History UsefulNotes / Scotland

* UsefulNotes/FringeFestival

Compare CanadaEh (more "English" Canadians claim Scottish ancestry than any other) and NorseByNorsewest (the Northern Isles and some of the Hebrides are primarily of Nordic descent and retain a lot of Scandinavian influence, and the Faroese and Icelanders are primarily of Gaelic descent on the female side).

It is a common fiction in Romantic depictions of Scotland to view the Clans as rugged individualists, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobite_Risings#The_Rebellion.2FRising_of_1745_.28.27The_Forty-Five.27.29 fiercely pro-independence and pro-Stuart]]. This is not necessarily the case. Many clans simply did not conform to the rural, NobleSavage archetype created for them by later authors. Clans Campbell and Douglas enjoyed considerable influence and power within the urban government of Scotland pre- and post-Union. During the religious turmoil of the 16th and 17th centuries, many clans were happy to renounce the rule of the Pope. Similarly, many clans enthusiastically committed to Union with England and the equal prestige with the English aristocracy that this granted them. By the time the Jacobite rising of 1745 rolled around, the clans were split, when previously they had wholeheartedly supported the Stuarts. With the exception of the island and coastal clans, many stayed neutral during the Stuart conflict or supported the Government. Notably, of the largest and most powerful clans, the Campbells, the Douglases, the [=MacLeods=], the [=MacDonalds=], and the Mackenzies, all except the Mackenzies and [=MacDonalds=] stayed loyal to the British government, with the [=MacDonalds=] joining Charles Stuart and the Mackenzies staying neutral.

* Sheena Easton.

!!People from Northern Ireland:

A number of Scottish military regiments [[http://www.millsworks.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/queen_kilt_dick.jpeg use the kilt in their dress uniform]], but have not seen action since 1940, not the least because of a very good and nightmare-tastic reason involving mustard gas puddles on the battlefield[[note]]. During UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne, the Black Watch (now part of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, but retaining their name as the 3rd Battalion of it) were supposedly dubbed "the Ladies from Hell" by the Germans for their fierceness in battle.

There is a segment of Scottish society that wishes for independence. In 2011, the SNP won a surprise majority in the Scottish Parliament (which was actually meant to be ''impossible'' - the "additional member" system under which [=MSPs=] are elected was specifically designed to prevent any party winning an overall majority) and were able to secure a referendum on independence. That vote, held on 18 September 2014, saw Scotland vote against independence by a 55.3%-44.7% margin, with an unusually (for Britain) high turnout of 84.6% -- a fairly comfortable margin for the "No" side by any standard, but still narrow enough to shake things up a bit. Economic arguments and the promise of more devolution helped the "No" side win, while disenchantment with Westminster politics and the economy were the main drivers of the "Yes" campaign. In the years since then, the promises of more devolution haven't been fulfilled, and the little matter of Brexit and its, shall we say, attendant challenges, have continued to be cited by the pro-independence side as good reasons for Scotland to leave the UK, while the anti-independence side continues to argue that ongoing union is in everyone's best interests.

Finally, Scotland also has differing traditions for [[UsefulNotes/AVeryBritishChristmas the holiday season]]. Christmas is traditionally less important (people working on Christmas Day is still quite common, and almost everyone is back at work by the 27th), with an increased emphasis on New Year's Eve (known as Hogmanay). Hogmanay is, more or less, a gigantic booze-up. Cèilidh music and the singing of Auld Lang Syne are also very common. Street parties are held - most famously in Edinburgh - and [[Creator/TheBBC BBC Scotland]] has an evening of programmes dedicated to it. Both New Year's Day and January 2nd are UsefulNotes/BankHolidays in Scotland, basically to deal with the almighty hangovers from Hogmanay. Hogmanay programming traditionally revolved around the late, great Rikki Fulton's ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSDaNIdmV-Y Last Call]]'' monologue prior to the bells. Over time this has been replaced with ''Chewin' the Fat'' and ''Series/StillGame'' specials and football-themed sketch show ''Only an Excuse''. Creator/TheBBC coverage is often mocked as consistently being downright awful for [[TheEighties some unfathomable reason]].

[[folder:Anime]]

* ''Film/StarTrek2009'' - Montgomery Scott, the proudly Scottish [[TheEngineer chief engineer]] of the USS ''Enterprise''.

----> '''Rory''': You are ''so'' Scottish!

* ''Series/MonarchOfTheGlen'' - falls into the box marked 'cheesy pish'.

* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' would occasionally make a thing of the Luthor family's Scottish roots. That Luther is a German name didn't seem to occur to them. Justified because in a later season we find out that [[spoiler: Lionel Luthor actually made that up]]

* ''Series/TheThickOfIt'' - features many references to the Scottishness of its lead character Malcolm Tucker and his BastardUnderstudy Jamie. Tucker is called '[[Series/HamishMacbeth Hamish [=MacDeath=]]]' and 'The Gorbals Goebbels' by opposition MP, Peter Mannion.

* Much like Scotty from ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'' the most famous Scottish wrestler - "Rowdy" Roddy Piper - is in fact Canadian.
* Scotland has a number of independent wrestling groups - including the Scottish Wrestling Alliance ([=SWA=]) who famously got a pay-off from Wrestling/{{WWE}} when the latter launched [[Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} NXT]], a name which was already used by the [=SWA=] for a similar concept.
* Notable Scottish wrestlers who are actually from Scotland include Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre, The Highlanders (Robbie and Rory) and Wrestling/NikkiCross. "Superstar" Bill Dundee - of Memphis wrestling fame - was born in Scotland but raised in Australia.

Scotland also has its own money -- or at least, several Scottish banks are allowed to print sterling banknotes which circulate alongside those of the Bank of England. These are legal tender anywhere in the United Kingdom, although some shop workers south of the Border (especially those who are new to the job) may take some convincing of this.

* StockNessMonster -- It’s famous for having a giant lake monster or “Beastie” referred to as the Loch Ness Monster said inhabit the waters of Loch Ness.

* StockNessMonster -- It’s famous for having a giant sea monster or “Beastie” referred to as the Loch Ness Monster said inhabit the waters of Loch Ness.

* The '''Scotch Egg''', a hard-boiled egg that has been de-shelled, wrapped in sausage meat, rolled in breadcrumbs, and--[[RunningGag yes]]--deep-fried. Contrary to popular belief, the Scotch Egg was actually invented in Victorian London, and the etymology is unconnected to Scotland.[[note]]The Scotch Egg is associated in British popular culture with a certain kind of stolid, schlubby masculinity, being the favourite food of Keith from ''[[Series/TheOfficeUK The Office]]''. This is perhaps because they're usually sold in supermarkets and eaten cold, in which condition they taste boring but reassuring. Heated up or served fresh, they are crispier and tastier. Reheating them also has the effect of causing the sausage meat to lose some of its fat, making them ''marginally'' less bad for you.[[/note]]
* '''Square Sausage''': Sausage. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Shaped like a square]]. Also called a Lorne sausage. Can be eaten as breakfast, lunch or dinner; in the former cases, often combined with a roll.[[note]]Square sausage is what happens when heterosexual male Presbyterians decide that there is something unmanly about putting a juicy, sausage-shaped object into their mouths, and devise a means of shaping sausage so that it both [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything doesn't remind them of anything]] and loses its strength-sapping, effeminate moisture as quickly and efficiently as possible. A properly cooked slice of square sausage is crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and tastes of fat, salt, pepper and nothing else.[[/note]] Can be sold in either refrigerated or frozen form; the latter has twice been mistaken for [[StickyBomb Semtex]] at English airport security, the second occasion being with the star of police drama {{Series/Taggart}}. Needless to say, this was funny as hell.

** Craft beers are increasingly Serious Business in Scotland, with younger drinkers, in particular, growing tired of the heavier, sweeter ales preferred by the older generation. The aforementioned Brew Dog is the most notorious of Scotland's craft brewers, especially for its questionable marketing techniques.[[note]]One campaign featured the owners of the company dressed in drag, posing in a neon-lit window in the manner of sex workers, with a sign saying "Don't make us do this"; this was widely perceived as being offensive to LGBT people, as well as sex workers.[[/note]]
* Another tipple favoured by those of an alcoholic persuasion (i.e, a great many people) is '''Buckfast Tonic Wine''' (a.k.a. "Buckie"), a caffeinated alcoholic beverage actually produced by Buckfast Abbey, a monastery in ''[[UsefulNotes/TheWestCountry Devon]]'' [[note]] as in, south-west England; despite this, it's not as well-known in England as it is in Scotland [[/note]]. Because of its [[GargleBlaster unique composition]] and low price, Buckie has since become associated with violence and anti-social behaviour -- [[FanNickname it is nicknamed]] "[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Commotion Lotion]]" and "Wreck the Hoose[[note]]House[[/note]] Juice".
* Scotland also has a number of Fruit Wine makers, most famous are probably [[http://www.cairnomohr.com/ Cairn O'Mohr]] (say it [[IncrediblyLamePun out-loud]]) and [[http://www.moniackcastle.co.uk/index.htm Moniack Castle]].

