Scottish History and Celtic Myths

Learning the bagpipes and Scottish drums is tied to an interest in Celtic myth and history. It may be that the interest in bagpipes inspires interest in history, or it may go the other direction. From time to time we put some research into history of tunes, bagpipers, the Celts. Hopefully you will find some of these interesting.

Holiday: Imbolc

February 2nd is a time to watch Bill Murray learn to play the piano, but in days long past this time was called Imbolc. Halfway between the winter solstice and vernal equinox, it was nominally celebrated February 1-2 for the coming spring. It was once holy to the Celtic goddess Brigid, and then to Saint Brigid.

It's when Cailleach, the divine hag, would gather her firewood for the rest of winter. If she wanted winter to last a while, the day would be bright and sunny so she could gather more firewood. A tradition of seeing whether serpents or badgers came from their winter dens may have given rise to the North American Groundhog Day.

Regardless of the origin, it's definitely time to start planning for spring and getting those pipes and drums ready to go.

Holiday: Samhain

Exactly between Autumnal Equinox and the Winter Solstice you will find Samhain! High Kings of Ireland would host gatherings at the Hill of Tara where the Mound of the Hostages is aligned with the sunrise this day. The portals to the Otherworld open on this night!

We call it Halloween now, but tales of werewolves, demons, and fire-breathing monsters reach far back into Celtic mythology.

So be a ghost, a clown, a werewolf, a witch, a princess, or a grumpy old man who turns off the lights to eat all the candy himself, but be sure to have fun and, if you're so inclined, thank the Celts.

Holiday: Saint Patrick’s Day

Writing anything now about St Patrick is difficult, because he lived in the 5th century AD, and there was very little contemporary writing about his life. He was born in Britain or Scotland to Roman parents who were in charge of the colonies. He was captured when he was approximately 16 years old and enslaved in Ireland, which was still a land primarily of druids. When he was captured, he was not of any faith, but six years of captivity made him turn to God. He escaped and returned home. He had a vision (a dream) where the people of Ireland spoke to him, "We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us."

He took up his studies to become a priest, and he was ordained by St Germanus. Later he was ordained a bishop and sent to bring the Gospel to Ireland. Due to his captivity, he knew the language and something of the people. He was, as you might suspect given the celebrations we have, rather successful in converting people to Christianity. The first sanctuary dedicated by St Patrick was at Saul.

There is the legend that he chased the snakes out of Ireland. There never were any snakes in Ireland, so Buzz Aldrin was equally successful in chasing all the snakes off the Moon. Perhaps it was a reference to serpent symbolism of the Druids.

St Patrick's Day marks his death, March 17. The year in which he died seems to vary between 460 and 493, so it doesn't seem very likely that March 17th is all that accurate either. The best claim is that he is buried at Down Cathedral in Downpatrick.

There is a theory that many of the traditions attributed to St Patrick include those of Palladius, another priest working in Ireland about the same time. Let this be a lesson in the importance of keeping good records.

So why the shamrock? St Patrick used it to explain the Holy Trinity. While the druids may have found the four-leaf clover to be an indication of luck, it had nothing to do with St Patrick. That would be the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and my cousin Vinny?

St Patrick's color was actually blue, not green. Green represents Ireland, so a little confusion is understandable.

One of the surviving writings is St Patrick's letter to the soldiers of Coroticus. In this, St. Patrick writes that he has excommunicated Coroticus because he had taken some of St. Patrick's converts into slavery while raiding in Ireland. The letter describes the followers of Coroticus as "fellow citizens of the devils" and "associates of the Scots [of Dalriada and later Argyll] and Apostate Picts". Since we're playing all weekend in Scottish kilts and playing Scottish pipes, I assume that means we've gotten over that choice of words.

History: The Thin Red Line

In 1854, the Sutherland Highlanders 93rd Regiment stood against a Russian cavalry charge at the Battle of Balaklava. The Russians were advancing on an unprepared British camp, and the Highlanders were ordered to hold off the Russians.

