Nice to see the late Martyn Bennett is still being discovered. Martyn was part of  a reclaiming of Scottish roots music that caused much consternation to the traditionalists.  Another talent in this 'genre' was Gordon Duncan who passed away in late 2005.  Gordon was equally as iconoclaustic in his approach to piping..the title track of his Thunderstruck album being based round an AC/DC riff.  He appalled many who believe in preserving style in stone, but his abilities as a piper and his vision of a musician silenced his detractors.  Shooglenifty and the Peatbog Faeires are another two acts worth checking out for a Scotland beyond Brigadoon.

As for the Fenian/Prod thing all I can say is that it is fortunate that the 12th of July is outside the football season, so the ugly sisters of Celtic and Rangers are not engaged in letting the beautiful game interfere with a good bit of bigotry.

By the way Eskadalemuir is home to the biggest centre of Tibetan Bhuddism outside the Himalayas.

The modern kilt was popularised by Walter Scott (a Borderer) in the days of the romantic movement when the noble savage chic was cool.  It was the Lowland Scots Sassenachs who were complicit in the Highland Clearances along with the newly anglified clan chiefs.  Like everywhere else Scotland is a mix of enigmas and contradictions.

I love this place,but sometimes it really gets on ma tits!