Mo Ghile Mear

It is unusual to hear Gaelic lyrics on UK adverts and my Sassenach friends have quizzed me about the dramatic music on a TV advert by the optician chain “Specsavers.” Their strapline is “should have gone to Specsavers” and their rather clever advertising shows optical mishaps experienced by those who haven’t. Their “Shepherd” ad (video below) stands out from the crowd by being in black and white and with the haunting music of the Gaelic song "Mo Ghile Mear." The advert uses cinematography and music to evoke the remoteness of Saksun in the Faroe Islands, one of the most spectacular places in Europe, between the Shetland Islands and Iceland. Actual Faroese shepherd, Peter Andreas Petersen, along with Border collie Jim, gather the sheep for shearing.The piece shows the grizzled shepherd haplessly mis shearing his sheep because he can’t see what he is doing without his glasses – he should have gone to Specsavers! Unfortunately for Border collie Jim he gets sheared as well and ends up looking somewhat worse for wear with an expression of doggie bewilderment on his face! The ad works because it is funny and different.


Una Palliser

Many will be surprised that the musician is Irish but may not be known to them as she often appears as a talented session musician or vocalist on other artist’s tours or records. Una Palliser is a violist, violinist and vocalist now based in London. Born in Cork, Ireland Una began her music studies at the Cork School of Music at the age of 4. She won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London where she was awarded the Wolfson Trust award by the Academy, a Royal Philharmonia Martin Musical Scholarship Award, and was a string finalist in the RTE Millennium Musician of the Future Competition before graduating with a First Class Honours Degree in Performance.



She is currently Shakira's solo violinist / backing vocalist / multi-instrumentalist on Sale El Sol world tour. Una has performed and toured with many major artists including Gnarls Barkley, Moby, Take That, P Diddy, The Killers, Patrick Wolf and is the singer on the Specsavers 'Sheep' advert. She has a particular interest in cross overs between Folk Music traditions and regularly collaborates as special guest with BBC World Music Award winners Terrafolk and is the lead vocalist/violinist in Una And The Balkan Bears.


Here is Una Palliser’s MySpace page and website;

http://www.myspace.com/unapalliser

www.unapalliser.com

"Mo Ghile Mear" (My Gallant Darling) is an old Irish song, written in the Irish language by Seán Clárach Mac Domhnaill in the 18th century. Composed in the convention of Aisling poetry, it is a lament by the Gaelic goddess Éire for Bonnie Prince Charlie, who was then in exile.

Aisling is a Gaelic word for a vision or a dream and usually a goddess appears in that dream with the message that Ireland will be freed from foreign rule. It was an allegorical device used in Irish Poetry and song under English rule when to speak of Irish “Freedom” directly would be treated as sedition. "Mo Ghile Mear" differs from more "conventional" Aisling poems. Whereas Aisling poetry normally has the poet asleep or otherwise minding his own business when he experiences a dream or vision of a fair maid, in this poem the poet personifies Éire/Ireland, the country itself, as a woman who once was a fair maiden but is now a widow. Her husband, the "Gallant Boy", is not dead but far away. As a consequence the land is failing and nature itself is in decline.

A poetic translation of the first verse is:

Once I was a maiden fair
Now it's widow's weeds I wear
My husband lies not in the grave
But far from me he ploughs the waves



A Jacobite song originally composed by Seán Clárach Mac Domhnaill (1691-1754), in which Éire laments her love, Bonnie Prince Charlie Stuart, then in exile. It has been called “one of the most powerful lamentations of the 17th century,” and while it is usually rendered by a male voice in a martial fashion, it is in fact a woman's lament for her love, a war hero, who was killed in battle. The verses have been reworked in the folk process and there is a modern chorus to the song. As "Air Bharr na G-Cnoc 's an Ime G-Céin” it appears in Edward Walsh’s Irish Popular Songs (Dublin, 1847).

In the folklore of Glencolumbkille in Co. Donegal there is a story that Bonnie Prince Charlie was secreted in Malinmore while ‘on the run’ after the defeat of his Highland Army at Culloden and that he later embarked in a French frigate from Poll-an-Uisce, near Glenlough.


Charles Edward Stuart - "Bonnie Prince Charlie"

The facts of history are otherwise (the Prince and his retinue sailed from Loch-nan-Uamy in the West of Scotland on 20th September 1746 and laying course to the West of Ireland arrived at Roscoff nine days later) but, nevertheless, the story must have some foundation and, in any event, highlights the Irish support for the Jacobite Cause.