Colin Campbell told his men "There is no retreat from here, men. You must die where you stand." Convention said to form into a line four men deep, but Campbell made the men only two deep. Three volleys were fired at the Russians who, believing the line was a diversion and a bigger force awaited them, withdrew. Some of the highlanders started to pursue, but Sir Colin stopped them with "93rd, damn all that eagerness."

William Russell wrote in The Times that all he could see between the British camp and the charging Russians was the "thin streak tipped with a line of steel," referring to the two-deep line of Highlanders. This was popularly condensed to "the thin red line," which is the origin of that term.

Robert Gibb painted The Thin Red Line in 1881.

History: The Thistle

We all know the thistle is one of the symbols of Scotland. Well, why is that? Whatever the reason, it's an old one. One legend goes back to the time of the Viking raids on Scotland. Parts of Scotland had been ruled by Norway for centuries, and attacks were common. So the legend is that in 1263, King Haakon IV of Norway launched an invasion. The Vikings were approaching in darkness, and one stepped on a thistle. He cried out, alerting the Scots, and the Vikings were thus defeated at the Battle of Largs. King Haakon died returning to Norway.

I am not personally vouching for the authenticity of that story.

In any event, the thistle appeared on coins minted in 1470, and in 1503 the marriage of King James IV to Princess Margaret Tudor gave us the poem "The Thistle and the Rose"... good luck trying to read that one. About that time it also became integral on Scotland's Coat of Arms.

Now we come to the fun part. In 1687, King James VII said he was reviving an ancient order. At the time, we did not have organizations dedicated to fact checking statements by politicians, which is a shame. Whether he was really reviving an ancient order or just saying that to give it a sense of grandeur, it was still properly called "The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle," or just Order of the Thistle. It is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland, obviously.

The Order of the Thistle, the Royal Coat of Arms for use in Scotland, the Royal Regiment of Scotland, Scots Guards, and the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards all use the same motto - Nemo me impune lacessit, which is "No one provokes me with impunity."

See, because it's prickly. That's the clever bit.

History: Illegal Kilts

King James II of England (he was VII in Scotland) was deposed in 1688 after just 3 years as king. He was Catholic and an advocate of religious tolerance. Many people just weren't having any of this tolerance nonsense, and William III became king of England.

James was still around, and many people still wanted a Catholic king (mostly the Catholics, I'm told). From 1688 until 1745, the Jacobite uprisings were an effort to put James and his descendants back on the throne. King George II finally crushed the rebellion at the Battle of Culloden.

By this point, they were the United Kingdom, and King George was a little tired of this special Scottish nationalism. He decided to get rid of kilts because he thought this would make everyone more English. The Proscription Act of 1746 banned tartans and highland wear (except for Highland regiments). It also allowed for disarming the Scots. This was followed by the Heritable Jurisdiction Act of 1746, which removed feudal authority of Clan Chieftains in an attempt to destroy the clan system.

Of course, some people took to wearing the highland kilts in protest, but the penalties were severe at a minimum of 6 months in prison. The kilt had become associated with Jacobites, but once that threat was gone there was some sense of nostalgic loss for the romantics. As expected, the bagpipes saw a severe decline during this time. Afterall, if you can't wear a kilt while playing, what's the point?

The Proscription Act was repealed in 1782, and here's the funny thing... about 90% of Scots were lowlanders, but through "Highlander Societies," everyone was encouraged to wear the kilt as a symbol of all Scotland, not just the highlands.

Obviously, this worked. The kilt became part of the Scottish national identity and the wider Celtic identity. When King George IV visited Scotland in 1822, he was seen wearing a kilt in order to build goodwill. Even lowlanders searched for highland heritage for an appropriate tartan for the event. The king was a bit on the obese side and supposedly the kilt was a little on the short side, so that must have been a grand event.

