Page 3 - What's In A Name - The Barry Pipes Canon

WHAT’S IN A NAME? The Barry Pipes Canon • 2005 - 2018 The Dundee Wheeler 001-2005-November-Set&Link
Yes! We know that there is a dance called The Dundee Whaler. No! This is not a misprint. The Dundee Wheeler celebrates the life of Rod Nicoll, a Dundonian who, as an
accomplished Scottish Country Dancer, emigrated to Canada in 1966 with his young family, and quickly became a valuable part of the RSCDS Toronto scene, both as a member of the Scarborough Social Group and as a Demonstration Dancer of note.
In his younger days in Scotland, Rod could always be found on wheels of one kind or another....for example, cycling around the Highlands. He can regale you with stories about the joys of powering his way on two wheels, up the steep and never-ending climb from Tarbet to “Rest And Be Thankful”, with other members of his cycling club on their way to “Inveraray”... and in later years, covering the same “Winding Road” on a motorcycle with wife Muriel on the back. Switching to four wheels before coming to Canada, Rod became an Inverness-based rep in the medical supply business, and successfully wheeled his way around the length and breadth of Scotland. Truth be known, at some point or another, it is likely that Rod has even tried Scottish Country Dancing on roller skates.
Derivation of Schiehallion Reels 002-2006-November-Set&Link
From Set&Link, newsletter of RSCDS Toronto
Regrettably, Rod is no longer physically able to dance, but he is still to be found on wheels, happily tooling his way around Scarborough managing the controls of a motorized wheelchair. His love of Scottish Country Dancing remains unabated however, and he can often be seen at a Monthly Dance or in one Social Group or another, or at the AGM, chatting with other veterans of RSCDS Toronto.
To celebrate Rod’s 70th birthday, his daughter Carole Skinner
devised a 32- bar Jig called The Dundee Wheeler in recognition of
Rod’s long and varied past. This dance has already been
performed by both the Petronella (Thornhill) and Highlands of Durham Social Groups where Carole teaches.
Rod remains content in the thought that with wife Muriel, daughter Carole, and granddaughter Amanda, there are three generations of the Nicoll family still dancing as members of RSCDS Toronto.
A really under-appreciated formation in SCD is the Schiehallion Reel. It was devised by an RSCDS Vancouver teacher, Hugh Thurston, as part of his dance, Schiehallion. This intriguing form of reel is danced in a square formation. Hugh Thurston, a UBC mathematician, named his dance and its specialty reel for the Scottish mountain Schiehallion, located in Loch Rannoch National Scenic Area in Perthshire, and well known for its symmetrical appearance. Surveyors believe Schiehallion is the geographical centre of Scotland.
Happy Birthday, Rod! ◼︎
Schiehallion is an anglicized version of the Gaelic Sidh Chailleann, usually translated as “Fairy Hill of the Caledonians.” It was the first mountain to be mapped using contour
lines in the late 1700s. It is popular with hikers due to its accessibility, ease of ascent, and spectacular views.
Betty Grant’s Chrysanthemum is the best known dance containing Schiehallion Reels and it is frequently performed in demonstrations. ◼︎
Schiehallion in winter: The Fairy Hill of the Caledonians is a “Munro” — a Scottish mountain over 3000 ft.
Rod Nicoll at the 1024-some demo, 1993, at SkyDome, Toronto
Hugh Thurston
The Bees of Maggieknockater
003-2006-December-Set&Link
beekeepers’ needs. This story spurred Aberdonian dance deviser John Drewry to create that
wonderful jig called The Bees of Maggieknockater. It is a complex dance that includes what was once
described with tongue in cheek as ”a celebration of partner swapping”. Now that
should excite a little interest here and there!
So for Maggies everywhere, please sit down!
This jig is not about you! ◼︎
Does this sign show the road to Maggieknockater or, perhaps, diagram the half-reels of the dance?
Maggie who? Well, it is not a person! Maggieknockater is a hamlet in the Scottish County of Morayshire. Its name is loosely translated from the Gaelic Magh An Fhucadair, which means Field of the Fuller. Close by the river Spey, it is located just north of the Glenfiddich Distillery, famous for its single malts. But Maggieknockater was better known for its bees. Honey bees, that is!
In the past, as the story goes, beekeepers for miles around brought their stock to Maggieknockater where the bees would flourish in their hives among the heather in the hills above. Up until the 1970s, a large apiary existed in the hamlet to serve the