To see where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard in Scotland in 1745 see;

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/07/jacobite-express.html

The French did come to Donegal, but later. Across the expanse of Donegal Bay from Malinbeg, three frigates of the French Navy, flying British colours and commanded by Admiral Savary, arrived off Killala in August 1798. General Humbert and over one thousand troops disembarked at Kilcummin, joined the Irish Revolutionaries, established the Republic of Connaught and added a short but colourful page to Ireland’s military history.

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/03/years-of-french.html

My own favourite version of "Mo Ghile Mear” is strangely by Sting, of all people! It appears on The Long Black Veil an album by the traditional Irish folk band The Chieftains released in 1995. It is one of the most popular and bestselling albums by the band where they teamed up with well-known musicians such as Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones and Van Morrison. Credited collaborators include Marianne Faithfull, Mark Knopfler, Mick Jagger, Ry Cooder, Sinéad O'Connor, Sting, The Rolling Stones, Tom Jones, Van Morrison, and Arty McGlynn.


Sting and The Chieftains

The album includes the most wonderful rendition of the “Coast of Malabar” by Ry Cooder and Sting’s version of "Mo Ghile Mear” is subtitled “My Hero” and has the lyrics rewritten both in Gaelic and English. Sting learnt it phonetically (you can tell by the "joins") so it is not quite as fluent as the hugely talented Una’s equally excellent version but it is is powerfully sung with the complexity of the Chieftains backing track, as a group they are unequalled musicians with a true collaborative spirit.



I’ve set out the original Gaelic and English lyrics below followed by Sting’s version – the rewriting of the song to distil the sense in two languages is very much in the iterative tradition of folk music. There is an Irish connection with Sting (aka Gordon Sumner) as his first wife was the Irish actress Frances Tomelty.

As Gaeilge (Irish version)

Curfá:

Sé mo laoch mo Ghile Mear
‘Sé mo Chaesar, Ghile Mear,
Suan ná séan ní bhfuaireas féin
Ó chuaigh i gcéin mo Ghile Mear.

Seal da rabhas im’ mhaighdean shéimh,
‘S anois im’ bhaintreach chaite thréith,
Mo chéile ag treabhadh na dtonn go tréan
De bharr na gcnoc is imigéin.

Curfá

Bímse buan ar buaidhirt gach ló,
Ag caoi go cruaidh 's ag tuar na ndeór
Mar scaoileadh uaim an buachaill beó
'S ná ríomhtar tuairisc uaidh, mo bhrón.

Curfá

Ní labhrann cuach go suairc ar nóin
Is níl guth gadhair i gcoillte cnó,
Ná maidin shamhraidh i gcleanntaibh ceoigh
Ó d’imthigh sé uaim an buachaill beó.

Curfá

Ghile Mear ‘sa seal faoi chumha,
‘S Éire go léir faoi chlócaibh dubha;
Suan ná séan ní bhfuaireas féin
Ó cuaigh i gcéin mo Ghile Mear.




English Translation

My Gallant Darling

Chorus:

He's my champion my Gallant Darling,
he's my Caesar, a Gallant Darling,
I've found neither rest nor fortune
since my Gallant Darling went far away.

Once I was gentle maiden,
but now I'm a spent, worn-out widow,
my consort strongly plowing the waves,
over the hills and far away.

Chorus

Every day I'm constantly enduring grief,
weeping bitterly and shedding tears,
because my lively lad has left me
and no news is told of him - alas.

Chorus

The cuckoo doesn't sing cheerfully after noon,
And the sound of hounds isn't heard in the nut-tree woods,
Nor a summer morning in a misty glen
Since my my lively boy went away from me.


Chorus


Gallant Darling for a while under sorrow,
And Ireland completely under black cloaks;
I have found neither rest nor fortune
Since my Gallant Darling went far away.



Here is the version sung by Sting with the Chieftains on The Long Black Veil, arranged by Paddy Maloney



Chorus:

'Sé mo laoch mo Ghile Mear (He's my champion my Gallant Darling)
'Sé mo Chaesar, Ghile Mear (He's my Caesar, a Gallant Darling)
Suan ná séan ní bhfuaireas féin (I've found neither rest nor fortune)
Ó chuaigh i gcéin mo Ghile Mear (Since my Gallant Darling went far away)

Grief and pain are all I know
My heart is sore
My tears afloat
We saw him go an buachaill beó (We saw him go lively boy)
No word we know of him, mo bhrón (No word we know of him, my sorrow)

Chorus

A proud and gallant cavalier
A high man's scion of gentle mien
A fiery blade engaged to reap
He'd break the bravest in the field

Chorus

Come sing his praise as sweet harps play
And proudly toast his noble frame
With spirit and with mind aflame
So wish him strength and length of day

Chorus



For those who want to hear the original version of Mo Ghile Mear all the way through in Gaelic here is probably the best version by the Irish singer Mary Black. She has wonderful phrasing and intonation and (though a native Dubliner) this is sung in the softer Munster Gaelic allowing the lyricism and beauty of the language to be apparent even to non-Gaelic speakers.

