MEN IN KILTS!! Finally!!
Oh, thank goodness!! I was getting depressed — almost a week here in Scotland and nary a man in a kilt to be seen….or appreciated…but last night at Eilean Donan Castle, these two greeted me at the door on my way to the Clan MacRae gathering —
Ossian and Alex at Eilean Donan Castle
I’d met Alex before — on my first trip to Scotland I toured the Highlands with Sue-ellen Welfonder and Lisa Trimbauer — Alex gave us a tour of Eilean Donan and drew us a wonderful map of medieval sites on Skye. But this is the first I’d met Ossian — so I got a photo with him. And, gentleman that he is, he let me hold his very big sword:
Ossian's Sword - Oh My!
Oh, c’mon!! You knew I had to say that sometime in this trip?! LOL!
The rest of the event was fabulous — first the ‘youngsters’ performed for us, singing songs in Gaelic and playing everything from bodhran to harp to guitars to accordions to fiddles. Then the ‘masters’ took over, with a narrator telling the story of the Clan MacRae and singers and musicians joining in with songs written by or about the MacRaes of Kintail. Being in Eilean Donan simply made it more special.
Tonight, after driving to Skye, I went to another gathering — this time the Clan MacLeod at Dunvegan Castle. This time, the piper played the big-sized bagpipes, a thrill he said because of his family background. I learned that the MacKinnons were the hereditary pipers for the Clan MacLeod, and this piper, Calum MacKinnon, is the latest in a line of pipers in his family. He told us that his father even texted him about the significance of him performing at Dunvegan! And the sound was almost too large for the room where we were.
It was pretty special — listening to him play and sitting right next to the Fairy Flag of the MacLeod’s….
The drive back to Uig where I’m staying was another interesting driving challenge — rains and winds and curving unlit roads….oh my! But I was still humming some of the music I’d heard all the way back…..
Terri
PS – Getting excited about my trip over to Lewis and Harris in the outer Hebrides on Monday. . . Leaving on a 5:30 AM ferry is not exciting though….
6 thoughts on “MEN IN KILTS!! Finally!!”
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Sounds like me. When I was in Edinburgh it was 33 and drizzling and it felt like home. I could have slept in the streets and never come back.
Ahhhh I knew you wouldn’t let me down Terri! But you better keep these pictures with ya….for they’ll probably be the ONLY time you’ll see men in kilts! LOL
When I went to Scotland, the only time I saw men in kilts was once at a hotel I saw a man leave the hotel wearing a kilt, and then the employees at the whiskey distillery all wore kilts. Other than that, the only kilts I saw were at Edinburgh Castle with the pipers 😉
Ahhh and Ossian really DOES have a fine….sword ye kin? hee hee
With apologies to Calum — for mispelling his name!! The MacCrimmons were the heriditary pipers to the MacLeods… My ears are still ringing from the volume of those bagpipes…
Terri
Aye, ye make me mouth water, Terri–even at me age! LOL!
When you get back and settled down I’ll spin ye a yarn about me Stirling ancestor. Glad you got to see Stirling Castle. Now, when do you head for Dunnottar? I’m green with envy, and it’s not even my best color!
Janet
Woohoo!!! Men in kilts at last!
…(pardon me while I drool)…
Have a bonnie time, Terri!
All right, with the visit to Eilean Donan and the MacLeods at Dunvegan, it just has to be said…
THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!
There. I feel better now.