The Scots Gaelic Myth

[PatrickHughes123]

I'm not so sure about that. Place name studies suggest that the whole of Ross-shire had a fair Norse presence - even the name itself may derive from Norse hross = horse.
https://ssns.org.uk/resources/Docume...6_pp_23-32.pdf
Certainly the Earls of Ross were of Viking descent.
I believe that the point Patrick was originally making is that, at least for a period of time (albeit short), Gaelic was the most widely spoken language in Scotland long after Pictish and Norse had disappeared. Even James VI (1473-1513) had Gaelic and possibly also his son James V. Accepting this does not in any way diminish the input of Pictish, P-Celtic, Norse, Anglish, Anglo-Norman etc into early Scots, It certainly does not imply that one is a Gaelic "extremist" or "separatist nationalist".

Alan

Quite right, my point is, there is Gaelic place-name evidence over most of Scotland. The only places where Gaelic was never spoken was the extreme South-East and North-East. Robert the Bruce spoke Gaelic, believe it or not because he was born in Carrick, a place in South-West Scotland that spoke Gaelic.

To deny Gaelic for most of Scotland is to deny Scotland itself. I never denied the Germanic influence on Scotland, nor the Norman influence, nor the Norse influence. Surnames on both side of my family and my knowledge of Scottish history suggest I'm genetically a Norse-Gael, Anglo-Norman, Scoto-Norman, Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Irish, Brythonic adult from Glasgow, the place of the green hollow, whatever that means.

Scotland is a nation that has its roots in the Celts and in Gaelic.

Point made.