THE National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland played the Ukrainian and Scottish national anthems at Kelvingrove Art Gallery to welcome both football teams to Glasgow on Wednesday morning ahead of their World Cup qualifier semi-final at Hampden.
The Ukrainian anthem, 'Sche ne vmerla Ukraina' or 'Ukraine has not yet perished', was played to an audience that included Ukrainian supporters.
Alastair Campbell, the former Blair spin doctor and now a strategist for the Pipe Band, said the group learned the Ukrainian anthem as a “way of honouring and supporting the people of Ukraine as their football team comes to Glasgow.”
He added: “It will confirm once more the enormous support for them in their struggle against the Russian invasion.”
“Their anthem is a beautiful piece of music, very soulful and actually quite haunting, and unlike many national anthems it can be played on the single octave scale of the pipes.”
Finlay MacDonald, director of piping at the National Piping Centre, said: “It was emotional. That moment when they first struck up, and there was Ukrainian people here, and it just hit home the significance of what’s happening there.”
“And I guess as Scots, we want Scotland to win and get through to the next stages, but the bigger battle is more important for the Ukrainian people, and we support them in that.”
Charlie Mack, 13, one of the pipers, said: “I’ll be supporting Scotland tonight just because I’m Scottish, but I really want Ukraine have a good game, they deserve it.”
“The war makes me feel sorry for them and what they’re going through. It’s not nice.”
He added: “You feel really passionate playing your own national anthem but Ukraine’s is a really upbeat tune and to be honest a little bit more fun to play!”