Mo Ghile Mear

It is unusual to hear Gaelic lyrics on UK adverts and my Sassenach friends have quizzed me about the dramatic music on a TV advert by the optician chain “Specsavers.” Their strapline is “should have gone to Specsavers” and their rather clever advertising shows optical mishaps experienced by those who haven’t. Their “Shepherd” ad (video below) stands out from the crowd by being in black and white and with the haunting music of the Gaelic song "Mo Ghile Mear." The advert uses cinematography and music to evoke the remoteness of Saksun in the Faroe Islands, one of the most spectacular places in Europe, between the Shetland Islands and Iceland. Actual Faroese shepherd, Peter Andreas Petersen, along with Border collie Jim, gather the sheep for shearing.The piece shows the grizzled shepherd haplessly mis shearing his sheep because he can’t see what he is doing without his glasses – he should have gone to Specsavers! Unfortunately for Border collie Jim he gets sheared as well and ends up looking somewhat worse for wear with an expression of doggie bewilderment on his face! The ad works because it is funny and different.


Una Palliser

Many will be surprised that the musician is Irish but may not be known to them as she often appears as a talented session musician or vocalist on other artist’s tours or records. Una Palliser is a violist, violinist and vocalist now based in London. Born in Cork, Ireland Una began her music studies at the Cork School of Music at the age of 4. She won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London where she was awarded the Wolfson Trust award by the Academy, a Royal Philharmonia Martin Musical Scholarship Award, and was a string finalist in the RTE Millennium Musician of the Future Competition before graduating with a First Class Honours Degree in Performance.



She is currently Shakira's solo violinist / backing vocalist / multi-instrumentalist on Sale El Sol world tour. Una has performed and toured with many major artists including Gnarls Barkley, Moby, Take That, P Diddy, The Killers, Patrick Wolf and is the singer on the Specsavers 'Sheep' advert. She has a particular interest in cross overs between Folk Music traditions and regularly collaborates as special guest with BBC World Music Award winners Terrafolk and is the lead vocalist/violinist in Una And The Balkan Bears.


Here is Una Palliser’s MySpace page and website;

http://www.myspace.com/unapalliser

www.unapalliser.com

"Mo Ghile Mear" (My Gallant Darling) is an old Irish song, written in the Irish language by Seán Clárach Mac Domhnaill in the 18th century. Composed in the convention of Aisling poetry, it is a lament by the Gaelic goddess Éire for Bonnie Prince Charlie, who was then in exile.

Aisling is a Gaelic word for a vision or a dream and usually a goddess appears in that dream with the message that Ireland will be freed from foreign rule. It was an allegorical device used in Irish Poetry and song under English rule when to speak of Irish “Freedom” directly would be treated as sedition. "Mo Ghile Mear" differs from more "conventional" Aisling poems. Whereas Aisling poetry normally has the poet asleep or otherwise minding his own business when he experiences a dream or vision of a fair maid, in this poem the poet personifies Éire/Ireland, the country itself, as a woman who once was a fair maiden but is now a widow. Her husband, the "Gallant Boy", is not dead but far away. As a consequence the land is failing and nature itself is in decline.

A poetic translation of the first verse is:

Once I was a maiden fair
Now it's widow's weeds I wear
My husband lies not in the grave
But far from me he ploughs the waves



A Jacobite song originally composed by Seán Clárach Mac Domhnaill (1691-1754), in which Éire laments her love, Bonnie Prince Charlie Stuart, then in exile. It has been called “one of the most powerful lamentations of the 17th century,” and while it is usually rendered by a male voice in a martial fashion, it is in fact a woman's lament for her love, a war hero, who was killed in battle. The verses have been reworked in the folk process and there is a modern chorus to the song. As "Air Bharr na G-Cnoc 's an Ime G-Céin” it appears in Edward Walsh’s Irish Popular Songs (Dublin, 1847).

In the folklore of Glencolumbkille in Co. Donegal there is a story that Bonnie Prince Charlie was secreted in Malinmore while ‘on the run’ after the defeat of his Highland Army at Culloden and that he later embarked in a French frigate from Poll-an-Uisce, near Glenlough.


Charles Edward Stuart - "Bonnie Prince Charlie"

The facts of history are otherwise (the Prince and his retinue sailed from Loch-nan-Uamy in the West of Scotland on 20th September 1746 and laying course to the West of Ireland arrived at Roscoff nine days later) but, nevertheless, the story must have some foundation and, in any event, highlights the Irish support for the Jacobite Cause.

