Clash Of The Ash
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| “Clash of the Ash” | |||||
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| Single by Runrig from the album Everything You See |
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| Released | May 14, 2007 | ||||
| Recorded | 2007, Cromarty | ||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 4:50 | ||||
| Label | Ridge Records | ||||
| Writer(s) | Calm MacDonald/Rory MacDonald | ||||
| Producer | Runrig | ||||
| Runrig singles chronology | |||||
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"Clash of the Ash" was the first single from Runrig's thirteenth studio album Everything You See, and was released as a single in 2007. The song is based around the sport of shinty and has become an anthem for the sport. Runrig have previosuly referenced shinty in the songs, Pride of the Summer from The Cutter and the Clan and Recovery from Recovery
[edit] Themes
The song is based around the sport of shinty and the first verse revolves around a team making their way to an away game, throught "Straths and Glens". Prominent throughout the song is the use of nicknames which are a common ellement
The second verse is a potrayal of a game against Kinlochshiel, the only shinty team named in the song in the line "But if we do all that and there’s no-one spare/Tell me who’s gonna mark the Kinlochshiel Bear". This verse refers to various positions on the shinty park as well as the "sawdust", a reference to the penalty box AKA the "D" which is often marked out with sawdust instead of paint.
The final verse references shinty's long history (shared with hurling) which stretches back to ancient celtic history, "And for every fighting highland man/Stand by your brother, die for the clan". The song also praises the amatuer status of those who play the sport "These shinty boys shine like the sun/We don’t play for fame, we don’t play for cash/We just play for the glory/And the clash of the ash."
[edit] Live performance history
Played live at the Beat The Drum concert in 2007 featuring Gary Innes.
