Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and the Jacobites made an ill-conceived tactical retreat to Scotland, where they were
eventually crushed at the
Battle of Culloden,
near Inverness, in 1746.
THE SCOTTISH ENLIGHTENMENT & ECONOMIC GROWTH
During the
18th century, the union began to reap dividends, and the Scottish economy under-
went a radical transformation. As trade with British colonies increased, the port of
Glasgow flourished. Its merchants grew rich on the tobacco trade with Virginia and
the Carolinas. Ships from Glasgow (where they were often constructed, too) were
making the trip back and forth to the New World much faster than competitors else-
where in Great Britain. The
Merchant City
district of the city center is named after
the tobacco and cotton barons. The River Clyde became world-famous for shipbuild-
ing. Of course, many industrial inventions that altered the history of the developing
world—such as the steam engine—were either invented or perfected by Scottish
genius and industry. The ground-breaking movement in philosophy now known as the
Scottish Enlightenment, which was established at Glasgow University and based
largely in Edinburgh, brought forward important thinkers, such as David Hume and
Adam Smith. Edinburgh's
New Town
was begun in the mid-1700s and today is a
World Heritage Site recognized by the United Nations. Later, Victorian builders
turned Glasgow into a showcase of 19th-century architecture.
RECENT HISTORY
By the 1960s and 1970s, Scotland found that its industrial
plants couldn't compete with the emerging industrial powerhouses of Asia and else-
where. A glimmer of light appeared on the Scottish economic horizon in the 1970s:
The discovery of
North Sea oil
lifted the British economy considerably. Edinburgh
also became a center for global banking (though more recently, this has proved to be
a mixed blessing). In 1997, under a newly elected Labour government in London,
the Scottish electorate voted on
devolution
—a fancy word for limited sovereignty.
The referendum passed, allowing Scotland to have its own legislature for the first
time since the 1707 union with England. The Scottish Parliament has since passed
laws that differ from practice in England and Wales, such as ensuring free higher
education for Scots or offering home care for the elderly. Whether the country can
afford these benefits is hotly debated.
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SCOTTISH MUSIC
Scottish music is considerably more than “Scotland the Brave” played on bagpipes,
although you may well hear the song during your stay. The Gaelic-influenced songs
and sounds of the Hebridean Islands and the Highlands have been around for centu-
ries--and today many Scottish folk musicians live and play most often in Edinburgh
or Glasgow. The fiddle, accordion, guitar, flute, and Celtic drum are all part of the
musical tradition. The best chance to hear the real deal is at a jam session in a pub
or at a more formal (but still fun)
ceilidh
(pronounced
kay
-lee). Traditionally,
ceilidhs
were community gatherings, with music, dance, singing, and story-telling. More often
today, they are reduced to Scottish country dances, such as the Gay Gordon or Strip-
ping the Willow. Bagpipes and the rousing, indeed ear-shattering, sounds they can
create are entrenched in the national identity. Every summer, Glasgow hosts an inter-
national piping competition that draws thousands of pipers (many of whom also
perform as part of Edinburgh's Military Tattoo, a show featuring music, marching,
and military exercises). But a lone piper may pop up anytime, anywhere.
