2009 in Scotland

Years

2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011

Centuries

18th century | 19th century | 20th century | 21st century

See also

Homecoming Scotland 2009

2008-09 in Scottish football

2009-10 in Scottish football

2009 in Scottish television

Portal:Current events

2009

Events in 2009 in Scotland

Incumbents

• Monarch - Queen Elizabeth II (since 6 February 1952)
• First Minister and Keeper of the Great Seal - Alex Salmond (since 16 May 2007)

Events

• 25 January(Burns Night)–30 November (St Andrew's Day) - Homecoming Scotland

January

• 13 January - Minor earthquake in Shetland.^[1]
• 24 January - Three climbers are killed in an avalanche on Buachaille Etive M r in the Highlands of Scotland. Five others walk away uninjured, whilst another suffers a shoulder injury.^[2]
• 28 January - The Scottish Parliament rejects the budget tabled by the Scottish National Party administration. The Presiding Officer casts the deciding vote after the result is originally tied at 64 in favour, 64 against. The Scottish Finance Secretary, John Swinney, says the budget will be put before parliament again as soon as is possible, whilst the First Minister, Alex Salmond, reportedly puts the SNP on an 'election footing' in case the budget were to be voted down once more.^[3][4]

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 Democrats vote for the budget after voting the measures down in the previous vote.^[5]

March

• 30 March - Major power cut hits Glasgow and parts of the West of Scotland, causing traffic chaos in most areas.^[6]

April

• 5 April - Andy Murray wins the Sony Ericsson Open
• 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.^[7]
• 13 April - Scotland win the World Men's Curling Championship, in Moncton, Canada
• 30 April - Beltane

May

• 4 May - John Higgins wins the 2009 World Snooker Championship
• 22 May - Whitelee Wind Farm, the largest wind farm in Europe, officially opens.^[8][9]

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 Flu related death in the United Kingdom is confirmed by the Scottish Government at 20:30BST.^[10]
• 15 June - The Calman Commission recommends that the Scottish Parliament be given greater control over tax and legislation such as setting speed limits.^[11]
• 17 28 June - Edinburgh International Film Festival
• 25 28 June - Royal Highland Show

July

• 16 - 19 - Open Championship, Turnberry, South Ayrshire

August

• 2 August - Catriona Matthew wins the 2009 Women's British Open
• 11 August - Archaeologists announce that they have discovered a royal tomb from the early Bronze Age, at Forteviot^[12]
• 14 August - Archaeologists announce that they have discovered a Neolithic temple in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site^[13]
• 20 August - The Scottish justice secretary Kenny MacAskill grants release to the convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds, stating that Megrahi is in the final stages of terminal prostate cancer.^[14]

September

• 15 September - Geology of Scotland: Shetland awarded European Geopark status^[15]

October

November

• 16 November - Galloway Forest Park is designated at a dark sky park by the International Dark-Sky Association
• 20 November - John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, wins the Scottish Politician of the Year Award 2009^[16]
• 23 November - Susan Boyle's first album, I Dreamed a Dream becomes Amazon's best-selling album in pre-sales.^[17][18]
• 26 November - BrewDog launched a new beer called Tactical Nuclear Penguin, with 32% alcohol, which is claimed to be the strongest beer ever made^[19]

December

• 1 December - The first reshuffle of the Scottish Cabinet since the Scottish National Party came to power in May 2007^[20]
• 4 12 December - 2009 European Curling Championships, Aberdeen
• 16 December - Scotland's largest airline, Flyglobespan, goes into administration.^[21]
• 17 December - Archaeologists announce that they have found man-made structures on the sea-bed off the island of Damsay, Orkney.^[22]
• 20 December - Richie Ramsay wins the South African Open, Scotland's first win on the European Tour since Alastair Forsyth won the Madeira Island Open in March 2008^[23]
• 30 December - Three climbers are killed following three large avalanches in the Scottish mountains.^[24][25]

Works

Publications

• 15 June - final report of the Calman Commission

Establishments

• 1 April - Marine Scotland^[26]

Disestablishments

Deaths

January

• 7 January - Alfie Conn, Sr, footballer (b. 1926)^[27]
• 29 January - John Martyn, singer-songwriter (b. 1948)^[28]

February

• 6 February - Bashir Ahmad, Scottish National Party MSP for Glasgow (b. 1940)^[29]
• 17 February - Victor Kiernan, Marxist historian
• 19 February - Anna Watt, variety entertainer

June

• 7 June - Gordon Lennon, footballer (b. 1983)

September

• 23 September - Bill Speirs (b. 1952), general secreatary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress, and key figure on the left of the Scottish Labour Party, 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 Convention, and was a member of the group that drafted the key document Scotland's Parliament, Scotland's Right in 1995^[30]
• 28 September - Reverend Maxwell Craig, the Extra Chaplain to the Queen^[31]

See also

• 2009
• 2009 in the United Kingdom

References