To see where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard in Scotland in 1745 see;

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/07/jacobite-express.html

The French did come to Donegal, but later. Across the expanse of Donegal Bay from Malinbeg, three frigates of the French Navy, flying British colours and commanded by Admiral Savary, arrived off Killala in August 1798. General Humbert and over one thousand troops disembarked at Kilcummin, joined the Irish Revolutionaries, established the Republic of Connaught and added a short but colourful page to Ireland’s military history.

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/03/years-of-french.html

My own favourite version of "Mo Ghile Mear” is strangely by Sting, of all people! It appears on The Long Black Veil an album by the traditional Irish folk band The Chieftains released in 1995. It is one of the most popular and bestselling albums by the band where they teamed up with well-known musicians such as Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones and Van Morrison. Credited collaborators include Marianne Faithfull, Mark Knopfler, Mick Jagger, Ry Cooder, Sinéad O'Connor, Sting, The Rolling Stones, Tom Jones, Van Morrison, and Arty McGlynn.


Sting and The Chieftains

The album includes the most wonderful rendition of the “Coast of Malabar” by Ry Cooder and Sting’s version of "Mo Ghile Mear” is subtitled “My Hero” and has the lyrics rewritten both in Gaelic and English. Sting learnt it phonetically (you can tell by the "joins") so it is not quite as fluent as the hugely talented Una’s equally excellent version but it is is powerfully sung with the complexity of the Chieftains backing track, as a group they are unequalled musicians with a true collaborative spirit.



I’ve set out the original Gaelic and English lyrics below followed by Sting’s version – the rewriting of the song to distil the sense in two languages is very much in the iterative tradition of folk music. There is an Irish connection with Sting (aka Gordon Sumner) as his first wife was the Irish actress Frances Tomelty.

As Gaeilge (Irish version)

Curfá:

Sé mo laoch mo Ghile Mear
‘Sé mo Chaesar, Ghile Mear,
Suan ná séan ní bhfuaireas féin
Ó chuaigh i gcéin mo Ghile Mear.

Seal da rabhas im’ mhaighdean shéimh,
‘S anois im’ bhaintreach chaite thréith,
Mo chéile ag treabhadh na dtonn go tréan
De bharr na gcnoc is imigéin.

Curfá

Bímse buan ar buaidhirt gach ló,
Ag caoi go cruaidh 's ag tuar na ndeór
Mar scaoileadh uaim an buachaill beó
'S ná ríomhtar tuairisc uaidh, mo bhrón.

Curfá

Ní labhrann cuach go suairc ar nóin
Is níl guth gadhair i gcoillte cnó,
Ná maidin shamhraidh i gcleanntaibh ceoigh
Ó d’imthigh sé uaim an buachaill beó.

Curfá

Ghile Mear ‘sa seal faoi chumha,
‘S Éire go léir faoi chlócaibh dubha;
Suan ná séan ní bhfuaireas féin
Ó cuaigh i gcéin mo Ghile Mear.




English Translation

My Gallant Darling

Chorus:

He's my champion my Gallant Darling,
he's my Caesar, a Gallant Darling,
I've found neither rest nor fortune
since my Gallant Darling went far away.

Once I was gentle maiden,
but now I'm a spent, worn-out widow,
my consort strongly plowing the waves,
over the hills and far away.

Chorus

Every day I'm constantly enduring grief,
weeping bitterly and shedding tears,
because my lively lad has left me
and no news is told of him - alas.

Chorus

The cuckoo doesn't sing cheerfully after noon,
And the sound of hounds isn't heard in the nut-tree woods,
Nor a summer morning in a misty glen
Since my my lively boy went away from me.


Chorus


Gallant Darling for a while under sorrow,
And Ireland completely under black cloaks;
I have found neither rest nor fortune
Since my Gallant Darling went far away.



Here is the version sung by Sting with the Chieftains on The Long Black Veil, arranged by Paddy Maloney



Chorus:

'Sé mo laoch mo Ghile Mear (He's my champion my Gallant Darling)
'Sé mo Chaesar, Ghile Mear (He's my Caesar, a Gallant Darling)
Suan ná séan ní bhfuaireas féin (I've found neither rest nor fortune)
Ó chuaigh i gcéin mo Ghile Mear (Since my Gallant Darling went far away)

Grief and pain are all I know
My heart is sore
My tears afloat
We saw him go an buachaill beó (We saw him go lively boy)
No word we know of him, mo bhrón (No word we know of him, my sorrow)

Chorus

A proud and gallant cavalier
A high man's scion of gentle mien
A fiery blade engaged to reap
He'd break the bravest in the field

Chorus

Come sing his praise as sweet harps play
And proudly toast his noble frame
With spirit and with mind aflame
So wish him strength and length of day

Chorus



For those who want to hear the original version of Mo Ghile Mear all the way through in Gaelic here is probably the best version by the Irish singer Mary Black. She has wonderful phrasing and intonation and (though a native Dubliner) this is sung in the softer Munster Gaelic allowing the lyricism and beauty of the language to be apparent even to non-Gaelic speakers.

