Clanlands: Whisky, Warfare, and a Scottish Adventure Like No Other

by Sam Heughan

After Culloden, the British tried to eradicate the Gaelic language and the Highland culture, such as the wearing of Highland dress and all weapons. ‘They tried to assimilate the people (the High-landers) into another form of culture, which has historically happened in many parts of the world.’ The Clearances, road building and other factors all took their toll, diluting language and culture; however, miraculously (and with lots of effort, education and funding), Highland culture lives on and is in fact thriving with 70,000 Gaelic speakers registered in Scotland. ‘With the fluent speakers tending to live in the Highlands and islands,’ says Gillebride. ‘In part the culture has survived thanks to storytelling,’ explains Gillebride. ‘One thing that we did when I was growing up was go to a ceilidh house. We now think of a ceilidh as a dance but the Gaelic word means “to go visiting” and when you’re visiting you tell a story, sing a song and if the gathering is going well, at three in the morning you might have a dance in the kitchen.’ So essentially a ceilidh was a social visit, encompassing storytelling, music, dance and of course, whisky.