Mr. Milligan: I would concede your point that many people from South Western Scotland have no Celtic blood in them. I would also concede your point that far too many people don't understand that Scotland was, since perhaps before the Celtics started to make in roads upon the Picts, a "melting pot" of a number of different ethnicities. But then, aren't all nations are a mozaic of pre-existing ethnic groups. I don't think a group called the "English" morphed out of monkeys one day and have ever since been called "English". This is not to say that their should be Gaelic passports. A passport--other than being a form of identification--is a request by Government A to Government B to protect the a citizen of Government A's country while that citizen is within Government B's country. As there is no Gaelic government or Gaelic country (Scotland is only part Gaelic), it does not make sense for someone in an historically Gaelic part of Scotland having a different passport from someone else in the United Kingdom. However there is no cause to you post such things as "haggis eating, kilt wearing Gaelic whinging twits". There is no need to insult those with true Gaelic/Highland heritage. Make your point less caustically. Jeffery Davidson ----- Original Message ----- From: "James Milligan" <jimbobaloobub@btinternet.com> To: <DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, November 14, 2004 5:03 AM Subject: [D-G LIST] Why Gaelic? > I am surprised that so many people, especially on this list, are taken in by the notion that we are somehow connected to Gaelic culture - witness a call for a Gaelic passport. What absolutely self deluding, pathetic, romantic nonsense. Historically we are not. This myth struck up with the Victorian novelists and has the world thinking we are haggis eating, kilt wearing Gaelic whinging twits. OK, go back several hundred years and people from South West Scotland did speak some form of Gaelic (perhaps more associated more with Cardiff than Stornoway) - but then go back even further and we were probably all Ethiopians. > > My own GGGGF Robert Milligan, portioner of Dempsterton, Dunscore (b1723), very probably had bitter feelings towards the 'Highland host' - those from the north who were billeted in the South West in the 1600's to quell the religious rights of the native population. > > The majority of the 'Highland' army at Culloden were Episcopalian. A great bulk of the 'British' army were Scottish. The first thing Robert the Bruce did after Bannockburn was invade his 'native Gaels' - i.e. Ireland. The history goes on and on... > > Although untrendy and not politically correct, some of us are proud to be BRITISH. > > > ==== DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY Mailing List ==== > FIND YOUR ANCESTORS > http://www.directcon.net/tomas/Ancestry/index.html/ > >