In article <41b48042.1845583@news>, micheil@shaw.ca says...
> On Fri, 03 Dec 2004 22:38:13 GMT, Vernon North <verno@oyama.bc.ca>
> wrote:
> 
> >In article <41b0df2a.25320458@news>, micheil@shaw.ca says...
> >> On Fri, 3 Dec 2004 12:22:11 +0900, "John Yamamoto-Wilson"
> >> <johndeletethis@rarebooksinjapan.com> wrote:
> >> 
> >> >Michi something (my computer's configuration won't read the last part of the
> >> >name) wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> [MacHamish's] surname's Irish
> >> >
> >> >What an odd thing to say. MacHamish is about as Scottish as it gets (check
> >> >any information on the Gunn clan, e.g.,
> >> >http://www.yourscottishname.com/gunn_clan.htm, or
> >> >http://www.geocities.com/sconemac/septgunn.html). Have you never heard of
> >> >MacHamish Scotch whiskey (http://www.geocities.com/jordan_m30/malts.html)?
> >> >
> >> >From what I can gather, the name exists in Ireland mainly in the north.
> >> >Without (admittedly) knowing much about it, I'd assume it was brought there
> >> >by Scottish Protestants.
> >> >
> >> >--
> >> >John
> >> >http://rarebooksinjapan.com
> >> >
> >> 
> >> It is a common and perennial insult in Scotland to say that someone's
> >> name is Irish and that therefore they must be Irish; the Irish not
> >> having formerly been held in great esteem by Scots.
> >> 
> >Ay, laddie, the Scots always get their kilts caught in the crack when 
> >accused of being descendents of people whose eyes are not too close 
> >together.  The Scots are the descendents of shipwrecked Norwegians whose 
> >rare inferior sense of direction left them stranded away from home. ;-)
> >
> >Verno
> 
> Hardly - the Norweghians were among the greatest navigators in the
> world - including settling in Newfoundland.

Sorry, I bungled my insult -- rare for me.  It should have read:

"The Scots are the descendents of RARE shipwrecked Norwegians whose 
UNCHARACTERISTICALLY inferior sense of direction left them stranded away 
from home."  
> 
> SCots are also accused of beog the Lost Tribe of Israel and in
> Hamburg, the locals say Scots are Westmarkers (a local group famous
> for being cheap) who got lost in a haar and settled in Scotland.
> 
Hmmmmmmm, some Glaswegians certainly sound German.

Verno