Box and Fiddle
Year 11 No 02
October 1987
Price 40p
12 pages
8 month subscription £4.60
Joint Editors – Tom Clark, 55 Sutherland Crescent, Dundee, DD2 2HP or Douglas Adamson, 22 Westfield Drive, Forfar, DD8 1EQ
B&F Treasurer – Mrs Cathy Andrew, 22 Lochinver Crescent, Foxbar, Paisley Tele 2824
The main features in the above issue were as follows (this is not a comprehensive detail of all it contained. The Club reports, in particular, are too time consuming at this stage to retype).
Editorial
My sincere thanks to all Club Secretaries who have returned the completed questionnaire. As a result, we are now able to publish correct details for the benefit of readers. There are still, of course, many Clubs who haven’t responded yet and we intend to publish a complete list later in the season. Secretaries please note that the questionnaire shouldn’t be confused with the Registration Forms being sent out by Association Secretary Andrew Nairn.
Club News
I have had a few letters commenting on reports not being published. As has been explained previously, it is not always possible to include every report in a particular issue. Where reports are left out, they are usually included in the following issue unless the club concerned has submitted a number of reports covering a longish period and some tend to become out-of-date.
There have been occasions when reports referred to by writers have not been received by me.
We are indebted to Club reporters and hope that they will continue their efforts.
Tom Clark
Pipe Major Willie Lawrie
Like Fathers Like Sons
by Norman Y. Williams
“Glencoe”, an evocative name if ever there was, and one which conjures up such contrasts as man’s inhumanity to man, and awe inspiring scenery which must surely rank alongside the finest in the world.
On a Saturday afternoon in June we were happily ensconced on the rocky summit of Shur na Coche (alias the Pap of Glencoe) savouring the magnificent surroundings. Almost inevitably the classic 2/4 march bearing the name of that miniature mountain sprang to mind.
In full view some 3 miles to the west and almost 2,500 feet below lay Ballachulish and it suddenly dawned, adding spice to the occasion, that this was the birthplace and home not only of the composer of the tune, but of a remarkable family of composers spanning three generations.
The first of these, the renowned Pipe Major Willie Lawrie, was born in 1881, and started to learn pipes at the age of seven under the guidance of his father Hugh. When his obvious talent became apparent he was sent for full formal instruction to that master piper of Oban, John MacColl. A dedicated and enthusiastic pupil, his long hours of hard graft and practice, combined with his natural ability, paid off and he became a very successful and highly respected competitor at all the principal Highland Gatherings. He took top honours at both the Argyllshire Gathering (Oban) and the Northern Meeting (Inverness) in 1910, and in the following year again at Inverness he set a record which stands to this day by lifting all the first prizes including the Clasp for Former Gold Medal Winners. Among his adversaries were such notables as John McDonald and P/M G. S. McLennan of the Gordon Highlanders, composer of the reel “Mrs A. MacPherson of Inveran” and the “Jig of Slurs”. He could also number P/M Willie Ross amongst his very good friends and the fact that he was personal piper to both the Earl of Dunmore and Colonel McDougall of Lunga was a clear indication of the esteem in which he was held.
WW1 – P/M Willie Lawrie - The 8th Argyll’s
In 1912, after a period with the Ballachulish Volunteers, came the crowning accolade, he was appointed Pipe Major of the 1st/8th Battalion of his county Regiment, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
At the outbreak of WW1 P/M Willie Lawrie was among the first to volunteer for active service and following a period of training at Bedford, in England, he went to France with the 8th Argyll’s. The appalling conditions of trench warfare, combined with prolonged piping on long marches, took their toll. He became seriously ill and was returned to England where after a few months, despite valiant efforts by medical staff, he died in an Oxford Hospital at the age of only 35, sending a shock wave of sorrow through the piping world both at home and abroad.
