Come home to Scotland in 2009 and discover what it has given the world

01-08-2009

 

NEW YORK, January 8, 2009 -- Did you know that television, radar, chloroform, the steam engine, the bicycle, penicillin, tarmac, sociology, town planning, the reflecting telescope, obstetrics, geology and even  the U.S. Navy and the U.S. National Park system have all been invented, developed or established by the Scots?

 

Throughout 2009, Scotland is holding many events throughout the country to celebrate Robert Burns, whisky, golf, and great minds & innovation. Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet, is the inspiration as 2009 is the 250th anniversary of his birth, but Homecoming Scotland events are also celebrating some of these other great contributions from Scotland, the ancestral home to millions of people around the world.

 

Changes to the US census now allow people to identify themselves as Scots – previously the category was Scots-Irish. There are millions of people across North America who claim Scots ancestry or an affinity to Scotland and they are all invited to join the Homecoming celebrations next year. VisitScotland’s Homecoming marketing activity to date has shown that North Americans are responding well to Homecoming, whether they have ancestral links or just simply love Scotland.

 

The event programme is available online at www.homecomingscotland.com both as a downloadable file and searchable database. The new 48 page printed guide features more than 300 events and festivals.  All the events featured link with the themes of Homecoming – Burns, whisky, golf and great Scottish minds and innovations. 

 

Even before the Industrial Revolution, Scots have been at the forefront of innovation and discovery in many spheres. It is clear that the ingenuity and inventiveness of the Scots have shaped the world in which we live today. To help travelers uncover some of Scotland’s great innovations, VisitBritain, has highlighted the following innovative events taking place in 2009:

 

Ø      Edinburgh International Science Festival

The 21st Edinburgh International Science Festival from April 6-18 showcases the great contributions Scots have made to scientific and technological advances, both at home and abroad. Something for all ages, including fun packed workshops, shows and interactive exhibitions as well as a program of talks and discussions on the hottest and most intriguing areas of science and technology.

 

Ø      National Parks

The world-renowned John Muir was the founder of the national parks movement and he is known as the Father of Modern Conservation.  The John Muir Odyssey celebrates his legacy with a festival from April to June.  Visitors will be able to follow in the footsteps of John Muir, celebrating the life and legacy of this great Scot. From his birthplace in East Lothian, with an exciting itinerary by land and sea, the Odyssey promises dramatic scenery, spectacular coastline and the amazing wildlife that inspired John Muir.

 

Ø      Carnegie Festival 2009   

The most famous of Scots-Americans, Andrew Carnegie forged the world’s greatest fortune in the steel furnaces of Pittsburgh. In this year of Homecoming, the flagship Carnegie Festival from August 19 to September 5 will celebrate Carnegie’s multi-dimensional legacy of education, innovation, arts and politics in his Scottish birthplace, Dunfermline.

 

Ø      Ayrshire Innovators

Ayrshire Innovators will explore the profound impact of key innovators that lived, worked or were born in the area.  In addition to Robert Burns, these include Sir Alexander Fleming, William Murdoch, James Boswell, James Keir Hardie, Bill Shankly, Sir Tom Hunter, John Boyd Dunlop and John Loudon Macadam. Their lives and contributions will be illustrated through displays that draw on East Ayrshire's own collections and from those of other organizations. Modern day influences will also be featured including a range of new commissioned portraits.

 

Ø      Caledonian Canal

In 1801, Thomas Telford, Scotland’s civil engineering genius, devised a master plan to improve communications in the Highlands of Scotland: a massive project that was to last some 20 years. It included the building of the Caledonian Canal through the Great Glen, which includes Loch Ness. The Crossing from June 16-20 is a celebration of the Caledonian Canal to mark its innovative engineering, its contribution to Scottish history and its place in the story of the Scottish Enlightenment. A flotilla will travel the entire length of the canal from Fort William to Inverness, highlighting the drama of canal navigation and the many influences on Highland life; through song, musical interludes, storytelling and dance.

 

For more information about Scotland’s great inventions, please call (800) 462-2748 or visit www.homecomingscotland.com

[Back to Press Releases Main]