Re: "Cruachan"

["Nicholas Latheron" <N.Latheron@BTInternet.com>]

I think that "Cruachan" is a war cry from the Argyll area as in Ben Cruachan
the mountains at the seaward end of Loch Etive.

-----Original Message-----
From: dgaskill <dgaskill@mcione.com>
To: sinclair@zilker.net <sinclair@zilker.net>
Date: 22 February 1998 18:58
Subject: Re: "Cruachan"


>In a recent post, Toni wrote, in part:
>
>> I understand that the Sinclair war cry was "Cruachan".  Can anyone
>confirm or deny that?  Maybe we could use it as a name for this Email site.
>>
>> All the best.  Toni
>
>I like this idea of livening up our discussion list with a catchy
>nickname/slogan, but I'm not sure that "Cruachan" ever was the battle cry
>of the Sinclairs. I could certainly be wrong on this point, but I seem to
>recall it being something like "never backward."  I must admit that I don't
>recall where I saw that.  Maybe Andrew Sinclair's book, The Sword and the
>Grail?  I think he comments in a couple of places on the "berserker"
>tendency among Sinclairs in battle, as when William St. Clair charged into
>the ranks of the Saracens while on the mission to carry Bruce's heart to
>the holy land and when Prince Henry died (shortly after his return from the
>voyage) while wading into those attacking his castle.  Anyway, my main
>point is that I don't remember "cruachan" as a line in these narratives,
>but of course I could be misremembering.  Any help out there?
>
>I do see on various websites that Clan Campbell and Clan MacIntyre both
>claim "cruachan" as "their" battle cry.  And I do think it has deeply
>mystical Celtic connotations -- perhaps more Celtic than we Sinclairs (with
>our Norse>Norman>Scottish roots) can properly latch on to?  Just wondering.
>
>Dave
>