Jacobite Express

The West Highland Line (Scottish Gaelic: Rathad Iarainn nan Eilean - "Iron Road to the Isles") is one of the most scenic railway lines in Britain, linking the fishing port of Mallaig on the west coast to Glasgow City. Passenger services on the line are operated by First ScotRail, primarily between Glasgow and Mallaig with the daily Caledonian Sleeper overnight service between Fort William and London Euston. Our sleeper train from London terminated at Fort William, but the true glory of the West Highland Line was yet to come. The section between Fort William and Mallaig passes over a magnificent viaduct at Glenfinnan, through Arisaig with its fine views of the Small Isles of Rùm, Eigg, Muck and Canna, and the sparkling white sands of Morar before coming to Mallaig itself.



It is regarded as one of the Great Railway Journeys of the World and was voted Top Railway Journey in the World 2009 and 2010 by Wanderlust Magazine, due mainly to the stunning scenery through which the steam hauled Jacobite Express travels. The 84 mile round trip takes you past Britain's highest mountain, deepest loch, shortest river and most westerly station.


Black 5 Loco “The Sherwood Forester”



On this Friday morning as we pulled into Fort William on the overnight Caledonian Sleeper from London we did so with an increasing sense of anticipation for on the platform opposite was our next transport, the hissing, steaming “Jacobite Express” the steam locomotive-hauled train which operates over this section in summer and which in less than a half an hour's time would take us on our next adventure the 42 miles to Mallaig. This it would do slowly for just over two hours with time to appreciate the scenery of sea, mountain and isle on this twisting single line track to Mallaig, the port for the Isle of Skye.


Fort William

Described as one of the great railway journeys of the world this 84 mile round trip takes you past a list of impressive extremes. It starts near the highest mountain in Britain (Ben Nevis), visits Britain's most westerly mainland railway station (Arisaig), then passes close by the deepest freshwater loch in Britain (Loch Morar), and the shortest river in Britain (River Morar) and finally arrives next to the deepest seawater loch in Europe - Loch Nevis. The train leaves Fort William at 10:20am and returns to Fort William at 4:00pm with an hour and a half in Mallaig. It is a great way to spend the day! On this Friday morning the locomotive was a Black 5 “The Sherwood Forester” which pulled a rake of atmospheric Mark 2 British Rail stock which has a brake van, a First Class coach, Diner Coach and Standard Class coaches which also included an onboard souvenir shop. In First Class tea and scones are served and there is a friendly ambience on board. Make sure you make a reservation (01524 737751) as this train has lots of coach party bookings with American, Japanese and Continental tourists.


"Black 5" Loco


Jacobite Express

This section of the West Highland line, the Fort William to Mallaig extension, became a reality following an Act passed in the House of Commons in 1896. Lady Margaret Cameron of Locheil cut the first sod on the 21st January 1897 from which point the contractors, Robert McAlpine and Son, were allowed 5 years 6 months to construct the 40 miles of track. The task was completed by April 1901. Some 3,500 navvies worked on the line and whilst the viaducts are partially faced in stone they are in fact durably constructed in poured concrete giving the contractor the nickname which was to stick with him “Concrete Bob.” This was the first mass concrete viaduct in the country, and the use of concrete rather than stonework is one of the reasons that the West Highland Line has remained usable to this day.



From Fort William the train crosses the River Lochy with the ruined Inverlochy Castle on the east side of the river. After crossing the river the train travels along a flat expanse called the Corpach Moss with houses to the left and the Great Glen stretching into the distance to the right. The Great Glen is a spectacular valley running for over 60 miles between Loch Linnhe in the south west and Inverness and Moray Firth in the north east. The train slows down near the far end of the Moss to Cross the Caledonian Canal.




Hogwarts Express

To the left of the train there is Neptune's Staircase a row of locks that raise the canal to a height of 65 feet. The longest lock gate system in Britain and built during the Napoleonic Wars. Even (like most of the works built in response to the Napoleonic Wars) though it was never used for its wartime purpose the Caledonian Canal is a wonderful ship canal traversing the Great Glen of Scotland from Fort William to Inverness. One final point about Fort William – there is no fort! Built as part of a chain across the Great Glen which included Fort George and Fort Augustus it was knocked down to build the railway!




