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Ever Thought of Having a Scottish Wedding?

gunnr — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:16:34 +0000

Ever thought of having a scottish wedding? Many young married couples to be have been discovering the traditions in a scottish wedding very interesting.

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Michael Breck writes.

One of the great ways to add a touch of Scotland to your wedding is to have a Ceilidh Dance.

Scottish Ceilidh Dancing is among the most exciting, exhilarating, and fun types of dancing in the world! It’s fast, lively, and it doesn’t matter if you’ve got two left feet or three! You’ll dance as you’ve never danced before and think you’ve got wings on your heels!

What is a Ceilidh?

A Ceilidh (which is pronounced “kay-lee”) used to mean a visit or informal gathering of friends and neighbours. However, these days in Scotland, it means a Ceilidh Dance where everyone can get up on the dance floor and enjoy themselves.

What is a Ceilidh Band?

The modern, traditional, Scottish ceilidh band is composed of fiddle, accordion, and drums; however, these days, the line up can be more eclectic with other instruments such as penny whistle, mandolin, big scottish drum, piano, and even bagpipes! There is no set rules about the line up, so just pick the band you like the best.

Won’t some people be left out?

Not at all. Ceilidh Dances (as opposed to strict, formal Scottish Country Dancing) can be considered even more inclusive than many other forms of dancing because the dances are easy to learn and fun. Everyone can participate, regardless of age and experience.

So in this way, there is less chance of a single person or children (or a married person whose grumpy partner “won’t dance”) at a wedding or function being left out of the dancing. Some dances are for couples (with lots of changes of partners!) but many others are for groups of people. So everyone can participate!

But we don’t know the steps!

Many people worry that some of the guests will be left out because they don’t know the steps to the Scottish Ceilidh Dances. However, exactly the reverse is true. Most good bands can provide a “Caller” who will go over the steps before each Dance and “Call” the steps during the Dance. This is part of the fun.

Don’t worry!

So don’t worry. With a good Ceilidh Band and Caller all your guests will soon be “hooching”, “setting” and “casting off” with the best of them. And if they get it wrong, don’t worry! That’s also part of the fun and there will always be a friendly neighbour to “push” them in right direction. A Ceilidh is a gathering of folk where everyone is encouraged to join in and everyone helps one another. It’s a great ice-breaker.

We live abroad and want a ceilidh band!

If you cannot find a Ceilidh band, then at least try to find a wedding band that can play a *** Gordons and a Strip The Willow. Failing that, ask them if they could they play the music from CD or iPod. Then find someone from a Scottish Dancing Society who could come along and call the dances i.e. instruct you and keep you right when you are dancing. The Caller might provide the music as well.

Here are some of the most common Ceilidh Dances in Scotland.

*** Gordons Dashing White Sergeant The Eightsome Reel St. Bernard’s Waltz Strip the Willow Britannia Twostep Military Twostep Canadian or Highland Barn Dance Circassian Circle Pride of Erin Waltz Highland Scottische Orcadian (or Shetland) Strip the Willow Swedish Masquerade Virginia Reel

However you do it - have a lovely Scottish wedding!

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Clan Gunn Guestbook 2010

gunnr — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:51:30 +0000

The editions keep growing with all of your input and here starts the Current Edition.

If you wish to share with your clan kindreds, go here to read and include your entry and let your valuable comments add to the many collected so far.

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(102) Sheila Beane
Wed, 3 February 2010 11:40:55 -0600 / 24.63.241.***

TO: Alan Gaines, Sydney Australia… Welcome to the family - what a small world it is! I am 4-5 generations from Lecretia Hanson who married Samuel Fowler Dickinson (who are the paternal grandparents of writer/poet Emily Dickinson). I’d enjoy hearing from you. Feel free to contact me at sheila.beane@yahoo.com. Best regards, Sheila

