2009 in Scotland
Encyclopedia
 2009 in Scotland |
| Years |
| 2007 2007 in Scotland 2007 in Scotland.-Incumbents:*Monarch - Queen Elizabeth II *First Minister and Keeper of the Great Seal - Jack McConnell... | 2008 2008 in Scotland Events in 2008 in Scotland-Incumbents:*Monarch - Queen Elizabeth II *First Minister and Keeper of the Great Seal - Alex Salmond -January:... | 2009 | 2010 2010 in Scotland Events from 2010 in Scotland-Incumbents:*Monarch - Queen Elizabeth II *Prime Minister - Gordon Brown... | 2011 2011 in Scotland Events from 2011 in Scotland-Incumbents:*Monarch - Queen Elizabeth II *First Minister and Keeper of the Great Seal - Alex Salmond -January:... |
| Centuries |
| 18th century | 19th century | 20th century | 21st century |
| See also |
| Homecoming Scotland 2009 Homecoming Scotland 2009 Homecoming Scotland 2009 was a series of events designed to attract people of Scottish ancestry to visit Scotland. The campaign, organised by EventScotland and VisitScotland on behalf of the Scottish Government, and part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, claimed that "for every... |
| 2008-09 in Scottish football 2008-09 in Scottish football The 2008–09 season was the 112th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Overview:* Hamilton Academical competed in the Scottish Premier League for the first time, their first season in the top-flight since the 1988–89 season, after being promoted as First Division champions the... |
| 2009-10 in Scottish football |
| Portal:Current events |
| 2009 |
Events in 2009 in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Incumbents
- Monarch - Queen Elizabeth II (since 6 February 1952)
- First MinisterFirst Minister of ScotlandThe First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy...
and Keeper of the Great Seal - Alex SalmondAlex SalmondAlexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
(since 16 May 2007)
Events
- 25 January (Burns Night)–30 November (St Andrew's Day) - Homecoming Scotland
January
- 13 January - Minor earthquakeEarthquakeAn earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
in Shetland. - 24 January - Three climbers are killed in an avalanche2009 Buachaille Etive Mòr avalancheThe Buachaille Etive Mòr avalanche occurred on Buachaille Etive Mòr in Glen Coe in the Scottish Highlands, UK on 24 January 2009. Three mountain climbers were killed and one sustained a serious shoulder injury. Two of the dead were from Northern Ireland and the other was from Scotland...
on Buachaille Etive MòrBuachaille Etive MòrBuachaille Etive Mòr , generally known to climbers simply as The Buachaille or The Beuckle, is a mountain at the head of Glen Etive in the Highlands of Scotland...
in the Highlands of Scotland. Five others walk away uninjured, whilst another suffers a shoulder injury. - 28 January - The Scottish ParliamentScottish ParliamentThe Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
rejects the budget tabled by the Scottish National PartyScottish National PartyThe Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
administration. The Presiding OfficerPresiding Officer of the Scottish ParliamentThe Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament is the speaker of the Scottish Parliament, elected by the Members of the Scottish Parliament, by means of an exhaustive ballot. He or she also heads the Corporate Body of the Scottish Parliament and as such is viewed as a figurehead for the entire...
casts the deciding vote after the result is originally tied at 64 in favour, 64 against. The Scottish Finance SecretaryCabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable GrowthThe Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth, commonly referred to as the Finance Secretary, is a member of the Cabinet in the Scottish Government...
, John SwinneyJohn SwinneyJohn Ramsey Swinney is the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth in the Scottish Government and the Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Perthshire North, having previously represented North Tayside...
, says the budget will be put before parliament again as soon as is possible, whilst the First MinisterFirst Minister of ScotlandThe First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy...
, Alex SalmondAlex SalmondAlexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
, reportedly puts the SNP on an 'election footing' in case the budget were to be voted down once more.
