Book description
Roots of Stone is a passionate tapestry, weaving the story of
Scotland with the lives of ordinary and extraordinary people. This
fascinating sweep over two thousand years of Scotland's past blends
with a true family story stretching back over these same two millennia
in a spellbinding fusion of history and memoir. This is an exploration
of the Scottish identity through actual tales of the author's
forebears - tales drawn from royal bloodline and from crofting hearth,
tales of high drama and of quiet everyday satisfactions. Mackays and
MacDonalds tread most heavily across these pages, but they are far
from alone. Munros, MacDougalls, Murrays and dozens of other clans and
families also feature.
Kenneth MacAlpin, Macbeth, Robert the Bruce and Alexander 'Wolf of
Badenoch' all have a place in the tapestry. The dreadful deeds of the
Wicked Earls of Orkney are laid bare, but counterbalanced by the work
of those famous healers, the Beatons. Stepping closer to the present
day, the human tragedy of the Clearances becomes all-consuming.
Poets, pipers and poachers play their part, as do dukes and drovers,
their tales unfolding within evocatively described landscapes and
ancient places of power. The castles and mountains are hauntingly
illustrated and the tale is enhanced by the inclusion of two rare
piping compositions and some words by the great Gaelic bard Rob Donn.
More than anything else, Roots of Stone is the story of all
the ones who came before, those who can still be felt in the blood at
times when deep emotion is stirred.
Hugh Allison was born in 1960 and has worked in the tourism industry
and for the Highland Council. Following a period working in the US in
2000, he is now employed by the National Trust for Scotland. He is
married with two children.