United States of America

(101) Tom & Tanya
Mon, 1 February 2010 19:20:44 -0600 / 99.146.223.***

Hello: My Wife was a Wilson. Her Great Grandmother was a Sandilands. That makes my wife a very Great Granddaughter of Robert the Bruce. Princess Jean Stewart the daughter of King Robert the Second married Sir James Sandilands. His Grandmother was the widow of The Bruce’s brother and the sister of the Good Douglas (the Black Knight). The Sandilands still live in Mid-Calder at Calder House. It was the property of the Knights of Saint John, and was retained by Sir James the last Grand Master of the Order. John Knox was a friend of the family and held his first Protestant Communion at the family Kirk. William Wallace’s only surviving signature is on a letter written on the family estate.
Tanya’s Grandfather Henry Wilson told her she was Scottish, but he never made the Sandilands connection as he followed the Wilson Line. We wish he could have know his royal linage.
Tanya is a collector of Scottish Highland Pistols, so I guess she still feels like a Gunn. Either Peace or War.

United States of America

(100) Sarah Johnson
Wed, 27 January 2010 14:18:45 -0600 / 206.55.180.**

Sorry, forgot to mention that my husband’s name is Sean, and that our last name comes from his step-father who legally adopted Sean and his sister when he married Sean’s mother.

United States of America

(99) Sarah Johnson
Wed, 27 January 2010 14:14:56 -0600 / 206.55.180.**

Greetings all! My husband is descended from Clan Gunn, and not even all that distantly; his maternal grandmother’s maiden name was Gunn (her first name is Della, she was born in Missouri, and married Walter Shelstad, Sr.), and her father was James Gunn. That’s as far back as I know, I have to make time to see if Grandma can give me any other names.

United States of America

(98) Michael Nelson
Sun, 24 January 2010 14:50:20 -0600 / 76.251.181.***

I have began a quest to trace my roots to their beginings.

United States of America

(97) wayne willis
Fri, 22 January 2010 21:43:43 -0600 / 142.165.33.***

I was born in canada,but my ancestory goes back to scotland.My grand father (john gunn) moved from northern scotland in 1908,settling in bermingham england,shortly after marrying my grandmother.In 1910 they relocated to canada.
I would like to find any relations (family) related to john gunn,residing in scotland or any where, please feel free to contact me ,if you have any info.
thank you
wayne willis

Canada

...

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Genealogy Benefits

gunnr — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:51:34 +0000

Allison Merlino writes about genealogy hobby and benefits:

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Genealogy is an interesting hobby that has many psychological benefits. Technology enables even a non skilled researcher to gain more information faster and more efficiently and in turn benefit significantly!

The actual definition of genealogy refers to the tracing of unified languages and the tracing of vital data. Although I will be using the terms interchangeably, family history refers to a number of forms of research which we commonly refer to as genealogy. These forms include;

? Genealogy which is using archival records to trace a living person’s pedigree from the present back in time or the tracing of a historic person’s decadency forward,

? Genetic Genealogy which is the comparison of DNA of living individuals to discover relationships.

? One-name studies which refer to an investigation of person’s with a common surname.

? One-place studies which refer to an investigation of the population histories of a particular location.

? Heraldic and Peerage studies which refer to the investigation of the legal rights of a person to bear arms or claim noble status.

? Clan studies refer to a comparison of individuals with shared patrilineal or matrilineal connection to a tribal chieftain regardless of blood relation or surname.

? Family Social and Economic History which refers to the overview of a person’s place in society or economic achievements. Information about lives from wider historical sources using oral and written records is utilized.

Genealogical research often begins with an approximate notion of the extent of the entity and always ends at or before prehistoric times.

The motivation to conduct genealogical research varies from religious belief systems, pride of decent from certain groups, the desire to know medical and family history of an adopted individual or celebrating resilience of families who survived poverty or slavery. Families can celebrate the success of integration across racial or national boundaries. Families have even been known to emphasize their link to celebrity criminals!

There are psychological benefits to conducting genealogical research. In its most general sense people adopt this past time as a leisure activity. Any leisure activity will have generic benefits. The psychological benefits of this particular leisure activity are much more significant. A sense of accomplishment and independence is gained from the simple act of researching and compiling information. Tracing family heritage can help elderly people accept the concept of death and mortality. They gain the perspective that they are a part of a long line of relatives that leaves a legacy for future generations. Genealogical research fosters a sense of self worth and belonging by mentally digesting that your ancestors and you yourself play a part in history.

