AMIDST the Brexit furore it was pleasing to note that the late Hamish Henderson is to be honoured in the Scottish Parliament next week with a debate and a reception recognising him as one of the “most brilliant Scots of his age”.
A poet, academic, linguist, songwriter and ethnologist, his work was central to the Folk revival of the 1950s in Scotland. He also had a distinguished war service in North Africa and Italy and helped Jewish people escape Nazi Germany.
Hamish was also heavily involved in the peace movement, anti-Apartheid campaign and the campaign for Scottish Home Rule. His two great compositions, ‘Freedom Come All Ye’, which was sung to mark the opening of the Scottish Parliament, and ‘Farewell to Sicily’ stand well the test of time.
He was a great internationalist. In this period of Brexit angst we could well do with a world with a few more individuals of the calibre of Hamish Henderson.
Alex Orr,
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