Ashbourne Highland Gathering

Highland Dancing

Highland dancing yields a curious mixture of fact and fable. Some of the dances are very old and go back to ancient rites in celebration of marriage, fertility, victory or defeat, joy for the living or lament for the dead. The male dancers show a definite leaning towards the warlike, with dirks (long daggers) and swords playing a prominent part. The girls' dances, which are quite different, are much more delicate.

The Sword Dance is reckoned by many to be the oldest of Scottish dances, performed centuries ago on the eve of battles as a means of relieving tension, exhibiting self-control and to seek an omen for the forthcoming battle. As far back as 54 B.C. there are records of sword dances. Sword and scabbard were placed on the ground in the form of a cross and if the dancer's feet managed to avoid touching either one, it was believed the clan would be blessed with good fortune in the coming battle.

However, if the sword or scabbard were disarranged, the prediction was defeat. The great Malcolm Canmore, Calum-a-Chinn More, is the supposed originator of the modern sword dance, or Ghillie Callum. At a battle in 1054, he fought and slew one of McBeth's chiefs near Dunsinane.

Taking his opponent's sword, he formed a cross by arranging his sword over the sword of the dead chief and triumphantly danced over the symbol. In the modern dance, the top sword is in a direct line front to back, with the hilt towards the dancer and with the centre of its blade directly above the centre of the blade of the other sword, the hilt of which is to the dancer's left.

The slip in footwork, formerly interpreted as an evil omen, now provides one of the principal methods of eliminating contestants.

Application forms for entry to the dancing competitions for this years gathering can be downloaded here