I wrote a Not Your Father’s Gaelic blog post a few weeks ago wherein I expressed how nice it would be to have neighbors who are aware of and interested in their Scottish Gaelic heritage. Perhaps even neighbors with whom I could joke around in Gaelic! As it is, even my own (Italian American) mother’s eyes […]
What is the SSPCK? Well, it is not the Society in Scotland for the Protection of Christian Kangaroos although much damage and loss might have been avoided if protecting kangaroos had been the organization’s mission. Instead, the Society in Scotland for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge (SSPCK) has followed in the first footsteps of British […]
In a recent Not Your Father’s Gaelic blog post I began to explore the topic of Gaelic influence on today’s Scottish clan and family system. The point being that despite giving lip service to the Gaelic roots of this most active and influential of Scottish heritage communities, we really understand very little about how and […]
One of the many Scottish heritage subjects that could benefit from additional knowledge is the role of Gaelic culture and civilization in the remarkable development of what we lovingly call the Scottish clan system. Go ahead. Google it. It is a simple question but you will not be finding a simple answer. At least not […]
What does it cost to become an American? Entry into freedom’s last refuge has required more from our ancestors – and from us – than we might at first imagine. Consider this for instance: “In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here does in good faith become an American […]
Scottish Americans are hearing some interesting news from the United Kingdom today. The UK Labour Party has chosen socialist Jeremy Corbyn as its next leader by a landslide. A big one. It is a result that is sending a few shock waves through Britain. What will the election mean in Scotland? More specifically, what will a […]
Just a few days ago we took note of the first reputable poll ever to have identified a clear majority of Scots in favor of Scottish independence (Bletherskite September 3). Our takeaway, like most others, was well, that is very interesting and definitely worth watching. We asked questions like, is it an aberration that will be erased […]
In the last Watching Scotland blog we took a look at the Scottish Conservative Party, or (from an American point of view) the somewhat unfortunately nicknamed “Tories”. From a right of centre perspective we now swing over and investigate what is going on over on the left with Scotland’s fourth largest political party (out of […]
Many of you may have seen David Leask’s excellent commentary on the increasingly popular pastime of Gael bashing in Scotland (The Herald Scotland, March 25, 2015). Still, for those of you who have not read this piece, it is well worth the few minutes it will take to gobble it up. Especially for the Diasporrans […]
A Gaelic storm has been blowing around Scotland for the last week. Typically, Gaelic language revival suffers from a distinct lack of attention and interest but for several days now, Scotland’s best known indigenous language has unfortunately and undeservedly been at the heart of several different political stooshies. Things began to heat up on August […]
