Scottish Bagpipes

The Great Scottish Highland Bagpipe can trace its history back to the earliest of times.  The bagpipe, in one form or another, was used for popular playing at fairs, weddings, and dances.  It eventually spread throughout Europe, first by the Celts and then by the Romans.

In the Highlands of Scotland, however, its history was different.  Its martial music appealed to the warlike spirit of the people there. It fitted into the Clan system then operating in the Highlands.  After the Rising of 1745, the playing of the bagpipe was forbidden by England by law for almost 50 years, as it was deemed an instrument of war.