From a psychological perspective, family history research satisfies fundamental needs. I will list the benefits in order starting with the most basic fundamental need.

? Social Needs; Belonging Acceptance and Friendship

? Ego Needs, Achievement, Status

? Self Actualization

? Transcendence which is similar to identifying yourself with a character in a movie.

Technology makes the research faster and more efficient than ever before. The more detailed the information the more interested the researcher will remain and the more benefits he will receive. There are multiple websites devoted specifically to this research. There is also a multitude of information instantly available through other sites which can be compiled. Instructional computer software is available to suggest avenues, organize and present your information.

The psychological benefits of genealogy are significant and plentiful. Technology enables even a non skilled researcher to gain more information faster and more efficiently and in turn benefit greatly!

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Genealogy & DNA a Good Combination in Your Search

gunnr — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 18:46:30 +0000

Thanks to DNA Markers for Genealogy - Mitochondrial DNA Genealogy for this very useful information

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Who else wants to know about DNA markers for genealogy? Here is a simple scientific test to trace your ancestors. Did you know that DNA From One Generation To The Other Is Almost Conclusive Evidence. This breakthrough in genealogy research has been making headlines for the past several years with some astounding proof of kinship between some very prominent historical figures.

DNA testing for family tree is not only convenient, but also simple. You find a genealogy testing company either in the phone book of on the Internet. Next, make an appointment and go to the company on your assigned day, fill out the forms, pay the fee and your good to go. The DNA genealogy test starts with a mouth swab of your mouth near the cheek. Many companies give you a kit so you can do the mouth swab at home and mail in the results to the laboratory. After the laboratory tests the DNA, the results are sent back to testee.

Wide DNA Databases Compare

The company doing the genealogy DNA testing will obviously need to have access to DNA databases which they will use to make comparisons and once these comparisons show their results, the company will then send you the results regarding whom your DNA swab matched with. You should realize that each and every cell is sure to have your DNA and whether it is your ***** or egg cells or even the *** cells, you will be providing your own unique DNA for further matching.

Parents Pinpointed

Listen closely. Genealogy DNA testing is helpful in pinpointing an individual’s parentage and it can be used extensively when you need to know who the mother is, and also in case of adoptions. Thus, it is easy to see how genealogy DNA testing can help with creating your family tree because your DNA will have been passed from one generation to the next and the information pertaining to your ancestors will be encoded therein.

The Egg The Sperm

When your ***** and also egg cell combine together, a new cell is created that will hold DNA from either parent and when genealogy DNA testing is performed in specialist laboratories, they will help provide evidence whether you are related to another person with a matching DNA. What’s more, the chances of two persons having identical DNA are very small with the exception of identical twins which are due to the fact that their DNA is identical because the fertilized egg had split and formed two fetuses obtained from a single ***** and also from the same egg.

Cutting Edge Medical Science Genealogy DNA Testing

Just imagine, as DNA is passed from generation to generation there is very little change in its structure. This is amazing and is the primary reason to use DNA markers for genealogy testing to explore your ancestry. In no time at all, the link between families can be nailed down and makes the construction of a family tree that much more reliable and accurate. And new advances are being made in medical science to enhance and improve the DNA testing for family tree.

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Genealogy a Fun Way To Learn About Your Past

gunnr — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:36:29 +0000

Genealogy studies family ancestries and histories. These are activities that are enjoyable and often amusing; most of the fun in genealogy is in the research and finding as well as the folks you meet along the way

The different thing about genealogy is that it requires a person who is inquisitive, intelligent, enjoys learning, knows how to solve a puzzle, and does not give up when there is a brick wall.

