Scotland’s story reaches far beyond its shores. Discover the enduring friendship between Scotland and Canada through shared history, Highland Games, Scottish ancestry, and my own family’s connection to this remarkable country. Join me as we celebrate the traditions, landscapes, and friendships that continue to unite both nations across the Atlantic.
Continue reading →Sometimes, the stories we publish on Scotiana begin long before the writing itself. A few days ago, I was speaking with our webmaster, Jean Liboiron, someone I’ve had the pleasure of working with since 2014. We were reflecting on one of Scotiana’s popular articles, about the once smallest village in Canada, New Glasgow. That story, rooted in local history and … Continue reading →
Follow the journey from Loch Croispol to Nova Scotia’s Gaelic shores, exploring the enduring connections between Scotland’s Highlands and the Gaelic communities of Canada.
Continue reading →Explore the Bethune family’s enduring legacy across Fife, from Balfour Castle’s medieval towers to their ties with Mary Queen of Scots and the whisky world, tracing noble roots and historic sites.
Continue reading →Samuel de Champlain, the famed French explorer and founder of Quebec, reveals surprising Scottish roots through his mother’s lineage tied to the Frasers of Murihead, blending transatlantic history and Highland heritage.
Continue reading →In our ongoing exploration of Quebec’s rich history and its connections to Scotland, I’m excited to feature some fascinating insights shared by Scotiana’s reader, George A. Neville, historian and genealogist whose recent work sheds light on a nearly forgotten chapter of the province of Quebec railway history. George’s meticulous research, titled New Glasgow, QC, the Smallest Village in Canada Once … Continue reading →
Happy Hogmanay, Happy Hogman-eh, Happy New Year et Bonne Année 2023! The Scottish word for New Year’s Eve, Hogmanay, refers to the ancient Norse festival of Yule, celebrated at the turn of the year. Today, the New Year’s eve party in Edinburgh, is one of the grandest, most spectacular, and most extravagant street festivals on earth. In Glasgow, the partying … Continue reading →
Scottish Place Names in Quebec Hello Dear Friends, The maple trees will soon be vibrant with colors of red and golden-yellow and all their multiple combinations as we are now entering the autumn season. It brings back the beautiful memories of when MairiUna and Jean-Claude flew fom France in the fall of 2010 to meet me in Montreal. We then … Continue reading →
New Glasgow While googling for the physical address of nearby retail store, I notice a name on Google’s map that captured my attention : New Glasgow. Could it be that a Canadian-Scottish link is near where I live? (I’m based in St-Jérôme, near Ste-Sophie, approximately 50 km north of Montreal, in the beautiful province of Québec, Canada. ) Well googly … Continue reading →
Hiking through spectacular views and autumn colors in Nova Scotia Feeling a call to escape the city’s noises and distractions, I was contemplating a road trip that would get me closer to the nature and by the sea. In the CAA Quebec monthly automobile association magazine, I stumbled upon an article depicting the Cape Breton Trail in Nova Scotia. I … Continue reading →
Dear friends, I am so excited to write about the story of an abandoned village, Rivière de La Guerre, located in the province of Quebec, where Scottish settlers began to come over from the Hebrides Archipelago, west of the Highlands. Originally, the area was called Godmanchester. Named after a man known as Francois dit La Guerre, a settler that had … Continue reading →
Hi Mairiuna, Iain and Margaret 🙂 Trust all is well. I am so happy to share today with you and our followers the exciting story of the discovery in Montreal, Canada, upon carrying out archaeological excavations under the Jacques Cartier bridge of an old pipe furnace used during the 19th century in the Faubourg Sainte-Marie which was also known as … Continue reading →
It’s celebration time in the beautiful province of Quebec, in Canada, as Quebecers are taking part in Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day and Fête Nationale du Quebec festivities. The public holiday celebrates the culture and heritage of francophones inside Quebec and across the country, and how they have shaped it. While the religious significance of the civic celebration is gone, the day remains … Continue reading →
THE QUEBEC THISTLE COMMITTEE AULD ALLIANCE AWARDS CEREMONY In just a few days will take place in Montréal, at the Officer’s Mess of the Black Watch (RHR) of Canada, the annual event presented by the Quebec Thistle Committee to winners in several categories including Scottish music, cuisine, culture, athlete of the year, country and highland dancing, piping and “Scotsman / … Continue reading →
… Mairiuna, did you know that one of our most popular competitive sport here in Canada is curling? “To Curle on the Ice, does greatly please, Being a Manly Scottish Exercise, It Clears the Brains, stirrs up the Native Heat, And gives a gallant Appetite for Meat.” ~James Bicket It was the lowland Scots who brought this game … Continue reading →