February
- 4 February - The Scottish Parliament approves the minority SNP's administration's budget at the second time of asking. Both Labour and the Liberal DemocratsScottish Liberal DemocratsThe Scottish Liberal Democrats are one of the three state parties within the federal Liberal Democrats; the others being the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Liberal Democrats in England...
vote for the budget after voting the measures down in the previous vote.
March
- 30 March - Major power cut hits Glasgow and parts of the West of Scotland, causing traffic chaos in most areas.
April
- 5 April - Andy Murray wins the Sony Ericsson Open2009 Sony Ericsson Open - Men's SinglesNikolay Davydenko was the defending champion, but chose not to participate that year due to a left heel injury. Andy Murray defeated Novak Djokovic 6–2, 7–5 to win the title.-Seeds:All seeds receive a bye into the second round....
- 8 April - Slovakian, Marek Harcar, jailed for at least 25 years after being found guilty of raping and murdering Moira Jones in a Glasgow park.
- 13 April - Scotland win the World Men's Curling Championship2009 Ford World Men's Curling ChampionshipThe 2009 Ford Men's World Curling Championship was held in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada from the 4th to the 12th of April, 2009 at the Moncton Coliseum...
, in Moncton, Canada - 30 April - BeltaneBeltaneBeltane or Beltaine is the anglicised spelling of Old Irish Beltaine or Beltine , the Gaelic name for either the month of May or the festival that takes place on the first day of May.Bealtaine was historically a Gaelic festival celebrated in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.Bealtaine...
May
- 4 May - John Higgins wins the 2009 World Snooker Championship
- 22 May - Whitelee Wind FarmWhitelee Wind FarmWhitelee Wind Farm is the largest wind farm in Europe, with 140 Siemens wind turbines and a total capacity of 322 megawatts . Whitelee was developed and is operated by ScottishPower Renewables, which is part of the Spanish company Iberdrola. Whitelee Wind Farm has a 75 turbine extension under...
, the largest wind farmWind farmA wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
in Europe, officially opens.
June
- 4 June - The SNP tops the poll in the European Election in Scotland, winning two of Scotland's six MEPs. Labour also win two, with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats winning one each.
- 14 June - The first Swine FluSwine fluSwine influenza, also called pig influenza, swine flu, hog flu and pig flu, is an infection by any one of several types of swine influenza virus. Swine influenza virus or S-OIV is any strain of the influenza family of viruses that is endemic in pigs...
related death in the United Kingdom is confirmed by the Scottish Government at 20:30BST. - 15 June - The Calman CommissionCommission on Scottish DevolutionThe Commission on Scottish Devolution, also referred to as the Calman Commission, Scottish Parliament Commission or Review was established by an opposition Labour Party motion passed by the Scottish Parliament on 6 December 2007, with the support of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats...
recommends that the Scottish ParliamentScottish ParliamentThe Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
be given greater control over tax and legislation such as setting speed limits. - 17–28 June - Edinburgh International Film FestivalEdinburgh International Film FestivalThe Edinburgh International Film Festival is an annual fortnight of cinema screenings and related events taking place each June. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival...
- 25–28 June - Royal Highland ShowRoyal Highland ShowThe Royal Highland Show is Scotland's annual farming and countryside showcase.It is held annually at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston over the second-last weekend in June , the event attracts over 1,000 exhibitors, 4,500 head of livestock, and an annual 200,000 visitors - making it Scotland's...
July
- 16 - 19 - Open Championship2009 Open ChampionshipThe 2009 Open Championship was the 138th Open Championship, one of the four major golf championships, and was played from 16–19 July at the Turnberry Resort, in Ayrshire, Scotland. It was the fourth time The Open Championship had been played at Turnberry...
, Turnberry, South AyrshireSouth AyrshireSouth Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway....
