Scotland's Hidden Gems - World's Longest Beech Hedge
Iain Lundy

Last month we revealed that the World’s oldest Post Office stands in the small Scottish town of Sanquhar. Scotland has many ‘oldest, newest, largest, smallest’ boasts, including the slightly bizarre claim of having grown the tallest beech hedge in the world.

The Meikleour Beech Hedge is truly a sight to behold. It is 100ft high and one-third of a mile (or 530 meters) long and is a major tourist attraction in rural Perthshire. In November 2019, the hedge was given its first trim for 20 years.

The hedge dates to the time of Bonnie Prince Charlie. It was planted by landowner Robert Murray Nairne and his wife Jean Mercer on the Meikleour Estate. Nairne and the men who had helped with the planting were either killed at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 or fled into exile in France. None came back alive, and the hedge was left to grow towards the heavens in their memory.

It stands on the A93 road four miles south of the town of Blairgowrie. The colors of the leaves change in quite spectacular fashion with the seasons. In spring, the light is reflected in the hedge’s young green leaves, while autumn shows the leaves in russet and gold. Since 1966 it has been recognized in the Guinness Book of Records as the tallest beech hedge in the world.

The cutting and measuring of the hedge are carried out by the Meikleour Trust. It takes four men six weeks to complete and involves the use of a hydraulic lift and hand held cutting equipment.

To see the dramatic hedge, take the A93 between Perth and Blairgowrie. There is little in the way of parking nearby but the best idea is to park in the nearby village of Meikleour.

Upcoming Genealogy Events for 2020

by Robert M. Wilbanks IV, B.A.
Chief Genealogist & Historian, C.S.A.
genealogy@arizonascots.com

I often talk about the importance of “Networking and Ongoing Learning”. As you progress in your genealogy, while discovering new and interesting facets of your family history, you will find that there is always something more to learn about the research process and resources available. Finding others with common research interests, but with more practical experience, is an important and fun aspect to genealogy. Whether it is finding a distant cousin who has made more progress in the researching of your common family tree, or learning from a record type expert, or research locality expert, networking with others to learn more is just one aspect of becoming a more skilled researcher. The other key aspect, is just straight forward genealogy education. Getting out there and learning more. Self-learning and continuing education is very low cost and readily available in a variety of formats and locations.

Even though you may not have Arizona ancestry, local genealogy societies across the state are a great place to network, learning from others, and attend meetings, and learn from great presenters on a variety of topics. With the beginning of a new year, I thought I would let you know of a variety of highly significant genealogy conferences and seminars coming up in the next few months hosted by various Arizona genealogy societies. Don’t hesitate to take the time to go out and learn more. Here is some information about a few genealogy groups around Arizona, as well as links to a few events coming in January through March.

The Pinal County Genealogists (www.pinalctyazgen.com), will be hosting their annual conference, 2020 Genealogy Workshop, on Saturday, January 25th in Casa Grande. Registration ($20 before January 11th; includes a lunch) is now open and the syllabus of speakers, topics and handouts, is now available on their site as downloadable PDF files.

The Tucson Family History Center (www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Tucson_Arizona_Family_History_Center) will be hosting their annual Free All Day Event. The 2020 Family History Fair on Saturday, February 8th, 8am to 4pm, with 35 classes. Visit their website for more details. By the way, I will be the opening Keynote Speaker for this All Day Event.

The West Valley Genealogical Society (azwvgs.org) is the largest genealogy society in Arizona and operates its own genealogy library with over 4000 square feet of books and more, plus access to a wide variety of subscription-based genealogy databases. In addition to their monthly meetings, the Library provides a number of “How-to” genealogy classes on a variety of topics. Their Facebook Events page has a long list of special classes from software to DNA to researching a variety of other countries https://www.facebook.com/pg/WVGS12222/events . Their annual all day seminar on February 15, 2020 will feature Dr. Thomas W. Jones (https://azwvgs.org/seminar.asp).

The annual seminar of the Southern Arizona Genealogy Society (azsags.org), south of Tucson in Green Valley, Arizona, will be on Saturday, February 15, 2020 featuring Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D, J.D. “The Genetic Genealogist”. A Friday Night Workshop is also included.

The Pima County Genealogy Society, in Tucson (azpimagensoc.org), is one of the larger genealogy societies in the Tucson area. In addition to their monthly meeting programs, they have an extensive variety of classes at various locations around Tucson. Visit their website for details and registration information.

The Family History Society of Arizona (fhsa.org) has about seven chapters around the valley that each meet a different day of the month. They also have a Virtual Chapter that meets monthly. You could theoretically attend all eight meetings monthly. Their 2020 annual meeting will be March 20th and 21st featuring Maureen Taylor “The Photo Detective”, a nationally recognized speaker and author, who will be presenting five different topics.