History: Mad Jack Churchill

Properly known as Lieutenant Colonel John Malcolm Thorpe Fleming Churchill, Jack can only be considered at least partially insane. He was born in Surrey in 1906, and he joined the British Army in 1926. He left the army in 1936 and became a newspaper editor in Kenya. He was also an archer and, as you might have guessed, a piper. He was also a male model because even if I were making this up I wouldn't have come up with that. This allowed him to have small roles in the movies "The Thief of Bagdad" and "A Yank at Oxford." He also took second place in 1938 at the Aldershot Tattoo, and in 1939 he represented Britain in the World Archery Championships in Oslo.

At this point, you should probably already be feeling bad about what relatively few things you've accomplished in life, and we're just getting started.

In 1939, the Germans were jerks. They invaded Poland. What does an archer/male model/bagpiper/actor/editor do when Germany invades Poland? Naturally, he goes back to the British Army.

I'm not entirely sure how he managed to carry a Scottish broadsword, a bagpipe, and a longbow in addition to all of his other gear, but somehow he did while leading the Manchester Regiment as part of the British Expeditionary Force to France. In May of 1940, he gave the signal to attack to his men by shooting the enemy sergeant with his longbow. This makes him the only known British soldier to have felled an enemy with a longbow in WWII.

After Dunkirk, Jack evidently decided that the regular army was a little too easy, and he volunteered for the Commandos. Attacking a German garrison in Norway in December of 1941, he went forward playing "March of the Cameron Man," threw a grenade, and charged. I think you might be getting the understanding of why he is "Mad Jack" now. It is worth noting that for us, playing in cold weather is not ideal. For Jack, it was December. In Norway. He received the Military Cross and Bar for this particular adventure.

In Italy in 1943, he led two Commandos and was ordered to capture a German observation post that controlled a pass down to the beachhead. They infiltrated the town and captured the post, taking 42 prisoners. There were three of them. I guess someone in his chain of command thought that three men taking 42 prisoners was impressive, and he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.

Then we come to Yugoslavia in 1944. Churchill led 43 Commandos to take the island of Brac. Only Jack and six others reached an objective, and they were being hit with mortar shells. Jack played "Will Ye No Come Back Again?" on the pipes while his men fell around him. Finally, he was knocked out by grenades and captured.

You might think that's the end of the tale. Nope. He was questioned and sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. He escaped with an RAF officer and attempted to walk to the Baltic coast. They were recaptured. That's when things got dicey. In April of 1945, they were sent to Tyrol (yes, the one with the green hills) where they were guarded by the SS. If Germans were jerks, the SS were uberjerks. The prisoners were worried they would be executed as things were going very badly for the Germans. Fortunately, the regular German army came in to guard the prisoners from the SS, and then released them. Churchill walked 90 miles to meet some American tanks.

Then the crazy man went off to the Pacific. He was a bit disappointed when the war was over. "If it wasn't for those damn Yanks, we could have kept the war going another 10 years."

Then he was in the movie Ivanhoe as an archer in 1946 because why the hell not?

Then he thought jumping out of planes sounded fun, qualified as a parachutist, transferred to the Seaforth Highlanders, and was posted to Palestine. There was more fighting there, and I think you get the picture by now. The man was mad.

Jack Churchill retired from the military in 1959, and he died in 1996.

"Any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed."

Tune: The Bloody Fields of Flanders

Flanders, a region of Belgium and northern France, wasn't a great place to be during WWI. It also wasn't filled with tourists during WWII, but most references to battles in Flanders refer to WWI.

John "Jock" McLellan was born in 1875 in Dunoon, and he enlisted in the Highland Light Infantry in 1892. He saw some action in Malta, and he left the military by 1903. Then he focused on piping and composing tunes.

During WWI he was a piper in the 8th Argyllshire Battalion, of which he would eventually become pipe major. During or shortly after the war, he composed The Bloody Fields of Flanders. It's a lovely tune even if the topic is absolutely horrific.