* '''Smoked salmon''': One of Scotland's biggest exports and available everywhere. Varies in quality, but c'mon, it's smoked salmon. There are few Scottish fishing towns which don't have a smokery, and just as the Scots will deep-fry anything, they will also smoke anything; the '''Arbroath smokie''' is a hot-smoked whole haddock, quite different from the relatively bland cold-smoked '''Finnan Haddie''' (also haddock), but there's also smoked cheese, smoked duck, smoked venison and even smoked whisky.
* '''Game''' is the classiest example of Scottish cuisine. Venison is widely available in supermarkets, both in pre-cut form and in the form of burgers and even sausages; it's extremely lean, and one of the tastier meats when cooked well. When in season, other game such as partridge, pheasant and grouse are available in classier supermarkets, and farmers' markets will sell wild rabbit, hare and even squirrel (squirrel being basically vermin, they're cheap and plentiful.) Old-school Scottish cooking is full of recipes for these and although the gamy flavours aren't for everyone, they're a healthier option for meat-eaters, even if you have to watch out for bits of buckshot in your food.
* '''Bannock''' is a flatbread that dates back to at least the eighth century, and is referenced in the poetry of Rabbie Burns. There are several variants (owing to there being various types of flour or meal that can be used to make it), the classiest of which is probably '''Selkirk bannock''' which is made with raisins and can almost be classed as a type of fruitcake; it got royal approval when UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria had a slice of it with her tea when visiting Sir Walter Scott's grand-daughter.

* Another tipple favoured by those of an alcoholic persuasion (i.e, a great many people) is '''Buckfast Tonic Wine''' (a.k.a. "Buckie"), a caffeinated alcoholic beverage actually produced by Buckfast Abbey, a monastery in ''[[UsefulNotes/TheWestCountry Devon]]''. Because of its [[GargleBlaster unique composition]] and low price, Buckie has since become associated with violence and anti-social behaviour -- [[FanNickname it is nicknamed]] "[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Commotion Lotion]]" and "Wreck the Hoose[[note]]House[[/note]] Juice".

* Music/Idlewild, who hail from Edinburgh, and have both a song and a compilation album named ''Scottish Fiction''.

* {{Scotireland}}
* ViolentGlaswegian

* BraveScot

* UsefulNotes/FringeFestival

** First Minister: Nicola Sturgeon
** Deputy First Minister: John Swinney

* '''Bannock''' is a flatbread that dates back to at least the eighth century, and is referenced in the poetry of Rabbie Burns. There are several variants (owing to there being various types of flour or meal that can be used to make it), the classiest of which is probably '''Selkirk bannock''' which is made with raisins and can almost be classed as a type of fruitcake; it got royal approval when UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria had a slice of it with her tea when visiting Sir Walter Scott's grand-daughter.

* Scotland's national drink is of course '''Whisky''', also known as 'Scotch' — although within Scotland itself, the latter term is rarely used as the fact that it is from Scotland is implied (traditionally, 'Scotch' is another word for 'Scottish', although nowadays it's only really used to refer to the whisky). There are [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_distilleries_in_Scotland a huge amounts of types, brands, varieties, labels, and distilleries]][[note]]this is due to something of a renaissance in craft distilling in the last decade or so. Some of these small operations will only produce one label on a very limited run before closing again, or change varieties and production methods with each casking[[/note]]. Tasting them all and debating which is best is the work of a lifetime, so is debating exactly how many there are and which type is which for that matter. One which definitely isn't, is [[SpellMyNameWithAnS whiskey with an "e"]], which is Irish. And [[UsefulNotes/CuisinesInAmerica American]], while whisky (no "e") is also Canadian. [[note]] The distinction makes sense: the American frontier distillers who developed American whiskey were historically Ulster Scots -- like most distillers in 19th-century Ireland -- while Canadian ones were Scots from Scotland. While the American and Canadian styles of whisk(e)y were adapted for new grains in the New World such as maize and rye (particularly rye in Canada), the similarities between Irish and American whiskey and Scottish and Canadian whisky, respectively, remain clear to the attentive drinker. English and Welsh whisky, both relatively recent phenomena, are also so spelt without the "e". Not to say that any one of those are better than Scotch...[[/note]] Getting that wrong can also be a debate that will last a lifetime, ([[ViolentGlaswegian but also less than half an hour]]) if uttered in the wrong place.

* In terms of hot drinks, tea is generally preferred to coffee, as per the rest of the UK. That said, coffee is becoming more popular due to the proliferation of coffee chains like Costa Coffee and Starbucks, as per the rest of the UK.

