremolinos in Spain. Hearts have moved to Portugal and Dunfermline to Morocco. Dundee were planning to go to Dubai but that trip was cancelled and they are now likely to travel to Italy. Even cash-strapped Aberdeen have scraped a few pounds together to take the team to Spain. St Johnstone and St Mirren are going to the same hotel complex in Costa Del Sol, Spain. The only "stay-at-homes" are Kilmarnock, Motherwell and Dundee United.

Glasgow Bids For World Bowl Final

Glasgow's Lord Provost, Alex Mosson, is jetting off to Florida later this month to attend Superbowl XXXV on January 28. But the provost (whose stature is described as being more of a tight end than a wide receiver - American football fans will recognise the distinction) is not just going on a jaunt to see the football. He will be lobbying hard to persuade the NFL officials to stage the World Bowl in Glasgow in 2002. The Scottish Claymores now play their home games in the European League at Hampden Park, Glasgow. The Claymores won the World Bowl in 1996 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh, against Frankfurt Galaxy and reached the final last year but lost to German team Rhein Fire.

Last Stand for Hibernian

The old main stand at Hibernian football ground at Easter Road in Edinburgh which has stood for over 70 years is about to be pulled down so that a new, modern stand can be put in its place. Hibernian supporters queued up to buy the old plastic seating at ten pounds a time (the money collected will go to charity) as memories of the highs and lows witnessed from the those seats came flooding back. The new stand is expected to be completed in time for the 2001/2002 season later this year, thanks to modern building techniques.

Magazine Section

Clan/Family Names

The names which have appeared in this section over the last few years have been assembled onto a separate Clan and Family History Web site which now covers over 100 different names.

Forsythia
The Forsyth family has a long and distinguished history in Scotland and William Forsyth from Old Meldrum gave his name to the lovely Forsythia plant.

Followers of Columba
Followers of Columba were "maol Chaluim" which gradually became the first name and surname Malcolm and the Gaelic version, MacCallum.

Famous Scots

Note that the biographies which appear here each week have been gathered together into a Famous Scots Web page.

Saint Columba
Technically, St Columba was Irish (he was born in Donegal) but documented Scottish history really begins with his arrival in Iona with 12 companions in 563AD.

Last King Born in Scotland
Charles I was born in Dunfermline Palace shortly before his father, King James VI, became the first king of both Scotland and England. But Charles' belief in the "Divine Right of Kings" led to Civil War - and his execution.

Places to Visit in Scotland

Note that the places to visit which have been highlighted here each week have been gathered together into a Places to Visit Web page with more information and illustrations.

National Heather Garden
Bell's Cherrybank Garden near Perth is full of surprises. In addition to masses of heather, there are other plants and features in the well planned garden. And as you leave, there is a free dram of Bell's whisky to speed you on your way!

A Castle Lost and Won - Many Times
Bothwell Castle in Lanarkshire was captured by the English and retaken by the Scots many times during the Wars of Independence.

Scottish Recipes

Note that the recipes which have appeared here each week have been gathered together into a Traditional Scottish Recipes Web page.

Cullen Skink
This is a rich, tasty soup which originated in the fishing village of Cullen, in Morayshire. "Skink" is normally a soup made from a shin of beef. But in this case, the main ingredient is smoked haddock.

Did You Know?

Note that the the items which have been highlighted here each week have been gathered together into a series of Did You Know? Web pages.

Public Holidays in Scotland
Apart from Christmas and New Year, what are the other public holidays in Scotland? The answer may surprise you!

Glasgow's Most Famous Street
Perhaps because of its music-hall sounding name, Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow is known by people around the World. But this "Willow Meadow" street has contributed much to the life of the city.