But of course, if we're talking about Flanders, then we can't ignore the Canadian John McCrae, who was a soldier, a physician, and a poet. He was neither Scottish nor a piper, but he volunteered and fought in the second battle of Ypres in Flanders. He wrote to his mother, "For seventeen days and seventeen nights none of us have had our clothes off, nor our boots even, except occasionally. In all that time while I was awake, gunfire and rifle fire never ceased for sixty seconds... And behind it all was the constant background of the sights of the dead, the wounded, the maimed, and the terrible anxiety lest the line should give way."

The poppy is often found alongside fields where grain is grown, which is pretty common in Flanders. The fields had been wrecked by the many battles, and the landscape was barren. The poppy seeds, however, were effectively planted by all the ground disturbances. In spring of 1915, the poppies gave life to the desolation where so many had died.

John McCrae's close friend, Alexis Helmer, was killed during the battle on May 2nd. He performed the burial service himself, and he noted how quickly the poppies grew around the graves. The next day, he composed the poem In Flanders Fields in the back of an ambulance.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Tune: Steam Train to Mallaig and the Hogwarts Express

In 1901 the Mallaig Extension of the West Highland Railway was opened, running from Fort William to Mallaig, a remote port. Of course, at the time, it was using steam trains. In 1967, the steam locomotives were replaced with diesel. While diesel is efficient, it is not romantic, so for the Mallaig Extension they brought back a steam locomotive in 1984 to promote tourism.

Originally called the West Highlander, the name was changed to The Lochaber and then The Jacobite in 1995.

It is a 41 mile route through some wonderful scenery, and if you believe the movies, it's the way to Hogwarts.

In 1993, Mary-Ann MacKinnon wrote a tune about it called Steam Train to Mallaig. It is a wonderful tune with four part harmony that manages to convey the sound of train.

Tune: Corriechoille

In 1788, the Northern Meeting was created in Inverness by Highland gentlemen to enliven the social life in northern Scotland. The first secretary, Dr John Alves, recorded "that the Object of the Meeting is Pleasure and Innocent Amusement." It was originally an annual meeting, but that frequency was not maintained over its entire history.

The Northern Meeting has since evolved into a major bagpipe competition.

John Cameron of Corriechoille was apparently given a special welcome for his 43rd visit, thus the tune "Corriechoille's 43rd Welcome to the Northern Meeting." Cameron was a wealthy land owner who died in 1856 at Spean Bridge, Invernessshire.

The composer, William Ross (1823-1891), was Pipe Major of 42nd Royal Highlanders (Black Watch) until he became Piper to Queen Victoria from 1854 to 1891.

Tune: Minstrel Boy

Thomas Moore was an Irish poet born in 1779. He graduated from Trinity College in 1795 where he originally went to become a lawyer, but changed his major to poetry because he was clearly seeking a higher paying career. He did not have great early success in his career as a poet. In 1798 there was an unsuccessful Irish rebellion followed by a failed French invasion. Moore lost some friends in the Irish rebellion, and the best guess by the knowledge experts on Wikipedia is that, though it would be a few years down the road, he would write Minstrel Boy in honor of these fallen friends.

Before that, though, he left for Bermuda in 1803 to be registrar to the Admiralty. He was only there for a few months before heading to Virginia, because Virginia is awesome. He even had the opportunity to meet President Jefferson. Apparently he did not care for Jefferson, which can only be because Moore was a moron. Jefferson, on the other hand, mistook the short Moore as a child, so overall it was a win for the US. Moore headed into Canada before heading home in November of 1804, which seems to be when he got serious about writing things down. And yes, the author of this is a Virginia native and fan of Jefferson..

An editor named Francis Jeffrey didn't care for his first works, so naturally Moore challenged him to a duel. Let it not be said that being unable to take criticism is a trait of modern society. The duel was interrupted by authorities, but a rumor (or a vicious truth?) started that the gun Jeffrey had been given was empty. Lord Byron found this enormously funny and wrote about it. Moore, missing the point, challenged Byron to a duel. Byron had left the country already, but when he returned they became friends.