* '''Bannock''' is a flatbread that dates back to at least the eighth century, and is referenced in the poetry of Rabbie Burns. There are several variants (owing to there being various types of flour or meal that can be used to make it), the classiest of which is probably Selkirk bannock which is made with raisins and can almost be classed as a type of fruitcake; it got royal approval when UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria had a slice of it with her tea when visiting Sir Walter Scott's grand-daughter.

* ''Film/OutlawKing'' follows King UsefulNotes/RoberttheBruce (portrayed by Creator/ChrisPine) on his path from rebel nobleman to King of Scots. Arguably far more historically-accurate than ''Braveheart above'' (and [[SpiritualSuccessor coincidentally just picking up from events]] after Wallace's death).

* ''Film/OutlawKing'' follows King Robert the Bruce (portrayed by Creator/ChrisPine) on his path from rebel nobleman to King of Scots. Arguably far more historically-accurate than ''Braveheart above'' (and [[SpiritualSuccessor coincidentally just picking up from events]] after Wallace's death).

* Scotland's national drink is of course '''Whisky''', also known as 'Scotch' although within Scotland itself, the latter term is rarely used as the fact that it is from Scotland is implied (traditionally, 'Scotch' 's another word for 'Scottish' although nowadays it's only really used to refer to the whisky). There are [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_distilleries_in_Scotland a huge amounts of types, brands, varieties, labels, and distilleries]][[note]]this is due to something of a renaissance in craft distilling in the last decade or so. Some of these small operations will only produce one label on a very limited run before closing again, or change varieties and production methods with each casking[[/note]]. Tasting them all and debating which is best is the work of a lifetime, so is debating exactly how many there are and which type is which for that matter. One which definitely isn't, is [[SpellMyNameWithAnS whiskey with an "e"]], which is Irish.[[note]]And [[UsefulNotes/CuisinesInAmerica American]], while "whisky" (no "e") is also Canadian. The distinction makes sense: the American frontier distillers who developed American whiskey were historically Ulster Scots -- like most distillers in 19th-century Ireland -- while Canadian ones were Scots from Scotland. While the American and Canadian styles of whisk(e)y were adapted for new grains in the New World -- maize and rye (particularly rye in Canada) -- the similarities between Irish and American whiskey and Scottish and Canadian whisky, respectively, remain clear to the attentive drinker. English and Welsh whisky, both relatively recent phenomena, are also so spelt without the "e". Not to say that any one of those are better than Scotch...[[/note]] Getting that wrong can also be a debate that will last a lifetime, ([[ViolentGlaswegian but also less than half an hour]]) if uttered in the wrong place.

** A weary traveller may become confused as a result of finding beers labelled as 60, 70, 80, or 90 Shilling. This due to a quirk of past Scottish licensing laws (Creator/TheBBC has a good article [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A288317 here]]) Basically the lower the shilling, the weaker the beer. 80 Shilling is usually referred to as "heavy", so asking for "a pint of heavy" when you are not sure of the brand names will get you one of these, much like asking for "a pint of best bitter" will get you the equivalent in England.

A further complication was the near-total collapse of the Labour party in Scotland at the 2015 elections, with nearly all their support migrating to the SNP, which had positioned itself on more traditional centre-left territory that Labour in the UK had shifted away from; Scottish Labour has never recovered, making the SNP still the dominant party in Scotland. This has [[{{Understatement}} led to some bitterness]], and when things get nasty, the "No" side tends to view the "Yes" side as ''Film/{{Braveheart}}''-watching England-haters, and the "Yes" side tends to view the "No" side as Tories and other right-wingers who hate poor people and Scotland generally--there's a lot of history there, so Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement should be born in mind.

* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' episode "[[Recap/ArthurS15E3BustersSecretAdmirerTheLastKingOfLambland The Last King of Lambland]]" reveals that the [=MacDonald=] family are descendants of an ancient Scottish clan (as if the surname didn't already give that away) called the [=MacDougal=]-Donalds who lived in a fictional Scottish lowland called Kilflurgan. The son of the [=MacDonald=] family is even named [[NamedAfterSomebodyFamous James]].

* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' episode "[[Recap/ArthurS15E3BustersSecretAdmirerTheLastKingOfLambland The Last King of Lambland]]" reveals that the [=MacDonald=] family are descendants of an ancient Scottish clan (as if the surname didn't already give that away) called the [=MacDougal=]-Donalds who lived in a fictional Scottish lowland called "Kilflurgan." The son of the [=MacDonald=] family is even named [[NamedAfterSomebodyFamous James]].