Neptune's Staircase on the Caledonian Canal


Glenfinnan Viaduct

The train does stop en route to Mallaig at the village of Glenfinnan where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard. After crossing the world famous 21 arch Glenfinnan viaduct, which has been used in the Harry Potter movies, and offers wonderful views down the 17 mile long Loch Shiel, the train stops at the station giving you time to stretch your legs and visit the Museum in the station buildings. Situated at the head of Loch Shiel, Glenfinnan was the setting for the start of the ill fated Jacobite Rebellion led by Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745. Glenfinnan is a very special place, and is almost hallowed ground for many Scots because of the historic associations with the Jacobite cause. It was here in 1745 that Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard in front of his gathered army to signify the beginning of the doomed second Jacobite rising that would become known as the "45". A 65ft monument commemorates the event, with further fascinating memorabilia and displays relating to Bonnie Prince Charlie to be found in the Visitor Centre. The statue on the top is not as many imagine that of the Prince, but one of his supporters. The monument was originally part of a hunting lodge which has since disappeared. Boat trips are available on the loch between Easter and October.


Glenfinnan Monument & Lough Shiel


The "45" The Jacobite Rising

Next we continued to Lochailort which is well known for having firsts. Here, during the construction of the railway, as there were over 2,000 navvies living here, the first construction site hospital in Britain was established with 8 beds, 2 nurses and a doctor. Lochailort was also the first site of fish farms now seen all over Scotland. It was established in 1969, by the then Marine Harvest company. Lochailort is of interest because of Inverailort Castle, used for commando training in the second world war. Churchill’s declaration of unconventional war prompted the creation of the top-secret Special Operations Executive (SOE). Its agents would cause havoc behind enemy lines. In the autumn of 1940 the first recruits began to arrive at Inverailort, SOE’s initial Highland training HQ. Here, far from prying eyes, they absorbed essential paramilitary skills; how to survive in the wild, how to handle weapons and explosives, how to wage guerrilla war and how to kill silently. To teach them came a legendary duo from Shanghai, men used to policing the toughest and roughest city of its day - Major Bill Fairbairn and Captain Eric Sykes, who jointly invented the famous double-edged commando knife.


White sands of Morar

Beyond are the villages of Arisaig, Morar and Mallaig. On a clear summer's day from Arisaig you can see the "Small Isles" of Rum, Eigg, Muck, Canna and the southern tip of Skye. From there the train passes Morar and the silvery beaches used in the films "Highlander" and "Local Hero." Loch Morar is worth a visit as well, it is the deepest fresh water loch in Europe at 310 metres, and has its own monster called Morag!


Mallaig with the Isle of Skye beyond


Main Street Mallaig


Ferry to Skye

The final destination is of course Mallaig. A bustling fishing port located at the end of the famous "Road to the Isles". From the ferry terminal you can travel to Skye and the Inner Hebridean Islands of Rum, Eigg, Muck and Canna. There is plenty to see and do while in the village and you have plenty of time before the return journey to Fort William. Whilst in Mallaig you can visit the Heritage Centre but whilst interesting I found the exhibits haphazard and somewhat amateurishly displayed. When the train first arrived at the village it consisted of a few cottages and the notoriety of being the point where Bonnie Prince Charlie returned to the mainland after his wanderings with Flora MacDonald in the Outer Hebrides. However, with the opening of the line in 1901, the harbour was built, another task taken on by the engineers of the line and before long, Mallaig became one of the most important fishing ports on the western coast of Britain - a position it still holds to this day. However beyond the fishing and the ferry to Skye this is a tourist village determined to rake in the tourist pound during the season. Two examples, despite the expectation of fresh seafood the village speciality appears to be battered haddock and chips with tea, bread and butter for £8.50, the price being standard wherever you go. There are no left luggage facilities at the station but you are directed to the Waterside shop where you can leave your bags for £2.00 each.



After having lunch and sightseeing we reprised our route back to Fort William and to Glasgow on ScotRail. This is a long trip (over 5 hours) on a turbo diesel service(with no First Class) but the ScotRail staff were friendly enough and it provided an opportunity to drink deeply from the cornucopia which is the dramatically beautiful scenery on the deservedly famous Iron Road to the Isles.



The Road to the Isles is described in the traditional Scottish ballad of the same name with the well-known chorus:

Sure, by Tummel and Loch Rannoch
And Lochaber I will go.
By heather tracks wi' heaven in their wiles;
If it's thinkin' in your inner heart
Braggart's in my step,
You've never smelt the tangle o' the Isles.
O, the far Coolins are puttin' love on me.
As step I wi' my cromak to the lsles.

