The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Ghostly piper story stirs up smuggler memories
Councillor calls for more public awareness of ports’ clandestine past
Tales of an 18th Century ghostly piper have prompted an Angus councillor to call for greater awareness of smuggling history in the county.
Legend has it that a piper named Tam Tyrie had been playing at a wedding, but had taken shelter from the stormy night with his wife and dog in a cave between Arbroath and Auchmithie.
In a bid to drown out the sound of the storm, Tam began to play his pipes.
However, the trio were never seen again after that night, although one version of the story alleges that after three days the dog ran out of the cave mouth at great speed.
Later, the farmer at Dickmontlaw, whose home was around a mile inland, alleged he heard the sound of the bagpipes being played far below his hearthstone.
The legend continues that the ghostly sound of bagpipes could be heard periodically as Tam mournfully played a Highland air in the depths of the cave.
Such was the popularity of the tale that a lengthy poem describing the incident was published in the Edinburgh Magazine in 1824.
The story is not an isolated one. Similar versions have been told in areas where smuggling was commonplace, and it is thought the ghostly piper tale was a smugglers’ ruse to scare away inquisitive locals by playing the pipes during their illegal activities.
Now, Arbroath East and Lunan SNP Councillor Brenda Durno wants to see greater awareness of Angus’ smuggling past. She said: “People might not associate Angus with smuggling but it certainly went on.
“There are a number local tales. Many people in Arbroath, for example, will have grown up hearing stories of a secret tunnel between the abbey and the cliffs to move contraband.
“I think locals and visitors alike would be fascinated to know the extent that smuggling went on, especially as ports such as Arbroath and Montrose had such important international trading links. It is quite an unexplored aspect of local history that could play a big part in promoting the area to visitors and help boost tourism.”