Glasgow- ‘Most Mentioned UK City in Song Titles’!
A recent study reported this good news for Scotland, that Glasgow- one of the famous cities of the country had been mentioned in 119 song titles!
The report was released after a chart produced by PRS for Music – an association of composers, songwriters and music publishers – looked at 30 towns and cities, excluding London. The city of Glasgow and Edinburgh are also the most sought after ones by visitors on Scottish Tours. Continue reading
Scotland Developed Laser Technology to Counterfeit Scotch Whisky
Counterfeiting is understood to be a major problem for the drinks industry in Scotland which seeks new methods of detection. To tackle this counterfeiting of Scotch Whisky a new method using laser technology has been developed.
Scotland is famous not only for its Scotch Whisky but also for many adventure activities like canyoning and white water rafting. The researchers at St Andrews University claims that they can work out a whisky’s brand, age and cask by using a ray of light the size of a human hair. The test could prove if a whisky is genuine or not using a sample no bigger than a teardrop.
The technique involves researchers placing a tiny amount of whisky on a transparent plastic chip no bigger than a credit card.
Will Kelburn Castle be added to the new attractions of Scotland?
Of all the places in the world, few can capture the heart as Scotland does!
“Is it a fantastic new visitor attraction or just interesting drawings”, you may wonder seeing Kelburn Castle murals. The Earl of Glasgow, Patrick Boyle is thinking of making his 13th century Scottish castle a prominent attraction worldwide due to its series of psychedelic images painted all over the castle. The graffiti mural which was not a great eye catcher and an outrage to the locals when it was first painted by the Brazilian street artists has turned out to be a major appeal in the three year gap.
Featuring the surreal urban culture, the murals had cost upto £20,000 and were designed by a group of Brazilian graffiti artists, the identical twins namely Nina Pandolfo and Nunca, Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo who were commissioned by the earl’s daughter and son. The Graffiti Project was allowed by North Ayrshire Council on the grounds that it can stand its course only temporarily and to which Earl had promised to keep it for only 3 years. This has now changed and seeing the interest among visitors the Earl is now planning to keep it indefinitely.
Writing a letter to the Historic Scotland notifying whether he could keep the paintings on the Kelburn Castle, in Largs, Ayrshire, permanently, Earl has clear ideas in mind. With the three year limit in question, the replacement of the harling render on the exterior of the turret is on stay.
As per the memorandum published by the Historic Scotland, the colours to be used by owners of the listed properties in their books should relate to the architectural features of the entire building and should be indeed just one color which is not followed in the designing of the Castle. With the Earl planning to make the castle a landmark and bringing a whole new character in its doing, one needs to wait and see whether this attraction will turn out to be a successful one and add to the books of the existing favorite lookouts in Scotland.
Kelburn Castle is also stated to be one of the world’s top 10 examples of street art by the designer and author Tristan Manco besides being home to the Earls family for the last 800 years.
Scotland Hotels earning top spots among European hotels!
Besides the legends, myths and wide range of holidaying opportunities, Scotland has once more proved its distinction from other places in Europe -the hotels!
The highest standards of many luxurious hotels in Scotland being maintained, it is noticed that they are gradually becoming the hotspots out-riding Rome, Paris and Amsterdam. With higher occupancy rates recorded during the year, Scotland hotels are bringing in tourism money for the government.
The head of tourism at the Scottish Development International, Kenneth Clark is of the opinion that if investors fund growth for the numerous luxury hotels in Scotland is anything to go by then this business could turn out to be one of the most profitable in Europe. With the demand for hotels in Scotland increasing every other day, putting forth the right amount of investment in changing the selection of quality structure for each hotels can be an added benefit to the tourism industry.
It is also noted that in the month of May and June, the records showed the highest occupancy rates for Edinburgh hotels. With figures reaching 86% and 92% approximately, the hotels in Edinburgh were seen to be leading followed by Inverness and were also rated above Rome and Paris.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011 gets even bigger!
Known to be the largest arts festival in the world Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011 showcases 41,689 performances of 2,542 shows in a series of 258 venues in August for three weeks in Scotland’s capital city. Crammed with stories, experiences and reflections of producers, artists and companies form all over the world; this event attracts thousands of spectators from both far away and wide.
The festival which commenced on August 5th continuing till 29th will be launched by the Chief Executive of the Festival Fringe, Kath M Mainland. In its 65th year of groundbreaking performances and events, the festival in 2011 will be the largest and most successful of its kind.
Prominently known for its variety in various terms of comedy, theatre to dance, opera, rock and cabaret, it is an art form that is appearing for the first time in its own category. A part of Edinburgh Festivals, this year’s new competitor for the Fringe is the cabaret show that features acrobats, feminist burlesque, ukuleles and mind reading psychics.
Being a launch pad for successful careers of big stars, the official programme highlights the best of performances displaying a celebration of arts and entertainment. Get a look at the best of pictures from Edinburgh Fringe 2011.
The story that dates back to 1947, which saw eight theatre groups, uninvited, coming out successfully by performing to enrich the European cultural life in the wake of World war 2 has turned into a growing trend of performances by internationally renowned artists. Year after year in every August, responding to the success, performers form all over the world delights and excites audiences from home and abroad flock to the Festival Fringe in Edinburgh’s famous historical venues and cobbled streets.
This event promotes the wealth of the country’s creative talents at the Fringe and also raises the profile of Scotland’s world class artists internationally. So come on in and join the celebration that has grown enormously important with world class festivals and arts market! Also check out the schedules for each day