Dougie MacLean is from Dunkeld which I visited with episcopalian shoes on , treading round its cathedral aware that the English were at fault that most that went wrong in Scottish religion in the 17th century. Dougie MacLean sings about being Scottish in this song and comes from the Perthshire countryside. When I was in the Dunkeld town hall, I was introduced to the man. Shortly afterwards , my musical friend from Fife forwarded me this music. A review of Dougie’s life shows him working as a bus driver in the 1970s. A Perthshire bus-driver ticks more of boxes.
The Scottish Enlightenment (Pt 2) is clearly focussed on bus-drivers. I understand that Sir Brian Souter and his sister, Dame Ann Gloag both drove busses as did Derek Scott. I have been driven by Mr Scott and he is still a very good driver. All of these people are leaving enlightenment all over me and to now know Dougie MacLean was a bus driver as a young man gives me the common theme.
Another song passed to me by he of the Perthshire diaspora is this fine instrumental
I had Perthshire amber from my balcony. It touched the mountain of Schiehallion
easing towards Perthshire Amber
Derek Scott tells me that he and his wife watched Dougie at Perth’s Concert Hall
His independent record label is called Dunkeld Records, and Dougie and his wife bought an old country school, Butterstone, and live there with recording and art studios.
Dunkeld
Dunkeld has held me in its grasp. in 1689 all but 3 of its dwellings were destroyed in a battle between the English and Scottish loyalists, earlier, the Cathedral had been desecrated by the Convenanters and I don’t feel being English in this town which still seems to be in scaffolding.
But once you have got past the Cathedral (well at least the bit not held together by scaffolding), you find yourself in places that Edinburgh would be proud of.
Indeed, nearby Perth (I am told) was capital of Scotland before Edinburgh. Wilton was capital of England before London, which shows how you have to keep your growth in place. I like Dunkeld because it is Scottish Enlightenment 2, but I know that in doing so , I will side with Edinburgh and my friends are mostly from Glasgow and John Hamilton has his heart in the right place (I am told).
You may wonder why I am not halfway up a mountain and stuck looking at dams, and episcopal towns but I have further news. I have spent my penultimate day in God’s own country in the hills above the southern shore of Loch Rannoch.
