Issue 419: The Name of this Dance

Object

The Flower o' the Quern (Dance)

Submitter

Ron Russell (RonaldRussell)

Assigned to

Eric Ferguson

Priority

Normal

Disposition

Fixed

Description

I often hear comments that this dance should be called “Flour o’ the Quern” as a Quern is a grinding stone.

As I understand it (although not a Gaelic speaker), a quern (pronounced ‘kern’) is Gaelic for ‘hollow’.

A verse is included as a dedication in James Scott Skinner’s original sheet music:

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/scottskinner/display.php?ID=JSS0750

The flo-ers grow fair on the lowland vales, an’ green grow the wids on the braes, an’ saft an’ low sing the scented gales in the lang, lang simmer days; But dearer to me are the mountains blue where grow the heath an’ fern, an’ the bonniest flo’er is the ane I lo’e that blooms ‘mang the braes o’ the Quern.

I believe this verse is by J. Gordon Phillips

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