VIDEO: Rare Gaelic songs released to commemorate Battle of Culloden

The brutal Battle of Culloden marked one of the most pivotal moments in Scotland’s history.

Culloden is the infamous site where the 1745 Jacobite Rising came to a tragic end, and the aftermath of the conflict still resonates across Scotland and the world.

To commemorate the battle’s 274th anniversary on April 16, the National Trust for Scotland has released to the public rare snippets of haunting Gaelic songs inspired by the Jacobite cause.

Usually, the historical event is marked by a series of events at Culloden, but due to the coronavirus pandemic the Trust has moved its memorial online.

The original recordings of Gaelic songs were collected by John Lorne Campbell, an archivist from Canna, and are featured in an online video.

John and his wife Margaret Faye Shaw, who were noted scholars of Gaelic culture, published their book Highland Songs of the Forty Five in 1933, which brought together songs inspired by the events leading up to the battle and beyond.

The video was created by the Trust’s Canna House archivist Fiona MacKenzie, who was supposed to give a talk on the book at Culloden as part of this year’s anniversary programme.

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 onsite today, we know that people will want to pause, reflect and remember.

“These beautiful songs reflect the haunting beauty of battlefield, one of Scotland’s most special places, so powerfully. We feel it is fitting to share them on this poignant day.”

Find out more about the battle at www.nts.org.uk.