Note; "Coolins" are the Cuillin mountains on Skye and a "cromak" is a shepherd's crook.

See also; Getting to Fort William on the Caledonian Sleeper

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/07/caledonian-sleeper.html





travel

Jacobite Express

The West Highland Line (Scottish Gaelic: Rathad Iarainn nan Eilean - "Iron Road to the Isles") is one of the most scenic railway lines in Britain, linking the fishing port of Mallaig on the west coast to Glasgow City. Passenger services on the line are operated by First ScotRail, primarily between Glasgow and Mallaig with the daily Caledonian Sleeper overnight service between Fort William and London Euston. Our sleeper train from London terminated at Fort William, but the true glory of the West Highland Line was yet to come. The section between Fort William and Mallaig passes over a magnificent viaduct at Glenfinnan, through Arisaig with its fine views of the Small Isles of Rùm, Eigg, Muck and Canna, and the sparkling white sands of Morar before coming to Mallaig itself.



It is regarded as one of the Great Railway Journeys of the World and was voted Top Railway Journey in the World 2009 and 2010 by Wanderlust Magazine, due mainly to the stunning scenery through which the steam hauled Jacobite Express travels. The 84 mile round trip takes you past Britain's highest mountain, deepest loch, shortest river and most westerly station.


Black 5 Loco “The Sherwood Forester”



On this Friday morning as we pulled into Fort William on the overnight Caledonian Sleeper from London we did so with an increasing sense of anticipation for on the platform opposite was our next transport, the hissing, steaming “Jacobite Express” the steam locomotive-hauled train which operates over this section in summer and which in less than a half an hour's time would take us on our next adventure the 42 miles to Mallaig. This it would do slowly for just over two hours with time to appreciate the scenery of sea, mountain and isle on this twisting single line track to Mallaig, the port for the Isle of Skye.


Fort William

Described as one of the great railway journeys of the world this 84 mile round trip takes you past a list of impressive extremes. It starts near the highest mountain in Britain (Ben Nevis), visits Britain's most westerly mainland railway station (Arisaig), then passes close by the deepest freshwater loch in Britain (Loch Morar), and the shortest river in Britain (River Morar) and finally arrives next to the deepest seawater loch in Europe - Loch Nevis. The train leaves Fort William at 10:20am and returns to Fort William at 4:00pm with an hour and a half in Mallaig. It is a great way to spend the day! On this Friday morning the locomotive was a Black 5 “The Sherwood Forester” which pulled a rake of atmospheric Mark 2 British Rail stock which has a brake van, a First Class coach, Diner Coach and Standard Class coaches which also included an onboard souvenir shop. In First Class tea and scones are served and there is a friendly ambience on board. Make sure you make a reservation (01524 737751) as this train has lots of coach party bookings with American, Japanese and Continental tourists.


"Black 5" Loco


Jacobite Express

This section of the West Highland line, the Fort William to Mallaig extension, became a reality following an Act passed in the House of Commons in 1896. Lady Margaret Cameron of Locheil cut the first sod on the 21st January 1897 from which point the contractors, Robert McAlpine and Son, were allowed 5 years 6 months to construct the 40 miles of track. The task was completed by April 1901. Some 3,500 navvies worked on the line and whilst the viaducts are partially faced in stone they are in fact durably constructed in poured concrete giving the contractor the nickname which was to stick with him “Concrete Bob.” This was the first mass concrete viaduct in the country, and the use of concrete rather than stonework is one of the reasons that the West Highland Line has remained usable to this day.



From Fort William the train crosses the River Lochy with the ruined Inverlochy Castle on the east side of the river. After crossing the river the train travels along a flat expanse called the Corpach Moss with houses to the left and the Great Glen stretching into the distance to the right. The Great Glen is a spectacular valley running for over 60 miles between Loch Linnhe in the south west and Inverness and Moray Firth in the north east. The train slows down near the far end of the Moss to Cross the Caledonian Canal.




Hogwarts Express

To the left of the train there is Neptune's Staircase a row of locks that raise the canal to a height of 65 feet. The longest lock gate system in Britain and built during the Napoleonic Wars. Even (like most of the works built in response to the Napoleonic Wars) though it was never used for its wartime purpose the Caledonian Canal is a wonderful ship canal traversing the Great Glen of Scotland from Fort William to Inverness. One final point about Fort William – there is no fort! Built as part of a chain across the Great Glen which included Fort George and Fort Augustus it was knocked down to build the railway!




