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Enjoy this curated selection of theme-related dances for celebrations and holidays, or find a dance associated with a special calendar day, or EVEN your own birthday!
Photo courtesy of BBC News: A line of trams emerges from the shelter of Heilanman's Umbrella in Glasgow, where Argyle Street passes under Central Station and dissects Union Street, 1955
Feb 10
Umbrella Day
The Highlandman's Umbrella
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"🎶And a wee bunch here and wee bunch there
At the Highlandmans' Umbrella!"
~ Highlandman's Umbrella, Thomas B. Shaw, 1951
If rain is in your forecast today, you might want to reach for your bumbershoot, your brolly, or your finest tartan umbrella!
And there’s no better musical companion tune for a drizzly day than the lively reel inspired by one of Glasgow’s most iconic landmarks — Central Station and its famous glass-walled railway bridge spanning Argyll Street. Known affectionately as the Heilanman’s Umbrella (Highlandman’s Umbrella), this structure has long been both a practical shelter and a powerful cultural symbol.
Glasgow Central Station opened in 1879 during the height of the railway age, when the city was one of the industrial powerhouses of the British Empire. The bridge that crosses Argyll Street — enclosed in glass and iron — was designed to carry railway lines above the busy thoroughfare below. Yet beyond its engineering purpose, it took on a life of its own.
During the 19th century, waves of Highlanders displaced by the later phases of the Highland Clearances made their way to Glasgow seeking work. The Clearances — particularly the second major phase in the early to mid-1800s — saw thousands removed from ancestral lands as sheep farming and later commercial interests replaced traditional clan tenancies. Many Gaelic-speaking Highlanders arrived in the city with few resources, navigating an unfamiliar industrial landscape far removed from crofting life.
The bridge at Central Station offered literal shelter from Glasgow’s frequent rain, and for some newly arrived Highlanders it was a temporary refuge while they searched for lodging or employment. Over time, it became a regular gathering place — especially on weekends — where Gaelic speakers could meet countrymen, exchange news from home, share job information, and maintain cultural ties in a rapidly modernizing Lowland city.
By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the nickname “Highlandman’s Umbrella” (or “Heilanman’s Umbrella” in Scots) was firmly established in local lore. The bridge symbolized not only protection from the elements, but the persistence of Highland identity within urban Glasgow 💙 💜 💙 🌧️ 🌧️ 🌧️ ☂️ ☂️ ☂️
The Highlandman's Umbrella
The Hielanman's Umbrella (Highlandman's Umbrella) is a famous landmark in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland, the nickname for the glass walled railway bridge which carries the platforms of Glasgow Central station across Argyle Street.
Due to the forced displacement of people during the second phase of the Highland clearances in the 19th century, 30,000 Highlanders who spoke only Scottish Gaelic came to Glasgow to find work. Over the years Highlanders kept in touch by meeting under the bridge, mostly at weekends.
Click the picture below to hear the popular song, "The Highlandman's Umbrella," sung by Glaswegian Andy Stewart (1933-1993).
And scroll further for the "The Highlandman's Umbrella," performed by The Red Thistle Dancers at the Caledonian Highland Games, Pleasanton, California, 2007.
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
