Meeting the maelstrom that is Corryvreckan

The Corryvreckan whirlpool is the world’s third largest and its massive tidal upswellings and boiling waters make for a memorable experience. The dictionary gives the meaning of the word ‘maelstrom’ as a confused, disorientated state of affair; an irresistably overpowering influence for destruction. It is a description that suits the Coire Bhreacain – translated from…

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TV presenter returns home to launch The Coig routes

Formula One presenter Lee McKenzie has taken pole position as the official ambassador for new tourism campaign for Ayrshire, Firth of Clyde and Clyde Islands. Gaelic for five, The Coig is a series of five tourist routes covering Ayrshire, Arran, Bute and Cumbrae, offering people an exciting new way to explore the unique coast and…

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Celebrating Glasgow’s Gaelic culture ahead of the Mod

To celebrate the return of the Mod,  a new display entitled Glasgow Gaels, which charts some of the history of the Gaelic community in the city since the late 18th century, has been created. After an absence of almost thirty years, the Mod – a celebration of Gaelic language and culture – is set to…

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A look at the Scottish play and the real Macbeth

An exploration of Shakespeare’s Scottish play is coming to our TV screens this week. Cathy MacDonald finds the Gaelic roots of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and explores the landscape where the real history happened and she discovers that the real King Macbeth was very different to Shakespeare’s cruel villain. Cathy visits the Birnam Oak, all that remains…

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The final part of our wildlife spotting guide

Kingfisher in winter

We highlight where to find Scotland’s beautiful wildlife in the final part of our feature. We’ve brought you 50 great places to see the nation’s top creatures, from the fast and the furry, to the beautiful and sleek. Click HERE to see part four, HERE to look at part three, HERE to read part two,…

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Wigtown Book Festival starts later this week

Scotland’s National Book Town is gearing up for a friendly invasion of book lovers when the annual Wigtown Book Festival gets underway this week. Authors and authorities of every kind will be talking about a multitude of subjects including new evidence about the Viking Age Galloway Hoard – one of the greatest discoveries of buried…

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Young Gaelic singers to perform in Canada

Six young Gaelic singers from across Scotland have been invited to perform at the renowned Celtic music festival, Celtic Colours, in Canada next month. This will showcase the second phase of the Fuaran project, which aims to inspire young Gaelic speakers to engage with the wealth of Gaelic culture in their local communities. The singers…

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The enduring appeal of the adorable puffins

The puffin is one of our best loved seabirds, but its appeal goes far beyond its quirky appearance. ‘Puffin therapy’ is for many people apparently more powerful than all the wonder nerve-calming drugs on the market. Ian and Colin Morrison of Mull have been running their Turus Mara trips out to the Treshnish island of…

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Scots language poem wins international poetry prize

A poem in Scots has won the annual £1,500 international Wigtown Prize for poetry for the first time. Shiftin, by Mhairi Owens, was among entries from poets from as far afield as the USA, China, Canada and Ecuador, writing in English, Scots and Scottish Gaelic. This year, the Wigtown Prize was opened up to entries…

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The lady vanishes – a real 18th century mystery

Was Lady Grange kidnapped by her own husband and sent into exile on St Kilda because she was ‘mad’ or knew too much? When completing their tour of the Western Isles, Dr Johnson and James Boswell made a point of discussing the extraordinary circumstance of an unfortunate woman, ‘The Prisoner of St Kilda’. The woman…

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