Today is Culloden Day when 277 years ago highlanders fought for independence of their country and reinstallation of the the Stewart kings. They lost badly to the English king's army. This second of the Jacobite uprisings led to the imprisonment and eventual deportation of many Scots to the Americas as indentured servents. Tartans were outlawed. Clan estates and castles were destroyed. The culture survived, but some of the old ways were lost. Locals from the area where I live have gone to Scotland to teach the older Gaelic, music and step dancing. Why from here do they cross the ocean to teach such subjects? Well, many of the families who settled here left to find a new home after the first and second risings in the 1700s.
The song I chose to share today deals with the escape of Prince Charles (also called the Bonnie Prince). He had been in the highlands during the battle and managed to find his way across to one of the outlying islands and then back to the European continent. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Skye Boat Song -- The Corries
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