On a day when the world turns Irish, many people don’t realise that St Patrick may have actually been a Scot!

Many have it that Patrick was born around 385 in Scotland, probably Kilpatrick. As a boy of fourteen or so, he was captured during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. It is widely thought that Saint Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland, drove the snakes out of Ireland into the sea. He can’t really take credit for that, as the Ice Age took care of snakes long before St. Patrick came along, but he can take credit for converting many Celtic pagans to Christianity during his life.

But he isnt alone! The patron saint of Scotland – Saint Andrew, was born in  Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee & Saint George, patron saint of England, was probably born in Palestine.

Which leaves us with St David – Patron saint of Wales who, for a change,  was actually born in Wales. Not very imaginative in the light of the other 3!

Finally – St Columba, who is said to have warded off the Loch Ness monster with the sign of the cross, was….wait for it…. Irish.

So all in all a fair trade!

A Scot gave the world one of the most widely celebrated Saint’s days in the world , and an Irishman helped launch the mystery of the Loch Ness Monster – one of the moth famous legends in the world!  Both synonymous with their adopted countries.

So regardless if you wear green or tartan, a shamrock or a thistle today in celebration of Saint Patrick day, have a good one!

Many people around the world can trace their name back to the Clans of the Highlands of Scotland.

From time to time Ill stick a bit of info gleaned from the web about clans that have affiliation to the Loch Ness area

Clan Grant come from two great glens of the Highlands: Strathspey and Glenurquhart. The first recorded Clan Chief was Sir Lawrence le Grant in the year 1263. The Present Clan Chief, Lord Strathspey, 33rd Chief of Grant, is his direct descendant.

The Strathspey seat of the Clan was Castle Grant near Grantown-on-Spey.

The Grants of Glen Urquhart and Glen Moriston are associated with the awesome Castle Urquhart which overlooks Loch Ness at the very spot where the Monster is often claimed to have been sighted.

For more details on the history of Clan Grant, go to the  Clan Grant Society of the U.K. or and  Clan Grant History site run by clan researchers and historians in the U.K.

Many Grants still live in the area – why not take advantage of the Year of Homecoming  and come see for yourself!