But all was not lost, the proverbial “silver lining” was there – a legacy of some of the finest pipe marches to come from any source, tunes which are appreciated all the more as time passes and which will be around longer than any of us. His aforementioned “Pap of Glencoe” is a swinging march – one of my personal favourites and I understand the composer’s favourite from among his own tunes. Apparently the inspiration came to him during a walk with a friend from Ballachulish to Glencoe, with the “Pap” lying dead ahead. This is a tune in a class of its own, very well structured but with a remarkable simplicity.
Pipe Major Lawrie’s love of his home environment and the fold associated with it is demonstrated in the titles of some of his favourite compositions. “The Braes of Brecklet” – which rose behind his home, “John MacDonald of Glencoe”, “Mrs H. L. MacDonald of Dunach” – great marches. And the good original strathspey “Inveraray Castle” which was brought to the fore by Glasgow City Police Pipe Band in the late ‘40’s. In contrast to the above “dignified” competition type marches a number of compositions written during his service with the Argyll’s were of necessity more in a retreat and quickstep march mould, but still very musical and with the same enduring quality.
In addition to his piping and composing abilities, P/M Willie Lawrie was also a good teacher, and for a number of years during the summer he would spend a couple of months on the Islands instructing in his art under the auspices if the Piobaireachd Society. He had a well developed, almost philosophical dense of humour which came to the fore on one occasion after a court martial when he led the Battalion off the parade ground to “A Man’s a Man for a’ That”.
To those who knew P/M Lawrie he was also a great gentlemen. Those of us not so fortunate will remember him for his great music.
WW2 – Ian Lawrie - Capture at St Valery-en-Caux
He was survived by his wife and three children, the youngest of whom was the late Ian Lawrie, who, although perhaps less well known was to follow a path remarkably similar to that of his father. Born in the Loanfern area of Ballachulish in 1913 he was only 3 years old when his father died. Like his dad he started to learn the pipes when very young, with one of his uncles as tutor, and when old enough joined the 8th Argyll’s (T.A.) where he came into contact with Nicol MacCallum and brother, the late P/M Ronnie MacCallum of Inveraray. These two gentlemen were to have a considerable influence on his piping progress to the extent that he won the Argyll Junior Piper’s Cup for 3 consecutive years in the late 1920’s. He continued as a keen and very active piper and then on the outbreak of WW2 in 1939 history repeated itself and Ian, just as his father had done, served with the 8th Argyll’s in France under the command of Brigadier Lorne V.C. A fine 2/4 march bearing this officer’s name was composed in his honour by Angus McPherson of Inveran.
In 1940 when the British Expeditionary Force was surrounded at St Valery-en-Caux, Ian along with thousands of other men of the 51st Highland Division was captured and spend the rest of the war in a German P.O.W. camp. To add insult to injury all musical instruments, including the bagpipes, were confiscated or destroyed by the German authorities. However after a time one can only presume that the regulations were relaxed slightly because somehow or other a piano accordion materialised. Needless to say, this was a great morale booster for Ian who set to and taught himself to play it to a very acceptable standard.
By sheer coincidence a fellow prisoner was none other than the late Jimmy McFarlane, who was later to become fiddler and whistle player with the Jim MacLeod Band. Needless to say jimmy and Ian had some good wee tunes together.
After his “demob” the Ballachulish piper/accordionist returned home and remained an active member of the Kinlochleven Pipe Band until 1954, when he was forced to give up playing through ill-health, a direct result of the privations of the P.O.W. camps. But his interest in the pipes never waned and he channelled his energies into composing for the instrument. Of his many fine tunes, about fifteen have been saved for posterity of which only four have so far been published. Out of these four, the calibre of compositions like the jig “The Three Sisters of Glencoe” and “Mo Cailleag Fhein” (My Own Lass) – recorded several years ago by Jimmy Blue and his Band – show that Ian inherited his father’s talents to a marked degree.
Sadly he died on 28th January of this year (1987), but, as with P/M Willie Lawrie, he will not be forgotten.
