Set in 1950, the play takes place on Hogmanay in a Glasgow public wash house or 'Steamie'. As the washing is done, four women sing, laugh and cry their way through the last working day of that year, with a little help from the increasingly not so handy Andy.Portraying a way of life in the midst of change, The Steamie fast became a firm favourite with people of all ages up and down the land and, to this day, its popularity shows no signs of waning. Half a century on, the way we work may have changed but, whenever the play is staged, it can still strike a chord of recognition in members of the audience and have them rolling in the aisles with laughter one moment and wiping away a tear the next.The novel The Steamie delves further into the lives of Doreen, Magrit, Mrs Culfeather and Dolly. It also brings some of the lively characters that only get a passing mention in the play more to the forefront. As the women get on with their washing, we eavesdrop on Magrit's man who has her 'up to high doh' most of the time as he will 'neither work nor want'. We come to understand why the bad behaviour of her two laddies will be the death of her. And we also meet her daughter who, happily for Magrit, is a lovely wee lassie and provides welcome relief from the troubles the males in her family are always bringing her. We are introduced to Mrs Culfeather's husband, Harry. Over the years, life hasn't treated Harry very kindly but he reminds us that there can be laughter in spite of the struggle that was life in those days. Then there's Doreen's other half, John, and, last but certainly not least, Dolly's family also make an appearance.The Steamie is a hilarious yet, at times, also deeply moving cameo of Glasgow's social history. The washing was always easier to do when joys and sorrows were shared and, of course, time passed much more quickly when the supply of scandalous gossip was as endless as the pile of dirty clothes!

    This volume contains two works by John Gregorson Campbell on the Scottish Gaelic tradition, Superstitions of the Highlands & Islands of Scotland and Witchcraft & Second Sight in the Highlands & Islands of Scotland.

    Tribal Celtic-speaking warriors and farmers in what is now Scotland, the Picts were one of the major peoples of early medieval Britain, but their culture and their beautiful art have puzzled historians for centuries.George and Isabel Henderson’s acute analysis reveals an art form that both interacted with the currents of “Insular” art and was produced by a sophisticated society capable of sustaining large-scale art programs. The illustrations include specially commissioned drawings that help one understand the mysterious symbols found in the art.

    With comprehensive text and detailed illustrations, this guide includes some familiar seabirds as well as some little-known and globally threatened species.

    Katie Morag is always up to something—whether it's getting excited about the new pier, trying to cheer up Grannie Island in time for Granma Mainland's big day, singing naughty songs at the Grand Concert, or solving riddles to get back in everyone's good books.

    Some of the most picturesque are former fishing villages, like Auchmithie, from which the herring fleet has long since departed, leaving the splendid harbor to the contemplation of visitors and a couple of lobster boats. Lowland villages often have an air of quiet, well-ordered prosperity. Rows of stone cottages and a fantastic profusion of hanging baskets make places like Luss on Loch Lomond a charming stop on the road north. Here, too, is the extraordinary Dean Village—a complete, self-contained community surrounded by the city of Edinburgh. And among the many ravishing port-villages on the Islands is the little gem of Tobermory on Mull, where the reflection of a main street of brightly painted houses shimmers in the waters of the harbor.Altogether, thirty-five villages are included. Special sections on the Scottish castle and the monuments of the country's Celtic past round out the account, making this beautiful book one of the most complete pictures of rural Scotland in recent years. A Travelers' Guide listing places to visit, to stay, and to eat helps the reader to enjoy even more a visit to the Scottish Highlands, Lowlands, and Islands.

    His father's lineage was reputedly of royal blood. Forced into exile in Ireland his family convinced the Colla clan to help them reclaim their Argyll lands, but his father was killed in the attempt. Growing up and living as a warrior hermit, Somerled led the inhabitants of Morvern against the Norse and regained his family's lands thus becoming master of large tracts of northern Argyll. Soon after, he took control of the south of Argyll and pronounced himself Thane of Argyll. At the same time, King David I was waging war against the Norwegians and Somerled's stature and currency rose with the king accordingly.Somerled wooed King Olaf the Red by marrying his daughter c.1140. For 14 years they lived in relative peace until Olaf was murdered by his nephews who seized control of the Norse lands in the Hebrides. Olaf's son Godfrey, a tyrant, reclaimed these lands but the inhabitants revolted and appealed to Somerled who then led a successful resistance and took Argyll in its entirety.Somerled's invention of the moveable stern rudder gave his sailors an advantage over the Norse war galleys and when Godfrey and Somerled clashed again two years later the Norse galleys were routed. Somerled became King of the Isles around 1156 but was able to treaty with King Malcolm IV who was concerned at Somerled's increasing power. However, after being insulted by Malcolm once too often, Somerled invaded the Clyde in 1163 with 164 galleys and 15,000 men and marched on Renfrew. What happened next is unclear but Somerled died in 1164 and his army dispersed back to the isles. His legacy was in fathering the Clan Donald, the creation of the finest galleys ever seen in Scottish waters and the enduring power base of the Lordship of the Isles.

