Hogmanay Folks , Happy 2008

[Manuka Jock]

and may all your shavings be curly ones

slainte mhath ,
Jock

[PenTurner]

Jock, sounds like Scotch to me, Happy New Year, Amos

[Manuka Jock]

Cheers Amos ,
na , not scotch , I don't touch the stuff
I am of the Scots tho , a generation or five back

Jock

[artme]

My old tech teacher, Mr. kennedy, drew a nice distintioc for us: he was a Sct or Scottish, Scotch is the lifeless stuff in the bottle!

[Tornatus]

My old tech teacher, Mr. kennedy, drew a nice distintioc for us: he was a Sct or Scottish, Scotch is the lifeless stuff in the bottle!

No, he wasn't - not originally, anyhow, with a name like Kennedy! Like many people who live in Scotland, his ancestors came from Ireland, where they had learned to make whiskey. They lost the plot a bit, though, and changed the recipe, which is why it doesn't taste as nice as the real stuff, and they have to spell it without the "e".

Sláinte!

[Manuka Jock]

Tornatus ,
Our Scottie ancestors came from Dal Riada in Ireland to Argyle in Scotland about 1800 years ago.
All Scots are of the Irish .

CHEERS ,
JOCK

[Tornatus]

All Scots are of the Irish CHEERS ,
JOCK

The civilized ones, anyhow .... like most inhabitants of the "British" isles, the people we now know as "Scots" have a rather mixed ancestry, and confusion about the issue has reigned ever since the Romans insisted on giving everyone they bullied funny names, which the natives had never heard of and which they (the Romans) got hopelessly muddled anyhow. Random and violent insemination over centuries by passing Norsemen (aka "Vikings", but only when on a raid) didn't help much either.

I know I'm having a bit of a go at the puir auld Scotties, but my own Irish ancestors were just as mixed a bunch, and we won't even mention that lot south of Hadrian's Wall and east of the Pale - talk about melting pots!

[Manuka Jock]

Random and violent insemination over centuries by passing Norsemen (aka "Vikings", but only when on a raid) didn't help much either.

My Norse Ancestor , was The Defender of Norway . A man who has been honoured , in history , by being numbered in the line of Norwegian Kings.
His sons emigrated to the North Eastern Highlands of Scotland and Married into the Pictish Royal House.
The Name Father of my Clan was no passing rapist.

Nor were most who settled in both Scotland , and Ireland , where , incidentally , my other ancestors came from .

OK !

[Tornatus]

Truce, Jock - at least we should agree that there's more we have in common than there is that separates us (but I'm not prepared to say the same about the Sassunach ...)

Ruaidhrí