August
- 2 August - Catriona MatthewCatriona MatthewCatriona Isobel Matthew MBE is a Scottish professional golfer who plays mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and is also a member of the Ladies European Tour.-Amateur career:...
wins the 2009 Women's British OpenWomen's British OpenThe Women's British Open is a leading event in women's professional golf and the only tournament which is classified as a major championship by both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been called the Ricoh Women's British Open, for sponsorship reasons... - 11 August - Archaeologists announce that they have discovered a royal tomb from the early Bronze AgePrehistoric ScotlandArchaeology and geology continue to reveal the secrets of prehistoric Scotland, uncovering a complex and dramatic past before the Romans brought Scotland into the scope of recorded history...
, at ForteviotForteviotForteviot is a village in Strathearn, Scotland on the south bank of the River Earn between Dunning and Perth. It lies in the council area of Perth and Kinross... - 14 August - Archaeologists announce that they have discovered a Neolithic temple in the Heart of Neolithic OrkneyHeart of Neolithic OrkneyHeart of Neolithic Orkney refers to a group of Neolithic monuments found on the Mainland, one of the islands of Orkney, Scotland. The name was adopted by UNESCO when it proclaimed these sites as a World Heritage Site in 1999....
World Heritage SiteWorld Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance... - 20 August - The Scottish justice secretary Kenny MacAskillKenny MacAskillKenneth "Kenny" Wright MacAskill is the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Edinburgh Eastern, formerly Edinburgh East and Musselburgh since 2007...
grants release to the convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds, stating that Megrahi is in the final stages of terminal prostate cancerProstate cancerProstate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
.
September
- 15 September - Geology of ScotlandGeology of ScotlandThe geology of Scotland is unusually varied for a country of its size, with a large number of differing geological features. There are three main geographical sub-divisions: the Highlands and Islands is a diverse area which lies to the north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault; the Central...
: Shetland awarded European Geopark status
November
- 16 November - Galloway Forest ParkGalloway Forest ParkGalloway Forest Park is a woodland park in Scotland, principally covering woodland in Dumfries and Galloway. It is operated by Forestry Commission Scotland....
is designated at a dark sky park by the International Dark-Sky AssociationInternational Dark-Sky AssociationThe International Dark-Sky Association is a U.S.-based non-profit organization incorporated in 1988 by founders Dr. David Crawford, a professional astronomer, and Dr. Timothy Hunter, a medical doctor/amateur astronomer... - 20 November - John SwinneyJohn SwinneyJohn Ramsey Swinney is the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth in the Scottish Government and the Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Perthshire North, having previously represented North Tayside...
, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable GrowthCabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable GrowthThe Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth, commonly referred to as the Finance Secretary, is a member of the Cabinet in the Scottish Government...
, wins the Scottish Politician of the Year Award 2009 - 23 November - Susan Boyle'sSusan BoyleSusan Magdalane Boyle is a Scottish singer who came to international public attention when she appeared as a contestant on the TV programme Britain's Got Talent on 11 April 2009, singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from ...
first album, I Dreamed a DreamI Dreamed a Dream (album)I Dreamed a Dream is the debut album from Scottish singer Susan Boyle. It was released on 23 November 2009 by Syco Music in the United Kingdom, and by Columbia Records in the United States one day later. In the standard edition, 11 out of the 12 songs that appear on the album are cover songs, plus...
becomes AmazonAmazon.comAmazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
's best-selling album in pre-sales. - 26 November - BrewDogBrewDogBrewDog is a Scottish brewery located in the town of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire.- History :BrewDog was founded in 2006 by friends James Watt and Martin Dickie. The brewery at the Kessock Industrial Estate in Fraserburgh produced its first brew in April 2007...
launched a new beer called Tactical Nuclear Penguin, with 32% alcohol, which is claimed to be the strongest beer ever made
December
- 1 December - The first reshuffle of the Scottish Cabinet since the Scottish National PartyScottish National PartyThe Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
came to power in May 2007 - 4–12 December - 2009 European Curling Championships2009 European Curling ChampionshipsThe 2009 Le Gruyère European Curling Championships were held in Aberdeen, Scotland from December 4-12, 2009. The A-Group tournament is took place at the Linx Ice Arena, and the B-Group are playing at Curl Aberdeen....
, AberdeenAberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of .... - 16 December - Scotland's largest airline, FlyglobespanFlyglobespanFlyglobespan was a British low-cost airline based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It formerly operated scheduled services from 5 airports across the UK and Ireland to destinations in Europe, North America, North Africa and South Africa. Its main bases were Glasgow International Airport, Edinburgh Airport...
, goes into administration. - 17 December - Archaeologists announce that they have found man-made structures on the sea-bed off the island of DamsayDamsayDamsay is an island in the Orkney archipelago in Scotland. It is approximately 18 hectares in extent and rises to only 11 metres above sea level. It is situated in the Bay of Firth north of the Orkney Mainland near Finstown...
, Orkney. - 20 December - Richie RamsayRichie RamsayRichie Ramsay is a Scottish professional golfer.In 2006, Ramsay became the first British golfer in almost a century to win the United States Amateur Championship. He also won several other amateur titles and played in the 2005 Walker Cup....
wins the South African Open, Scotland's first win on the European Tour since Alastair ForsythAlastair Forsyth-Amateur career:Forsyth was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He was a member of a winning Great Britain & Ireland Jacques Léglise Trophy team in 1994 and he won the 1996 Scottish Amateur Stroke Play Championship.-Professional career:Forsyth turned professional in 1998...
won the Madeira Island OpenMadeira Island OpenThe Madeira Islands Open is a men's professional golf tournament on the European Tour, played on the Madeira Islands in Portugal. It was founded in 1993 and is often the first event of the season played in Europe, after the season has spent the northern winter in Asia, Australasia and South Africa...
in March 2008 - 30 December - Three climbers are killed following three large avalancheAvalancheAn avalanche is a sudden rapid flow of snow down a slope, occurring when either natural triggers or human activity causes a critical escalating transition from the slow equilibrium evolution of the snow pack. Typically occurring in mountainous terrain, an avalanche can mix air and water with the...
s in the Scottish mountains.
January
- 7 January - Alfie Conn, Sr, footballer (b. 1926)
- 29 January - John Martyn, singer-songwriter (b. 1948)
February
- 6 February - Bashir AhmadBashir Ahmad (politician)Bashir Ahmad was a Scottish National Party politician. He was elected to the Scottish Parliament to represent the Glasgow region at the 2007 election, and was the first MSP to be elected from an Asian-Scots or Muslim background. Ahmed was a prominent and well respected figure in Parliament and in...
, Scottish National Party MSP for Glasgow (b. 1940) - 17 February - Victor KiernanVictor KiernanProfessor Victor Gordon Kiernan was a British Marxist historian and a former member of the Communist Party Historians Group with a particular focus on the history of imperialism ..Kiernan was born in Ashton upon Mersey, Sale to Congregationalist lower-middle class parents...
, Marxist historian - 19 February - Anna Watt, variety entertainer
September
- 23 September - Bill SpeirsBill SpeirsWilliam MacLeod Speirs was a Scottish trade union leader, a socialist and internationalist. He was General Secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress....
(b. 1952), general secreatary of the Scottish Trades Union CongressScottish Trades Union CongressThe Scottish Trades Union Congress is the co-ordinating body of trade unions, and local Trades Councils, in Scotland. With 39 affiliated unions as of 2007, the STUC represents around 630,000 trade unionists....
, and key figure on the left of the Scottish Labour PartyScottish Labour PartyThe Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
, and in the campaign for Scottish devolution, e.g. he was instrumental in the creation of Scotland United, was a member of the Scottish Constitutional ConventionScottish Constitutional ConventionThe Scottish Constitutional Convention was an association of Scottish political parties, churches and other civic groups, that developed a framework for a Scottish devolution. It is credited as having paved the way for the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.The Convention was...
, and was a member of the group that drafted the key document Scotland's Parliament, Scotland's Right in 1995 - 28 September - Reverend Maxwell Craig, the Extra Chaplain to the Queen