THOUSANDS of primary pupils are to have history lessons with a difference as a new Jacobite opera visits their schools.
Scottish Opera will take the production, titled 1719!, round the country in their forthcoming primary schools tour, which will visit more than 50 locations.
The show will take young viewers “back to a key moment in Scottish history to tell the story of the Jacobite Scots locked in a desperate struggle to restore the House of Stuart to the throne of Great Britain, while the Hanoverian King George argued with other European rulers over the lands and riches of the New World”.
Beginning in Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire, in January, it will cover 300-year-old ground, focusing on the assembly of Jacobites and their Spanish allies in Glen Shiel.
The battle with the forces of King George marked the last close engagement of British and European troops on UK soil, ending in defeat for the Stuart supporters.
Children in primaries five, six and seven will learn the songs in their classrooms before working with the national company to put on a show for their parents and schoolmates.
Jane Davidson, director of outreach and education at Scottish Opera, commented: “An amazing way to learn about one of the most dramatic and exciting periods in Scottish history, 1719! features more battles than Braveheart and is a thrilling adventure that pits the Jacobite troops and their Spanish allies against the forces of King George’s Government in the mountains surrounding Glen Shiel.”
She went on: “Although not the most famous of engagement in the Jacobite wars, it had far reaching significance for Britain’s role in Europe and 300 years later, is still recalled in the name Sgurr nan Spainteach – the Peak of the Spaniards – in recognition of the Spanish troops who fought there.”
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