The Box Player – Willie Jnr
The playing and composing achievements of these two men isn’t the end of the story however. Talents not infrequently show up in two generations but then more often than not skip one or more and appear later in the line, but in the Lawrie family they refused to sidestep and made it three in a row, a far rarer occurrence. Willie Lawrie Jnr arrived on the scene in Ballachulish, as did his two forbearers, in 1947. but now a slight deviation from precedent – he did not take up the pipes at a tender age, or if he did he must have laid them down again, but instead, at the age of eleven, he had a shot at his father’s pre-war Hohner accordion and was bitten. Self taught and a devotee of Bobby MacLeod, he graduated to playing for Scottish Country Dance classes in both Ballachulish and Kinlochleven, and in his mid-teens took the next logical step, viz. playing with a local band led by Charlie Campbell, and accordionist/saxophonist.
Having served his “apprenticeship” with this great group for six or seven years, and playing for dancing throughout the West of Scotland, Willie got a transfer to the well known Fergie MacDonald’s Highland Band in 1969, staying with them for four years, during which time the band recorded 2 L.P.s including solo tracts by Willie. One of the highlights of his association with Fergie was a trip to Copenhagen to play at a St Andrew’s Night Ball.
A chance to broaden his experience still further came in 1973 when he teamed up with Angus Grant, the left-handed fiddler from Caol near Fort William, to do mainly cabaret work in local hotels.
Throughout the late ‘70s and early ‘80s Willie concentrated more on solo playing broken by the odd “local” gig (using a scratch band) such as the St Andrew’s night dances on two occasions organised by the Caledonian Society of France.
In 1985 he invited two Fort William players, John Cameron (piano) and John McIntyre (bass), to join him, and as the Willie Lawrie Trio they entertained at several Accordion Clubs including the Premier Club of Northern Ireland.
But to get back on course, like his father and grandfather before him, Willie Jnr has a strong competitive urge, but it lay dormant until he was twenty years old. All it needed was something to spark it off. One evening in 1967 at a Scottish Country Dance Rally in the Corran Halls in Oban, the double bass player in the band was Duncan Campbell. Duncan is, of course, a tremendous enthusiast and a very active member of the Oban Festival Committee, and he it was who talked Willie into having a go and, as we all know, he has been hooked ever since. Incidentally, the fiddler in the band at that 1967 Corran Halls function was none other than Charlie Hunter, the father of bandleader Alasdair.
From first hand experience I can vouch for the fact that Willie is the perfect competitor. He doesn’t get upset if he disagrees with the adjudication, he is the first to congratulate successful competitors, and he is always on time to play in his allotted position. For twenty years he has staunchly supported over a wide area by entering the Senior Traditional Sections without fail. And this coming October he will be able to compete in the veterans (over 40) class at Perth. I know he is going to enter. He has a string of successes too numerous to catalogue here, with wins at Blairgowrie, Kinross, Oban and Perth to name but a few. In 1978 he was runner-up at Perth and third in the same section in1986, a performance which I would personally say was one of Willie’s greatest achievements in competition, playing flawlessly in the finals in a field of players mostly less than half his age and all with 10 fingers on each hand. A truly remarkable effort.
Still right on course in the true Lawrie tradition, at the age of fifteen Willie discovered the need to express himself in the dots – his natural composing talents had surfaced. He is a prolific composer, even more so than his predecessors. Quantity does not always ensure quality but in Willie’s case the majority of his tunes are good or very good. He has just got “it” – simple as that. His success in the Own Composition section at Perth speaks for itself – a record five times winner of the Jimmy Blue Trophy.
His tune titles reflect his interest in the folk around him, and his regard for fellow musicians, composers and other enthusiasts. Good examples are “Duncan Campbell of Oban” – a truly excellent tune in two flats – and “Willie Lawrie’s Compliments to Iain Peterson”. Willie has a great admiration for the younger generation of players – “Our music is safe in their hands” he stresses. Tunes such as “Deirdre’s Fancy”, “Kathleen Ann Black” and “Jennifer Forrest” back up this assertion. His respect for the older generation is manifested in such offerings as “The Mickie Ainsworth Polka” and “Willie Lawrie’s Compliments to Fraser McGlynn”!
