Happy 4th of July!! The weather here in the Bar Harbor/Ellsworth area has been great. I hope you’re able to visit with us this summer. If you’re a wee bit concerned about gas prices this vacation, I’m happy to inform you that the “Island Explorer” (free bus ) has expanded it’s route to include the entire Loop Road in Acadia National Park as well as most of Mount Desert Island. That’s right FREE! For more information contact the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce.

If you’re on your way to Bar Harbor, I encourage you to stop in downtown Ellsworth and visit the new Celtic Rainbow Gifts inside the Maine Grind Bldg across from The Mex on Main St. in Ellsworth. I have some items there not found in the Bar Harbor store, such as wedding rings and bodhrans to name a few. New product arriving almost daily. Open Mon-Sat 10:30-5:30. Celtic Rainbow - Bar Harbor is located at 56 West St. (along the waterfront) Hours: Mon-Sat 10:30AM-9PM, Sunday 11AM-5PM.

Reminder: Do you have a valid passport?? With all the delays it may be wise to get it now so you can take advantage of the great tours I’ll be offering very soon on my web site, I’ll keep you posted. www.celticrainbowgifts.com I still have free travel brochures for Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, and Italy tours. If you want one please send $2 (for shipping) to: Celtic Rainbow Gifts-192 Main St. - Maine Grind Bldg. – Ellsworth, ME 04605
Slainte, Linda Keady-owner

Robert the Bruce of Scotland

Robert I, King of Scots was born on July 11th 1274 and died June 7th 1329. Usually known in modern English as Robert the Bruce, was King of Scotland from 1306 until his death in 1329.

Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick, was descended from a Norman knight, Robert de Bruce, who came to England with William the Conqueror. His grandfather had been one of the 13 claimants to the Scottish throne in 1291, during the reign of the English king Edward I. Edward had chosen John de Balliol, an English baron, declaring him rightful king of Scotland in 1292. Later, Balliol refused to acknowledge the superiority of the English, and in 1296, was defeated by Edward at Dunbar. Edward then took over Scotland, receiving the oath of fealty from over 2000 Scots. At the same time a nationalistic movement demanding freedom from England slowly began gaining strength among the Scots. Leaders such as William Wallace fought the English but were defeated and executed.
After Wallace's death, Robert Bruce revived his grandfather's claim to the throne, and declared himself king of Scotland in 1306.

Edward I sent a large army north, defeated Bruce at the Battle of Methven, and forced him to become an outlaw. But Bruce did not give up, and came out of hiding a year later to win an important victory against the English. Clans from all over Scotland now came to his aid, and Bruce's growing army fought bravely and successfully against the English. Meanwhile Edward I died, to be succeeded by his son Edward II. The new king was no match for Robert Bruce - in 1314, at the Battle of Bannockburn, Bruce's army of 5,000 defeated Edward II's much larger army of 20,000, driving the English finally and firmly out of Scotland.

Robert Bruce was known as 'Good King Robert' and was undoubtedly one of Scotland's greatest rulers, bringing peace and freedom to his country.

His body is buried in Dunfermline Abbey, while his heart is buried in Melrose Abbey. His heart was to be taken on crusade eventually to the Holy Land but only reached Moorish Granada, where it acted as a talisman for the Scottish contingent at the Battle of Teba.

Legends

According to legend, at some point while he was on the run during the winter of 1305-06, Bruce hid himself in a cave on the east coast of Rathlin Island, where he observed a spider trying to spin a web. Each time the spider failed, it simply started all over again. Inspired by this, Bruce returned to inflict a series of defeats on the English, thus winning him more supporters and eventual victory. The story serves to explain the maxim: "if at first you don't succeed, try and try again." Other versions have Bruce defeated for the seventh time by the English, then let him watch the spider spin seven webs, fail, then spin an eighth and succeed.

Miscellaneous

Robert The Bruce was portrayed in £1 banknote of Clydesdale Bank, one of the three Scottish banks with right to issue banknotes, from 1981 to 1989. When Clydesdale Bank discontinued £1 banknotes, Robert The Bruce's portrait was moved into the bank's £20 banknote in 1990 and it has remained there to date.

The above information was taken from these web sites. http://www.longlongtimeago.com/llta_history_bruce.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I_of_Scotland#Background_and_early_life



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