Posts by Kenny Smith
James Braid – Scotland’s master of mesmerism
Hypnotism, or mesmerism as it was once known, is a familiar and fascinating subject to us in the 21st century. Performers such as Derren Brown, who use it in their acts, draw thousands of spectators to sellout shows. Paul McKenna tops the bestseller charts with books that harness the power of the mind to make…
Read MoreSearch for a director at major new tourist site
The hunt is on for someone to run a major new tourist attraction which will house The Great Tapestry of Scotland. Applications are being sought for the centre director of the nationally-significant attraction set to be housed in a purpose-built setting for the first time in Galashiels. Charity Live Borders is offering a career-defining role…
Read MoreDNA is showing the bloodlines of clans and chiefs
The emergence of DNA profiling has had a huge impact upon fields as diverse as criminology, medicine and insurance, but it also has implications for clans and those whose historic titles depend upon paternity. Three recent cases have provided dramatic proof of the potential of DNA to intrude in these areas. The first has a…
Read MoreThe Scot who was a real-life Robinson Crusoe
The tale of Robinson Crusoe is a familiar one, but less well known is the story of a young Scottish girl who, 170 years ago, survived just such an ordeal herself. On 16 October 1849, a party of sailors from naval ship HMS Rattlesnake, commanded by Captain Owen Stanley, went ashore at Cape York, Queensland,…
Read MoreYou can tuck into haggis ice cream this weekend
A limited edition haggis and marmalade ice cream has been released for Burns Night. The handcrafted speciality recipe – which has been made on the Mackie’s Aberdeenshire farm – is available all weekend at Mackie’s 19.2 parlour in Aberdeen. At 11am this morning, piper Robert Reid from Deeside Caledonia Pipe Band piped the haggis ice…
Read MoreBig names will descend on Glasgow for film festival
A full programme has been announced for Glasgow Film Festival 2019. Across 12 days, the city-wide celebration of cinema will feature 337 individual screenings, talks and events – showcasing seven world premieres, 102 UK premieres and 49 Scottish premieres from 54 countries. From 20 February to 3 March, guests including Sir Michael Palin, Carol Morley,…
Read More400 address the haggis at Burns Supper in Glasgow
A total of 400 people addressed the haggis at Glasgow’s biggest Burns supper. Now in its 28th year, Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland’s A Question of Burns event is still as popular as ever, raising ÂŁ50,000 for the specialist charity. More than 400 guests took part in the annual quiz on all things Rabbie Burns, before…
Read MoreWant to reel in your own stretch of river?
The Ardoe and Murtle beat on the world famous River Dee has been made available for sale. The Inverness office of Galbraith has launched the sale of this attractive beat. Purchased in 1990, this lower Dee beat extends to about 1.5 miles and has 11 named pools. It was successfully timeshared by Salar Management Services Ltd,…
Read MoreThe strong links between Scotland and America
When it comes to understanding how the Scottish diaspora in the USA is organised, our friends in Scotland tend to roll their eyes and say it’s all hopelessly chaotic. In fact, when viewed from the top down, it is all fairly logical. In Democracy in America, published in 1835, the French writer and traveller Alexis…
Read More10 of the best Scottish cartoon characters
Children and grown-ups all over the world are familiar with Scots accents thanks to the power of cartoons. Some are still drawn frames in comics, newspapers and magazine, and many are animated (with varying degrees of being convincingly Scots!), and here we highlight the Scottish influence on our top ten iconic cartoon creations. 1. Groundskeeper Willie,…
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