Browse Irish Scottish Roots articles on heritage travel, genealogy, castles, clans, festivals, mining history, rail routes, and ancestral places.
On September 3, 1650, exactly 426 years before this article was published, the Battle of Dunbar changed the course of Scotland’s seventeenth-century history. Fought near Dunbar in East Lothian, the battle ended with Oliver Cromwell’s English Parliamentarian army defeating the…
Loughcrew Cairns form a Neolithic passage-tomb cemetery on a line of hills southeast of Oldcastle in County Meath. Cairn T, the best-known monument, combines a commanding hilltop position, carved stones, burial architecture, and a passage that admits the rising sun…
Derry Halloween transforms Northern Ireland’s historic Walled City into a nighttime festival of illumination, performance, costumes and fireworks. This six-night Derry Halloween heritage itinerary combines the confirmed 2026 celebration with the city walls, Guildhall, Tower Museum, Bogside history, St Columb’s…
This itinerary is being published close to the 2026 Games, but there is still time for readers who can make last-minute arrangements to attend the Blairgowrie & Rattray Highland Games on Sunday, September 6, and the Pitlochry Highland Games on Saturday, September 12. The…
The Frasers of Tweeddale were a powerful medieval family rooted in the upper valley of the River Tweed, particularly around Oliver and Neidpath in what is now the Scottish Borders. Their story belongs to the Lowlands centuries before the Fraser…
An Ennis heritage festival itinerary lets you stay in one County Clare town while combining traditional Irish music, a second community festival and short trips into medieval and prehistoric Clare. Fleadh Nua is the anchor, Ennis is the lodging hub,…
On June 10, 2026, Deborah and I visited the Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum while looking for something to see near Dunfermline Abbey. We had not planned the visit far in advance, and we arrived with no particular expectations. From the…
Follow a record-based Dublin to Cobh heritage route that connects genealogy research, modern rail travel, Queenstown emigration history, and a meaningful visit to Cork Harbour.
Falkland Palace and Gardens in Fife is worth visiting for its French-influenced Renaissance architecture, connections with Mary, Queen of Scots, intimate Chapel Royal, historic real-tennis court and extensive gardens. Unlike Scotland’s defensive castles, Falkland was developed as a royal pleasure…