June 26th 2024
Archived reviews, articles and interviews
June 26th 2024
June 20th 2024
ANYONE can see Kingussie’s Festival of Words, which returns today (Thursday) is the real Mc- Coy - but now they can learn just why.
Visiting this week is the author of a book which explains just how the expression came into the w orld.
Formerly of Kingussie - indeed, one of the original ‘Town of Lit...
June 2024
The Real Mackay
Helen Graham
£9.99 (Paperback)
TROUBADOR PUBLISHING
Night after night, jostling crowds clamour for entry to Edinburgh's Theatre Royal with one name on their lips: The Real Mackay. But who is he? This historical novel plunges the reader into the weird and wonderful golden era of Scottis n...
Published on May 28th, Publication Day!
IN SEARCH OF THE REAL MACKAY
By Helen Graham
About eight years ago I came across a scrap of paper among my mother’s family tree research which sparked my curiosity. Apparently we had a Mackay ancestor who was not only a comedian and friend of Walter Scott but also the origin of the well-known phrase...
May 27th 2024

1. It tells the story of my five times great uncle, Charles Mackay, who is regarded by many as Scotland’s finest 19th century comedian and was also a great friend of Sir Walter Scott.
2. It’s mostly set in the first half of the 19th century in Edinburgh’s Theatre Royal. Hardly anyone knows there w...