Picti Pipers

The Picti Pipers are an experienced and exciting pipe and drum band who play traditional Scottish music but with a tribal sound (think Braveheart!)

The group is made up of a Glaswegian Pipe Major and 2 drum Majors (one of whom is also a rock drummer - that is to say plays in a rock band, doesn't throw rocks!)

The history of the Picts

The name Picti is the Latin form of The Picts which is what the Celtic tribal warrior people north of the rivers Clyde and Forth were called by the Roman invaders in ancient times.

The Picts meaning the painted people painted their upper bodies and faces with blue dye when they went into battle. They were the most ferocious warriors and the might of the Roman Empire was stopped in its tracks when they entered what is now Scotland. They were never able to conquer the land occupied by The Picts so they built a wall just north of Carlisle to keep them out. Hadrians Wall has survived to this day although it is now in a semi ruined state.

Just before the end of the first millennium the Picts merged with the Gaelic speaking people of the West coast which included the Kingdom of Dalriada and formed a new Kingdom which was known as Alba. They were later joined by the Strathclyde Britons and the Angles from Lothian and eventually became the Scotland we know today.

Most modern Scots are descended from these original inhabitants of our country and we should be very proud of them. They fought hard to keep our country free. It wasn't only the Romans who tried to conquer Scotland the Vikings and the Anglo Saxons also tried but failed and so Scotland remained an independent State till its sovereignty was signed away in 1707.