Scotland Vs. Gibraltar - Flower of Scotland Pipers

[ScottishStuart]

At the recent football (soccer?) match at the weekend between Scotland and Gibraltar the National Anthem of Scotland was played by this group of musicians, wearing a mix of tartan and highlandwear.

CA97dQzWoAAk618.jpg

They gave it a good shot, even if they were playing ever so slightly fast than the crowd were singing!

I'll try to look for a video of them playing - I think there was some close-up shots from what I remember!

[kenmcneill]

Looks like Clanadonia

[Jimmy]

Hi Stuart,
I missed the start of the game so did not see or hear the singing of the national anthem but the result was great and onwards to Dublin in June, unfortunately its impossible to get a ticket so will have to be kilted in some pub in town, should be a great atmosphere

[ScottishStuart]

Looks like Clanadonia

Well spotted! Looked on their Facebook page and they confirm it. There is another pic there too, no video yet though! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Clanadonia/178425585707

Hi Stuart,
I missed the start of the game so did not see or hear the singing of the national anthem but the result was great and onwards to Dublin in June, unfortunately its impossible to get a ticket so will have to be kilted in some pub in town, should be a great atmosphere

They performed before the Northern Ireland game too, so they might be playing before the Germany game at Hampden in September?

The atmosphere will be fantastic, not had this much optimism around our chances for a while!

[Jimmy]

Yes Stuart,things look good as it stands, Scotland would be the best third place team currently, that will probably change but lets look for second place.
So long since 1998 in France, I was in the travel suppporters club then but gave it up after Bertie Voghts but still love getting the kilt on for every game
I was out in Lanzarote last November and watched the Ireland and England game in a pub but the kilt sure is warm in that climate and the sweat was pouring from me, shorts would have been better

[CMcG]

I'm interested to know more about "Flower of Scotland" as Scotland's national anthem.

The article about it on Wikipedia has some reputable looking citations and claims that there is no official national anthem for Scotland. However, "Flower of Scotland" has been used for international football and rugby matches since the 1990s and for the Commonwealth Games since 2010. Earlier, Scots medal winners in the Commonwealth Games mounted the podium to "Scotland the Brave" between 1958 and 2010, but before that is was "Scots Wha Hae."

Can any of our members in Scotland comment on when and where "Flower of Scotland" might be used as a national anthem outside sporting contests?

Or if there are other songs that presently have some currency as unofficial national anthems, for sport or otherwise?

[ScottishStuart]

I'm interested to know more about "Flower of Scotland" as Scotland's national anthem.

Can any of our members in Scotland comment on when and where "Flower of Scotland" might be used as a national anthem outside sporting contests?

Or if there are other songs that presently have some currency as unofficial national anthems, for sport or otherwise?

I'm no expert in this area, I'm sure someone will correct me, but I'll give you some information.

As part of the United Kingdom, God Save the Queen is our official National Anthem. However at the Rugby (6 Nations Tournement Etc.), where the 'Home' nations compete as individual countries (Scotland, England, and Wales), they all sing Anthems that are relevant to their respective nation. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Nations_Championship#Anthems )

This has lead to other Scottish National teams following this trend and adopting 'Flower of Scotland'.

There has been much debate as to whether this should be officially adopted as Scotland's national anthem, as recently as last month a petition was launched and rejected by MSP's. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotlan...itics-31927575)

There is opposition for it from some as the words tend to have a negative view on the English.

Other alternatives are songs such as 'Scotland the Brave', 'Scots Wha Hae' and 'Caledonia' (a personal favourite). (500 Miles by the Proclaimers often gets cited too.)

[CMcG]

Thanks, ScottishStuart, that's helpful!

[neloon]

"A man's a man" has also been suggested even though Scotland is not mentioned. It was sung at the opening of the new Scottish Parliament (3:40 in)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOQE3xu0hFA
and a more complete version of the song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9raiKg7R1JY
"Man tae man the warld ower shall brithers be"
Alan

[Mike_Oettle]

Stuart, while the aficionados of Association Football fervently cling to the name football for their brand of the game, there are several other varieties of football.
This is why (for example) rugby players refer to the Association game as soccer (short for association) and their own variety as rugby or (informally) rugger.
Rugby, as its name implies, originated at Rugby School. I believe there is another version played at Winchester School.
In addition you have Gaelic football, Australian Rules football, American football (played chiefly, but not only, in the United States) and Canadian football, which originated as a form of rugby, but has gradually adapted to a more American style of play.
All of these sporting codes derive from an earlier game known as football, but in many respects quite unlike any of the formal codes. It used to be played over a distance (between two villages, or between a town and a nearby school), and the numbers in play varied immensely. It was often quite violent.

That’s a great picture of the band. I have heard of it, and I may have seen a video or two of it performing.