This weekend we take to the road, cross the Channel and join in the Fêtes franco-écossaises to celebrate the Auld Alliance and the gifting of Aubigny-sur-Nère to the Scots 600 years ago. Known as la Cité des Stuarts, the town was centred around the Scottish family of the Stuarts for 250 years. Sir John Stuart Darnley, a Constable of the Scottish army, originally received the lordship of Aubigny from King Charles VII of France in 1423, as a grand gesture of gratitude for services rendered in the name of the Auld Alliance during the Hundred Years War.
Since 1295 the Auld Alliance ('Vieille Alliance' in French) was an allied partnership on the battlefields against the English between Scotland and France, lasting for centuries, until it was officially abolished in 1560 by the Treaty of Edinburgh. Today, the Auld Alliance continues culturally between Scotland and France and we have discovered is particularly alive in the town of Aubigny-sur-Nère.
The Auld Alliance wasn't just about Scottish soldiers and bagpipers joining the French army, the Scottish Guards (personal bodyguards to the French monarchy) or dual nationality agreements. Mutual trade agreements allowed French wine to flow between Bordeaux and Leith in Edinburgh.
Since the start of the year the town of Aubigny-sur-Nère, nestled in the Centre Val de Loire region just 2 hours south of Paris, has been celebrating the 600th anniversary of the gifting of the town to the Scots with many animations. The climax of the celebrations is obviously the holding of the Fêtes franco-écossaises, an event which has been running for over 30 years marking the importance of the links which unite the town with, I Iiked this terminology, the "pays du kilt" (the country of the kilt or perhaps we should translate as the kilted country?).
The town council and the Association des Fêtes-franco-écossaises, the organisers of the event, decided to mark the importance of this multi-cultural alliance with a three day rather than the traditional two day event, and a packed programme. The festivities start on Thursday evening with the traditional opening ceremony, followed by a Celtic rock concert in the Grands Jardins des Vrillés.
"The Pipe Bands are contacting us"
This 32nd edition will be marked by the attendance of twelve pipe bands, more than ever before, including of course the Aubigny Auld Alliance Pipe Band and some from overseas including the Pipes and Drums of Geneva and The Castle Pipers de Wassenberg. Jean-François Paurin, president of the Association des Fêtes franco-écossaises : "Now it's the pipe bands who contact us to come!". The organisers have been forced to bring in a selection criteria, primarily on the quality of the pipe band, but also on their culture, making sure the spirit of the festival is upheld.
The pipe bands will come together for a special event on the Saturday evening "la Nuit de la cornemuse", the night of the bagpipe. This show retraces the history of the town of the Stuarts to the sound of the bagpipes. Directed by Matthieu Duclos and including historical fresco's of the town, narrated by Lorànt Deutsch, animateur et comédien passionné d’histoire.
The pipe bands will be performing all weekend in the streets of the town, in the tattoo and of course as part of the traditional grand parade on the Sunday afternoon. But this festival isn't only pipe bands, free concerts with Vrillés on Thursday evening and Celtica pipes rock on Friday with the dancers Irish Fire. The kilt run takes place on Saturday morning and in the afternoon the "Chic en kilt" competition judges the best looking kilt. It seems to only be open to the gentlemen so Kate and I won't be able to enter this year!
Not content with being home to the festival the french town of the Stuarts has it's own Château des Stuarts (actually the town hall), electric buses called Nessie, their own shortbread and much more.
We had the best weekend in Aubigny and just had to share some of the highlights of our fun and frolics with the Auld Alliance.
Alongside us in the sunshine were the clan tents and it was so nice to connect with the French comrades of those clans we have met in the UK and North America. Clan Macpherson even brought us a local cider on the hottest day, a very welcome refreshment!
The piping during the weekend was phenomenal and the parade through the beautiful little town of Aubigny on the Sunday was quite something to behold.
Normandy Highlands Pipe Band
Franck from the Normandy Highlands Pipe Band popped by the tartan tent to share a bit of history about the band and their current members. The band was created in 2002 and has around 15 regular players from a pretty vast area, from Rouen to Amiens to Dieppe. They practise together virtually on Wednesday evening and then once a month there is a meet up in Rouen. Franck himself only started playing the pipes at 43 years of age, he had a desire to learn a musical instrument and the death of a close friend and the visit to the Festival Inter-Celtique inspired his new passion. The band is led by the youngest Pipe Major in France; Noa Reaud is only 17 years old. His father was in a pipe band and when Noa was little he carried the flag. Now he plays to a world class standard and hopes to come and study in Edinburgh and pursue his interest.
The Normandy Pipe Band plays in the Stewart Royal tartan, which is of course most apt given we were in the City of the Stuarts, however they wear the Cap Badge of the Black Watch, authorised by Fort George (near Inverness) and the home of the Black Watch regiment. The badge is worn in memory the Scots killed in Normandy during the war.
Stoat Pipe Band
We didn't meet the good men and women pipers of Stoat Pipe Band in Aubigny but inspired by the stories of other bands across France we decided to find out more about the piping scene which led us to Sautron, a community found in the suburbs of Nantes and a discussion with Patrick Pilard, Pipe Major. He shared their story: "Here in Brittany where you can also find the very fine Ducs de Bretagne castle, the Bagad groups are more on trend. However we were lucky enough to have some players who made up our Pipe Band, to do three Zenith, despite everything, first and foremost the Land Bihoue, a Bagad of french mariners. The Pipe Band was created soon after, when the group became separated, and were adopted by clan MacCallum. The band tries to play in the purest Scottish style, thanks to the hard work for their sonneurs. Like many groups they have lost a lot of numbers during Covid and the region isn't exactly "Pipe Band" and there are few music schools who are keen to promote their music. But they are lucky to have a folk group and musicians who join them for certain events." It was brilliant to chat to Patrick and understand the different formats that pipe bands take on depending on their membership at the time and the talent on hand!