In addition to a number of tunes appearing in earlier publications, more than thirty of Willie’s compositions are contained in a recently issued book “The Lochaber Collection”, hopefully the forerunner of more. There are so many others to come to light.
It is interesting to reflect on the fact that many of our best composers live either in rural environments, work in the open air, or have a great love of the outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
Why should this be? Your guess is as good as mine – some say they are inspired by the sounds and smells of nature. I wonder – birdsong – yes, flowers - yes, but the sound of a Force 10 gale and battering rain are not the most musical of sounds, and the aura of pig manure being broadcast over the countryside cannot quite match honeysuckle or Chanel No. 5. No, I think it must be the unpolluted (in the widest possible sense) surroundings and the freedom from so-called civilisation which leaves the brain uncluttered and capable of producing greater things.
For the record, the daily occupations of the Lawrie trio of composers in chronological order were slate quarryman, slate quarryman/forestry worker, and lastly Willie Jnr is furnaceman with “Alcan” in Kinlochleven where he now lives with his wife Cheryl and daughter Heather. Cheryl is not a musician, but is a keen Scottish Country Dancer and it was through this interest that she met her man. Heather is neither a piper nor accordionist, but plays recorder.
In conclusion, one thing is for sure. The remarkable Lawrie family will live on through their music. Like Fathers Like Sons.
Compositions of Pipe Major Willie Lawrie
2/4 Marches :-
The Braes of Brecklet
John MacColl’s March to Kilbowie Cottage
Mrs H. L. MacDonald of Dunach
John MacDonald of Glencoe
Captain Carswell
George Ross’s Farewell to the Black Watch
The Pap of Glencoe
4/4 Marches :-
The 8th Argyll’s Farewell to the 116th Regiment de Ligne (or The 8th Argyll’s Farewell to Bousincourt)
The Cellars of Authuille
Colonel Baird
Retreat March :-
The 8th Argyll’s
Strathspeys :-
Inveraray Castle, Kilberry
Reel :-
Clacklarick (Henderson’s Stone, Glencoe)
N.B. – the above is by no means an exhaustive list. P/M Lawrie also composed piobaireachds, his “Lament for the Late Lord Archibald Campbell” being but one example.
Ayr Accordion & Fiddle Festival
by
The first Ayr A&F Festival was held in the Eglinton Rooms at Ayr Racecourse on Friday, 12th and Saturday, 13th June 1987. Everyone who attended seemed to enjoy the fun atmosphere of the Festival, and highly praised the excellent venue.
We were fortunate enough to have visitors from England, Northern Ireland and throughout Scotland to attend what turned out to be a marvelous event.
We congratulate all our prizewinners and in particular James Coutts, who won both the Junior Traditional and the Junior Pipe Sections, and Karin Leitch who won the Senior Traditional and Senior Pipe Sections.
Many thanks to all the helpers, too numerous to name individually, and to our adjudicators – Fraser McGlynn, Ivor Britton, Kenny Thomson, Robert Black, Peter Bruce, Lorna Leitch, Ron Gonella and Shona Leitch.
All competitions were judged behind screens with at least two judges.
During the afternoon we had good tunes in the bar area from Peter Wood, Alan Gardiner and Davie Tulloch to name only a few.
The evening started at 6.30pm with our prize-winners playing in the Concert with John Carmichael, Fraser McGlynn, Jamieson Greer, Lorna Leitch, Ron Gonella and our Senior Traditional play-off for the top three places. Everyone involved put on a great performance to the delight of our audience.
We must thank Ken Mutch and the B.B.C. for recording and subsequently broadcasting some highlights from our concert.
The evening then continued when we all danced to John Crmichael and his Band.
