Remembering my ancestry

What a horror to have nothing to remember; to leave nothing behind you but blank tape.

Maria Teresa Leon 1970

Recalling the ancient ‘sloinneadh’ the summoning of the dead – the Caledonians, ferocious warriors, recited their genealogy – many going back 20 generations.

Before they charged across the heather of Culloden, the clansmen wanted to recall their ancestors and fight in their shadows.

“In a modern culture where many can scarcely recall the names of all four of their grandparents, a sense of importance – and the power of ancestors has been all but lost.”

Alistair Moffat

“The Hidden Ways” 2017


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