Scotland

[zandeman5]

Yes, they are. They come from Great Britain and are therefore British. I hope you'll think through all the ramifications before you start using ethnic origin to argue your case.

[pinback10]

I don't want to sound critical but I prefer the fiddle playing version in the Documentary in High Lonesome for this song. The fiddle playing there seemed to have the feeling just right.

[zandeman5]

Mr Fermanagh, I recommend you read The Isles, by Norman Davies. It's an anti-teleological history of Great Britain and Ireland. Pytheas the Greek reported that the pre-Roman people of GB called themselves Pretanike. And a lot of the ancient people of Scotland were P Celts, with a language similar to that of their contemporaries in what are now Wales and England. Ancient Welsh heroes like Cadwallon were said to have been born in what's now the Scottish lowlands. So the Scots are British.

[agger2]

@zandeman5 I agree with you for the most part, but surely you'll agree that British carries a much different meaning today. Re-introduced with the Act of Union, British had for long not been used anymore. British today seems to take on Anglo-Saxon/English connotations.

I suppose Brythonic might be used, but the term does not give allowance to the Highlands, where it is for the most part Goidelic.

that said i'm not scottish, so i think it should be left up to the scots to decide:P

[Breitheamhnaig]

@zandeman5 but the English aren't

[madfortrad07]

Wonderful music played by..Aliens ! This can't be "reel" !! I love it ! Génial ! Absolument superbe ! :- Thank you for sharing this !

[offitcock]

welsh bag pipes, cool

[ricshorten]

Iiiih...iisss graaate.

It touches the Borthwick in my genes!

[jessilu]

I adore this music, but I have to admit that Aly Bain is my secret pleasure! :-)

[daviemcf]

Great music!.....oh you naughty girl!!

[jessilu]

rofl my turn to blush now ;-)

[daviemcf]

lol!!

[kidcoast777]

Was Bill Monroe born in Kentucky?

[EPRVa62]

Yes, and he was a direct descendant of President james Monroe.

[sneetch3]

ChomFa- where are you from in Australia? I'm also Australian and there's loads of bluegrass and oldtime music all over the place, including beginners sessions and other open sessions. Do you go to any festivals? Going to the states is a great idea but don't give up on the local scene just yet!

[Agar101]

is McConnell playing a dizi flute? it certainly isnt his usual is it?

[yafudye]

This is great. The Transatlantic Sessions are among the best programmes to be shown on BBC Scotland.

[tommy66toffee]

Shown on BBC Scotland? Lucky you! We in England find this sort of programme shoved away into the "No buggers going to be interested in this sort of music" category, which means trawling around obscure TV schedules or finding it on Youtube (for which I thank tomtscotland)

[yafudye]

Up here it was given a prime time slot. Generally about 7pm on BBC2. It was released on DVD and CD. Or you could be naught and download it.

If you want to listen to good folk music, get on line and listen to Radio Scotland. Robbie Shepherd, Iain Anderson and Archie Fisher all play good selections.

[yekic]

tommy66toffee

Right you are...you are more likely to hear asian music on the BBC than anything from Wales, Scotland or Ulster. We are the new N word people of the island it seems. But mustn't complain otherwise we will be called the R word.

[martycrow]

Without disagreeing with your feelings, I am 'Asian', don't listen to 'Asian' bangra whateveah music, but love - really love - English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh folk music. So can I be part of your 'N' people?

[ChomFa]

Is this tune "Sally Gooden"?

[Mandolin1944]

No. This song is called "Scotland " -- it is not a Celtic tune per se because it was written in the 1960's by Bill Monroe the father of bluegrass to honor his Scotish heritage. It has been played in the US as a bluegrass tune for years. Around 1980Monroe taught the tune to Ali Bain when the Scottish fiddler was visting Bill's farm in Kentucky.

[ChomFa]

Thanks for providing some interesting background information, Mandolin1944.

I am so jealous of the great American musical traditions, which gave us so many styles, not the least being Bluegrass. I pick along at moderate speed, having a ball with my backup band of Steve Kaufmans CD's, acutely aware that Australia does not have a Bluegrass tradition I can tap into.

I hope to travel Stateside next year. The wife can go shopping in LA - I'm going to as many Bluegrass Festivals as I can

[LuzDeLaEstrellas]

Woot Woot. Can't type Can't sit still........ Now this is what I call "work out" music!

[lizshlush]

great music .....

[071949]

I DARE anyone to sit still while listening to this! Great for getting the blood circulating. BTW, the Transatlantic Sessions are the source of the some of the best music available on YouTube.

[downwithitall]

lol i tried and couldnt sit still!