Results of Competition
Under 12 Accordion
1) Mhairi Coutts (Kirkcaldy)
2) Craig Skinner (Blackridge)
3) Louise Harkness (Paisley)
Junior (Under 16) Fiddle
1) Kathryn Nicoll (Kirriemuir)
2) Aidan O’Rourke (Oban)
3) Alastair McCulloch (Ayr)
Senior Fiddle
1) Archie McAlister (Campbeltown)
2) Kathryn Nicoll (Kirriemuir)
3) Mhairi O’Neil (Larbert)
Junior Accordion Pipe Music
1) James Coutts (Kirkcaldy)
2) Mark Cummine (Drymen)
3) Wayne Robertson (Arbroath)
Junior Traditional Accordion
1) James Coutts (Kirkcaldy)
2) Wayne Robertson (Arbroath)
3) Iain Carmichael (Glasgow)
Senior Accordion Pipe Music
1) Karin Leitch (Ayr)
2) Alan Gardiner (Lamington)
3) Brian Morrison (Forfar)
Senior Traditional Accordion
1) Karin Leith (Ayr)
2) Billy McGuire (Kirkcaldy)
3) Gordon Shand (Tillycoutry)
Dance Bands
1) Alan Gardiner (Lamington)
2) Peter Wood (Crawfordjohn)
3) Suzanne Gray (Clackmannan)
Many thanks to everyone for their help and support. We look forward to seeing you all back again next year on 10th and 11th June
Scottish Musical Milestones
by Ron Gonella
On Sunday, 21st June, 1987, a vast crowd of fiddle enthusiasts filled Little Dunkeld Churchyard to witness the unveiling of the replacement Niel Gow gravestone. The ceremony began with His Grace, The Duke of Atholl, giving the background to the Niel Gow Memorial Trust and the need to preserve the original memorial which was erected in 1808 by Niel’s sons, John and Nathaniel, following their father’s death in 1807. The augmented Dunkeld S&R Society accompanied the praise – Psalms 150 and 92.
The Scripture reading was by the Chairman of the Trust, Provost John Mathieson, and following the dedication by Rev. Tom Dick, minister of Dunkeld Cathedral, the unveiling was performed by Captain Jack Anderson, a direct descendant of Niel Gow. Following the unveiling, Ian Powrie and Ron Gonella played ‘Niel Gow’s Lament for the Death of his Second Wife’.
The new stone, of Karin Grey granite, with a base of black granite showing a fiddle motif, is styled so as to reflect the original stone, now safely under cover in Dunkeld Cathedral Chapter House. The Trustees are presently discussing the placing of signs to ensure that the locations of both the old and news stones are known.
This preoccupation with signs gave rise to the thought that this might be a very appropriate time to outline, albeit briefly, the main signposts on a grand fiddle tour of Scotland. The following does not, of course, claim to be exhaustive, but fiddle enthusiasts, by following the footsteps of Robert burns, in this the 200th Anniversary of his Highland Tour, will reach many of the musical milestones in our fascinating heritage of Scottish fiddle music.
From Edinburgh, scene of many Caledonian Hunt Balls with music by Nathanial Gow’s Band, our route takes us due west to Stirling, where the stirring scenes at Bannockburn and Stirling Bridge caused Burns to write at a later date :
“Scots, wha hae wi’ Wallace bled,
Scots’ wham Bruce has aften led.”
We continue on the A9, branching left at Greenloaning to Crieff, around which are many reminders of the golden age of fiddle music – Drummond Castle which houses our earliest extant collection of instrumental dance music, ‘The Drummond Castle Manuscripts’ – Abercairney, the former estates of James Moray of Abercairney, of the famous lament, and within the Abercairney estates, a small summer house built from the stones of Inchbrakie House, home of the Grahams, whose family tunes feature prominently in the Gow Collections – the strathspey, ‘Major Graham of Inchbrakie’, was the original tune to which Robert Burns set ‘My love is like a red, red rose’.
Twenty miles north of Crieff through the Sma’ Glen lies Dunkeld with its host of Gow associations – Niel’s cottage can be found at Inver, just behind the Inver Inn and the Hermitage, a folly built by the 3rd Duke of Atholl at a spectacular gorge on the River Braan, and a favourite haunt of Niel Gow’s, is only a shortish woodland walk from Inver.
Due north from Dunkeld in the Vale of Atholl, is Tulliemet, birthplace in 1745 of Robert ‘Red Rob’ Mackintosh, a contemporary of Nathanial Gow, and one of the finest of our fiddle players / composers.
