63 Percent Scottish: A Scotland Appreciation Podcast

If you're a listener of 63 Percent Scottish then I have to imagine you have *some* interest in Scotland, Scottish things or the like. If you don't live in Scotland - and most people with Scottish heritage don't! - and even if you don't have Scottish genetic heritage, you may be interested in joining a Scottish Community. Scottish Societies and St. Andrew's Societies can be found all over Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, and they provide unique opportunities to connec...

We asked educator, researcher and Instagrammer Océane Lopez five questions and challenged her to answer each in one minute or less. Here are the questions:What is the greatest similarity between Scotland and France?What is the greatest difference between Scotland and France?If you had to have coffee, beer, whisky or wine with one person from Scottish history, who would it be?What is your absolute favourite place in all of Scotland?What is one book about Scottish history that you'd recommend?H...

The simple story of Mary, Queen of Scots, is that she was born royal, killed her husband, was driven from Scotland and died after spending half her life in prison. But, if that story was the whole story, we wouldn't be talking about her - or making glitzy Holywood movies about her - 400+ years later. Why has Mary's story endured? We decided to ask Océane Lopez.Océane is a teacher and a researchers who has spent considerable time studying Mary, as well as the concepts of religion and gender in...

We asked Garry Stevenson, the creative mind behind Being Scottish, five questions and challenged him to answer each in one minute or less. Here are the questions:Which portrayal of Scottish characters is most offensive - Groundskeeper Willie, Fat Bastard or Shrek?Which of Irn Bru, Haggis, Deep Fried Mars Bar and Bagpipes are actually enjoyed by Scottish people?What's the deal with Scottish people and cows?How do you pronounce "Avnosatdoonawday"?What is table and is this something non-Scots sh...

How many words do the Scottish have for "drunk?" What exactly is a Kerbie Legend? What other cultural references or in-jokes should non-Scots know? We asked the man, the myth, the legend: Garry Stevenson. Garry is the creator behind all of your favourite content on Being Scottish, the social media-based celebration of, well, being Scottish. We cover:The origin story for Being ScottishHis aversion to stereotypes when sharing new contentThe definitions of numerous VERY SCOTTISH WORDSExplan...

We asked Rosalind Erskine, the Food and Drink Editor at The Scotsman, five questions and challenged her to answer each in one minute or less. Here are the questions:How long ago did you last have a haggis?Do you have Robbie Burns' poem "Address to a Haggis" memorized?What drink is the perfect accompaniment to haggis? Whisky, Irn Bru, beer or something else?If haggis wasn't Scotland's national dish, what would be? Deep fried Mars bar?What is one thing that non-Scots might not know about the cu...

Do Scottish people actually like haggis? Or is it just another Deep Fried Mars Bar - a sort of tourism trick to get attention?We asked an expert, Rosalind Erskine. She's the Food and Drink Editor at the Scotsman, one of Scotland's national newspapers, and the host of Scran, a podcast all about Scottish food. We covered:The prevalence of haggis consumption in ScotlandThe various types of haggis availableThe occasion necessary to consume haggisThen we moved on to a quiz - asking Rosalind the fi...

We've already done a Five Fast Questions with Owen Innes so we had to get creative with our questions for round two. This time we cover: What's one Scottish historical event or person that more people should know?We talked about highland culture on our episode our Culloden. Do you own a kilt? How often do you wear a kilt?What book about Scottish history would you recommend to our listeners?An enemy army is approaching Scotland. Do you settle in for a siege at Edinburgh Castle - which has...

With characters like Bonnie Prince Charlie and Flora MacDonald, key moments like Prestonpans and Culloden, and dire consequences for highland culture, it’s no mystery that people are still engrossed by the stories of the 1745 Jacobite Uprising. We've asked Owen Innes from the Scottish History Podcast to give us a rundown of the battle itself, but also its ultimate consequences. In this episode we cover:The lead-up to the battle of CullodenWhether Bonnie Prince Charlie really deserves ou...

We've asked author and journalist Jonathan Melville - a man who *literally* wrote the book on Local Hero - five fast questions about Scottish film. Here's what we cover:Local Hero is a great standard-bearer for Scottish film, but if you had to pick one other film to represent Scotland on the global stage, what would it be?The role of James Bond is currently vacant - which Scottish actor would be your pick to fill it?What is the most iconic Scottish film performance of all time?Where should a ...