Discovering your ancestry gives you a personal connection with history and helps to establish a firm identity and pride in your background. Knowledge of who you are and where your family comes from helps you connect with multiple generations and age groups. Studying and writing about family history is a creative outlet for anyone who enjoys research and writing. What’s more, the end result is a priceless gift left for future generations. A personalized knowledge of the past helps most people come to terms with their own life changes. Knowing about your own family history perhaps makes you a little less judgmental about other people.

In doing your genealogy in life you have to enjoy it since tracing it can take many years in do it. It is one of the best hobbies you can have so please enjoy it. Everyday when you work on your genealogy you will find something new in your past.

Genealogy is a wonderful hobby for all age groups, including children. It can provide an opportunity to develop a strong sense of family and to bridge the gap between generations. When you research your family roots, it seems that the history come alive and it improves your ability to organize, plan and communicate. Children can have so much fun playing detective, which they won’t even realize that they are learning along the way. Ask your grandchildren to help you unravel the mystery of your family history, and you will be starting them on the journey of a lifetime.

The quickest way to make progress in genealogical research is to connect with someone who is further along or is more experienced than you are. A large part of the fun of genealogy is the relationships you develop with people along the way.

Author as yet unknown, but we’re sure we’ll soon get to know who wrote this!

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Wondered About Scottish Wedding Traditions?

gunnr — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:39:16 +0000

Michael Breck would like you to know some of the following scottish wedding traditions he has collected:

Whether you are getting married in Scotland, or being married abroad, here are some great Scottish Wedding Traditions that can add a flavour of Scotland to your wedding!

Luckenbooth Brooch

Give your love a Scottish brooch, called a “Luckenbooth”, as a token of your love or as a marriage gift. It is usually made of silver and is engraved with two hearts entwined. Many couples will then pin this to the blanket of their first baby for good luck.

Show Of Presents

Every lady who sent a wedding present is invited by the bride and her mother to their house for tea and cakes (or something stronger). All the wedding presents are opened and laid out for everyone to see. Scottish men have long suspected that this is just an excuse for a party. However, so far, there has been no actual evidence to substantiate this outrageous and scurrilous claim.

After The Show of Presents

The bride is dressed up by all her friends who parade her through the town, while banging pots and pans. Although embarrassing for the bride, it was financially rewarding as onlookers were encouraged to throw a coin into a bucket or pot for good luck.

The Stag Night

A few days before the wedding the groom is taken out on the town by his friends to celebrate his last nights of “freedom” by having “few” drinks. Depending on his friends, this can also lead to a blackening…

Blackenings

Either on the stag night or any other time, the groom is stripped to the waist (or more) and covered in treacle, soot, feathers, or flour. He is then paraded through the town with much noise and hilarity. The purpose is to embarrass the groom as much possible - and it never fails to do that!

A Sixpence in the Bride’s Shoe

Traditionally, a small silver coin, called a sixpence, was placed in the bride’s shoe for good luck. As sixpences no longer exist, this has been replaced by a penny or any modern “silver type” coin.

A Sprig of Heather

Another custom to encourage good luck was to hide a sprig of heather in the bride’s bouquet.

The Bride’s Wedding Dress

Traditionally, the bride would always wear a white dress to show her purity. Little touches of tartan are also nice.

The Groom’s Clothing

Either full Highland dress or modern day dress. The modern version of the kilt wedding outfit consists of a short, Bonnie Prince Charlie jacket, a waistcoat, a kilt, white socks with tartan flashes at the top, brogue shoes, kilt pin, skean dhu (Scottish Dirk knife), sporran, black belt with buckle, and a winged-collared shirt with a black bow tie. A sprig of white heather is usually worn on the lapel for luck.

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

This is absolutely essential for any good Scottish bride. Something old can be a piece of jewellery from the bride’s mother, something new can be the wedding dress, something borrowed can be jewellery or clothing from relatives, and something blue could be a blue garter, which symbolises love.

Buttonhole Flowers

Traditionally, it is white carnation buttonholes for the groom, best man, and ushers. Red carnations for all other male guests. The female guests can wear buttonholes of carnations, camellias, or orchids.

The Bride Leaves With Her Right Foot

When a bride leaves her house, on the way to her wedding ceremony, she should always step out with her right foot for luck.

