NCS News

In the wake of the release of a new film and book about the 1950 theft and subsequent recovery of the  Stone of Destiny, Scotland’s First Minister, Alex Salmond, has claimed that that particular Stone is a fake and that the original has been lost for 700 years.
The Stone, on which Scotland’s kings were traditionally [...]

[Read more →]

Literary Landscapes’ on www.ambaile.org.uk is a collaborative project between Am Baile and Highland Libraries. It uncovers authors inspired by the Highlands and was launched by award-winning novelist, poet and publisher James Robertson who features in the Literary Landscapes listings.
Literary Landscapes is an interactive map leading to biographical information, images, sound files and bibliographies of writers [...]

[Read more →]

On Sunday the 6th of April, the town of Arbroath took a step back in time to the days of Robert the Bruce and re-enacted the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath.
To read more about this event visit the Arbroath Herald
Read the text of the Declaration of Arbroath here
For full marks tell us in which [...]

[Read more →]

The email newsletter of the New Curiosity Shop has transformed with issue 20, out now. It has now become a proper quarterly magazine. It is available as an online electronic magazine at http://issuu.com/cloisters/docs/cloisters20. You can read it there now.

 Post your comments on the new magazine here, and let us know if you have any ideas [...]

[Read more →]

This will interest those of you who are considering our course It’s a Long Way From Tipperary: Life in the Trenches (1914-1918).
The good people of Edinburgh-based Mercat Tours are running guided tours of the battle sites at Ypres and the Somme, and a chance to walk through the trenches where the soldiers lived - and [...]

[Read more →]

The BBC is to air a new TV drama based on the heady world of the archaeologist. According to Polly Hill, the BBC’s commissioning editor for independent drama, said Bone Kickers would make history and archaeology “sexy, accessible and exciting”. Our Introduction to Archaeology tutor, Howard Middleton-Jones, is yet to admit whether the series is [...]

[Read more →]

The US Library of Congress has overturned last year’s decision to classify Scottish literary works as “English.” Pressure from the Congress’ Friends of Scotland Caucus and many Americans of Scottish descent has brought about a rethink of this cultural blunder. More from the Houston Chronicle… 

[Read more →]

The 25th of January is celebrated as Burns’ Night here in Scotland.All around the country (and in may parts of the world) a haggis will be addressed, whisky will be drunk, the lassies will be toasted and Robert Burns’ words will be recited with passion. Here’s a new web site to give you a flavour [...]

[Read more →]