THE GATHERING 2009.

THE GATHERING 2009.

THE GATHERING 2009 is set to be the largest gathering of Scottish Clans ever assembled.
The Gathering will take place at Holyrood Park Edinburgh on the 25th and 26th July 2009 to celebrate the Homecoming Scotland 2009 initiative.
Expecting around 8,000 clan members and Members of St Andrews and other Scottish societies around the world the numbers are sure to swell.
The Gathering will be shown throughout the world and it's importance cannot be conveyed without deep research.
The year 1822 saw Sir Walter Scott's Royal Pageant bring so many clans together.
Readers may be interested to know Clan Donald is the worlds largest clan where in the United States Scottish heritage is just as important as Moms Apple Pie.
The Parade of clans along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh will be with us for evermore and could possibly never happen again to those living. Those in the Clan Parade will be those who have bought the original passport.
Clan members and their families can represent the 45 million who have Scottish ancestry around the world simply by purchasing a passport and participate in the parade of clans along the Royal Mile.
The commemorative passport comes in three types;
Gold - Silver - Bronze.
The passports are also entry tickets for the weekend and include;
Two days of Highland Games.
A seat on the castle esplanade for the Clan Pageant.
A place in the Clan Parade.
In the year which celebrates the 250th year of the birth of Robert Burns, The Gathering 2009 is a must for Scottish blood lines throughout the world to consider their visit to Scotland during the 25th and 26th July Homecoming Scotland 2009 year.
Full and comprehensive information can be found at;
http://www.clangathering.org/

ROSSLYN CHAPEL CULTIVATES INTRIGUE.

ROSSLYN CHAPEL CULTIVATES INTRIGUE.

Homecoming Scotland 2009 will bring many thousands to the already world famous Rosslyn Chapel.
One of the visible attractions to many is the detailed and intricate "Prentice Pillar".
The graphic shows the young apprentice guided by his overseer working on this famous "Work Of Art".
One has only to look at the detail to know with knowledge comes skill and this graphic encourages the
intrigue which surrounds the legends connected to Rosslyn Chapel, one made famous by the book and
film called; "The Da Vinci Code".
Homecoming Scotland visitors will not be dissapointed visiting this beautiful building and if they converse
with the friendly people of Peeblesshire they will enjoy their visit even more.
Rosslyn Chapel still holds many secrets and it is these secrets that will again bring many visitors exploring
during the Homecoming Scotland year.
Is it news to you ? then you read it here first!

BURNS MEMORIAL AND COTTAGES MAUCHLINE AYRSHIRE SCOTLAND.

BURNS MEMORIAL AND COTTAGES MAUCHLINE AYRSHIRE SCOTLAND.

Burns memorial and cottages Mauchline Ayrshire Scotland taken recently by my very capable photographer.
The graphic can be clicked on for a much larger image and a better view. Burns cottages were built mainly for retired workers from Mauchline Pit which used to be situated about 1 mile from this monument. The cottages inside were at the time miles in front of local houses because they were warm and cosy with usually only one bedroom.
For those expected to visit during the Homecoming Scotland 2009 year visitors can expect a fascinating inside look at the life and times of Robert Burns. One can spend hours in the monument to Scotlands Son Robert Burns and although in only three floors, each floor is crammed with information and Burns antiquities and memorabilia from poems to actual items that Robert Burns owned.
Anyone visiting Mauchline on the Burns trail cannot help but be impressed when they view the history about Burns within the monument at Mauchline.
Is it news to you ? then you read it here first!

EDINBURGH CASTLE HOME OF MONS MEG.

EDINBURGH CASTLE HOME OF MONS MEG.

EDINBURGH CASTLE HOME OF MONS MEG and and placed in the centre of Scotlands capital city Edinburgh.
This very old graphic shows the original Mons Meg which has now been replaced with a more modern version is still fired daily letting everyone know the time. Click on the graphic for a larger image view.
Edinburgh, Scotlands capital city is again one of Scotlands main Homecoming Scotlands festival of events participants and one of these events is "The Gathering" where Scottish Clans will meet.
Is it news to you ? then you read it here first!

ROBERT BURNS WORK TO BE DEFINED.

Definitive Burns work announced

A new definitive edition of the works of Robert Burns is to be compiled by Glasgow University.

The project, which will take 15 years to complete, will begin in 2009 - the 250th anniversary of the bard's birth.

The Centre for Robert Burns Studies will undertake the task, commissioned by Oxford University Press.

The publisher said the "landmark" work would bring to light aspects of the life of Scotland's greatest poet which were not previously known.

Read the full story...

TAM O' SHANTER - A TALE.

TAM O' SHANTER had many folks guessing when Robert Burns first wrote it, but the name was given to Douglas Grahame which Robert Burns had been writing about. Douglas Grahame owned a farm called Shanter which was situated on the Carrick shore near Kirkoswald.
Here is a small part of the "Tam O' Shanter tale;

When chapman billies leave the street,
And drouthy neebors, neebors meet,
As market-days are wearing late,
and folks begin to take the gate ;
While we sit bousing at the nappy
And getting fou and unco happy,
We thinkna on the lang Scots miles,
The mosses, waters, slaps, and styles,
That lie between us and our hame,
Where sits our sulky sullen dame,
Gathering her brows like gathering storm,
Nursing her wrath to keep it warm.
There are many verses in the "Tam O' Shanter tales and for many scholars this was his finest work.

First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond to give Dewar memorial lecture.

First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond to give Dewar memorial lecture.

Alex Salmond.

The First Minister of Scotland will present the 2008 Donald Dewar Memorial Lecture at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

On Tuesday 19 August, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP will speak about his hopes for the country and answer questions from the audience. The book festival describes the lecture as 'a major political occasion'. Chairing the event in the RBS Main Theatre will be writer and broadcaster Brian Taylor.

The National Library of Scotland initiated the annual Donald Dewar Memorial Lecture in 2002. Previous speakers have included the restored Scottish Parliament's first Presiding Officer, David Steel, broadcaster and writer Andrew Marr, and the late Robin Cook MP.

Full story can be read here...