The next obligatory stop is Blair Castle, home of the Duke of Atholl. The castle has become the focal point for momentos of Niel Gow. In the ballroom is his fiddle, his whisky goblet from which Queen Victoria supped Atholl Brose on her first visit to Scotland in 1842, and the extremely well-known portrait of Niel Gow by Sir Henry Raeburn, painted when Gow was about 60 years of age.
Incidentally, enthusiasts may like to visit Hopetoun House at South Queensferry, where Sir Henry Raeburn was knighted by King George IV during the King’s controversial visit to Edinburgh in 1822.
Our next musical milestone comes far up the refurbished A9 when a diversion to the left at Daviot via Loch Ness side, brings us to the heart of the Simon Fraser country, just north of Fort Augustus. Many of the places and events connected with the Simon Fraser Gaelic collections can be found nearly – the Falls of Foyers, Knockie, Belladrum near Beauly, Gorthleck and to the east of Inverness, Culloden Moor itself.
Travelling due east from Culloden on the Elgin road, with the fringes of the ‘Whisky Country’ to the south, is Fochabers and nearly Gordon Castle. William Marshall was in the service of the Duke of Gordon and although Gordon Castle is a private residence not open to the public, Marshall’s grave at the little churchyard at Bellie, in the western lee of the Gordon estates, can still be viewed. The Gordon Arms in Fochablers still provides the same warm hospitality enjoyed by Robert Burns.
As we leave Fochabers and move eastwards toward Aberdeen, we enter the domain of J. Scott Skinner, the ‘Strathspey King’. Although a plaque in the Main Street in Banchoey, some seventeen miles west of Aberdeen, records the fact that Skinner was born in Banchory, his travels regularly took him all over the North-East. His tune titles often read like a gazetteer of Northern Scotland and the names of several of his collections reflect places where he lived – The Elgin Collection – The Miller ‘ Hirn (near Banchory) – the Monikie Series (nine miles north of Dundee) and so on.
As with Niel Gow and William Marshall, J. Scott Skinner is tangibly remembered today by his gravestone and his fiddle. The imposing granite memorial in Allanvale Cemetery near Bridge of Dee is well worth a visit, while, should you care to see and perhaps even play on Scott Skinner’s ‘Stroh’ fiddle (the very instrument used by him for his early acoustical photograph recordings) then call on my old friend John Junner at Strachan, near Banchory. John is a mine of information about Skinner and an hour in John’s company will shoot past.
Between Aberdeen and Edinburgh, as indeed in so many places before them, one can linger among kindred spirits in the Strathspey and Reel Societies of Aberdeen, Kirriemuir, Dundee, Fife and Edinburgh itself, to say nothing of those in Dunkeld, Stirling, Inverness and Elgin, or of the societies in Glasgow, Ayr or in the Borders.
If time does not run our on you, and William Marshall’s fiddle attracts you, visit the collection of musical instruments in Edinburgh University’s Reid School of Music (near the McEwan Hall) and ask to see the fiddle. Opening hours here are restricted, so try to plan ahead.
Jack Scott – Obituary
It is with sadness that I have to report the sudden death of our friend and compere Mr Jacky Scott, perhaps better known as Bungy Bell.
Jacky supported all the Clubs in the south west and, did the same duty at Castle Douglas.
He performed in and organised concerts for all kinds of charities.
Jacky Scott, a friend of players young and old, will be sadly missed.
Ian Gray – Secretary, Islesteps A&F Club
Readers Letters
Sir – It is now Accordion and Fiddle time again. I am sure we are all looking forward to another winter of good music.
Some time last season there was a programme on BBC Scotland with Robbie Shepherd, Norman Williams and Bill Brian. Robbie read out a letter from Angus Fitchet, something about getting a grant of some sort to help the A&F Clubs. As I go to many clubs, I know that there are some very wealthy Clubs, but there are also a lot of poor ones. In fact, I wonder how some of them exist at all.
