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Re: "Cruachan"



In a recent post, Toni wrote, in part:

> I understand that the Sinclair war cry was "Cruachan".  Can anyone
confirm or deny that?  Maybe we could use it as a name for this Email site.
> 
> All the best.  Toni
 
I like this idea of livening up our discussion list with a catchy
nickname/slogan, but I'm not sure that "Cruachan" ever was the battle cry
of the Sinclairs. I could certainly be wrong on this point, but I seem to
recall it being something like "never backward."  I must admit that I don't
recall where I saw that.  Maybe Andrew Sinclair's book, The Sword and the
Grail?  I think he comments in a couple of places on the "berserker"
tendency among Sinclairs in battle, as when William St. Clair charged into
the ranks of the Saracens while on the mission to carry Bruce's heart to
the holy land and when Prince Henry died (shortly after his return from the
voyage) while wading into those attacking his castle.  Anyway, my main
point is that I don't remember "cruachan" as a line in these narratives,
but of course I could be misremembering.  Any help out there?

I do see on various websites that Clan Campbell and Clan MacIntyre both
claim "cruachan" as "their" battle cry.  And I do think it has deeply
mystical Celtic connotations -- perhaps more Celtic than we Sinclairs (with
our Norse>Norman>Scottish roots) can properly latch on to?  Just wondering.

Dave