Rare collection of Gaelic songs about Culloden released on battle anniversary
● Language marks occasion after all events cancelled
They speak of love, of loyalty, of pride and of sacrifice.
Now a rare collection of Gaelic songs written around the time of the Battle of Culloden have been released to mark the 274th anniversary of the clash, which brought the 1745 Jacobite rising to an end and started the wholesale dismantling of Highland culture.
The works have been made public by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) as its usual commemoration of events of 16 April, 1746, at Culloden Battlefield are cancelled this year.
The songs were collected by folklorist John Lorne Campbell from Highland bards and descendants of Jacobites, with the majority written around the time of the battle or during its aftermath.
The works include the Lament of William Chisholm, the chief of Clan Chisholm who died at Culloden. The song was written by his widow Christine, who is said to have tapped out the rhythm on his coffin as she followed it on his funeral day.
Fiona Mackenzie, the archivist at Canna House, the former home of Campbell on Canna that is owned by NTS, said the songs showed Gaels had “the power of language” and used it to record the pain of Culloden.
She said: “They show that the Gaels were not simple people. They had the power of language and the power of expression.
“The Gaels had a real talent for language. These songs weren’t written down and the focus was on the naming of the words and expression.
“They tend to deal with a story about an event or a particular moment. They are often about praise, the praising of a clan chief or the warriors, the crofters of the clan.
“They also show language was a tool after Culloden. When culture and music was prohibited, these songs show that they could use words. They wanted people to remember the struggle of the Jacobites.”
Campbell collected the works for his book Highlands Songs of the ’45, with many of the songs having never been written down before.
The book, which was published in 1933, is said to be the work the prolific scholar of Gaelic culture was most proud of.
Originally from Argyll and a student of Oxford University, he started to collect material for the book after being invited to Barra to study crofting conditions and Gaelic. On the island, he befriended Compton Mackenzie and stayed with John Macpherson, county councillor and postmaster, known to all as the “Coddy”.
The Culloden songs include ‘Òran do’n Phrionnsa/song to the Prince’, ‘An Suaithneas Bàn/the White Cockade’ and ‘Am Breacan Uallach/the Proud Plaid’.
A film released by NTS features the original audio recordings of some of those who shared the songs.
Raoul Machin-curtis, the National Trust for Scotland’s operations manager at Culloden said: “The anniversary of the Battle of Culloden is a significant date for so many and while we can’t be on-site today, we know that people will want to pause, reflect and remember.
“These beautiful songs reflect the haunting beauty of the battlefield, one of Scotland’s most special places, so powerfully. We feel it is fitting to share them on this poignant day.”
The Jacobites lost the Battle of Culloden, with the defeat ending Charles Edward Stuart’s bid to restore his family to the throne following the deposition of his grandfather, James VII.