The tune is usually credited to Angus MacKay who was the son of Iain Dall, the blind piper of Gairloch. According to tradition, he attended a piping competition in Edinburgh and carelessly left his pipes unattended. The other pipers decided to attempt to sabotage Angus by piercing the bag in several places. When Angus, the best piper of his day, began warming up his pipes on the day of the competition, he discovered the punctures. A friend of his, named Mary, procured a sheep skin from which they formed a new mal or bag. With this new bag, Angus won the competition and composed Moladh Mairi in gratitude for Mary's help.
While this account is somewhat romantic, the most probable story as to the song's origin is more mundane. A daughter of MacLachlan of MacLachlan, the Chief of the clan, gave a wither's skin to the family's piper to construct a bag for his pipes. He was delighted with the gift and composed the tune in her honor.
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