The Rampant Scotland Newsletter - your weekly insight into what has been happening in Scotland, snipped from the Scottish media, for Scots in Scotland and abroad, bringing you news, events plus a Scottish magazine section. Printed with 100% recycled electrons.
Previous editions of this Newsletter are available in the Archive and the Index to the other pages of the Rampant Scotland site is available here.
The Scottish Snippets Newsletter in its original format began in April 1997 and continued in an unbroken series for 591 issues. Although no longer produced in that format there is now a regular update on the new and updated pages on the Rampant Scotland site and also "Scottie's Diary" on an intermittent basis, To receive this, kust send an e-mail to Scottie with "Subscribe Newsletter" in the subject line.
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Historical Affairs - Topical Items from Scotland's Past
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The "Magazine" section includes songs/poems of Scotland, Scottish humour and brief descriptions of Scottish Culture items added recently to the Rampant Scotland Website - with a link to the page where you can find the full feature, if you find the subject of interest to you.
The words of this song are by James Hogg, the Ettick Shepherd. Hogg wrote a number of Jacobite ballads such as this one. The tune to which it is sung was written by Neil Gow, Junior, son of Nathaniel Gow who composed over seventy tunes. Neil Gow, Jr. was Nathaniel's eldest son. He became a physician but then went to work for his father in his music publishing company. He died in 1823 at the age of twenty-eight. Cam' ye by Athol? Cam' ye by Athol, lad wi' the philabeg,
Chorus
I hae but ae son, my gallant young Donald;
Chorus I'll go to Lochiel, and Appin, and kneel to them;
Chorus Down by thro' the Lowlands, down wi' the whigamore,
Chorus Meaning of unusual words:
For those readers who would like to see some Gaelic here are some girls' names in Gaelic. The English phrase is followed by the Gaelic translation, then a guide to pronunciation.Catherine |
Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
A National Physical Activity Co-ordinator has been appointed in a bid to encourage improved activity levels across all age and social groups in Scotland. This is the government's response to a report published this week which has highlighted alarming rates of inactivity and set out recommendations on how to tackle the problem. At the same time, a campaign, Let's Make Scotland More Active, has been launched. The Task Force which produced the report was chaired by Scotland ex-rugby international and journalist, John Beattie. It found that more than 70 per cent of women and almost 60 per cent of men were not active enough for health, i.e. they were not building up 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days of the week. Young boys and girls were equally at risk. Scotland’s level of physical inactivity is the most common risk factor in our rates of coronary heart disease in Scotland, a disease which currently affects half a million Scots a year and lead to 12,400 deaths in 2000. The report highlights the benefits of physical activity, include longer life, better general health, decreased risk of obesity, type II diabetes, and weight problems, better mental health and fewer sick days. 
Scottish Executive draft legislation to give tenant farmers a pre-emptive right to buy their farms if the landlord decides to sell, have had mixed reactions from farmers themselves. While some welcome the option, others believe that the landlord-tenant system allows younger people a chance to get a farm when they do not have the capital to buy one for themselves and borrowing the money would create a millstone, especially at times when returns are low. They argue that running down the number of tenant farms would reduce the opportunities for starter units.
It is a mystery to all except politicians why the main road linking Edinburgh with Glasgow, the busiest road in Scotland, is not all of motorway standard by now. A notorious stretch of the A8 does have two lanes in each direction, with a central crash barrier, but there is no hard shoulder, slip roads are minimal and there is no restriction on the type of vehicle - cyclists can use the road, if they dare. At last, the government is looking at upgrading the bottleneck section to a six-lane motorway (don't get excited, that's three in each direction) but they are considering making the fast lane restricted at rush hours to cars with two or more on board, in order to encourage car sharing. In England, where multiple-occupancy lanes have been introduced, solo drivers are given £40 fines and three penalty points on their licence if they use the restricted lanes. Of course, when the new stretch of motorway is built, it will revert to two lanes not far from Glasgow - as in this picture.
Two years ago, campaigners from the Saltire Society failed to persuade the Scottish Parliament to legislate on the shade of blue in the national flag (the Saltire - a white cross of St Andrew on a blue background). The politicians argued, firstly, that it was a "reserved" matter and had to be dealt with at Westminster. Then it was suggested that "any shade of blue would do." But now the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the arbiter of all heraldic matters in Scotland, has decided that the colour is not a reserved matter and should be decided by the Scottish Parliament. As a result, a new petition is to be lodged. It is argued that azure or sky blue is the correct colour but flag makers, in the absence of any guidance, produce a motley range of different hues. Darker colours were introduced some time ago when dark blue dyes were cheaper than light blue.
