GEN-TRIVIA-SCOTLAND-L Archives

From: "D & K Angus" <>
Subject: Re: "Holy" subjects
Date: Thu, 5 Aug 1999 22:16:16 -0700

Hi Beth and All

>RE: "HOLY" SUBJECTS:


I really hadn't thought about this until I read your posting. I have been
researching my father's family from Aberdeenshire in and around Cluny,
Midmar and Echt. My research has taken me back into the late 1700's. Prior
to my research all I knew was he was from Scotland, from a farm, somewhere
near Aberdeen. With the help of some very kind people I have met on some of
the mail lists I now know where many of the family are buried, the names of
the farms they had over the years and yes, even photos of gravestones and
the farm houses that are still in exsistance today. I have also become
somewhat of a student of Scottish history never before realizing how very
interesting and colorful Scotand's past was. We are planning to visit next
year in August, hopefully to visit the farms, the family plot in a
churchyard in Old Kinernie, and for sure the Edinburgh Tattoo. Although my
father never had the opportunity to return to his homeland, I am sure he
wished he could have. There are many places in this world I would love to
visit but none as much as what I could now call a "pilgrimage" to the land
my father left some 70 years ago. I know we will not have enough time (4
weeks) to do everything we would like to do but then that always gives us an
excuse to return.

A small comment of one of your statements refering to tunes played on the
pipes. I am fortunate to be able to recognize many of the Scottish tunes as
I heard them freqently as I was growing up but it seems that any time one
hears a pipe band playing (in western Canada) the only song they seem to
play is "Scotland the Brave" or "Amazing Grace". There are so many fine
Scottish songs to choose from, I do wish some of the pipe bands would add
more variety to their selections.

Cheers and Best Regards
Don Angus

>Some of those subjects I perceive(d) as "holy" to the Scots (and some are
>"holy" to me!) are: Bannockburn, Sir William Wallace, St. Andrew,
Culloden,
>Mary Stuart, "Flower of Scotland," Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and any
>Scottish football team that beats an English football team.
>
>Regarding pilgrimages, yes, I think my visits were pilgrimages, although I
>had not thought of them in that way until you used the term.
>
>There are many Americans who claim Scottish ancestry and know a great deal
>about Scotland. However, though some of us can tell you our clan
>affiliations, we:
>
>1) don't recognize "The Bluebells of Scotland" (or any tune other than
>"Loch Lomond," for that matter) when played on the pipes;
>2) didn't know who William Wallace was, until "Braveheart" (one of my
>friends who saw the movie recently asked me if Wallace was Scottish or
Irish);
>3) don't know the importance of Bannockburn -- or have ever heard of it;
>4) know Robert Burns wrote "To a Louse," but can't tell you anything else
>he wrote;
>5) would say they know exactly who Sir Walter Scott is --- "the guy who
>wrote _Ivanhoe_";
>6) think "Amazing Grace" is an old Scots tune (just kidding!).
>
>And (boy, is this hard to admit!) I was one of these, in many respects, for
>many years.
>
>In 1994, we went to the Highland Games at Grandfather Mountain, North
>Carolina. Alex Beaton was there (I didn't know who he was). He played and
>sang many Scottish songs (I recognized about two). There, I realized I was
>in the presence of people who knew what they were talking about when they
>talked of their Scottish heritage.
>
>In March 1996, my husband arranged for a trip to Scotland the following
>July. I thought, okay, it's now or never. I buried myself in Scottish
>history books for weeks. When in Scotland, I bought books at the Tourist
>Information Centres. I haunted the Internet and wore out encyclopedias.
>Suddenly, I KNEW who the Corries were singing about when they said, "By the
>Cross her Andrew bore, by the Sword her William wore . . .", and I felt
like
>Helen Keller when she realized what words were. And I have not stopped
>reading and learning since then.
>
>SO! I hope I have not fallen prey to that syndrome of the classic bore,
TMI
>("Too Much Information," especially of an autobiographical nature), but
yes,
>Paul, for me it is a pilgrimage -- one that began on a cold July evening on
>Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina!
>
>Thanks for asking.
>
>Beth
>South Carolina
>USA
>
>
>
>
>
>At 10:33 AM 8/4/99 +0100, you wrote:
>>Dear Beth,
>>
>>In a recent message thanking Mark for his excellent 'histories' you
>>wrote:
>>
>>"The best part, to me, is that you give us insight into a Scot's opinion
>>on subjects we perceive --- through folksongs, Tranter, Prebble, et al.
>>--- as "holy" subjects. I particularly enjoyed your comments on the
>>Bonnie Prince, and also on the Glencoe Massacre."
>>
>>I would be very interested to know what you mean by "holy" subjects.
>>What themes in Scottish history fall into this category? In what ways
>>are they "holy"?
>>
>>I am running a research project here at the Highland Folk Museum looking
>>at 'homecoming' journeys made by people of Scottish descent to the 'old
>>country'. One of the things that fascinates me whether such journeys
>>might be considered as pilgrimages. I would be keen to hear yours - and
>>other listers' - thoughts on this.
>>
>>Best wishes,
>>
>>Paul Basu.
>>
>>====================================
>>HIGHLAND HOMECOMINGS PROJECT
>>http://www.scotweb.org/homecomings
>>
>>
>>Highland Folk Museum
>>Duke Street
>>Kingussie
>>Inverness-shire
>>PH21 1JG
>>Scotland
>>
>>Tel: (local) 01540 662435 (international) 00 441 540 662 435
>>Fax: (local) 01540 661631 (international) 00 441 540 661 631
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>==== GEN-TRIVIA-SCOTLAND Mailing List ====
>>When replying to a message please check the subject
>>line before sending it to make sure that the subject
>>reflects what is in your message.
>>
>>
>
>______________________________

This thread:

• Re: "Holy" subjects by "D & K Angus" <>