    Nonetheless in this close community friendships go deep and the pub of an evening is a cheery place, at least until too much drink is taken. Fifteen years ago, Joe McBride left Westerbank under a cloud, and in his absence life has moved on, the secrets he took with him disturbing only occasionally those who were caught up in them. But now Joe McBride is coming home, a changed man, and one who needs to face up to the past before it's too late. The truth about the mysterious death of a young girl fifteen years ago is about to come out, and nothing in Westerbank will ever be quite the same again.

    Based on a mixture of detailed research and information provided by the public, it explores the remarkable diversity of ways that native plants have been, and continue to be, used in Scotland. The information is presented in clear and accessible format and is laced with quotations, illustrations, case studies and practical tips. This volume covers the complete spectrum of plant uses, addressing their diverse roles in our diet, healthcare, culture, housing, language, environment, crafts, and much more. It is a book to delight, inspire and inform.

    Ross not only shows us his Scotland but he teaches us it too. You feel as though you are on the back of his motorcycle listening to the stories of his land as you fly with him up and down the smaller roads, the 'desire lines', of Scotland. Ross takes us off the beaten track and away from the main routes chosen for us by modern road builders. He starts our journey in England and criss-crosses the border telling the bloody tales of the towns and villages. His recounting of Scottish history, its myths and its legends is unapologetically and unashamedly pro-Scots.

    Moving on to more modern times she traces the evolution and gradual erosion of the Granite City, whose stylish yet restrained architecture once brought visitors from all over the world to see an Aberdeen which they recognised and valued as a unique city. She writes of George Street, originally planned as 'an elegant entrance to the city' and of Union Street, a marvel of early nineteenth century engineering with stunning symmetry, elegant terracing and memorable shops. There is also a requiem for Archibald Simpson's splendid New Market and the sadly missed Northern Co-operative Society Arcade. The final part of Lost Aberdeen recalls vanished mansions, and lost clachans, victims of the city's march westwards. Long gone industrial archaeology is also revisited, the railway stations, mills, shipyards, seafront, tollhouses and boathouse, which slipped away as if they never had existed. In Lost Aberdeen Diane Morgan writes with the same fresh approach to local history that blends careful scholarship with high readability, and authority with humor that has made her Villages of Aberdeen so successful a series.

    

    The origins of the six kindreds-MacCabes, MacDonnells, MacDowells, MacRorys, MacSheehys, and MacSweeneys-are traced and the circumstances which brought about their relocation to Ireland are investigated. The book also examines the galloglas as warriors, pointing to their distinctly Norse character and proposing their battle-fury as the last unmistakable echo of the Scandinavian impact on the Celtic west.

    Concentrating on places that are identifiable and able to be visited today, the sources drawn on range from traditional folklore to modern first-hand sighting reports. The entries give precise locations, including Ordnance Survey map references. All the different types of Little People are represented. They are mostly not the pretty winged fairies that appear in children's picture books. 'Real' fairies can be frightening. By reading these stories and travelling to the sites, the reader will gain a sense of what it is to inhabit that Otherworld of the fairies. This is a call to get up and explore the Fairyland that is all around us.

    Although he is overshadowed in popular memory by his descendant, the later “saviour” of Scotland, Robert Bruce, it was David who laid the foundations of the medieval Scottish monarchy and set in motion the changes that created the kingdom that vied with England for mastery of the British Isles. In a reign spanning nearly three decades (1124–53), David moved his kingdom from the periphery towards the heart of medieval European civilization.

    In her frank, hard hitting but at times intimate autobiography, she tells not just her story but also the story of a fast moving era during which her country and her life changed completely.

    In this revised edition, Lawrence Keppie sets out various stages of Roman occupation in historical context and shows how literary and archaelogical evidence can be used to build up a picture of the Roman period. It incorporates a large amount of new material making it the best guide to Roman Scotland available.

    Interwoven through these different narrative strands comes the story of the whiskies themselves, traced from a distant past of bothies and illegal stills to present-day legality and prosperity. The flavour of each spirit is analysed and the differences between them teased out, as are the stories of the notable men and women who have played such a integral part in their creation.PEAT SMOKE AND SPIRIT is the last word on Islay and its whiskies.

    In this informative guide Stuart McHardy introduces Scotland's national instrument - its history, development and repertoire - and examines the part the piper himself has played in Highland and Lowland society over the centuries.

    The power of derisive laughter and the poetic imagination to combat ignorance, prejudice, and stupidity are celebrated by MacDiarmid in these provocative poems on sexuality and marriage. Many of the poems satirize the hypocrisy of the church and bourgeois complacency and powerfully indict the brutality of imperialism and its consequences for war. Discovered by John Manson in the archives of the National Library of Scotland, this is the first time many of these poems have appeared in print.

    He then became closely involved in anthrax experiments which still today render the Scottish island of Guinard uninhabitable before playing a full role in the Normandy Campaign and the conquest of Germany. After a period in Burma, he was sent to Korea, where in bitter fighting against hordes of Chinese and North Korean troops he was extremely lucky to escape with his life: many of his comrades tragically did not.

    New to the Teach Yourself dictionary series, this title provides the user with a comprehensive vocabulary for working Gaelic, the Celtic language of Scotland. With more than 30,000 words from Gaelic to English and from English to Gaelic contained within its covers, this handy resource offers extensive coverage in a portable package. In addition to vocabulary, special sections round out language learning with concise overviews of grammar and idiomatic usage.