Douglas MacQueen's blog

The Massacre of Glencoe (Scottish Gaelic Mort Ghlinne Comhann) took place early in the morning of 13 February 1692. One of the most beautiful places in Scotland Glen Coe (Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Comhann) takes its name from the River Coe that winds and tumbles its way through the glen. It is hard for those who visit this area of great beauty today to think that it was the site of such a treacherous act of murder and brutality against the Clan MacDonald of Glencoe.

Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; Scottish Gaelic: Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, BPA) have today backed a Government motion calling for the Scottish Parliament (Scottish Gaelic: Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) to have the power to hold another independence referendum. MSPs voted by 64 to 54 in favour of the Government's motion, with no abstentions that argued "a referendum should be held so that the people of Scotland can decide whether they wish it to become an independent country".

Tonight, Tuesday 28th January the 2020 festival of Up Helly Aa will see the skies of Lerwick in Shetland lit up with burning torches. The event including a procession of about 1000 guizers celebrates Shetland's Norse heritage. There is a Guizer Jarl (Chief Guizer) who leads a Jarl Squad, which is one of the many Guizer squads participating in the event. Dressed in Viking clothing and marching through the town with battle axes and torches, they drag with them a ceremonial Viking longboat. Thousands of spectators will line the route.

Robert Burns was born in the scottish village of  Alloway (Scottish Gaelic Allmhaigh) on January 25, 1759. The eldest of the seven children of  William Burnes (1721–1784), a tenant farmer from Dunnottar in the Mearns, and Agnes Broun (1732–1820), the daughter of a Kirkoswald tenant farmer. His parents ensured that their son received a relatively good education.  He died at the age of 37 on 21 July 1796 and his Mausoleum is at St Michael’s churchyard in Dumfries (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Phris). Throughout his life he was a practising poet and wrote many poems, lyrics and other pieces.

The bravery of the lifeboat crews who face danger on the seas surrounding the Celtic coasts, or indeed anywhere, to save lives can never be underestimated. Lifeboat crews put their lives at risk in often perilous conditions in their aim to prevent loss of life. Sadly over the years lifeboat crews have lost their lives during acts of outstanding bravery. One such event was on this date, 21st January, in 1970 when five Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) volunteers died in the Fraserburgh lifeboat disaster.

The Celtic Connections festival starts today, 16th January, in Glasgow, Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Glaschu, Alba). The Festival began in 1994 in Glasgow and has since been held annually every January. Celtic Connections celebrates Celtic music and its connections to cultures across the globe. It is on from 16 January – 2 February 2020, when 2,100 musicians from around the world will descend on Glasgow and for 18 days there will be concerts, ceilidhs, talks, art exhibitions, workshops, and free events.

The planet on which we live, Earth, is the third planet from the sun. It was formed about 4.5 billion years ago. Earth is the only place in the known universe confirmed to host life and is the fifth largest planet in our solar system. The history of Earth includes several major ice ages, an ice age being a long period of reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers.

Robert Burns was born in the Scottish village of  Alloway (Scottish Gaelic Allmhaigh) on January 25, 1759. Throughout his life he was a practising poet and wrote many poems, lyrics and other pieces. Including those based on folk songs and traditions of his local area and those he had collected from throughout Scotland. He died at the age of 37 on 21 July 1796 and his Mausoleum is at St Michael’s churchyard in Dumfries (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Phris).  Recognised as the national poet of Scotland, Burns Day and Burns Night on 25th January is celebrated in Scotland and worldwide. 

The Scottish National Party (SNP) won a landslide victory in Scotland in the British general election held on 12th December. They won 48, that is 80%, of Scotland's 59 seats. Although  the Conservatives won a significant majority across the rest of the UK, they lost seven of the 13 seats they previously held in Scotland.

Archaeologists are investigating what could result in some of Scotland's best preserved Pictish dwellings. As part of the University of Aberdeen's Northern Picts work is being undertaken along with Caithness Archaeological Trust and the Dunbeath Heritage Museum to investigate the Wag of Forse site. It is known that people lived in the settlement situated between Lybster (Scottish Gaelic: Liabost) and Latheron (Scottish Gaelic Latharn) in Caithness (Gallaibh). Included in the area of the site is an Iron Age stone tower known as a broch.