This tune was composed by J Scott Skinner in praise of Sir Hector MacDonald of Ross-shire, a brave soldier who met a tragic end.

MacDonald was born in the Black Isle in 1857, enlisted in the 92nd Gordon Highlanders in 1870 and rose through the ranks to become a Major-General. He fought in Afghanistan, the South African Boer war and the Sudan. In 1903 he was accused of being a homosexual and he committed suicide.

Here is the chorus of a long lyric written to this tune,

O wail for the mighty in battle,
Loud lift ye the coronach strain,
For Hector, the Hero, of deathless fame,
Will never come back again.

'Hector the Hero' played on the guitar by Tony Cuffe
From Sae Will We Yet (CD) CDTRAX 243 (2003), Greentrax Recordings

'Hector the Hero' played on the harmonica by Tony Shearer

'Hector the Hero' performed by a group from Ullapool High School in 1998
From Ceòl agus Brògan.