Writer, Filmmaker, Mother, Grandmother
I'm chuffed to have an essay included in Issue 41 of Nutmeg, the brilliant quarterly magazine about Scottish football. My piece, entitled, And if you know the history... draws on research I undertook with women Celtic supporters and asks why so few women write about the history of the football club they love. The respondents… Continue reading Nutmeg Magazine
I'm delighted to say that my short story Keel, an abridged narrative drawn from my as yet unpublished novel of the same name, has been announced as the trophy winner of the Impsired Soundwaves writing competition. The story is about female friendship and male coercive control and I will be performing it at a showcase… Continue reading Short story winner!
Archie Macpherson is one the most considered people I have been fortunate enough to meet in football, so it is an absolute pleasure to be chairing his event at the Tidelines Book Festival on the 24th of September. One of our most cherished sports broadcasters, Archie has spent time with the greats of sport at… Continue reading The voice of Scottish football
I successfully managed to find a host of reasons to celebrate my PhD journey - first draft, submission, Viva, qualification award....(and why not, it's important to mark each milestone!) but last week was the last one. The final hurrah. The graduation day at the University of Stirling. I actually wasn't sure I wanted to attend… Continue reading The final hurrah.
This is an article I wrote for the Sunday Post back in 2021. As Scotland men prepare to play their first match of the 2026 World Cup it is very relevant indeed! When I was growing up, Scotland was going to win the World Cup. Fact. Ally MacLeod told me. I had no reason not… Continue reading Another generation will have hope spring eternal, their faces uncharted by disaster
I made a documentary for BBC Radio 4. It's an autoethnographical piece, written and recorded on Rathlin Island, where my father was born, and where his remains now rest alongside my mother. The documentary is called The East Light. Here's the blurb: Margot McCuaig visits The East Light, a lighthouse on Rathlin which holds memories… Continue reading The East Light, BBC Radio 4
The day finally came; my PhD qualification has been awarded!! This is the final update in my PhD journey. It's a strange feeling... euphoria, obviously, and also an incredible sense of achievement for a working-class girl who was the first in her family to go to university. Three degrees and thirty years later and I… Continue reading Dr. Margot McCuaig
The day of the viva finally came and I am delighted to say that on Wednesday the 12th of November I passed! The viva, held by the examination committee at the University of Stirling, was robust and intense. I have some amendments to make, but to say I'm pleased to have passed is an understatement.… Continue reading Viva voce!
I guess it seems quiet on the PhD thesis front, but it isn't. As you'll know from my last update, I have submitted my thesis, and this is where another chapter begins (if that makes sense!). Given my Viva Voce is really close now, presumably my examination committee are reading, or have read my thesis,… Continue reading It’s all been leading to this…
This beautiful book, edited by Fiona Skillen, Helena Byrne and Gary James, was published by Peter Lang and launched at the Irish Embassy in London this month (September 2025). I'm thrilled to have written a chapter in the collection, writing about documentary films I have made with my company purpleTV, which feature women in football.… Continue reading Histories of Women’s Football in Britain and Ireland
Margot McCuaig 