Annotation:Heroes of Longhope

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 HERO(E)S OF LONGHOPE. Scottish, Air (3/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. Composed by Orkney Islander fiddler Ronnie Aim (1919-1982) in honor of the Longhope life-boat crew of eight men who died in heavy seas the Pentland Firth during a March gale in 1969 while trying to rescue the Liberian registered cargo ship "Irene". Neil says: "The conditions were reported as being the worst for 30 years and a freak sea caused tons of water to crash down on the life-boat and two-thirds of the starboard side had been stove in. Two fathers and their sons, plus two others, died in the disaster and the population of the little hamlet of Longhope, situated at the south end of the island of Hoy in Orkney, was reduced from 43 to 35, leaving 10 orphans and 7 widows."  Source for notated version: Neil (The Scots Fiddle), 1991; No. 170, p. 221.  Printed sources:  Recorded sources: Culburnie Records CUL110, Abby Newton - "Crossing to Scotland" (1997).

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