In 1813, Moore published a book including Minstrel Boy. It was a song in the sense that it was words set to music, but he did not write the tune. It was an old Irish air called The Moreen from maybe the late 1500s. The book also included The Last Rose of Summer, which is another popular poem.

The enthusiastic young man goes off to war, and though he's a bit naive about war, he sure is patriotic. This became quite popular in the American Civil War, particularly on the Union side, and even more so during WWI.

Moore spent some more time with Byron, and Byron asked him to publish his memoirs after he died. Unfortunately, Byron's family was very much against this since Byron was perhaps a bit too honest. Moore destroyed the memoirs instead of publishing them. Generally speaking, this is a bit of a downer.

Ultimately, Moore is often considered Ireland's National Bard, so I guess you'd say he had a pretty good run.

Tune: Amazing Grace

John Newton was born in London in 1725 into a home that was not particularly religious. He was pressed into the Royal Navy in 1743, and he did not seem to enjoy his time on the HMS Harwich. He transferred to the Pegasus, a slave ship bound for West Africa. He did not get along with the crew of the Pegasus, and they left him in Africa to become a slave himself. In 1748, his father sent a sea captain to search for him, and he was rescued. He was sent home on the merchant ship Greyhound, which encountered a severe storm and nearly sank off Donegal, Ireland on March 10th. Newton cried out to God as the ship was filling with water, and this marked the start of his conversion to evangelical Christianity.

Newton obtained a position as first mate on the slave ship Brownlow. He became very ill with fever while in west Africa, and he said this was the first time he felt totally at peace with God. Later, he made three voyages as captain of slave ships. After a severe stroke in 1754, he gave up seafaring and slave trading, though he did continue to invest in slaving operations for many years.

He married in 1750, and after ending his career at sea he became a tax collector at the Port of Liverpool. He also became known as an evangelical minister. In 1757, he applied to be ordained as a priest in the Church of England, and in 1764 he was ordained and sent to Olney. He was very popular in Olney, where he collaborated with poet William Cowper. In 1779, the two of them published Olney Hymns, which included “Faith’s Review and Expectation,” which would later become known by the first line of it, “Amazing Grace.”

Later in life, John Newton became an abolitionist, and he died in 1807.

The poem Amazing Grace had no particular music, and over the years it was set to many different tunes. In 1835, William Walker, a Baptist from South Carolina known as Singing Billy, set the poem to the tune “New Britain,” which was an amalgamation of the melodies “Gallaher” and “St. Mary” that were published by Spillman and Shaw in 1829 in Cincinnati.

Amazing Grace set to the tune New Britain is how we know it today.

The song was used by abolitionists and the Civil Rights Movement. It was translated into the Cherokee language and was sung on the Trail of Tears. It became an emblem of the Christian movement and a symbol of the US itself. It was even used in opposition to the Vietnam War. In short, it has been continuously popular for varying reasons for a very long time.

In 1972, the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards recorded and released an instrumental version. I think we all generally consider that a success. The track sold over seven million copies by mid 1977 and was awarded a gold disc. It is said that Pipe Major A J Crease was summoned to Edinburgh Castle to be chastised for “demeaning the bagpipes,” but that sounds a bit like an urban legend.

Tune: Atholl Highlanders

In 1777, there was a bit of a ruckus going on between the UK and some of its colonies. John Murray, the 4th Duke of Atholl, formed the 77th Regiment of Foot. This first incarnation of the Atholl Highlanders were to relieve other regiments in North America, but they never made it further than Ireland. The men were hired for three years or until the end of the American Revolution, whichever came first. However, in 1781, the regiment was about to be sent off for service in the East Indies. The men mutinied, and the orders were changed. They were sent to Berwick, where they remained until they were disbanded in 1783.

