Tammas Clark

The story wis screivit in stane. A lively Scotland wid be crushed by a ferocious Ireland. Superstar full-back Stuart Hogg micht weel gang the length o the pitch an score glorious consolation tries, but it wouldnae gie us the win. The younger, safter boys in blue wid be claucht in the knuckles o Ireland’s scrum an smothert. We’d hae aa the licht, but no eneuch heat tae burn. Murrayfield opened its muckle metal mou an roared. Owre saxty thoosan Scots voices chauntit “Flower o Scotland”.

Alistair Heather scrieves anent an ayebydand problem in landward airts o the kintrae, atween settled societie an the ‘gaun aboot fowk’ we cry Traivellers an Gypsies. Ane o Scotland’s ain indigenous ethnic minorities is bein squeezed oot o existence afore wir een, just as wir leaders are preachin aboot keepin open the doors tae aa the cultures o the warld.

There no mony faimlies in Scotland wi sic a pruid history as the Grahams. The faimly can trace theirsels richt back tae the Wallace in the 1200s. They’ve popped up ilka century or so daein either something kenspeckle an historic, or just cutting aboot alangside the great an the guid o the dey. Ane o the Graham faimly palled aboot wi big Rabbie Burns, fir example, wi Burns screivin ‘First Epistle to Robert Graham of Fintry Esq’ fir him.