sort of off topic but, my brother and I were discussing the following article yesterday, about the famous pipers of Clan MacCrimmon (he finds this particularly interesting as his wife is of Scottish decent but is Italian)

the following is as excerpt from the Inditer

The Great MacCrimmons

Where did they come from?

"In my writings concerning the origins of pipes in general and The Great Highland Bagpipe in particular, it was my intention to speak also of the aristocratic and noble Clan MacCrimmon, who were the hereditary pipers to the MacLeods on Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye

.

The MacCrimmons are accepted as the unchallenged doyens of pipers who lived in Borreraig, close to the MacLeod stronghold, Dunvegan Castle. In Borreraig the conducted their famous College of Piping, father and sons, all fine pipers and composers, during the period of approximately 1600 to 1800.

Sometime, back in the early 1950's I believe, Seumas MacNeil, the then principal of the Glasgow College of Piping, along with his associate Thomas Pearston, became curious as to the origins of the great MacCrimmons, and set about doing some research.

How long they took with their research I do not know exactly, but I believe that it was almost three years. Their studies finally led them to Europe, specifically to Italy, and there, the began to uncover some shattering and incendiary evidence - evidence tying the MacCrimmons to Cremona.

I can well imagine the pair of them sitting in their hotel room, or more likely, the bar, getting slowly smashed as they faced the fact that sometime soon they would be returning to Glasgow to tell a few thousand fanatical nationalists, pipers to boot, that their clan heros were Italian. That's what you call a sobering thought, but I'll bet it didn't stop the lads from knocking back every bottle of Glen Fiddich in the establishment.

Any way, D-day finally came, and Messers MacNeil and Pearston faced their eager-faced, bright- eyed audience, all of whom no doubt had 'wet their whistle' in anticipation of a very exciting evening!

The paper was duly read, passage by passage, and ugly stirring could be felt in the tense atmosphere. A long stunned silence, and then an uproar as at Hamden Park when the 'Celts" lose - 6-0. I wasn't there, but I heard that is was wild with terrible words being used, threats of grievous body harm, and a lot of accusations as to whose parents were never married. Stuff like that - isn't that awful?

Anyway, it's all died down now. For some time after I heard people referring to Pipe Major MacNeil as 'Shameless MacNeil' - that's not very nice, is it? He's a nice man and a fine piper. I suppose things have changed a bit, with Tokyo Pipe Band, Idi Amins Pipe Band (wearing the Royal Stuart Tartan. Is nothing sacred anymore?"

Apparently the Cremona family, in the Northern Italian city of Cremona are still carrying on their tradition on the Italian Bagpipes.