From: "Dave Coull" <d.y.coull-AT-dundee.ac.uk>
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 13:10:48 GMT
Subject: Re: Redcoats


Andy asked

>what's the best highland history book 
>that's a good read??

"Highland" is an ambiguous term.
In the sense in which Andy is using
it, it doesn't just mean "high land".
He is apparently using it as meaning
"parts of Scotland associated with 
the gaelic language", and of course
these days that means mainly 
the outer Hebrides, which 
are in fact mostly "low land".

The history of the highlands cannot 
really be understood without some
understanding of the history of Scotland
as a whole. Gaelic was at one time
spoken throughout present day Scotland,
except for a narrow strip along the present
border with England. The retreat of the Gaelic 
language was a gradual thing, so at any time 
in history there could be areas which were 
clearly Gaelic, and areas which were clearly 
not, and areas which were a bit of a mixture. 
However, it does seem fairly certain that
the great majority of the Scots who fought 
alongside William Wallace, or Robert Bruce, 
against the English, were not Gaelic speaking.
So the retreat of Gaelic was well under 
way by the late Thirteenth Century. 

Gaelic is at present enjoying a modest
revival. I myself watch the Gaelic soap
"Machair" on television, as well as that 
Gaelic language history series about 
"Emigrants". (Both programmes have 
sub-titles.) Gaelic rock bands such as 
Capercaillie and Runrig have contributed 
to the revival. So have Gaelic language 
nursery schools, such as the one in 
my home town. But of course we're not 
all going to go back to speaking Gaelic.

Like I said, you really need to know about
the history of  _Scotland_ ; but If you want 
a book about Gaelic history and culture,
then Caroline Bingham's "Beyond the Highland
Line : Highland History and Culture" is
really good. It's published by Constable 
& Co. in London in 1991. Another book 
really well worth  reading (because,
as he says, it's written "from the inside") 
is John MacLeod's "No Great Mischief 
If You Fall : A Highland Experience", 
published by Mainstream publishing, 
Edinburgh, in 1993. As MacLeod 
himself says in his preface

>>This is an unashamedly personal book.
>>It wanders from corner to corner of my
>>interests, my obsessions, and now 
>>and again my prejudices.

but it's well worth reading nevertheless.

Andy asks

>And what does the y in your name stand for? 
>I can only think of Yorick or Yves.

Young , of course. Now, there are lots of Chinese
people called Young, but in this case the name
is not Chinese. Neither is it English. Although
I like to kid myself that I'm "young at heart", 
the name is not the English word "young".


Dave