Home Page
Celtic Pages:
* Celtic Calendars
* Callie Club (Sac)
* Dance
* Daughters of Scotia
* Gaelic
* Gifts - Pipes - Travel
* Gunn Clan
* Smokin Gunn PB
* Musicians
* Celtic Music Venues
* Music Instruction
* Other Celtic Orgs
* Radio and Internet
* Scottish Athletics
Update 4/24/2018
Celtic Internet Links and Radio Stations
Some Links you might find interesting - more below
SiliconValleyPaddy A lot of Irish resources in Northern California
History of Bagpipes - pretty good links on this page
Celtic Symbolism in Fasion and Jewelry
Council of Scottish Clans and Associations
Black Agnes and the Defense of Dunbar Castle
Rampant Scotland- one of the largest directories of Scottish links.
And 4,000+ illustrated feature articles.
Highland Hospice - Purchase on-line the Highland Hospice Christmas CD Brìgh Na Nollaig
Carruthers & Co, an independent, multimedia production company that creates both live theatre and film experiences. Our mission is to bring together accomplished artists from World-Celtic-Classical disciplines, as we offer a new, refreshing approach to the Celtic dance genre in concert with renowned contemporary and traditional musicians, like Alasdair & Natalie.
Burns Illuminated in George Square
Resources for Celtic Mythology and Early Irish Literature
RECOMMENDED READING ABOUT SCOTLAND
(Thanks to Lin Robinson)
The Highland Clearances by John Prebble. Mr. Prebble wrote several books on Scottish history, including Culloden, Glencoe and The Lion in the North. This particular work covers an often-ignored period of Highland history, when chiefs, turned landlords, moved their clansmen off the land to make way for more profitable sheep. Worth reading to understand what drove so many Scots to emigrate. Generally available.
The Lion in the North by John Prebble. This book covers Scotland from earliest times to the mid-19th century. There is something in it about nearly every prominent Scot and notable event, although most are given a relatively cursory examination. Well illustrated. The one flaw is that Mr. Prebble sometimes seems to think that the reader may already know more about the country than he or she actually does. Generally available.
Culloden by John Prebble. While the author spends the early chapters telling about the battle, the book is really about the aftermath of the Jacobite defeat and how it destroyed the warrior culture of the Highlands of Scotland. Generally available.
Glencoe by John Prebble. This is the story of the most famous massacre to take place in the Scottish Highlands. In terms of the body count the Glencoe attack was small potatoes. What made it so famous was the prelude. A very good book about the heyday of the Highland Clans of Scotland. Generally available.
The Highland Clans by Sir Ian Moncrieffe of that Ilk. Sir Ian was Albany Herald in the Court of the Lord Lyon, so he knew of what he wrote. We do not ordinarily recommend “canned” or “potted” (in the UK) histories, but this one is different. There is a good general introduction and a lot of photos, some in color. This book has been reprinted several times, with each edition being slightly different. Not hard to find although it is frequently out of print.
William Wallace, Brave Heart by James MacKay. Do not confuse this excellent treatment of the known history of Sir William Wallace, Guardian of Scotland, with the exploitation novel based on the screenplay for Braveheart, both written by Randall Wallace. This is fact, the other one is fiction. There are very few records of Wallace before the Guardianship and not much more during his time in charge. But, Mr. MacKay manages to pull it together into a very readable book. William Wallace was, indeed, a remarkable man, perhaps the only true patriot among the Scottish leaders in the Wars of Independence. Generally available
Rob Roy MacGregor by W. H. Murray. Mr. Murray has woven the biography of this famous Highlander around a treatise on Scotland of the mid-17th to early 18th centuries. His account of the upbringing of an “upper middle class Highlander” is worth the price of the book in itself. Again, it is not a novel written from a screenplay, but a well-researched, scholarly presentation of life in the Highlands in the era near the end of the clan system. Generally available.
The Scotch-Irish A Social History by James G. Leyburn. The Lowland Scots and English from the northern counties who emigrated to Ireland in the 16th and 17th centuries were a resourceful and colorful bunch. They are also largely responsible for the building of America. A scholarly work covering their journeys from the old world to the new. Generally available
How the Scots Invented the Modern World by Arthur Heman. They really did, according to the author, who cites many well-known and some fairly obscure examples.
The Steel Bonnets by George MacDonald Fraser. Mr. Fraser, who was born in Carlisle, England, on the border, writes about a group of Anglo-Scottish border reivers (raiders) who were every bit as swashbuckling and colorful as the Highlanders.
Robert the Bruce Kings of Scots by Ronald McNair Scott. From the death of Alexander III, until Robert de Brus (Bruce) had himself crowned king of Scotland in 1306, the nation was dominated by the much stronger country to its south. The Bruce had a personal stake in fighting for Scottish independence, and the hardships he suffered for his crown and the country led to a shortened lifespan. An excellent, well-researched history. In and out of print.
An excellent source for out of print and antique books on Scottish-Celtic-Norse history and culture is Unicorn, Ltd. of Auburn, Alabama. Their web site is www.scotpress.com. You can also obtain catalogs by writing to them at Unicorn, Ltd., PO Box 609, Auburn, AL 36831. They offer a regular fliers of used and new books to those who subscribe to their “Scots Library“, which is $15 per year. These fliers are advance offerings.
Unfortunately many titles published in Britain are frequently out of print. The above company scours the Isle for these books and their selection is excellent. They also publish many out of copyright and out of print books on CD-ROM at a very reasonable price. They also publish modern authors in this medium, including Lin Robinson who can be contacted at 704-481-9273 or email linrobinson@carolina.rr.com.
