Airticles tagged “Opinion”
Scots an the smit: a language unner lockdoun
Frae here at ma desk ah can see richt doun ontae Hawick high street. It’s ten weeks noo syne ah left the hoose for ony ither reason than tae tak the bins oot, but ah get ma vicarious kicks in ither weys. A single loun ploddin throu the rain wi a Kwik Save cairier bag is a mystery ye could scry intae for decades. Cyclists swerve tae the opposite sides …
Scots sangster Iona Fyfe’s lockdoun diary
It’s the ninth o Mairch, and I’v juist gaed affstage at a venue cried SALA BBK in Bilbao, Spain. I hae hauf o the neist day tae explore aa the airts and pairts o this Basque toun afore me and my band hae tae ging on a plane back tae Glesca via Amsterdam. It’s business as normal in Bilabao, and fowk ar nou gaun aboot their auld-farrent Monday mornin wey: …
Scots: an ayebidin kist o Scotland aforesyne
Thochts anent the unique role o the Scots leid in Scotland’s bygane, and whit wey it haes a gey special role tae play in communicatin Scotland’s heritage the day. Scots is Scotland’s past Scots can niver be juist a medium throu which tae communicate Scotland’s past — for Scots is Scotland’s past. Hale centuries o Scottish history haes taen place in the Scots language; hunners o thoosands o Scots haes …
Halloween
Ah hiv lang been thirlt tae the idea that keepin awa the ghaisties said tae flee aboot in the mirk on 31 October shuid be nae mair than a semple wee acknowledgement o the auld conventions; cairit oot in an aroond the hoose, on ae particlar nicht wi the bairns an faimily thegither. In ma ain young days, there warnae ony Halloween pairties ootwith o fowk’s hooses or on ither …
Braw lads an soor plooms: on the mairch in Galashiels
Aboot the first thing that happens whan we get tae the mairch is that we get pit in chairge. Weel, kind o. Yin o the organisers comes joggin taewarts us across the gress, asks if we’ll be stewards. Me, ah cry aff; ah’m here tae write aboot the mairch, no tae rin it, an ah’m gey shuir ah’ll no hae onything positive tae say bi the fínish. Ah’v no been …