This digital film archive is a unique collection of footage which captures the cultural identity of the ordinary man and woman’s account of his/her life and work from 1890s -1960s The clips and our 6 DVDs titles, allows you to connect with, and enables you to walk in the footsteps of your Scottish ancestors. This heritage archive also enjoys the highest academic and educational endorsements.

This archive is a rare insight into Scotland’s past. I have over 750 hours of footage about how life was from 1890s – 1950s in rural Scotland. It was a pride in my ancestors that inspired me to produce this unique archive.

So in the 1980s I decided to hire a video camera and try to capture what the ordinary people have achieved. All the commentary is in the Doric dialect which can be understood by any English speaker. The Doric was my first language and has served oor north east ancestors much longer than English has done. It is still the dialect of many parts of Aberdeenshire and is one thing which distinguishes us from other locations within the world.

My 6 DVD titles enter the top ten DVD charts in the north east of Scotland when released and they have been sent to most parts of the world for people to enjoy. This highlights the fact that where ever we are we are Ah Jock Tamsons’ Bairns. We can turn on the television tonight and see a programme featuring people who live on the banks of the Ganges river doing their washing on a stone. This is similar to the technique used here in Scotland during the 1930s when washing was done by rubbing the clothes not on a stone but on a washboard. Both processes are similar and both processes share the same outcome.

All the footage within my archive has been digitised into discrete clips each clip with its own computer data base. This allows all the clips to be easily accessed and futureproofs this significant Scottish heritage asset, which is the only new heritage asset which has been developed. The work of digitising an hour of footage takes 5 hours to do. It has taken me 3250 hours of work to digitise my archive. I have done this myself and have funded the activity predominately on my own. As an innovator in my field and the producer of something new I do not fit into any contemporary establishment funding criteria. As a result, I cannot get funding to safeguard this archive for the future. Mr Bert McIntosh of McIntosh Plant Hire in Aberdeenshire has sponsored clips which are now available to every Scottish school. My unique archive footage enjoys the highest endorsements as an accurate record and a legacy of oor rich Scottish heritage.

Meet Dr Don Carney (Dr Doric)

I am lucky enough to have been brought up on Drumnaheath Farm Leylodge Kintore in Aberdeenshire where over 300 years of my ancestors have lived. As someone who is culturally proud I wanted to capture on film the contribution the ordinary Scottish people in my community have made to Scottish life. What I have recorded in my 750 hour Scottish heritage archive is just how extraordinary my and your ancestors were. This video archive of unique Scottish film celebrates their contribution to Scotland’s identity. This is an authentic Scottish heritage website highlighting oor culture.

By profession I started off life as a chef and I then went into Hospitality management. Along the way I was always keen on education and furthering my desire to learn. I finally was a lecturer at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen in hospitality and tourism management.

Through my work in Scottish heritage, as a result of his project, I was awarded the first PhD of its kind in the world featuring video capture of heritage and speaking the Scots language utilising the Doric dialect. I have presented several dozen academic papers on the work I have done in capturing heritage on film at many national and international academic conferences. I have featured on five television programmes in America and four documentary type television programmes in the UK about my work. Each time I release a new DVD they compete in the top ten DVD charts of the north east of Scotland with Star Trek, Daniel O’ Donnell and the pop stars of the time. This shows that my style of presenting authentic Scottish heritage, all filmed in the North East of Scotland has a diverse local, national and international audience all interested in our rich Scottish culture. My DVDs are retailed through my e commerce site to at least fourteen countries world-wide.

The content on this web-site is drawn from an archive consisting of 750 hours of footage and is presented in 4 main sections – educational resources, visitor attractions, corporate & community resources and family history. In addition, our full DVD collection can be purchased through the on-line shop.

01 About Carney Scottish Heritage 4 Sections Eductaional Resources
02 About Carney Scottish Heritage 4 Sections Visitor Attractions
03 About Carney Scottish Heritage 4 Sections Corporate
04 About Carney Scottish Heritage 4 Sections Family History