| "Flower of Scotland" | |
|---|---|
| Song by The Corries | |
| Released | 1965 |
| Writer | Roy Williamson |
| Composer | Roy Williamson |
Flower of Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Flùr na h-Alba, Scots: Flouer o Scotland) is a Scottish song, used frequently at special occasions and sporting events. Although there is no official national anthem of Scotland, Flower of Scotland is one of a number of songs which unofficially fulfil this role, along with the older Scots Wha Hae, Scotland the Brave and Highland Cathedral.[1][2] It was written by Roy Williamson of the folk group The Corries, and presented in 1967,[3] and refers to the victory of the Scots, led by Robert the Bruce, over England's Edward II at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
Contents |
English1. O Flower of Scotland, 2. The hills are bare now, 3. Those days are past now 4. O Flower of Scotland, |
Scots1. O Flouer o Scotland, 2. The Hills is bare nou, 3. Thir days is past nou, 4. O Flouer o Scotland, |
Scottish Gaelic1. O Fhlùir na h-Alba, 2. Na cnuic tha lomnochd 3. Tha 'n eachdraidh dùinte 4. O Fhlùir na h-Alba, |
The song has been used by as a National Anthem by the Scotland national rugby union team, ever since the winger, Billy Steele, encouraged his team-mates to sing it on the victorious Lions tour of South Africa in 1974.[4] The song was adopted as the pre-game anthem during the deciding match of the 1990 Five Nations Championship between Scotland and England, which Scotland won 13–7 to win the Grand Slam.[5] The Scottish Football Association adopted "Flower of Scotland" as its pre-game national anthem in 1997[6] although it was first used by them in 1993,. Usually only the first and third verses are sung.[7] The song was used as the victory anthem of Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in 2010 replacing Scotland the Brave.[8]
The tune was originally composed on the Northumbrian smallpipes, which play in D and have the benefit of keys on the chanter to achieve a greater range of notes.
Ewan McGregor performed the song in Magadan in 2004 for the filming of the TV show Long Way Round journey.
In July 2006, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted an online poll (publicised by Reporting Scotland) in which voters could choose a national anthem from one of five candidates.[9] 10,000 people took part in the poll in which Flower of Scotland came out the winner. The results were as follows:
| Tune | Votes (%) |
|---|---|
| Flower of Scotland | 41% |
| Scotland the Brave | 29% |
| Highland Cathedral | 16% |
| Is There for Honest Poverty | 7% |
| Scots Wha Hae | 6% |
Scottish folk metal band Alestorm have performed a cover of it live and recorded it, which is on their album Captain Morgan's Revenge. In addition, the Canadian Scottish-influenced Celtic Punk band The Real McKenzies have included the song on the album "Loch'd & Loaded" as well a staple in their live performance among many other traditional Scottish ballads.
A version of this song entitled "Twigg of Scotland" is sung by supporters of Shamrock Rovers, an Irish football team, in tribute to their Scottish player, Gary Twigg.
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