Some interesting websites:
Documentary about the Spirit of Scotland Pipe Band. Article in PipesIDrums. There is also an article in the current issue of Words & Music. And please visit On The Day where you can view the film's trailer.
In honour of Scotland's Bard Robert Burns, here is a link with several of his works with translations. His epitaphs are often quite amusing.
Master of The Crwth - Digon o Grwth:
An in depth interview with the Master of the Crwth plus 17 original tracks which can be embedded in other sites. A major resource for lovers of Welsh and traditional Celtic music everywhere.
Read The Full Article - Master of The Crwth - Digon o Grwth
The website for the Scottish Heritage Institute has been initiated. Anyone who wishes to have indisputable facts about any aspect of Scotland, need only to ask the question on the website. The website is completely protected, and confidential. Most questions will be answered by experts either in Scotland or the U.S. Turn-around time is 2-3 days in most instances. With few exceptions, the majority of questions are answered free of charge. Those questions that require longer research and completion of written material, will be assessed a small fee, which is payable by PayPal, a completely safe exchange, This transaction will be done before the work is commenced. Any further information about the website can be directed to Donald R. MacRae, Ph.D, FSA Scot at dmacrae13(at)comcast.net
SCRAN - A great source of old to newer Scottish photos with a searchable image database. Unfortunately you need to subscribe to get other than thumbnail images. Appears to have been orginally set up for educational purposes. Has a really broad range of photos and subjects.
Wendy Brickman, longtime publicist of the Monterey Scottish Games & Celtic Festival, Monterey Bay School of Piping and Drumming, Monterey Bay Pipe Band, John McLean Allan and Stand Easy, Celtic Concerts, and other Celtic music-related projects has recently launched a marketing blog that often uses Celtic Music as case studies for the strategies she is sharing with her readers. Check out Wendy Brickman
Embrace Your Scottish Heritage - Visit The National Trust for Scotland.
We are a small Scottish company based in Aberdeenshire, Scotland producing personalized videos for expatriate Scots. Echoes of Home
Your weekly insight into what has been happening in Scotland, snipped from the Scottish media - plus some elements of Scottish culture. A Web version of Rampant Scotland Newsletter - Issue Number 500, dated 11 November 2006., with some graphics and newspaper-style layout, is available at Rampant Scotland Newsletter. If you would like to receive your own free copy direct from Scotland, just send an email to Scottie@RampantScotland.com with "Subscribe" in the subject line.
Take a look at the Caithness website. All the Gunns that don't know this site should bookmark it. Caithness is our original homeland. Bill Fernie, a good friend of the Gunns, seems a bit partial to us strange North American Gunns. For the Non-Gunns, this is one of the best and most interesting community websites you will ever see. They won a major award two years ago as Best Community Website, and Best Website in the UK. Took Bill and his staff several days to recover from the party after the awards dinner....;-)) Welcome to the Clans page at Electric Scotland Clans Page
About five pages of links of the Irish around the world - this is only a partial list…… Irish Links
Radio/Internet Celtic music and language:
Internet Radio From Tuolumne (County) - Celtic Music with a Twist
Since March of 2009, Ed Miller has been hosting a new folk music show on KUT.FM in Austin. "Across the Water," focusing on the music of Scotland, Ireland & England and can be heard Sunday evenings from 7-8pm (Central Time) and can be heard live on the web at www.KUT.org - click on "Listen."
Piping radio station that can be accessed on the internet.
Radio Scotland - a link to listen to a radio show using the BBC Radio Player. To listen you will need to have a program called RealPlayer installed on your computer. Download it for FREE from their audio help page - Audio Help
Celtic Cadence Hosted by Co. Clare native and native speaker of Irish, Aine Ni Dheaigh - Wednesday 8:00-10 PM - 89.5 FM, NEVADA CITY - Featuring traditional music of Ireland and other Celtic nations. - KVMR
Scottish History.com music page
This one has the words to a bunch of Scottish songs. Some have midi links so you can hear the melody. Scottish songs
Santa Cruz area radio stations (2/24/2008):
Celtic Music is heard weekly on the following public radio stations.
At KUSP, 88.9 fm in Santa Cruz, the Celtic program, ‘The Continental Drift,’ hosted by Cindy Odom, is on Saturday at the new time of from noon to 2pm. There is folk music programming on weekdays from 11am to 1pm. Please visit www.kusp.org for the full schedule.
At KZSC, 88.1 fm in Santa Cruz, I’m happy to note there is a new Celtic music show hosted by Zach Huselid. ‘The Emerald Isle’ airs on Sundays from 6am to 9am. There are also excellent folk programs hosted by Jeff Emery on Sunday from noon to 2pm and Clytia Fuller on Friday from 9am to noon.
At KKUP, 91.5 fm in Santa Clara, Celtic Music may generally be heard in the first part of Peter Schwarz’s program on Thursday from 7am to 10am. Lisa Atkinson hosts a folk program on Tuesday from 10am to 1pm and Dave Stafford hosts a folk program on Friday from 3pm to 6pm with a focus on ‘live’ performances.
At KPIG, 107.5 fm in Watsonville, about the only time Celtic music may be heard is ‘live’ from guests on John Sandidge’s program ‘Please Stand By’ on Sundays from 10am to noon.
* * * * *
Music Reviews:
Worldwide Community for Celtic Culture
* * * * *
Publications:
Irish Abroad - excellent web site with all manner of information
Irish America - monthly magazine (also available on Irish Abroad)
Irish Herald - monthly newspaper