Page 32 - What's In A Name - The Barry Pipes Canon

WHAT’S IN A NAME? The Barry Pipes Canon • 2005 - 2018 The Roselath Cross 061-2013-October-Set&Link
Somewhat intrigued by the name of this dance, I whipped out my old copy of RSCDS Book 41 (The Millennium Edition) which was issued in 2000. You may well recall Y2K and all those dire warnings of computers crashing and such, which really never came to pass.
The Roselath Cross was devised circa 1998 as a 32-bar jig, by a dancer named Henrietta Vosper, who, at that time, I believe, lived in Saltash nearby the city of Plymouth in Devonshire, southwest England. That said, Book 41 does indicate that Henrietta was a member of RSCDS Cornwall, and that the Roselath Cross is an old preaching cross just outside the Cornish village of Lanlivery on The Saints Way, which is a centuries-old footpath traversing Cornwall between the fishing ports of Padstow on the Atlantic to the northwest and Fowey on the English Channel to the southeast.
Over the many years that I have been struggling with this monthly quasi-literate voyage of discovery in Set&Link under the appellation WHAT’S IN A NAME?, I cannot remember having ventured south below Hadrian’s Wall in recent times, even though there must exist hundreds of Scottish country dances whose names reflect the life and times and geography of “Jolly Old England”. In any event, Cornwall is a little bit special in that both its culture and background are every bit as Celtic as Wales, The Isle of Man, and Brittany — never mind Scotland and Ireland.
Keppoch’s Rant 062-2013-November-Set&Link
Keppoch? Now there’s a word that I have not heard before. I am reminded that there still exists an abundance of Scottish history and culture with which I am still insufficiently acquainted. What do I find? Keppoch seems to be a derivation of the Gaelic word Ceapaich, which translates simply as “a plot of land”. My further findings tie Keppoch to Clan Donald, in that the MacDonalds of Keppoch earned historic renown as a branch of that clan.
It all seems to go back to one Alasdair Carragh (in Gaelic: pillar of strength), although he was more frequently known by the less salubrious surname Carrach, which means “scruffy”. Alasdair seems to be closely associated with the founding of the Keppoch MacDonalds, and was a grandson of King Robert II, the first of the Stewart kings, who brought about what I have seen described in historical references as “evil consequences” and “a heritage of woe on Scotland” because of his many conjugal relationships. They resulted in Robert siring 21 offspring who in turn were said to be responsible for numerous subsequent problems in maintaining a royal line of succession. Worth noting is that the current Chief of Keppoch challenges the accuracy of these past historic references and is in the process of having them rewritten.
From Set&Link, newsletter of RSCDS Toronto
Getting down to brass tacks (Cockney rhyming slang for “the facts”, in case you didn’t know!), The Saints Way is now a very popular and well-signposted 40 km coast-to-coast Cornish hiking trail. It was resurrected in 1986 after years of neglect but may well go back aeons to the Bronze Age as an aid to early traders. It was also the probable route of early Christian priests making their way from Ireland to the continent.
The name Roselath is more difficult to pin down. In the aforementioned village of Lanlivery there is also an abandoned 17th century farmhouse by that name, plus some holiday cottages. But not to worry! For those readers making it to Cornwall in the not-too-distant future, it is a charming part of the UK that, from experience, I guarantee you will love.
Meanwhile, why not come out to the RSCDS Toronto Monthly Dance on October 5 and enjoy dancing The Roselath Cross. Then you will be prepared for its additional appearance at next February’s Tartan Ball. ◼︎
All of which is to say that a history of the Keppochs is highly complex but may well be somewhat fanciful. Despite the foregoing, the MacDonalds of Keppoch were staunch supporters of Scottish independence over the centuries and spilled much blood at Bannockburn and Culloden plus a host of battles in between.
Now let’s get back to the dance...
Puzzling to me is that while one might expect Keppoch’s Rant to be a lively dance, it is in fact a strathspey. I am a little bemused as to how that can be. My trusty OED defines a rant as a “high-flown, extravagant, or
bombastic speech or utterance”.
To rant is “to rave or talk foolishly”. My Dictionary of
Scots Dialect includes the word “ranty” to mean lively, cheerful, or gay. These are words to describe a
strathspey? Could it be that the Keppoch
MacDonalds, much like the Robertsons whose
strathspey is also described as a rant, are in fact a far more sober, restrained group of Highlanders than we might expect?
MacDonald of Keppoch
Whatever, you can give it a shot at the RSCDS Toronto Monthly Afternoon Dance on November 9, 2013. But if you do, please try to inject some extra life into it! ◼︎