The Scottish Quaich or Loving Cup

The Scottish Quaich or Loving Cup is a traditional way of involving all your family and friends in the wedding. After the ceremony, the bride fills this two handled bowl with whisky and passes it around the guests so they can all have a celebratory “dram”.

Creeling

This is where the bride and groom are “creeled’ as they leave the church. Two people, on either side of the door, hold up fishing basket with ribbons. The happy couple then cut the ribbons and the basket falls to the floor. This is done to bring health and wealth to the couple.

Throwing The Bouquet

After the ceremony, the bride throws her bouquet over her shoulder and the first girl to catch it, will be the next to marry. In older times, they used to throw a shoe.

The Tying of The Shoes As well as the obligatory tin cans or balloons, you should always tie some shoes to the back of the “newlyweds” car. Lady readers will be glad to hear that as well as being essential to your health and happiness, shoes are also a symbol of good luck. In fact, in Tudor times the guests used to throw shoes at the bride and groom for luck. A very useful fact to tell your husband when you buy that next pair of shoes that you “just had to have”!

Lucky Horseshoe

The traditional symbol of good luck. After the ceremony, a page boy will present the bride with a horseshoe as she leaves the church.

The Wedding Scramble

This is a great wedding tradition for children and is said to bring financial good luck. As the bride and groom are getting into the car after the wedding ceremony, the brides father throws a big handful of silver coins onto the grass for the local children to “scramble” over. This is marvellous for the children and great wedding entertainment for the adults.

Grand March at the Wedding Reception

This is where the bride and groom are piped in to the top table at the wedding reception. They are followed by the maid of honour and best man, both sets of parents, and finally all the other guests.

Feet Washing

The bride sits with her feet in a tub of water while all her friends wash them. Usually a married woman would throw her wedding ring into the tub. The first single girl to find the ring would be the next to get married. It could be a great party game!

The Groom Carries The Bride Over The Threshold Everyone knows this one. The groom does this to prevent evil spirits or bad luck entering their house.

Finally - however you do it - and wherever you do it - have a great Scottish wedding!

Weddings & Travel

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Video Games

gunnr — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:24:38 +0000

Computer game boosts maths scores according to an article at the BBC News online. Seems that a daily dose of computer games can boost maths attainment, according to a study carried out in Scottish schools, the BBC writes.

After conducting a study of more than 600 pupils in 32 schools across Scotland using the Brain Training from Dr Kawashima game on the Nintendo DS every day, improvements in pupils’ concentration and behaviour were found.

While on the topic of video games, for any of you particularly interested in Scottish related games, there a couple you might want to check out.

By now you must have seen the movie Braveheart, and there is a PC game title by the same name Braveheart which you can easily get for a great price at ebay.

Another is an expansion pack for Medieval: Total War called Viking Invasion. It covers all of the British Isles, starting in about 800AD - where you can control Picts, or pretty much any of the kingdoms that were around then. You can also, of course, control the Norse. It’s a few years old, but I very playable and interesting because it’s that rare combination of strategy and Scotland.

An interesting piece of information about the two “all time great,” video games “Grand Theft Auto” and “Lemmings,” is that they were developed by Scottish software companies. How about that then!

Here’s a site where you can buy games for the Nintendo Wii, and another where you can buy that gaming computer if its a PC gaming computer you are after.

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Genealogy helps reunite families

gunnr — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:07:52 +0000

Who needs families? Well, we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for our family. Thats why Andrew Regan thought it would be a good subject to write about and now we ant to let you read his thoughts too.

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Genealogy helps reunite families

When it comes to family, there are few things in life that are more important. And if you’ve ever wondered who your ancestors were, then you’re certainly not alone! No matter how big or small your family is, finding out about your past ancestors is not only a fascinating business but could also be crucial to helping you understand yourself as a person.

In fact, genealogy has taken off in Britain in recent years, particularly as recent legislation has helped in the release of census documents from hundreds of years ago. Programmes like the BBC’s ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ have popularised the importance of finding out your family history, with famous TV stars and personalities - including Barbara Windsor, Jeremy Paxman and David Tennant, among others - all portraying their search for their ancestors.