As part of the regeneration of the Gorbals area of Glasgow, the largest permanent public art work in the city has been erected. Commissioned by Redrow Homes, who are involved in creating a new Gorbals, the installation comprises a 5.2 metre x 3.9 metre glass-encased photographic image in a steel frame, five metres above ground. Suspended above it, on an anchor chain, is a twice-lifesize figure, the only suspended sculpture in the UK. Beneath the group is a crypt containing burned remains of objects donated by members of the Gorbals community. It was inspired by the story of Lady Lachow, who, in the 12th Century, founded St Ninians Hospital on the site of the artwork. Gorbals also had a historic role as a gateway for immigrants to the city. 
A proposal to clear the spiralling debts of the Glasgow Science Centre, which opened last year, would take £2 million from a £7 million fund which was intended to fund the purchase of new exhibits. The move has been described as tantamount to selling the family silver to pay for running costs. But debts are expected to reach £6.5 million by April 2004, due partly to a shortfall in European grants, but also as a result of large operating deficits. Problems with the spectacular Glasgow Tower has meant that this part of the attraction has been closed for nearly half of the last year. 
The favoured location for a new £85 million Rolls-Royce aero-engine production facility is a site at Inchinnan, which has been derelict for 25 years. But there are objections by local businesses and residents. The company have been looking for a site to replace their ageing Linwood plant for two years and the new 50,000 square metre plant will safeguard the jobs of 1,000 workers. But formal objections have been lodged by software company Graham Technology, Scotland's largest privately-owned indigenous software provider, which has invested £10 million converting a Grade A-listed Art Deco building (pictured here) to create a sophisticated sales and marketing environment for their head office. They claim that the proposed Rolls-Royce plant will be only 150 metres from their futuristic building and that it will cut them off from the rest of the local business park.
The Meadowside Granary, which has been a landmark on the banks of the river Clyde near Partick, is being reduced to rubble to make way for the new "Glasgow Harbour" development which will include 2,500 new homes, an entertainment centre, hotel, nightclubs, restaurants, theatre and cinema. But before that happens, one of the largest brick-built buildings in Europe will create 80,000 cubic metres of debris which will be ground down to dust and then recycled for use by the construction industry.
The zoo at Calderpark in Glasgow has been struggling to survive for some years. But now they hope to improve their finances by the sale of land to a housing developer. The zoo will contract in size as a result, but it is claimed that there will still be big cats, monkeys and other exotic species. Glasgow Zoo used to extend to 100 acres but will eventually shrink to 20 acres as more land is sold to developers to create the cash to upgrade the zoo to modern standards.
A planning application has been lodged to allow the conversion of a B-listed Carmelite monastery in Langside, Glasgow into 13 flats. The dwindling community (there are now only nine nuns in the closed order) is unable to continue to maintain the building which was first occupied by the Carmelites in 1918. They lead a solitary life of contemplation and prayer and only leave the precincts in special circumstances. At one time, demand for places at Langside was so great that another monastery was opened in Kirkintilloch near Glasgow. The Langside building is expected to sell for around £1 million and will allow the sisters to obtain smaller accommodation. 
Temperatures in many places in Scotland were in the range 16C to 18C (61F to 64F) although on Wednesday the east side of the country dipped to a chillier 12/13C (54/55F). Temperatures recovered after that and Aviemore reached 24/25C (75/77F) on Thursday and Friday though further south, Edinburgh only reached 13C (55F) on Friday. Aberdeen had over ten hours of sunshine on both Thursday and Friday but otherwise there was a fair amount of cloud and showers.
Officials of the John Muir Trust in Dunbar have unveiled more details of their plans to preserve the building in the High Street of Dunbar in East Lothian in which John Muir, one of the founders of conservation in the US, was born in 1838. The proposals have aroused a lot of controversy on both sides of the Atlantic, with critics describing the internal development as "cultural vandalism". The Trust maintains that the few remaining original features to survive (the house was completely gutted and modernised in 1970) such as shutters, some fireplaces and the roof trusses, will be retained. The exterior will be restored to its 1840s appearance, removing the cheap 20th century facade. Although John Muir is revered amongst conservationists in North America, he was largely forgotten in the land of his birth until recent years, following the setting up of the John Muir Trust. Plans to buy the house where he was born were announced two years ago and funding is now in place. It is hoped to create a top tourist attraction which retains a sense of the original house and which increases awareness of his achievements. Work on the project is expected to get underway next month and the house is expected to open next spring.
