Siol nan Gaidheal is an ultranationalist[1][2] Scottish political group.
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The name, properly spelled Sìol nan Gàidheal ([ˈʃiəlˠ̪ nəŋ ˈkɛː.əlˠ̪]) is Scottish Gaelic for Seed of the Gaels. The term sìol has numerous meanings, most commonly translated as "breed, brood, lineage, progeny, seed".[3]. In genealogy, the meaning of "lineage, progeny" is the most common, for example the MacDonalds usually being Sìol Dhòmhnaill in Gaelic.
Radical nationalism in Scotland consists of a mixture of Scottish nationalist traditions, which have influenced the creation and development of the movement known as Siol nan Gaidheal.
The Scottish National Party, a political party that seeks Scottish Independence, is made up from a very different mix of nationalist traditions from those that influence Siol nan Gaidheal. Most significantly, Siol nan Gaidheal's concerns are mainly cultural and social whereas those of the Scottish National Party are mainly political and economic. Siol nan Gaidheal has stated no interest in contesting elections as it deems electoral politics to be the remit of the Scottish National Party. SnG has always declared itself ultranationalists in the sense that the Nationalist Revolution will start only when a sovereign Scottish Parliament is set up.
In the 1980s, Siol nan Gaidheal produced a detailed magazine called Firinn Albannach (Truth of Scotland), which is described as having a rhetoric which was "anti-communist, neo-fascist and sometimes violent in tone".[4]
Jackie Stokes re-established Siol nan Gaidheal in 1997, concentrating mainly on the website and its forum. It was during this period that chapters were set up in the United States of America and in Canada as a focus for the Scottish diaspora in North America. After Stokes's death on 24 July 2001, the projects carried out by SnG have been scaled down, with the website in "Alba" (Scotland) and those in the US and Canada becoming the main focus for SnG members and supporters and other nationalists around the world.
In May 2006, SnG held its first Ard Fhèis (festival) in 14 years, in Dalwhinnie, Scotland.
The Siol nan Gaidheal website sums up its views as follows: