Originally published March 2006 Maw was a game that became popular in 16th century Britain, and is an ancestor to a family of games associated with Ireland and Irish communities abroad. It was also played in the Scottish court, and game historian David Parlett suggests that interactions with the court of Mary, Queen of Scots […]
Newsletter Blast from the Past: Scottish Women’s Plaids
The classic picture of Scottish women’s fashions is with a bit of tartan pinned to the woman’s shoulder. But according to Terry Griest, in his book Scottish Tartans and Family Names, tartan, and the wearing of plaids was out of fashion in the large cities of Scotland by the early 1600’s, especially for women. (Plaid, […]
Celtic History Newsletter: Scotland’s Bent
There’s a curious description of Britain written by the Byzantine scholar Procopius (c. 500 – c. 554 AD) which is often assumed to be a reference to Hadrian’s wall. Now in this island of Brittia the men of ancient times built a long wall, cutting off a large part of it, and the climate and […]
Newsletter Blast from the Past: Early Scottish Swords
It has been said that the Scottish Highlander never traveled unarmed. John Hume, captured by the Jacobites during the Battle of Falkirk, later wrote that the Highlanders appeared as if their weapons were “limbs and members of their bodies. They are never seen without them, they travel, they attend fairs and markets, nay they went […]
Rooted in Self-Determination
Next week, America will be celebrating Independence Day on July 4th! If you live in the United States, you’ve probably learned the history of how the 13 original colonies broke away from British rule every year in grade school. In short, by writing the United States Declaration of Independence, the colonies stated they were a […]
Newsletter Blast from the Past: Traditional Farm Life & Landholding in Scotland
Originally published December 2005 The common unit of settlement in Scotland was a village, or township centering on a farm. Initially the size of the farm was determined by the area that a plow team of one horse or ox could cultivate. This type of township was universal throughout the Western and Northern Isles, and […]
Men in skirts trend…
While scanning through Facebook this morning I saw three different articles about European men wearing skirts in protest because of dress codes that do not allow them to wear shorts in spite of the current heat wave. British man sent home for wearing shorts to office in heat wave returns in a bright, pink dress […]
Newsletter Blast from the Past: Isle of Lewis Chessmen
Originally published November 2005 With the next Harry Potter movie coming out I thought it might be fun to mention a Scottish historical connection that made a cameo appearance in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” The chess set used for “wizard’s chess” (The scene above where the queen’s chess piece picks up her throne […]
Summer is on the Horizon!
The Solstice is on the horizon this week, marking the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere! To many, the day marks the beginning of cookouts, sports, and other “fun-in-the-sun” activities, though it has a deep cultural background attached to it. Pagan religions of Europe also called this time “midsummer” or “Litha.” They marked the […]
Newsletter Blast from the Past: Là Fhèill Brìghde
Originally published Spring 2003 The beginning of February is an important time of year for the Celts, marking the end of winter and the coming of spring. An early Gaelic name for the February festival is Imbolc, or Oímealg. This day was known to the Christians as Candlemas and known in Gaelic as Là Fhèill […]