Colonsay one of the west coast islands of Scotland Colonsay, is approx 10 miles long and 2 miles wide with 135 locals, little more than 2 hours from Oban by ferry. Local activities include agriculture, oyster farming, arts, crafts, honey production, a brewery and lobster fishing. The island lies off the west coast of Scotland. [...]
I was oot the other day, the grub at the pub was; ‘well tidy scran’ The great Scottish words and phrases you may need some help with, especially if you are coming on tour with us, some can leave folks wondering, some are – well, just funny. Get tae - just simply utter ‘get tae’ [...]
Paul McLean invited to the Whitehouse Would you just look at those fine examples of Scottish seafood and veg, all local by the way. That’s the Isle of Mull in the background, all you see here is Maclean country! Well he played his trump card, a special invitation he couldnee resist. Paul likes his [...]
THE STONE AT KINTRAW – THE FAIRY HILL The prehistoric landscape here includes a large cairn (badly robbed of its' stones), a kerbed cairn excavated in 1959-60 and shown to contain a cist and a 4m high standing stone. This stone had been leaning and finally fell over in March 1979. An excavation of [...]
The Battle of Altimarlach A delve into Scottish history through the eyes of Paul McLean. Here we go again with more clan disputes in Scotland. This time – for a change – the Campbell’s are involved, shock! The 13th of July, 1680 saw the last significant clan battle to be fought in Scotland, with the [...]
Mote Church (Stormont Mausoleum) "Boothill" is thought to be a corruption of 'Moothill'. The Gaelic name is 'Tom-a-mhoid'. The hill is also said to have been called, 'Collis Credulitatis' - 'the Hill of Belief' - and 'Omnis Terra' - 'Everyman's Land,' - and to have been been connected with the coronation ceremonies which took [...]
The Aftermath of Culloden - and the English/Germans called the Scots savages! Culloden, April 1746. Written by Robert Forbes who witnessed the Battle " But the most shocking part of the story is yet to come, - I mean the horrid barbarities committed in cold blood, after the battle was over. I do not know [...]
The Battle of Glen Trool was an engagement in the Rebellion, fought in April 1307. Glen Trool is a narrow glen in the southern uplands of Galloway, Scotland. Loch Trool is aligned on an east west axis and is flanked on both sides by steep rising hills, making it ideal for an ambush. Robert [...]
You never know when you need saving! Here at MCLEANSCOTLAND we know what it means to be safe and sound, like many of us do but our tours cover all Scotland and Ireland, especially the coastal regions where mishaps can happen. This is why we support the RNLI – the lifeboats. The crews do NOT get [...]
Wallace & the Battle of Black Earnside - Perthshire One of the lesser known battles of the War of Independance (Scotland against the English aggressors) took place in the neighbourhood of Newburgh/Lindores Abbey (approx. 11 miles from Perth where I live just now), within the 'Forest of Irnsyde'. Historians find difficulty in reconciling the [...]
