Niel Gow's Oak is a 300-year-old tree near

Dunkeld and Birnam Dunkeld (, sco, Dunkell, from gd, Dùn Chailleann, "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to t ...

Perth and Kinross Perth and Kinross ( sco, Pairth an Kinross; gd, Peairt agus Ceann Rois) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Fife, Highland and S ...

, Scotland. It is closely associated with the Scottish

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

r and composer

Niel Gow Niel Gow (1727 – 1 March 1807) was the most famous Scottish fiddler of the eighteenth century. Early life Gow was born in Strathbraan, Perthshire, in 1727, as the son of John Gow and Catherine McEwan. The family moved to Inver in Perthshi ...

, who lived in nearby Inver. Gow is said to have composed many of his most famous tunes whilst sitting beneath the oak. The connection is commemorated by a plaque and engraved bench. The tree has been entered into the Scottish and

European Tree of the Year The European Tree of the Year is an annual contest held to find the most 'loveable tree' in Europe. The contest is held by the Environmental Partnership Association (EPA), an organization supported by the European Land Owners Association and the ...

competitions. The tree was badly damaged by storms in 2011 and 2012.

Description

Niel Gow's Oak is a

sessile oak ''Quercus petraea'', commonly known as the sessile oak, Cornish oak, Irish Oak or durmast oak, is a species of oak tree native to most of Europe and into Anatolia and Iran. The sessile oak is the national tree of Ireland, and an unofficial embl ...

(''Quercus petraea'') located near to the towns of Dunkeld and Birnam, Scotland, which is around 300 years old. It lies within the

Craigvinean Forest Craigvinean Forest is located one mile west of Dunkeld, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, on the A9. It is accessed through a track at the foot of Deuchary Hill. The River Braan bisects the forest, which forms part of the Tay Forest Park, o ...

on the south bank of the

River Tay The River Tay ( gd, Tatha, ; probably from the conjectured Brythonic ''Tausa'', possibly meaning 'silent one' or 'strong one' or, simply, 'flowing') is the longest river in Scotland and the seventh-longest in Great Britain. The Tay originates ...

. It accessible by the public and lies on the Inver Walk public footpath, part of the Dunkeld Path Network. It lies between the path and the riverbank in a field used to graze sheep and horses.

Niel Gow connection

(1727–1807) was a Scottish fiddler who lived in nearby Inver and composed many

Scottish country dance Scottish country dance (SCD) is the distinctively Scottish form of country dance, itself a form of social dance involving groups of couples of dancers tracing progressive patterns. A dance consists of a sequence of figures. These dances are ...

tunes. The oak has been linked to Gow since at least 1855 when it featured in an ''

Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'' appeared first on Saturday 14 May 1842, as the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. Founded by Herbert Ingram, it appeared weekly until 1971, then less frequently thereafter, and ceased publication in ...

'' article. The connection was also made in an 1881 journal article. Gow is said to have sat beneath the tree to compose many of his most famous tunes. The music could be heard from the far bank of the Tay by

John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl, KT, PC, FRS (30 June 1755 – 29 September 1830), styled Marquess of Tullibardine from 1764 to 1774, was a Scottish peer. Life and career Murray was the eldest son of John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl, and his w ...

who was said to have been so impressed that he paid Gow a retainer to play at family functions. In recognition of the connection the

Forestry Commission The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England. The Forestry Commission was previously also respon ...

, which owns the tree and the land it stands on, erected a bench under the tree. It was engraved with the words "sit beneath the fiddle tree, with the ghost of Niel Gow next to me" – lyrics taken from the song "Niel Gow's Apprentice" by Scottish singer-songwriter

Michael Marra Michael Marra (17 February 1952 – 23 October 2012) was a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician from Dundee, Scotland. Known as the Bard of Dundee, Marra was a solo performer who toured the UK and performed in arts centres, theatres, folk clu ...

Recent events

The tree was entered into the

awards in 2014, becoming the first Scottish entry into the competition. The tree came in 7th place (out of 10) with 1,740 votes. It also made the six-strong shortlist for Scotland's Tree of the year 2016. The tree was badly damaged by a storm in December 2011 and again in 2012 when falling branches destroyed the carved bench commemorating Gow. A replacement bench was unveiled by Michael Marra's widow on 25 March 2013.

Gallery

File:Sir Henry Raeburn - Niel Gow, 1727 - 1807. Violinist and composer - Google Art Project.jpg, Niel Gow File:Plaque under Niel Gows Oak (geograph 2100867).jpg, Commemorative plaque at the site File:Broken bench at Neil Gows Oak (geograph 2897831).jpg, The original Gow bench as destroyed by falling branches in 2012 File:Memorial bench niel gow.jpg, The 2013 memorial bench

References

{{Reflist Individual trees in Scotland Individual oak trees