It's an unusual blog entry today, because I want to talk about a soccer match that was played in Scotland last night (Australian time). One of the giants of Scottish football, Aberdeen, was beaten by one of the minnows, Queen of the South, who have reached the Scottish Cup Final for the first time in their history.
Why am I interested in this match? Because I have a historical connection, many generations distant, with both Aberdeen and Dumfries, the town where Queen of the South is based.
Dumfries is best known for its connection with the great Scottish bard Robbie Burns. But it is also the oldest known home territory of the Irvine family. Irvines were unknown outside that southwestern corner of Scotland until the 14th century.
At the battle of Bannockburn, in 1314, William Irvine was the personal standard-bearer for King Robert the Bruce. The king rewarded William for his service by giving him Drum Castle, just outside Aberdeen on the Royal Deeside Road. Drum has been the seat of the laird of the Irvine family ever since.
My own connection with Aberdeen became personal in 1974, when I worked on an offshore oil rig in the North Sea, with a company based in Aberdeen. I watched several matches at Aberdeen's home ground, Pittodrie. I also visited the main Kirk in Aberdeen, with its Drum Aisle and its many Irvine gravestones and effigies. I also visited Drum Castle which, at that time, had just become a National Trust property and was open to the public. My parents and all four of my grandparents were born in Australia, and to my knowledge I was the first member of the family to visit Drum.
Good luck to Queen of the South, and commisserations to Aberdeen. It is great to see teams representing these two Irvine homelands involved in such a historical match.
