Weekend tourism part II
Ok, so it was over a week ago now, but I had planned to make a post of the Montreal Highland games we went to, but never got round to it. I've been busy? Maybe I'll backdate...
It was good fun. Spent a very nice day in the sun with good company. I've never been to a Highland games before. Country/Game fairs and gala days yes, but never a proper Highland games. They're just for the tourists right? It was pretty much what I expected, they had pipers by the score, highland dancers (the most sterile and boring form of any Scottish dancing IMHO), hammer throwing and caber tossing. I think it was the first time I've ever seen someone do that in real life, I mean why would you?
The thing we noticed about the whole affair was how little distinction there was between all things Scottish and all things Irish. I mean, The Scots and the Irish get on great, and if you're gonna have a party, they'd be up there on the list, but it may come as a surprise to some people that we are not the same country, nor are we even on the same land mass. Yes we do share many similar customs and traditions, but Irish is not Scottish.
Was an alright band, they tried to make too many jokes during the songs, but the music was good.
The range of British/Scottish stuff available was good, (Yes, I did get a crate of Irn Bru, what of it?) but to have the beer tent sell 3 Irish beers and 2 Canadian was a bit weird.
The one thing that did put a bit of a dampener on the day was a bit fat canadian wearing a rangers top, and having an orange order scarf round his neck. I had to do a double take. I mean I grew up where some idiots still thought Billy is King and the ice cream vans played the sash as a theme tune, but in all my years I had never seen a scarf like that. Things got worse when he asked me what tartan I was wearing,
"Is that the orange order tartan?"
"No" (D feels his blood level rising)
"It looks like it could be, is it close?"
"No, nothing like it!" (D walks away before he says something he regrets)
What I found strange was my reaction to him, I mean I grew up with these idiots, why did I get so enraged at this one. I had to resist the urge to go back and "educate" him in the finer points of the particular brand of religious bigotry, racism and sectarianism he had chosen to align himself to.
Made me laugh when his girlfriend got up to dance to all the "rebel" songs the band were playing.
Gets me thinking about all the things I would export, and the things that would make for a realistic/modern celebration of Scottish culture. Elephant polo anyone?
It was good fun. Spent a very nice day in the sun with good company. I've never been to a Highland games before. Country/Game fairs and gala days yes, but never a proper Highland games. They're just for the tourists right? It was pretty much what I expected, they had pipers by the score, highland dancers (the most sterile and boring form of any Scottish dancing IMHO), hammer throwing and caber tossing. I think it was the first time I've ever seen someone do that in real life, I mean why would you?
The thing we noticed about the whole affair was how little distinction there was between all things Scottish and all things Irish. I mean, The Scots and the Irish get on great, and if you're gonna have a party, they'd be up there on the list, but it may come as a surprise to some people that we are not the same country, nor are we even on the same land mass. Yes we do share many similar customs and traditions, but Irish is not Scottish.
Was an alright band, they tried to make too many jokes during the songs, but the music was good.
The range of British/Scottish stuff available was good, (Yes, I did get a crate of Irn Bru, what of it?) but to have the beer tent sell 3 Irish beers and 2 Canadian was a bit weird.
The one thing that did put a bit of a dampener on the day was a bit fat canadian wearing a rangers top, and having an orange order scarf round his neck. I had to do a double take. I mean I grew up where some idiots still thought Billy is King and the ice cream vans played the sash as a theme tune, but in all my years I had never seen a scarf like that. Things got worse when he asked me what tartan I was wearing,
"Is that the orange order tartan?"
"No" (D feels his blood level rising)
"It looks like it could be, is it close?"
"No, nothing like it!" (D walks away before he says something he regrets)
What I found strange was my reaction to him, I mean I grew up with these idiots, why did I get so enraged at this one. I had to resist the urge to go back and "educate" him in the finer points of the particular brand of religious bigotry, racism and sectarianism he had chosen to align himself to.
Made me laugh when his girlfriend got up to dance to all the "rebel" songs the band were playing.
Gets me thinking about all the things I would export, and the things that would make for a realistic/modern celebration of Scottish culture. Elephant polo anyone?