Love Scotland: Stories of Scotland's History and Nature

Stories and songs of Scottish battles: A live recording with Alistair Moffat, Derek Alexander and singer Iona Fyfe

Oct 27, 2023

Alistair Moffat, an award-winning writer and historian, joins Derek Alexander, the National Trust for Scotland's Head of Archaeology, and folk singer Iona Fyfe for a captivating discussion. They delve into significant Scottish battles, like Culloden and Killiecrankie, exploring the Highland charge's tactics and the emotional journeys revealed through archaeology. Iona enriches the narrative with songs inspired by these struggles, while they emphasize the cultural legacy of the Jacobite conflicts, bringing history to life through personal stories and music.

49:00

Creator website

Episode guests

Iona Fyfe

Derek Alexander

Alistair Moffat

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The Highland Charge exemplified the extraordinary bravery and unity of clansmen during Scottish battles, particularly in the Jacobite campaigns.

Archaeological insights reveal how terrain and environmental conditions profoundly influenced battle outcomes and our understanding of historical conflicts.

Deep dives

Exploration of Clansmen's Courage

The discussion revolves around the unique bravery of Scottish clansmen during turbulent historical battles, especially during the Jacobite era. Their primary combat tactic, the Highland Charge, demonstrated remarkable effectiveness against better-armed modern armies. Alistair Moffat emphasizes the sheer physical courage it took for these warriors to charge into battle armed mostly with bladed weapons against troops equipped with firearms and cannons. This courage was underscored by a strong sense of kinship and identity, with clansmen charging into battle united, invoking the spirits of their ancestors.

Intro

2min

Courage and Tactics of Highland Warriors in Battle

3min

Unearthing History: The Jacobite Battles

5min

Highland Valor and Battlefield Tactics

12min

Echoes of Jacobite Struggles in Song and Story

3min

The Tragic Legacy of Culloden

8min

Strategic Dynamics of Culloden

11min

Preserving Culloden: A Call to Action and a Tribute

5min

Stories and songs of Scottish battles

Earlier this year, to launch a new series of Love Scotland, Jackie recorded an episode in front of a live audience of National Trust for Scotland members in Aberdeen.

Two of the nation’s foremost experts on battles joined Jackie on stage to discuss some of the most significant historic conflicts as well as the people who fought in them. They are Alistair Moffat, the award-winning writer and historian whose new book, War Paths: Walking in the Shadows of the Clans, follows in the footsteps of Jacobite fighters and leaders from 1613 until 1746, and Derek Alexander, the National Trust for Scotland’s Head of Archaeology.

Their discussion covers the importance of the Highland charge, the two Jacobite campaigns, and the battles of Killiecrankie and Culloden. Former BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year finalist Iona Fyfe provides some musical interludes inspired by these battles.

If you’d like to support the Culloden fighting fund, you can do so at nts.org.uk/donate or by texting CULLODEN to 70970, which will donate £5.

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more