[musik102]

Surely, the word British must have its origins in the ancient Britons who were - wait for it: CELTS!

[crannogdiver]

celts are from central europe matey-never lived in the british isles en masse-read john collis.

[Agar101]

uh man they did. the brits were all celts, until they were invaded by caesar and augustus. They had the same druid customs and similar languages to the celts in europe, built the same way, fought the same way, worshipped similar gods.

incredible set of fiddlers on here by the way.

[dac687]

Caesar Augustus was the same person sir.

[Agar101]

Julius caesar, about 50 BC, Caesar Augustus several decades later

[lhayward89]

Martyn Bennett is awesome, plus he looks heaps like the academic character out of the Sharpe Series

[Chaffinch4]

Great stuff!

[breandandoire]

It sure would be nice to see Scotland remove itself from the UK. Just cant associate the word 'British' with the place in any sense. Clearly its own culture and traditions to be anything else?

Go raibh maith agat

[fuckerfromfermanagh]

Amen to that man, the scots have a wonderful culture and I'm sick of them being refered to as british, they're not full stop their a celtic race like us Irish, and it's time the english stop taking credit for Scottish music by labeling it british..

[McAndy89]

Well said buddy.

Alba agus Eireann gu Brath

[Felicitia]

My family has been in America for a bit...since before the Civil War...I am Scottish on both sides of the family..and my sweet hubby is Native American..and Scottish...what a combination...deeply spiritual with a wonderful desire to golf all the time and drink! The Scottish men are the most handsome on earth.! God bless them!

[wifeoffred]

The Scots have a tremendous culture.

But to say the English take credit for Scottish music borders on the ridiculous.

Can you give any examples

[fuckerfromfermanagh]

Billy Connolly!!

[Mandolin1944]

It is not a Scottish tune it was written by Bill Monroe an American of Scottish ancestery.

[yafudye]

I know it wasn't a Scottish tune. And I would never do anything to detract from Bill Monroe's music. But he did right the piece as an acknowledgement to his Scottish roots.

[yafudye]

I mean write, not right. Doh!.

[doccalley]

Yes that is correct -- Aly Bain learned the song while visting Bill Monroe in the USA. But Monroe wrote the tune originally.

[yafudye]

Isn't Bill Monroe fantastic? He is one of the true greats, I defy anybody not to hear his music and not like it.

[HuxxNL]

IRISH FIDDLING PWNAGE PUUB!

[izy56]

Great music.

[jackmac787]

Charlie McKerron is our band instructor.

[lordceasar]

Fantastic song :)

[warftrat87]

the first time i heard this song was by bill monroe and his bluegrass boys... still one of my fav. bill songs!!! check him out if you like this tune...with that said, this is a great version as well

[frphilipmullen]

Scotland Forever!

[robinhood48]

Yes Sir! Scotland forever!

[piper1592]

Im a piper myself and even though i have to hand it to martyn bennett, he is amazing.. but you have to admit, those violinists and others are playing amazingly well, so we really cant forget them. .

[Mandolin1944]

The song is Scotland -- written by the great father of Bluegrass William Smith Monroe. Bill wrote this tune in the 1960's in honor of his Scottish heritage. He wrote it for a bluegrass band to capture the sound of the bagpipe. Years later (1980's), he taught the tune to Ali Bain one summer's day when the Scottish fiddler was visting Bil's farm in Kentucky.

[tomtscotland]

Thanks for background info - much appreciated.

[pyromanic78]

again, thanks for this info!

good to know scotland wasnt forgotten in the beginning. just a shame we didnt get our independance too. ah well, what can you do? Sit back andappreciate the good things...like this!

[Otaku155]

@Mandolin1944 And Jay Ungar taught it to me hehe

[Mandolin1944]

@Otaku155 Cool!!

[HenfieldWill]

Fantastic! Many, many thanks for posting this - I'd just spotted your post from the Sessions 2 - and now I've just discovered this Sessions 1 clip. Do you know what the tune is? I'd never heard Martyn Bennett before - fabulous! :-) Will

[tomtscotland]

I just assumed it was called "Scotland".

I've got a solo video of Martyn just paste into search maccrimmon's lament martyn .

Sadly he died of cancer a couple of years ago and unfortunately there seems to be very little in the way of videos.

[HenfieldWill]

Doh! Of course - "Scotland" - must be getting dimmer this morning! Thanks!

[IcarusInflight]

Nice one !!!

[tomtscotland]

This one goes way back to 1995 or thereabouts and features the late Martyn Bennett - wish i had more of Martyn.

[ravensky23]

What a fantastic assemblage of musicians! I would have loved to have been sitting on a couch in the corner! Thanks for posting this and making that dream more of a reality ;-)