In 1839, George Murray, the 6th Duke of Atholl, restored the Atholl Highlanders as his personal bodyguard. In 1842, Queen Victoria stayed as a guest of the Duke at Blair Castle as she toured Perthshire, and the Atholl Highlanders served as her escort. In turn, Queen Victoria granted the regiment colors, which gave it official status. Until 1933, the regiment provided guards for royal visitors to Blair Castle and participated in the Braemar Gathering.

Between 1933 and 1966, things weren't looking good. It seemed the Atholl Highlanders would fade away. Then Iain Murray, the 10th Duke of Atholl, reformed the regiment and revived the annual parade.

The Atholl Highlanders are the only private army in all of Europe, though it is clearly a ceremonial regiment in modern times. They are approximately 100 men, and the officers are mostly lairds. The regiment is responsible for the defense of Blair Castle and the surrounding estate, but in practice they usually only parade twice a year. Those who aren't piping or drumming carry Lee-Metford rifles. The current commander is Bruce Murray, the 12th Duke of Atholl. Their tartan is Murray of Atholl.

The Atholl Highlanders Pipes and Drums USA is a pipe band in Stone Mountain, Georgia. It was formed in 1981 with permission of the 10th Duke to be his "Unit in the Colonies." They also wear the Murray of Atholl tartan, but there's no further connection.

You can get married at Blair Castle. I didn't ask for prices, but I'm sure it's cheap because it's so old (over 700 years).

Tune: Heights of Dargai

The Afridi tribe had been receiving a subsidy from British India to guard the Khyber pass (in northern Pakistan) when, in 1897, they had a change of heart. The Afridi tribe took over the region, and about 35,000 British troops came in to rectify the situation under the command of General Sir William Lockhart. It was called the Tirah campaign.

The cliffs were 900 feet tall and were essentially the entrance to the pass. The British easily took the heights on October 18th, but withdrew due to lack of water and Afridi counter-attack. By October 20th, the cliffs were guarded by 8000 Afridis. The Dorsetshire and Devonshire regiments as well as the Ghurka Rifles (Indian soldiers) attacked the heights, but they were unable to take the position. The Gordon Highlanders were then ordered to attack as well, and they did so to the sound of bagpipes. Within 40 minutes, the charging Scots had taken the cliffs. Piper George Findlater was shot in both hips, and he was leaned against a rock by his companions. Wounded, he continued to play.

Findlater and three other soldiers were awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions that day. There was a loss of 199 of the British force killed or wounded.

Findlater does not recall what tune he was playing. His best guess is "Haughs of Cromdale," but others say it was "Cock O' the North."

The tune the Heights of Dargai was written by J Wallace to commemorate the battle. There was also a fiddle tune called Dargai written by James Skinner. William McGonagall, a notoriously terrible poet, wrote a poem called Storming of Dargai Heights. His friends published it in a book called "Yet Further Poetic Gems." Those were some good friends.

Tune: Battle of the Somme

The Battle of the Somme took place from July 1 to November 18, 1918. During that time over a million soldiers would be killed or wounded. This was a "total warfare" clash of industrialized nations, and most of us are fortunate to be too young to experience the real-time horrors of total warfare. We hope it remains in the past and serves as a warning to future generations.

The battle was fought on the banks of the River Somme in northern France primarily between France and Britain against the German Empire. It was the largest battle of the Western Front of WWI, and one of the bloodiest battles in human history.

"Somme. The whole history of the world cannot contain a more ghastly word." ~ German officer Friedrich Steinbrecher

The tune, Battle of the Somme, was written by William Laurie. He fought in the battle as PM of the 8th Argylls. He died in November, 1916 in an Oxford hospital from illness and injuries sustained in the trenches. He was just 35 years old. He did live long enough to see his new tune find success. The tune is linked more to the safety and refuge of the camp rather than the operation itself, which is why it is a beautiful dance tune. Specifically, the type of tune is called a “lilt”.