MacCrimmon (piping family): History and Key Facts

The MacCrimmons (Gaelic: MacCruimein) are members of a Scottish family who have served as pipers to the chiefs of Clan MacLeod for several generations. The MacCrimmon kindred was centred at Borreraig near the Clan MacLeod seat of Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye. At Borreraig the MacCrimmons conducted one of the best known "piping colleges" in the Highlands of Scotland.

Over time many pieces of Pìobaireachd (also known as Ceòl Mòr: "Big music") have been attributed to the MacCrimmons by oral tradition, although the actual authorship of these cannot be verified. Popular lore and the Gaelic oral tradition have made the MacCrimmons one of the most famous families of hereditary pipers, along with the MacArthurs (pipers to MacDonald of Sleat), the MacGregors (pipers to Campbell of Glenlyon) and the Rankins (pipers to the MacLeans of Coll, Duart and Mull). The term hereditary in popular lore has been used to imply an inherited above-average skill or special status. In the Scottish Highlands, until the Industrial Revolution, most social positions in the clan system were inherited, "from the chief down to the humblest cotter".

Since 1967, the MacCrimmon Memorial Piobaireachd Competition has taken place every year at Dunvegan Castle, where players compete to win the 'silver chanter'. Competitors only play tunes attributed to the legendary MacCrimmon family.

The origins of the MacCrimmons can only be speculated, as little in the way of written history exists.

Source and attribution

Text excerpted from MacCrimmon (piping family) by Wikipedia contributors, available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0. The extract is abridged and formatting has been adjusted; the adapted text on this page is shared under the same licence. Revision history.