According to
tradition every year on the anniversary of the raising of the Jacobite
Standard at Glenfinnan (19 August), James MacIntyre of Beglan,
standard-bearer to Colonel John Roy Stewart (Jacobite Edinburgh Regiment)
would carry the Green Banner of Kincardine to the summit of Cairngorm. There
he would unfurl the banner in memory of John Roy Stuart and the other men
from Strathspey who fought for the Jacobite cause. He had successfully
carried the banner from the field of Culloden thus ensuring its safety.
Next month
will see a re-enactment of James MacIntyre’s yearly homage when a replica of
the Green Banner of Kincardine will be carried to the summit of Cairngorm on
Sunday 19 August 2007. As in his day the banner will be unfurled and a short
commemorative meeting held. This will form an important part of a free
festival in memory of Colonel John Roy Stuart (1700-1752), the noted Gaelic
poet, piper, swordsman and soldier, who fought in every major battle of the
’45. Of the Jacobite defeat at Culloden John Roy Stuart wrote –
Mo chreach,
armailt nam breacan
Bhith air
sgaoileadh ‘s air sgapadh ‘s gach àit,
Aig
fìor-bhalgairean Shasuinn
Nach do
ghnathaich bonn ceartais ‘nan dàil;
Ged a
bhuannaich iad baiteal
Cha b’ ann
d’an cruadal no ‘n tapadh a bhà,
Ach gaoth
aniar agus frasan
Thighinn a
nios oirnn bhàrr machair nan Gall.
(Woe is me for
the plaided troops scattered and routed everywhere at the hands of these
foxes of England who observed no fairness at all in the conflict; though
they won the battle, it was not from courage or the skill of them but the
westward wind and the rain coming down on us from the flat lands of the
lowlanders.)
(Latha
Chul-Lodair. Culloden Day)
Feis Iain
Ruadh Stiubhart, the John Roy Stuart Festival will be held over Saturday 18
August to Sunday 19 August and forms part of Highland 2007, Scotland’s
Highland Year of Culture. The festival will be held at the Hayfield,
Glenmore, near Aviemore and will open on the Saturday at 12 noon with
marchers arriving from Beglan with the replica Green Banner of Kincardine. A
day’s programme of entertainments will follow including displays from the
re-enactment group Glenbucket’s Highlanders and a ceilidh featuring Gaelic
singers Ishbel MacAskill and Calum Alex MacMillan. Visit
www.johnroystuart.co.uk for full details and much material about
John Roy Stuart. The website also contains how you can register for the
Sunday’s walk up Cairngorm – registration is essential.
Oatmeal in the
form of drammoch (a mixture of raw oatmeal and cold water which will be
familiar to all readers of ‘Kidnapped’) would have been familiar to John Roy
Stuart when he was on the run after the Jacobite defeat, but this week’s
oatmeal recipe – Oatmeal Bread – is much tastier!
Oatmeal Bread
Makes 2 loaves
Ingredients: 450ml (16fl oz) milk; 55g (2oz) dark brown sugar;
25g (1oz) butter; 2 teaspoons salt; 1 tablespoon active dried yeast; 65ml
(2fl oz) lukewarm water; 390g (13¾oz) Porridge Oats; 700g - 850g (1lb 8oz -
1lb 14oz) strong flour
Method: Scald the milk. Remove from heat and stir in the
butter, brown sugar and salt. Leave aside until lukewarm.
Combine the yeast and warm water in a large bowl and leave until the yeast
has dissolved and the mixture is frothy. Stir in the milk mixture. Add the
flour and 10oz (285g) of the porridge oats and to obtain a soft dough.
Transfer to a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Place in a
greased bowl, cover with a plastic bag and leave until doubled in volume -
this will take 2-3 hours.
Grease a large baking sheet. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured
surface, divide in half and shape into two rounds. Place on the baking
sheet, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise until doubled in volume
(approximately 1 hour).
Pre-heat oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Score the tops of the dough rounds and
sprinkle with the remaining oats. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the
bottoms of the loaves sound hollow when tapped.
