This is one of the best known Scottish reel tunes. It has different names in different countries. We call it ‘Mrs MacLeod of Raasay’; in the USA it is ‘Hop High Ladies’.

We do not know anything about Mrs MacLeod, but it was the fashion for composers to name new tunes, or rename old tunes, after important people they wanted to compliment.

This reel seems to be based on the old march and song ‘The Campbells Are Coming’. ‘Mrs MacLeod’ was published in Niel Gow's Fifth Collection (1809). Gow said he had the tune from a Mr McLeod of Raasay, who described it as ‘an original Isle of Skye reel’.

‘Mrs MacLeod’ is used for mouth music songs (songs to dance to) in both Gaelic and Scots. One of the songs is a version of the Gaelic original:

Macaphee turn the cattle round Loch Avornin.
Macaphee turn the cattle round Loch Avornin.
Macaphee turn the cattle round Loch Avornin.
Here and there and everywhere the kye are in the corn.

Waitin at the sheilin, Vhari Van mochree.
Waitin at the sheilin, far awa tae sea.
Home will come the bonny boats, Vhari Van mochree,
Home will come the bonny boys, Vhari Van mochree.

Another song uses only the first part of the tune:

The black bull’s broken oot an eaten aa the corn
The black bull’s broken oot an eaten aa the corn
The black bull’s broken oot an eaten aa the corn
Ah winna bide tae Saturday, ah’ll away the morn

'Mrs MacLeod of Raasay', played on panpipes and drum by Edinburgh busker Joe Cadona in 1951.
From master tape T3398, from the Alan Lomax Collection at the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. Used courtesy of the Association for Cultural Equity.

'Mrs MacLeod of Raasay', played by Colin Campbell, fiddle, and Katherine Campbell, piano.
From 'Traditional Scottish Songs and Music', Gallus Recordings.

'Mrs MacLeod of Raasay', played on the bagpipes by Dougie Pincock.

'Mrs MacLeod of Raasay', sung in the Cantarach language used to teach people to play bagpipe tunes, by Mary Morrison of Barsay, Barra, in 1951.

'Mrs Macleod of Raasay', played by Heather Yule on the harp.
Recorded for Learning and Teaching Scotland for Scotland's Songs.