A Latin manuscript from the 13th century, which has been uncovered in a Spanish library, gives the earliest known references to fiddlers, artists and sculptors. It shows also that Gaelic was declining and gives details of the 40 miracles claimed to have been witnessed at a shrine in Dunfermline to Margaret, wife of King Malcolm III. She was canonised in 1250 as a saint. The document is believed to have been written by a Scottish monk in the 13th century and taken to Spain 400 years later. Spanish scholars admire Margaret because she reintroduced the Catholic mass into Scotland and established Sunday as a day of worship. There is a chapel in her honour in Spain, built by King Philip II of Spain in the 16th century.
The granting of a burgh charter to the town of Helensburgh by King George III on July 28, 1802, is being marked by a number of events over the next two months. There is a fiddler's rally this weekend, a Radio Clyde Roadshow and a pipe band competition later in the month. There will be a "big birthday bash" in Hermitage Park on July 28. The burgh has a number of locals who have made their mark, including Henry Bell who created the "Comet" in 1812, the first steam boat to work commercially in Europe, John Logie Baird who was the first to demonstrate TV in 1926 (that's his bust on the seafront at Helensburgh) and Jack Buchanan who became a Broadway and Hollywood star.
400 years after the last birlinn (a small boat powered by both sail and oars) was seen around the coast of Scotland, a replica was launched by the GalGael Society at Govan this week. They used wood from trees blown down in the storm on Boxing Day in 1998. The GalGael Society is a voluntary organisation which provides training opportunities to former drug addicts and the unemployed. About 25 people worked on the project for two years, learning new skills as they went along. The illustration is of a scale model of a birlinn at the Maritime Heritage Centre in Glasgow.
Responding to the popularity of the ice rink which was set up in Glasgow's George Square for three weeks before Christmas, the City Council are looking at the possibility of extending the attraction to five weeks, taking in the New Year period. But they have to find a way of still having the city's New Year Party in the same square, without drunken revellers getting out of hand on the ice. In addition to the rink, visitors enjoyed a helter-skelter, hot food stalls and a cafe-bar where families could sit and watch the skaters while sipping hot chocolate or beer.
It's been more than 70 years since Perthshire and Angus hosted its first provincial Mod - and the event gets bigger and better each year. A celebration of Gaelic language and culture, the 2002 Mod runs from June 14-15 in Aberfeldy. It has attracted more than 700 entries for two days of solo and group competitions in instrumental and vocal music and language. The Mod is a warm-up for those taking part in Scotland's National Mod 2002, to be held in Largs in October. 
The National Trust for Scotland has seen a 20% rise in the number of visitors to their property at 18th century Pollok House in Glasgow. They attribute the increase to a number of factors, including a TV series on "The Edwardian Country House" and to having costumed guides showing people round the building at weekends. The attractive house also boasts a popular Victorian kitchen which offers home baking in traditional surroundings. In 2000, there were 75,000 visitors. But last year, admissions to the property dropped to 50,000 due to access restrictions caused by foot-and-mouth disease. Pollok House is in a large country park which includes a large herd of prize Highland cattle. The increase so far this year is leading to expectations of visitor numbers over 95,000 this year. 
The joint bid by Scotland and Ireland to host the Euro 2008 football (soccer) championship received a boost this week when the coalition Irish Government approved plans to build a new national stadium on the outskirts of Dublin. Although it will be a "world-clas national stadium" it will be smaller than the original plans for "Bertie's Bowl" - a nickname given to the pet project of Irish Premier Bertie Ahern.
It could have been a lot worse. Aviemore-based skier Alain Baxter, who had to hand back his bronze medal at the winter Olympics in Salt Lake City after he was found to test positive for a banned substance, was given a three month ban from competitions by the International Ski Federation. They had accepted that Baxter had taken the drug methamphetamine inadvertently, as result of using a Vick's nasal inhaler which had a different formula in the US compared to the one he used regularly in the UK. The ban means he will miss the first world cup meeting, costing him valuable points. But he could have been banned for two years, which would have effectively ended his career. The skier is still appealing to the Court for Arbitration in Sport to overturn the decision to take away his Olympic medal. If he succeeds in that, the ban could be reversed.
