ClarsachGrantown Museum The harp is Scotland’s oldest national instrument. Long before the arrival of the bagpipe it was the mainstay of Gaelic courtly music. The earliest depictions of the instrument can be found on Pictish stones, dating back to the 8th century. It...
Minstrels PhotoBrora Heritage Centre Warning – some people may find this item offensive. From the 1950s, there was a group of performers from Brora known as the Brora Entertainers. They performed variety shows in the village and all over the north of Scotland. One...
Medieval Reed InstrumentCromarty Courthouse Museum This instrument is known for its unusual sound, mostly heard nowadays on children’s television. It is made by vibrating a flexible reed between the lips. This medieval example actually dates from the fifteenth century...
Poltalloch ClarsachWest Highland Museum This beautifully decorated clarsach, or Scottish harp, is in the style of the Queen Mary harp, so named because the original design dates from the reign of Mary Queen of Scots. The clarsach is the oldest national instrument of...
Donald Sutherland’s BagpipesStrathnaver Museum The owner of these unusual bagpipes was Donald Sutherland, a shepherd, heavy weight athlete and talented piper. From the town of Rogart, Sutherland benefitted from being part of a strong community of bagpipe players who...