Neptune's Staircase on the Caledonian Canal


Glenfinnan Viaduct

The train does stop en route to Mallaig at the village of Glenfinnan where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard. After crossing the world famous 21 arch Glenfinnan viaduct, which has been used in the Harry Potter movies, and offers wonderful views down the 17 mile long Loch Shiel, the train stops at the station giving you time to stretch your legs and visit the Museum in the station buildings. Situated at the head of Loch Shiel, Glenfinnan was the setting for the start of the ill fated Jacobite Rebellion led by Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745. Glenfinnan is a very special place, and is almost hallowed ground for many Scots because of the historic associations with the Jacobite cause. It was here in 1745 that Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard in front of his gathered army to signify the beginning of the doomed second Jacobite rising that would become known as the "45". A 65ft monument commemorates the event, with further fascinating memorabilia and displays relating to Bonnie Prince Charlie to be found in the Visitor Centre. The statue on the top is not as many imagine that of the Prince, but one of his supporters. The monument was originally part of a hunting lodge which has since disappeared. Boat trips are available on the loch between Easter and October.


Glenfinnan Monument & Lough Shiel


The "45" The Jacobite Rising

Next we continued to Lochailort which is well known for having firsts. Here, during the construction of the railway, as there were over 2,000 navvies living here, the first construction site hospital in Britain was established with 8 beds, 2 nurses and a doctor. Lochailort was also the first site of fish farms now seen all over Scotland. It was established in 1969, by the then Marine Harvest company. Lochailort is of interest because of Inverailort Castle, used for commando training in the second world war. Churchill’s declaration of unconventional war prompted the creation of the top-secret Special Operations Executive (SOE). Its agents would cause havoc behind enemy lines. In the autumn of 1940 the first recruits began to arrive at Inverailort, SOE’s initial Highland training HQ. Here, far from prying eyes, they absorbed essential paramilitary skills; how to survive in the wild, how to handle weapons and explosives, how to wage guerrilla war and how to kill silently. To teach them came a legendary duo from Shanghai, men used to policing the toughest and roughest city of its day - Major Bill Fairbairn and Captain Eric Sykes, who jointly invented the famous double-edged commando knife.


White sands of Morar

Beyond are the villages of Arisaig, Morar and Mallaig. On a clear summer's day from Arisaig you can see the "Small Isles" of Rum, Eigg, Muck, Canna and the southern tip of Skye. From there the train passes Morar and the silvery beaches used in the films "Highlander" and "Local Hero." Loch Morar is worth a visit as well, it is the deepest fresh water loch in Europe at 310 metres, and has its own monster called Morag!


Mallaig with the Isle of Skye beyond


Main Street Mallaig


Ferry to Skye

The final destination is of course Mallaig. A bustling fishing port located at the end of the famous "Road to the Isles". From the ferry terminal you can travel to Skye and the Inner Hebridean Islands of Rum, Eigg, Muck and Canna. There is plenty to see and do while in the village and you have plenty of time before the return journey to Fort William. Whilst in Mallaig you can visit the Heritage Centre but whilst interesting I found the exhibits haphazard and somewhat amateurishly displayed. When the train first arrived at the village it consisted of a few cottages and the notoriety of being the point where Bonnie Prince Charlie returned to the mainland after his wanderings with Flora MacDonald in the Outer Hebrides. However, with the opening of the line in 1901, the harbour was built, another task taken on by the engineers of the line and before long, Mallaig became one of the most important fishing ports on the western coast of Britain - a position it still holds to this day. However beyond the fishing and the ferry to Skye this is a tourist village determined to rake in the tourist pound during the season. Two examples, despite the expectation of fresh seafood the village speciality appears to be battered haddock and chips with tea, bread and butter for £8.50, the price being standard wherever you go. There are no left luggage facilities at the station but you are directed to the Waterside shop where you can leave your bags for £2.00 each.



After having lunch and sightseeing we reprised our route back to Fort William and to Glasgow on ScotRail. This is a long trip (over 5 hours) on a turbo diesel service(with no First Class) but the ScotRail staff were friendly enough and it provided an opportunity to drink deeply from the cornucopia which is the dramatically beautiful scenery on the deservedly famous Iron Road to the Isles.



The Road to the Isles is described in the traditional Scottish ballad of the same name with the well-known chorus:

Sure, by Tummel and Loch Rannoch
And Lochaber I will go.
By heather tracks wi' heaven in their wiles;
If it's thinkin' in your inner heart
Braggart's in my step,
You've never smelt the tangle o' the Isles.
O, the far Coolins are puttin' love on me.
As step I wi' my cromak to the lsles.

Note; "Coolins" are the Cuillin mountains on Skye and a "cromak" is a shepherd's crook.

See also; Getting to Fort William on the Caledonian Sleeper

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/07/caledonian-sleeper.html





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