How the Scots hit the New Year running . . .
Monday, Jan. 24: With Robbie Burns Day looming, Our Hero chats about Scots with Sheila Rogers on The Next Chapter, CBC One, 1 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 8: Toronto Reference Library. 1-3 p.m
Saturday, Feb. 12: Winnipeg, Manitoba Historical Society. Featured speaker, 46th annual Sir John A. Macdonald dinner.
Thursday, Feb. 17. Markham. U of T Lecture Series. 1 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 17. Toronto, St. Andrews Society. 8 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 19. Toronto, Royal Scottish Country Dance Society. Tartan Ball, guest of honour.
Wednesday, Feb. 23. Oakville. U of T Lecture Series. 1 p.m.
Friday, March 4. Toronto. U of T Lecture Series, 1 p.m.
Just started on How the Scots Invented Canada. I've also read Herman's book. Both are fascinating. And as you suggest, yours is more biographical, his a bit more academic.
My parents were married in the new Kirk in Alloway and I grew up in Thurso where my bedroom window looked over the Pentland Firth towards the Old Man of Hoy.
I'm not completely certain, but I rather think purists wouldn't let you get away with calling Burns' Cottage a croft (page 5). For me, a croft is pretty consistent with the Highlands and Islands, not south Ayrshire. But as I say, I'm not sure. My great-great-grandfather is buried next to Burns' father. So rather like your wife I have "connections."
My surname is quite distinctly Orkney and Caithness, and when I emigrated from Scotland to Canada in the 1960s, Cormacks were strung out all across northern Canada, but rarely in southern Canada, representative I suppose of the HBC's taking on Orcadians two and three hundred years ago as its ships revictualled in Kirkwall. Now, over 40 years later, I notice that in places like Vancouver and Toronto there are scores of us!
Let me know what you think of my croft remarks.
James Strathearn Cormack
Vancouver