In today’s world, where people are perpetually online, there are hundreds of websites that allow you to search for your family history. Genealogy search is becoming ever-more important as more and more look towards their past to find answers for the present and the future. If you’re a novice at family tree research, then it’s important to explore a variety of family search tools in order to familiarise yourself with techniques and tips that will help you find what you’re looking for.

For instance, if you’re looking for an ancestor that was born prior to 1875, bear in mind that an estimated 6 to 10 per cent of births were not registered in this period and it was only in 1875 that compulsory registration of both births and deaths was implemented. What’s more, searching for births, deaths and marriages further back than this proves even more difficult, since the introduction of General Civil Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths only occurred in 1837 in England and Wales.

Novice genealogy searchers, however, should also bear in mind census inaccuracies when trying to compile their family trees. Census records are an invaluable resource for people who are tracing their family history; in fact, census returns are crucial because they can not only tell people who their ancestors were and what they did, but also where they lived and whether or not they had brothers and sisters. This can help reunite families as people exploring their family past may discover they have uncles, aunts or cousins they didn’t know existed.

Many websites and resources that allow people to make genealogy searches will offer excellent tips and techniques in order for you to make the most effective search for your family tree. So, wherever you choose to search for your ancestors, you can rest assured you’ll find something that will afford you a glimpse into your family past!

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Andrew Regan is an online, freelance journalist.

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Interested in History? Try Genealogy!

gunnr — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:57:05 +0000

It doesn’t matter what your main interest is, internet marketer Mike Allen feels that history and genealogy definitely go together and is of interest to him too. So read his thoughts on the subject of:

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Interested in History? Try Genealogy!

History is one of the most interesting things to look into in my opinion, and it may be for you too! Have you ever found yourself glued to the television set watching stories based on things that have happened in the past? Stories that represent earth quakes, volcanoes, starvation, and much more can be found on the television and in books. These are all things that have happened in history and though we may find them to sad events in the history of the world, they have created a legacy of stories that have sculpted the lives of many people and cultures. What is even more interesting is to learn about those who were able to survive these events and have left their stories for all of us to learn about. Understanding these stories and learning from the lessons taught in them can assist to make our lives better.

This is what genealogy is all about. Yes, we have all heard about genealogy, but most of us dont understand the depth of the work or the true meaning of the reasons behind this work of love. Genealogy may sound like a boring experience to some people. A lot of work and time hunting down names of our ancestors and it can be tough; this is what you are thinking right?

Maybe you feel like finding names isnt worth it, what can you do with that information right? Well, there is so much more to genealogy that may catch your attention if you are a history buff. Each of the names discovered in your research are affiliated with thousands of stories just waiting to be discovered. Each story is unique and can provide you with information about your past and how your family survived different situations in their lives. The beautiful thing about the research, as in history, is that you have the opportunity to apply the lessons learned through your research in your own life. What a great opportunity to discover hidden treasures.

Genealogy can be tedious because there is so much information to uncover; and you may have the desire to get started with the work, but just can not afford the time to enjoy it. The solution is simple. If you truly are interested in working with your genealogy, there are businesses that specialize in finding information for you. These companies can trace your history back many generations, depending upon your needs. They will be able to perform your family history research in a shorter amount of time that it would take you to do on your own. It is an excellent opportunity to get a jump start on the research so you can dig into your own history.

Genealogy services are a unique and special line of business based around meeting your needs. In selecting which company to work with, be sure to find the company which can best suit your needs. Price and Associates specializes in finding information about your loved ones and could be the option for you. Genealogy is a wonderful work and can be a great way for you to learn more about history.

Mike Allen is an Internet Marketing Consultant for 10x Marketing.

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Homecoming Scotland 2009

gunnr — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:35:02 +0000

You may have read in our Gunn Travellers’ Journal about the celebrations in Scotland this year. Mairead Foley briefly lists what has happened so far and what is following for the rest of the year. Also, some of our visitors to the Gunnclan.net website have commented about their pending visit to the celebrations. So if you still have a chance to visit and want to know more of whats happening, read on.

