What do Scotsmen wear under their kilts?

I don't know what they wear but let's talk about bagpipes. I've found that most people love them or hate them, there's not much in between. I happen to love them. I do believe I fell in love with them as a kid when I heard the music in an Old Spice commercial. For years I thought the name of that song was Old Spice. Lo and behold I eventually learned it's Scotland the Brave.

People sometimes ask me if I'm Irish, especially around St. Patrick's Day. Maybe because I have fair skin, freckles, green eyes and reddish hair. Not a drop of Irish in me but lots of other nationalities. My grandmother on my fathers side was Canadian. Another being Scottish. My mother's maiden name was Ross. In the 1850's or so a great, great grandfather came here from the Highlands of Scotland.

This is the clan Ross tartan. I have a kilt pin that's a sword and when I wear it to school the kids are fascinated with it. But back to bagpipes...
As a kid we went up to the CNE in Toronto where we attended a huge Scottish Tattoo. There were pipe and drum bands from all over the world. I will admit that after a while they can be hard on your ears and I understand why some don't like them.
To me there is something sentimental about bagpipes. I don't really know why. Is it the kilts and all the accoutrement's that go with it? The sound that can be so melancholy? All I know is that when I hear them coming my heart beats faster. To hear Amazing Grace or Scotland the Brave on the pipes makes me tear up every time.



What I really really enjoy is bagpipes in rock and roll. Very few bands use them as they're hard to fit in but a favorite of mine manages to do it. One day in the very distant future when I'm gone I think I'll go the nontraditional route and have this played rather than Amazing Grace. I love it. If you only listen to a little of it, listen for the first 3 minutes.





One last thing to my very few readers out there; my husband tells me my posts are too long. Do you agree? I can go on at times.