There are many other Arizona genealogy groups, historical and heritage societies that you can find through the Arizona Genealogical Advisory Board (AzGAB) (azgab.com), promoting genealogy and history by addressing the educational needs and interests of Arizona’s genealogical community through cooperation by the various groups and individuals. They have an impressive calendar of genealogy events around Arizona.

This is another of a series of articles in which I show you the basics of searching for your family history, discussing the use of family records, public records, and online resources nationally and internationally, etc. The previous articles are now available on the Genealogy Section of this website.   See “Genealogy” in the menu options at the top of the web page.

Genealogy volunteers are needed for the Phoenix Scottish Games
March 7 and 8. Please read this "Call for Volunteers"

So, what is it, whisky or whiskey? And why does the spelling vary in different continents? The following article by drinks expert Leon Dallaway goes some way to offering the answers.

The world of whisky is full of buzzwords and terminology, from Scotch and single malts, to bourbons and blends. But one point that causes much confusion is the fact that the drink is sometimes spelled ‘whisky’ and at other times ‘whiskey’. So, what’s the difference?

‘Whisky’ derives from the Gaelic term usquebaugh which translates as ‘water of life’. Uisge means water. Beatha means life. It’s a term used for many types of invigorating spirits over time, for example Eau de Vie. In modern usage, whisky is from Scotland and whiskey is from Ireland.

The difference comes from the translation of words from the Scottish and Irish Gaelic forms. In the late 1800s, Scottish whisky was also very poor quality therefore the Irish producers wanted to differentiate their product. These days though, both Scotch and Irish are two of the greatest spirits on the planet.

The American spelling is whiskey most likely due to the large number of Irish immigrants setting up their stills throughout the US. Although the legal spelling is whisky, whiskey is generally preferred. Some distilleries do like to use the ‘Scottish’ version – see Maker’s Mark.

The Japanese spelling is whisky as it was two men’s study of Scotch whisky that inspired the Japanese whisky movement.

Let’s hope that explains it. Society Past President Don Finch is partial to a dram or two, and on a recent trip to Scotland he got up close and personal to some fine single malt Scotch whisky – not whiskey. But, as Don explains, it wasn’t entirely to his liking.

‘Last summer, on the Society’s tour of Scotland, organized by Lois Wallace’s “Authentic Celtic Travels”, we visited the Glengoyne Distillery at the base of Dumgoyne Hill, just north of Glasgow.

What’s unique about Glengoyne is that it produces a single malt whisky in the Highlands which is matured in the Lowlands. The Highland Line, the division between the Highlands and Lowlands, is the A81 road from Aberfoyle to Glasgow. It passes in front of the distillery, but the aging warehouses are across the road, to the southwest.

Hikers familiar with the 95-mile West Highland Way from Glasgow to Fort William are known to fortify themselves at Glengoyne which is immediately adjacent to the trail.

While part of our group toured the distillery, the rest of us enjoyed a dram of the Glengoyne 12-Year-Old as our bonnie guide Kirsten recounted the company’s history and a description of the whisky making process.

My first impression was how light and fruity it smelled and tasted; the result of no peat being used in the drying of the barley. Perhaps it was from reading that the Western Highlands whisky-producing region is not as favorable as Speyside or Islay, or my preference for peated or oaky malts such as Highland Park and Glenmorangie. Nevertheless, in a black and white world, I didn’t like it. Some of my whisky aficionado friends rave about the Glengoyne 18-year-old, but at $160 a bottle, it’s a bit out of reach.

Christmas at the Castle

The annual Christmas at the Castle event, held on 14 December at the Irish Cultural Center on North Central Avenue, was once again a highly successful and well-attended evening.

CSA members gathered with our Irish cousins for a musical and cultural evening under the stars. Santa and Mrs Claus made their traditional appearance, delighting the children (old and young) in attendance.

There were songs, a few tipples, warming cocoa, and the Christmas Tree decorated by the CSA and the Desert Thistle Lodge of the Daughters of Scotia was placed first in the tree decorating competition. Well done to all. A great event as always.

Given the popularity of piping, it seems incredible the practice might be facing some sort of decline. But a Scottish charity has sounded a warning note.

www.scotsman.com/education/bagpipes-could-be-facing-silent-decline-charity-warns-1-5067008

Young Scots seem determined not to let the Gaelic language die out. More than 20,000 people have signed up for an online learning app set up in Scotland.

www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-50579327

It’s a culinary delight to gladden the heart of all true Scots. Potato crisps (chips in the US) flavored with haggis, neeps, and tatties. Yum!!

COMING EVENTS and Highland Games in Arizona and Nearby