Heritage and Reality!

[Riverkilt]

My clan heritage was passed on by my grandfather Murdoch when I was a boy and again as a young man. Hard not to have my blood stir at things Scottish.

Yet I am also 1/32nd Irish and there are Welsh lines and English lines in my blood too.

Today, I'm at work kilted with a green Northern Arizona Irish Foundation t shirt and tan UK survival with Arizona State flag patches on the pocket...and green soccer sock pushed down with brown tennies. Honoring the Irish blood today.

My clan came from Uig and later Staffin at the north end of the Trotternish peninsula of Skye...a land also trampled by the Norse and most other invaders of the island. Hard to put a name on what to call my more ancient ancestors. Try to honor them all....even the Palantine Germans that married into my mother's Loyalist lines after the American Revolution.

Ron

[Alan H]

Well written, James. Your viewpoint is a valid one and needs to be expressed.

Historical Fact is, at least hopefully, historical fact, though as pretty much everyone knows, "history" is written by the people who "won".

"History" isn't the same thing as "passion", but yet both are very valid and human things.

I salute your passion, and look forward to reading more about it.

[macwilkin]

"History" isn't the same thing as "passion", but yet both are very valid and human things.

As someone with a degree in history, who teaches history in the classroom and at a Civil War battlefield, and participates in historical activities for fun, I strongly disagree wi' this statement, Alan. ;)

T.

[KMacT]

As someone with a degree in history, who teaches history in the classroom and at a Civil War battlefield, and participates in historical activities for fun, I strongly disagree wi' this statement, Alan.

If history was indeed the same thing as passion, then they wouldn't have needed distinct names and definitions. History and passion may co-exist, but they are certainly not the same thing.;)

Kevin

[Archangel]

Well written, James. Your viewpoint is a valid one and needs to be expressed.

Historical Fact is, at least hopefully, historical fact, though as pretty much everyone knows, "history" is written by the people who "won".

"History" isn't the same thing as "passion", but yet both are very valid and human things.

I salute your passion, and look forward to reading more about it.

oh, now you've gone and done it. we'll be having raging discussions over the varied definitions of history. I'm waiting to see how that develops.


(before anyone gets testy, I'm being ironic here)

[emeraldfalconoflight]

Personaly all I know is that my father was adopted by a McHenry from PA and the McHenry s were a family of Henderson, MaNaughtan, and MacDonald

And this grandpa of mine is from Scotland. (well he says his family is from scotland anyway)

[Alan H]

As someone with a degree in history, who teaches history in the classroom and at a Civil War battlefield, and participates in historical activities for fun, I strongly disagree wi' this statement, Alan. ;)

T.

LOLOLOL!!!

I take it that you like your job? *grin*

Todd, I was discussing a wonderful history book the other day with a friend and it occurs to me that you'd probably really like it. The author is Hendrik Van Loon, which you certainly will recognize as the author of "The Story of Mankind".

Hee's a link to a Hendrik Van Loon biolgraphy:

http://www.uua.org/uuhs/duub/article...emvanloon.html

Well, near the end of his life, Van Loon wrote a book called "Lives". It was written in the opening years of WWII, and it is filled with anti-Nazi language. However, that aside (no matter how you feel about the Nazi's) it's a fabulously entertaining book, though certainly some of the details are sketchy and hypothetical, and the *scholarshhip* must be taken with a grain of salt. However, from a purely entertaining and educational and thought-provoking perspective, it is absolutely fabulous, especially for bright teenagers.. The premise is this:


Van Loon and his housekeeper (or wife, I don't quite recall) and a family friend are granted a favor by the Almighty. The favor is this: they can invite anyone they want from the past, to dinner. They can have them over for 4-5 hours, have dinner and relax after dinner with them. Hendrik sets up each meeting, describing the food, the drink, what the person wore, all sorts of fascinating details about the encounter that he can imagine and are historically valid.

Imagine having dinner with Queen Elizabeth AND Cleopatra on the same night! What would an after-dinner dance with Cleopatra, who's had a few drinks, as have you, be like?

They invite the inventor of the wheel, arguably the most insightful inventor ever to walk the planet, to dinner. Guess what happens?

Here's a review:

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acad...2/rev1046.html

I highly recommend it.

[macwilkin]

If history was indeed the same thing as passion, then they wouldn't have needed distinct names and definitions. History and passion may co-exist, but they are certainly not the same thing.;)

Kevin

Kevin,

I see my attempt at humour failed miserably! ;)

History IS my passion! :mrgreen:

Alan: I'll add that to my ever-growing list of "must-read" books. That's what happens when you work in a library, I suppose!

Todd

[Alan H]

Kevin,

I see my attempt at humour failed miserably! ;)

History IS my passion! :mrgreen:

Todd

I got it!!!!!

**raising my hand***

LOLOL!

[Alan H]

Acutally, the book is called "Van Loon's Lives" if you want to search Amazon.com or your favorite rare book dealer

...or interlibrary loan...

for it.