Wednesday, January 25, 2012

A Tribute to Eilean Donan Castle and the MacRaes


If you've read Between, you know that Eilean Donan Castle was Aiden MacRae's home growing up. I fell in love with the history of the castle: destroyed in 1719 by the English, then restored centuries later by John MacRae-Gilstrap. Today, Eilean Donan is the most photographed castle in all of Scotland. And rightly so, because it is nothing short of breathtaking. *swoon*

I tried to stay as close to the actual history as I could when writing Between. There is a wealth of information online about the castle's history, including captain logs from the ships who destroyed the castle via cannon in the early 1700s!



The MacRaes were inhabitants of the castle, along with the MacKenzies. Both clans were close allies with the Frasers (shout out to Jamie Fraser from Outlander- woot!). The MacRaes were known for their fighting abilities and agreed to come to Kintail (where Eilean Donan is located) in exchange for providing this service to the MacKenzies, earning them the nickname "MacKenzies' shirt of mail."

The MacRae crest features a strong arm grasping a sword and the word "Fortitudine" which is Latin for "fortitude" meaning "strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage." Quite an apt description of the MacRaes and a fitting family for my Scottish hero!

If Aiden MacRae is your idea of a swoon-worthy hunk, here's your chance to declare your love for him to the world! Giveaway time!!


Enter to win one item of your choice from the Aiden's Angels logo merchandise by answering this question, "What was your favorite part of Between?" If you haven't yet read the book, you can answer by saying what about Between most intrigues you.

Thanks for being a part of the Burns Night celebration today! Check back every two hours for more posts on the awesomeness that is Scotland!

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10 comments:

  1. I love this post! And the question we had to answer was a great one!! Thanks

    Pavan

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  2. Omg, I have to pick ONE part? That's like asking me to pick which part of a cheesecake I love most--the filling or the crust.

    *sigh* Honestly, I think my favorite part is when Aiden's showing Lindsey his history. I felt a lot closer to him after that and could understand better how he ticks. Also, it shows him vulnerable, and I like that, too. He can be strong when he wants to, but he can be vulnerable and let Lindsey (and by extension, us) until his life.

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  3. *that until was supposed to be "into". Thanks, brain.

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  4. @lexcade- Aw, thanks so much! I wanna print that out and frame it. <33

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  5. @Pavan- thanks for your answer via Twitter!

    "Besides the whole romance throughout the book which was my favourite, I also loved how Lindsey would confide in the priest. Heroines sometimes try to take it alone but this was truly beautiful how she could trust him."

    I love Father O'Malley!

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  6. Oh dear. Just one favorite? How on earth am I supposed to do that?

    I think I'm going to have to go with the time they spent in Lindsey's family cabin. I loved her making him breakfast and him teaching her how to play poque deux.

    Although, I do desperately love all the history Aiden shares with Lindsey. I loved loved loved them at the ball!

    Okay. I have to stop or I'll recount the entire book for you...<333

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  7. I love Cyndi! I am going to be entering all over the place!

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  8. So many good parts in this book it was hard to choose just one :)

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  9. Definitely the parts where lindsey and aiden were together!!! Best-est part? When they were reunited at the end! :D

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