Il Wol Dang on traditional Korean music at the Fringe

Megan Amato talks to band Il Wol Dang about traditional Korean music, jazz and the message they hope to spread. ‘Do you know BTS?’ asked Lee Ju-hang, her question followed by the immediate laughter of her three band members, manager and myself.  Indeed, it would be more of a challenge to find someone who hasn’t…

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A dramatic ballet in The Scandal at Mayerling

Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s iconic ballet about a dysfunctional royal family, depicting shocking real events from 1889, was boldly created in 1978 and is now reimagined and redesigned by Scottish Ballet, in a sumptuous production that is at once both intimate and epic. This is the first time Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s celebrated The Scandal at Mayerling…

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After the Outlander Effect comes The Crown Effect

Popular Netflix series, The Crown, has boosted visitor numbers to the East Cairngorms, the home to the royal family’s Scottish seat, Balmoral Castle, according to local tourism guides. Ballater Business Association (BBA) and Braemar Tourism Group (BTG) has attributed this, in part, to the interest the drama has sparked in the area’s local history and…

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Jim Murray and Sarah Parish to open River Deveron salmon season

The River Deveron District Salmon Fishery Board (RDevDSFB) and the Deveron, Bogie and Isla Rivers Charitable Trust (DBIT) have announced the opening date for the Deveron salmon season. It will take place in association with The Deveron Single Malt Whisky, owned by Bacardi. The Morison Trophy will be presented at the opening ceremony on Friday,…

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Beloved books are given a new Scottish twist

Two beloved children’s books have been translated into Scots for the first time. A Bad Beginning is the first in the bestselling 13-part A Series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket while award-winning author Matt Haig’s 2015 novel, A Boy Called Christmas, has also been given a new twist by Black & White Publishing.…

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Stirling Highland Games launches virtual programme

Traditional heavyweight competitions, a pipe band and cookery demonstrations are among the online events showcased at Stirling Highland Games this month. Organisers have unveiled an exciting programme of virtual activities to entertain families, food-lovers, history buffs and Highland Games competition fans from home and abroad on Saturday August 21. Spectators can watch competitors take part…

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The fascinating tales of boarding school sports

An old Etonian? A recent Wykehamist? Remember the good old days at Edinburgh Academy? If you have fond memories of boarding school or are a sports historian then you will find this book fascinating. Malcolm Tozer has collated the pre-rugby early codes of football from an array of public schools in the 19th century, including…

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Scotland stars in The Crown series four

SERIES four of The Crown begins streaming on Netflix on Sunday, with locations throughout Scotland starring once more in the television show. Estates including Ardverikie, Dunbeath and Rothiemurchus were used to film scenes for the series, which charts Queen Elizabeth’s life from the 1970s to the 1990s. Oscar-winner Olivia Coleman plays The Queen, having taken…

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