Highlanders: A History of the Gaels

I found this book to be full of helpful and interesting facts and insights into a people I consider to be fascinating and inspiring.

After reading Tranter's "Story of Scotland," I was ready to delve deeper into Scotland's history. This work fills in many of the blanks, and does so in a way that holds my interest. There was much that I had missed, including a true grasp of the Viking culture and how it affected Scotland. I knew very little of the way the clan system worked in the isles, and how the Crown tried to control them. MacLeod explains with insight why some of the clans virtually disappeared, and others flourished. I also didn't realize that the Isle of Lewis had been almost entirely destroyed and burned. Some events that are simply alluded to in other books are explained here, so that I feel my grasp of the history has truly been improved. A highly recommended read!

I won't wax lirical about this work as it does not need it. It is a popular history of the Highlands of Scotland and entertains easily - MacLeod's style is good. Essentially the book is in 3 or 4 sections. The first section deals with the Scots prior to the adventure of The Bruce and the victory over the english at BannockBurn - I especially enjoyed the information about the Celtic church - the original gaelic (Irish and Scots) church - which was not Roman Catholic in litergy or theology. The second period deals with the solidification of clan society within the ever increasing feudal influences of the south - Land for example used to belong to the whole Clan - not the Chief - until norman influence - brought in by The Bruce and others changed the society. The third period deals with the folly of the Stuarts and the twin outcomes of emerging captialism and english atrocities against Scots - in particular Highlanders. Macleod has written another book dealing with the whole stuart family and I recommend that to anyone. Now the track of the book changes and we are only half way through - the rest - or it seems to be the rest deals with the role of the church in Scotland - and to understand the Presbyterian Kirk is to understand Scotland. In order to do this Macleod retraces some of his previous chapters and now comments through the trained eyes of a Preachers Son - and he does a fine job of it as well. The maps are okay - the Gaelic comments throughout the book however could have be dealt with a glossary - the index is fine as well. All in all for an introduction to Scottish Highland culture you need to read a period of some 1500 years and in 350 pages of so you canna go past this tome. Aye we have long memories and hold great grudges !

This is what you might call `a popular history' in that, the facts are there, but so is the author's commentary. The author obviously meant to cover a lot of ground, fully intending his work not to be exhaustive, but a personable introduction to the history of Scotland. This is an excellant introductory work which will serve every reader as a primer for further, specialized study. A bit of bias with some topics, is here, very welcome: a Scot writing of Scotland can't be anything but bias. He provides an enlightening view on the Celtic Church and St. Columba. There is an excellant chapter dealing mostly with the vikings. Of course he talks about Bonnie Prince Charlie, Burns, and obvious figures of note. The style of his prose is most powerful when talking about the Clearances... and Sutherland. His later chapters dealing with all the complicated goings on of the churches in Scotland was at times illuminating, and even a bit humorous. I learned more on those matters in Highlanders, than anywhere else. His exploration of recent Scottish culture in the last century was the crown of the book: everything from the hopeful renewal of Gaelic culture to the story of "Whiskey Galore" (the tragic event, the book, AND the movie). Throughout the book there are maps of the different parts of Scotland being discussed, excerpts from popular folk songs, and even a reproduction (albeit in black and white) of "Poet's Pub" I have read this book, in whole, and in part, so often in the last year or so, that the spine is near broke. I rate it- a high five. We ride!

My wife read this book aloud to me and my two children during a driving tour of the Highlands last year. It completely changed my perspective on the landscape I was driving through and helped me understand how the Highlands have been ravaged by human hands from the Vikings onward. I saw the beautiful but desolate land in a completely different light. His portraits of historical personages obliterated the false and somewhat romantic image we have of the Highlands and left us with a more honest and ultimately more satisfying picture of the people. It is not a historical text and I don't think that's what he intended to write. It is, however, immensely readable, entertaining and the perfect book to accompany a drive through this magnificent country. I recently met two people planning a driving trip through the Highlands and recommended it without reservation, and I would do the same to anyone looking for an honest and enjoyable history of the Highlands and its people.