The Flowers of the Forest by Karen Andersen and Kevin Donleavy

Karen Andersen and Kevin Donleavy of The Irish Brigade band of Madison, Wisconsin perform The Flowers of the Forest. The tune is an ancient Scottish melody, having first been written down circa 1615. It is almost certainly of even older provenance. The lyrics most commonly sung now were written in about 1756 by a Scottish poetess, Jean Elliot, and are said to commemorate the men of Scotland who fell in battle against the English at Flodden Field in the 1500's.
Almost certainly the poetess really had in mind the Scots who had recently fallen in the Rising of 1745, but had to frame the song about earlier events for the sake of safety. Nationalist poets in Ireland also had to resort to similar devices to escape persecution. In either case the titular "Flowers of the Forest" refers to the Scots who fell in battle agaisnt the English tyrants. Unfortunately, the British Military establishment has stolen this tune from the Scottish People to whom it rightly belongs and use it in commemorating the dead of thier Imperialst adventures. The true meaning of the song is quite the opposite, and is in honour of those who fell fighting British Imperialism.
Rcorded live on an episode of "In Memory of James Connolly", a weekly one-hour radio program on WORT FM
produced and presented for 12 years by members of the Cathal Brugha / Hugh Heron Irish Republican Club of Madison, WI USA. For the purists, Karen made a mistake in translating the Scots lyrics in the opening verse. The original is "...at ilka yow milking", meaning "....at each ewe milking".

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Irish
• Brigade
• Scottish
• Nationalist
• songs
• Karen
• Andersen

[XshortieXnixX07]

You simplify history to suit your own view of it. Both the battles faught at Flodden and Culloden are far too complex to be viewed as simply English imperialism. Ireland too finally seems to be edging towards a peace which will be just and longlasting. I hope those now gone, who dreamed of this day are resting a little more easy. This tune also, is more common to the Scots Regiments of the British Army.

[eyeries1]

True for you, I am simplifying history, as there is little room here for an in depth analysis. However, not to suit my own view. As I, and many others, believe, English Imperialism (plus the Dynastic Struggles) are the root cause of Scotland's troubles, as they are of Ireland's as well. Of course, other things factored in.. Yet at the end of the day it was English expansionism at the root of all the trouble. As for Scots Regiments, they are tools of British Imperialism like the rest

.

[CaptCymru]

It is dangerous to view pre-modern events through the lens of modern (20th/21st Century) values.

The Anglo-Scot conflict pre-dates both countries. Hadrian's Wall, built to protect Roman Britons from Pict and Scot raiders from the north, is evidence of this.

The Scot's greatest problems were the clan system and a series of weak leaders, both of which crippled their ability to plan and execute their military campaigns at the same time that strong central government was evolving in England.

[eyeries1]

A well thought out and expressed reply.

I actually would agree with you 100%. The same lack of a strong, central government, and an archaic tribal social system were problems in Ireland, and Wales as well, now that I think of it.

All fell to English expansionism, which I still maintain is the root cause (and ongoing cause) of the problems faced by the peoples of these areas. Slan go foill.

[nobbytang]

@eyeries1 - flodden was fought in northern england as the scottish king with 50,000 men invaded to keep the old alliance with france intact - hardly expansionism in this case as england was being invaded . I actually agree with most of your comments but the example of flodden is wrong . England had/has a far bigger population than Wales , scotland or Ireland and it was the king and the Barons in the late 1290s who wanted more lands / taxes etc

[junkman19571]

never trust a jock on the make......come independence they can all leave england.......hooray.....why are they known as the maccakeaneatyours......

[wurzith]

Sound,s to me like the irish rebel scum have stolen the tune !

[3tangle3]

@CaptCymru they stole the word british of the true brythonic cultures of the welsh and cornish(last survivors)

[BillDFC]

Flodden was the only time a Scottish army marched into England in the name of the Auld Alliance.

For hundreds of years English armies invaded Scotland intent on conquest.

The massacre of Berwick in 1296 was the worst atrocity committed on these islands.

[CaptCymru]

@TrootMask A fair point; after the Acts of Union in 1707 it was indeed a British Army. Cumberland's army included Royal Scots Fusiliers, the Duke of Argyle's Highland Battalion and the King's Own Scottish Borderers, all tolled, about 15% of the army's strength.

I would not characterize this rebellion as a civil war, however, although that discussion is almost academic.

[TrootMask]

@CaptCymru Why do folk keep getting it wrong? It was a BRITISH army that won at Culloden not English. It was a civil war - there were probably more Scots fought against the jacobites than sided with them. A great many of the famous Scots regiments were formed to fight the Jacobites. Please get it right if you must comment - it's bad enough explaining this to tourists!

[BigChiefMullet]

Describing the English soldiers who fell at Flodden defendng their homes and families in Northern England as tyrants. Yet the invading Scots who fell were no doubt heroic? Amazing how someone can have such a black and white view of history but then again i see you are an American.

[CaptCymru]

For hundreds of years the Scots and English were evenly matched and the numbers as often favoured the Scots as not.

At Flodden, Scots outnumbered the English by 3 to 2 but the English were better led by old Thomas Howard .  Each English column had a single commander while each Scot column had divided command.

The Clan system had become outmoded by Culloden and it showed.

Also, I am talking about war and motives here, not the aftermath of harsh rule. That's a different discussion entirely.

[CaptCymru]

In the rising of '45, the Scots initially fought against second rate troops and did well. The English army was on the continent fighting the War of the Austrian Succession.

By Culloden, it was no longer a fair contest. A medieval Scot army of clan levies under divided command faced a modern English army of hardened, disciplined veterans returning from the continent under a single, experienced commander.

After the battle of Culloden, the Scot remnants were pursued and brutally butchered.