Traditional Songs of Scotland2 Quiz

Answer: Dark Lochnagar

Music by H. R. Bishop. Lyrics by none other than Lord Byron who spent part of his early life near Loch na Gar. Loch na Gar or Lochnagar is a mountain in the Cairngorm range.

Answer: Iona Boat Song

Legend has it that this melody was chanted by monks who rowed the dead bodies of Scottish kings to their final resting place on the sacred island of Iona.
Words by Sir Hugh. S. Robertson, founder of the Glasgow Orpheus Choir.
This is a beautiful air and is even more emotive when sung in the Gaelic.

Answer: Jock O' Hazeldean

A Border Ballad with words by Sir Walter Scott. This young lady was offered titles and wealth but she knew what and who she wanted. She got it as can be seen in the final two lines:
'She's ower the border and awa
Wi' Jock O' Hazeldean.'

Answer: Bonnie Wells O' Wearie

Words by Scottish poet Alexander MacLagan and music by John Charles Grieve. The Bonnie Wells were situated at the southern end of Holyrood Park. Bonnie lassies (who else!) used to do their laundry there in days gone by.

Answer: Mingulay Boat Song

The lyrics are by Hugh S Robertson. The music is a traditional Gaelic air.
Mingulay is an island in the Outer Hebrides. Despite its isolated location the island is steeped in history. The menfolk would fish the surrounding waters for white fish. As with many of our Scottish islands it is now uninhabited: the last islander left in 1912. Where once people lived, loved and worked, sheep now graze.

Answer: Bonnie Dundee

John Graham Claverhouse, the first Viscount of Dundee, was seen as a hero by his Jacobite followers. He was given the nickname Bonnie Dundee. His enemies, on the other hand,viewed him as the devil himself. Although his side won the Battle of Killiecrankie, Dundee himself was killed.
Words to this song by Sir Walter Scott.

Answer: Eriskay Love Lilt

This beautiful haunting melody is a traditional Gaelic air. The words are attributed to Mary MacInnes of Eriskay who first sang it. Eriskay is a small island in the Outer Hebrides. In 1941 the SS Poitician ran aground on the sandbanks off Eriskay carrying among its cargo 260 000 bottles of whisky! Compton Mackenzie based a novel on this incident which was made into a film called "Whisky Galore"-what else! It was also here that Charles Edward Stuart first set foot on Scottish soil.

He'd come to raise an army and win back the throne for the House of Stuart.

The second Jacobite Rebellion ended in defeat at the Battle of Culloden.

Answer: The Barren Rocks O' Aden

This is a very cheerful and catchy tune written for the pipes by piper J. Mauchline.
The Berwick Law is a hill behind the town of North Berwick in East Lothian. From its top can be seen, on a clear day, the Lothians, the Borders and the coast of Fife.
Aden was a naval base from 1874 till 1967. British troops were stationed there to ensure safe passage for ships through The Red Sea.
The Barren Rocks O' Aden was written by piper J. Mauchline but I have been unable to discover who wrote the lyrics above-probably at a much later date. There may be other lyrics to it but these ones are easy to remember! If you listen to the tune-sing along-twirl your baton-and swing your kilt if you happen to be wearing one.

Answer: The Dark Island

This is one of my favourite Scottish songs. I love the melody. Although it has become a traditional Scottish song it was written in 1962 for a BBC drama series. This was something I didn't know! The lyrics are by David Silver and the melody by Ian MacLachan. Maybe there is a traditional Gaelic air in there somewhere.

The island is Benbecula which lies between North and South Uist. It has its own airport as there is a large military presence on the island.

Answer: Auld Lang Syne

I left this one to the last as it finishes off most Scottish gatherings. It is probably the most widely sung Scottish song being the ending to New Year parties all over the world. The tune is a traditional Scottish air and the words by Robert Burns-our National Bard. Burns was a son of the soil, loved by the common man, admired by the nobility and simply adored by the lassies.