Like a certain Scottish politician, Benito Mussolini was a charismatic figure with a theatrical flair who travelled from the far left to the far right of the political spectrum in his drive to keep himself relevant. I wonder if George Galloway models himself on Il Duce? Continue reading The ideal Fascist leader?
How do you follow Scotland’s hero king, Robert the Bruce? David Bruce had some big shoes to fill, and he got off to a poor start when he was defeated at Neville’s Cross and held captive in the Tower of London for 11 years. Continue reading David II, King of Scots
While in 1790, Kerry was an economic backwater with links only to neighbouring parishes, and where the only conceivable future was one of decline, by 1870 it was firmly in the orbit of the expanding industrial Lowlands, with both national and international trading links. Continue reading Kerry of Kilfinan (VII)
Written half a century after the (Old) Statistical Account, this survey followed the same pattern and format as its predecessor, giving a remarkable insight into the changes that had taken place. Continue reading NSA: Parish of Kilfinan
The First (or Old) Statistical Account of Scotland was published between 1791 and 1799. It contains the responses to a detailed questionnaire sent out to 900 parish ministers across the country, and provides a wonderful contemporary insight into local communities at that time. Continue reading OSA: Parish of Kilfinan
Inevitably, as some are able to take advantage of opportunities as they appear, there are others who are left behind whether by misfortune, illness or age. Continue reading Kerry of Kilfinan (VI)
By the late-1800s, Kerry of Kilfinan had become home to several wealthy Lowland families and the village of Tighnabruaich expanded with the steamers and the arrival of middle-class tourists Continue reading Kerry of Kilfinan (V)
By the mid-1850s, wealthy Victorians began buying land on the shore at Tighnabruaich, where they built substantial holiday villas. Continue reading Kerry of Kilfinan (IV)
Industry came to Kerry of Kilfinan in the late-1830s with the construction of a gunpowder mill at Millhouse and a pier at Kames. Continue reading Kerry of Kilfinan (III)
Fishing became an important activity in Kilfinan in the first half of the nineteenth century, particularly for herring in Loch Fyne Continue reading Kerry of Kilfinan (II)
Lusobrandane 