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Homecoming Scotland 2009

Whether you are Scottish or simply have a love of all things Tartan, then you will love this year long festival, which celebrates the 250th anniversary of the birth of the national poet of Scotland, Robert Burns. The festival is celebration of Scottish culture, the poetry of the man himself, the country’s most famous export Scottish whiskey and the discoveries by great Scottish inventors.

Robert Burns is renowned as being a pioneer of the Romantic Movement, and his legacy was a large collection of poetry, and was a huge influence on the founders of the Liberal and Socialist movements. He is best known for his adaptation of the folk song “Auld Lang Syne” which is synonymous with the passing of the old year into the new. The celebration of his life is the Homecoming of Scotland Festival and there are 100 events in the Homecoming Scotland Calendar for 2009, we have picked out the best bits each month that you will savour on your visit to the land of the Thistle!

February 2009

Scottish Tides Polish Spring Festival – This Festival runs from February to End April and takes place at the Perth Concert Hall and Theatre. It celebrates a season of cultural events that depict the history and connections between Scotland and Poland, with a modern music theme.

March 2009

Aye Write! The Bank of Scotland Book Festival - Aye Write! is a literary festival that celebrates the work of top Scottish and World Writers and is run on an annual basis. It takes place from March 6th – 14th in various venues around Glasgow.

The Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival takes place in 40 different locations in Glasgow, and over 300 comedy shows. Go home to Glasgow and have a laugh!

April 2009

Homecoming - The John Muir Odyssey is a festival that takes place in various venues in East Lothian, Berwick. It celebrates the work and influence of John Muir, who founded the National Parks and is renowned as one of the most prominent people in world enviromentalism.

May 2009

Whiskey Month – For the month of May at various venues around Scotland, the Homecoming Festival invites visitors to enjoy the creation and distilling of Scotland’s most famous export.

The Spirit of Speyside Whiskey Festival takes place from May 1st –10th. Visit the Speyside Region and enjoy the wonderful scenery, and enjoy the music and whiskey of this popular Festival.

Homecoming Scottish Cup Final – 30th May 2009 sees the Final of the Scottish Cup, and the tournament is sponsored by Homecoming Scotland for the 2008/09 football season. The final will be played at Hampden Park Glasgow.

June 2009

The Outsider Festival takes place from June 20th-21st and you can enjoy music and outdoor activities at the Rothiemurchus Estate in Aviemore.
This month you can also celebrate the best of international film at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

July 2009

The Open Golf Championships 2009 takes place at Ailsa Championship Course, Girvan. Stars from the world of golf will compete for The Claret Jug, and the Open runs for the 18th and 19th July.

August 2009

The Edinburgh International Festival programme for 2009 will explore the themes of returning home, liberalism and enlightenment.
The Piping Live Music of the Clans Festival will take place at George Square Glasgow and will feature the best in pipe music from around the world and Scottish Heritage from August 10th to 16th.

September 2009

The Blas Festival - Celebrating the Highlands takes place in the Scottish Highlands at Inverness, and is a celebration of highlands culture. Blas is the Scots Gaelic word for Taste, so enjoy some wonderful Scottish whiskey and contemporary music!

October 2009

The Perthshire Amber - Dougie MacLean Festival 2009 takes place in various venues around Perthshire and is a celebration of the music of popular songwriter and composer Dougie MacLean, and the history of the Perth Region and its aesthetic natural beauty.

November 2009

Homecoming Scotland’s Finale Weekend – The weekend of St. Andrews Day (the patron Saint of Scotland) from November 28th –30th sees the culmination of the Homecoming Scotland Festival. The Finale will feature stunning Scottish Music performed in many venues around Scotland.

Mairead writes for Novacarhire. com - an independent car hire reservation website where you can book low cost car hire at over 5000 locations worldwide.

Visit Novacarhire. com’s Car hire Scotland page and get an instant quote which will offer you the best deals from top car rental providers.

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