Love Scotland podcast – Season 10

Season 10

Episode 5 – When the Spanish Armada came to Scotland

The idea of Scotland being caught up in the story of the Spanish Armada may seem bizarre, and yet wrecked off Fair Isle is one of the fleet’s flagships. How did this 650 ton ship come to end up in the North Sea? And how do the activities of the Armada relate to, among others, Mary, Queen of Scots? Jackie’s on a mission to find out.

This year marks 70 years since the National Trust for Scotland acquired Fair Isle, the most remote inhabited island in the UK. While now perhaps best known as a seabird paradise and the home to world-renowned knitwear, Fair Isle is also the site of Iron Age settlements, a Second World War German plane, a Stevenson lighthouse… and not far off shore, the remains of El Gran Grifón.

Joining Jackie to discuss the Spanish ship and how it came to be so far north is Dr Colin Martin, a marine archaeologist who, with his colleague Sydney Wignall, excavated the wreck in 1970.

Find out more about Fair Isle.

Episode 4 – Inside The Wicker Man

The cult classic, folk horror film The Wicker Man is widely regarded as one of its genre’s finest productions. The tale of Sergeant Neil Howie’s doomed trip to Summerisle has cemented itself in popular culture since its 1973 release; and with it, immortalised several of the National Trust for Scotland’s places on screen.

Joining Jackie to dissect its enduring success are film critic Siobhan Synnot and actor Lesley Mackie, who appeared in the original cast as Daisy. Together, they explore the production and legacy of The Wicker Man.

You might also enjoy some of our past episodes on Scottish filmmaking. Simply scroll back through the Love Scotland feed to hear about Scotland on screen, and interviews with Outlander’s Diana Gabaldon and Sam Heughan.

Episode 3 – Andy Scott’s Scotland

Sculptor Andy Scott, the creator of the iconic Kelpies, joins Jackie to discuss his incredible work, Scotland’s position in the art world, and his aspirations for the future.

Together, they talk about the physical demands of working on such large pieces of metalwork, the catharsis of sculpting, and how his Scottish identity influences his creations and his process.

The Glasgow School of Art graduate also speaks about his long-time affection for and admiration of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, who were leading figures in Glasgow’s art scene.

Find out more about Mackintosh at the Willow.

If, like Andy, you are based in the US, you might be interested in the work of the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA.

Find out more about National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA.

Episode 2 – Behind the scenes at Robert Smail’s Printing Works

This week, Jackie is at Robert Smail’s Printing Works in the Scottish Borders to see the oldest working commercial letterpress printers in the UK. She meets the team that keeps the printing works running today, and discovers the history of both the press and its eponymous former owner.

She learns the secrets of the ever-changing publishing industry of the Victorian era, unpicks the mechanisms behind the presses, and takes us on a tour right into the heart of the machinery.

Find out more about Robert Smail’s Printing Works

Episode 1 – The people who shaped Robert Burns

We all know the songs and poems written by one of Scotland’s most famous sons – but who were the people that most influenced his life and his writing? Host Jackie Bird is on a mission to find out. This week, she’s joined by Christoper Waddell (Learning Manager at Robert Burns Birthplace Museum), Professor Gerard Carruthers (Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh) and Francis Hutcheson (Chair of Scottish Literature at the University of Glasgow).

Together, they look at the poets, family members, friends and educators who all made their mark on the Bard.

Find out more information on Robert Burns Birthplace Museum

Explore the National Trust for Scotland’s Robert Burns Collection online

You can also enjoy some of our past episodes on Robert Burns. Simply scroll back through the Love Scotland feed to hear instalments on Auld Lang Syne and Burns’s death.

Use of Green Grow The Rashes, O by Bill Adair, courtesy of University of Glasgow.