Instead of looking for a grant, why not get the Treasurers of all the Clubs to take their Balance Sheets to the AGM where they could be vetted. Now the clubs with the fat bank books (and I know some of them have hundreds in the bank), what about them giving the poor Clubs a donation? Mind you, the A&F Clubs are not supposed to be a profit making body, so I don’t see why the rich can’t help the poor.
Another thing, then the NAAFC started there were no guest artistes, just a group of musicians who got together for a tune and a crack. Then the Bands got on the scene and they were clamouring to play at the Clubs, because they got their names on the radio. Now some of them are asking such large fees that the poor Clubs cannot afford their prices. It’s all wrong. We don’t want them to play for nothing. If only they would give and take a little.
Come on folks, let’s be hearing from you.
Willie G. Cassie
19 Hayshill Road
Kippen
Stirling
Well there’s a revolutionary idea. There must be many of you with comments. The Ed.
CLUB DIARY
Aberdeen (Dee Motel) –
Alnwick (Fleece Inn) – members only –
Armadale (Masonic Arms Hotel) – 1st Oct 87 Guy Biagi Trio
Ayr (Gartferry Hotel) – 4th Oct 87 Ian Holmes & Kenny Wilson
Balloch (Bell Centre, Dumbarton) –
Banchory (Burnett Arms Hotel) – 26th Oct 87 Craig McCallum SDB
Banff & District (Royal Oak Hotel) –
Beith & District (Anderson Hotel) –
Belford (Community Club) –
Biggar (Clydesdale Hotel) –
Bridge of Allan (Walmer Hotel) -
Buchan (Buchaness Hotel) –
Callander (Glengarry Hotel) –
Campbeltown (Royal Hotel) – 17th Oct 87 Jim Johnstone SDB
Castle Douglas (Ernespie Hotel) – 20th Oct 87 Bill Black SDB
Coupar Angus (Royal Hotel) –
Crieff & District (Drummond Arms Hotel) –
Dalriada (Royal Hotel, Lochgilphead) –
Derwentside (Working Men’s Club, Consett) –
Dingwall (venue? ) –
Dunblane (Westlands Hotel) – 20th Oct 87 Wallochmor Ceilidh Band
Dundee (Queen’s Hotel, Nethergate) – 1st Oct 87 Dennis Morrison SDB
Dunfermline (Northern Roadhouse) –
East Kilbride (King’s Park Hotel, Rutherglen) –
Edinburgh (Abbey Suite, Abbey Lane) –
Ellon (Ladbroke Hotel) –
Falkirk (Park Hotel) –
Fintry (Clachan Hotel) – 26th Oct 87 Willie Simpson & Gordon Pattullo
Forres (Brig Motel) – 14th Oct 87 John Crawford Trio
Fort William (Cruchan Hotel) –
Galashiels (Maxwell Hotel) –
Galston (Theo’s Restaurant, Galston) –
Glendale (Black Bull Hotel – Wooler) –
Gorebridge (Rangers FC Social Club) –
Highland (Drumossie Hotel) –
Islesteps (Driveway Inn) –
Kelso (Ednam House Hotel) –
Kintore (Crown Hotel) – 7th Oct 87 The Garioch Fiddlers
Langholm (Crown Hotel) –
Lesmahagow (Masonic Hall) –
Livingston (Golden Circle Hotel, Bathgate) 20th Oct 87 Addie Harper Trio
Lockerbie (Bluebell Hotel) -
Mauchline (The Jean Armour Restaurant) –
M.A.F.I.A. (Masonic Hall, Milngavie) –
Montrose (Park Hotel) –
New Cumnock (Crown Hotel) –
Newtongrange (Dean Tavern) –
Newton St Boswells (Railway Hotel) –
North Cumbria (Howard Arms) (prev called Gretna Club) –
North East (Seafield Hotel, Keith) – 6th Oct 87 Hebbie Gray
Oban (Park Hotel) –
Orkney ( venue?) –
Ormiston (Miners’ Welfare Social Club) –
Peebles (Countryside Inn) –
Perth (Station Hotel) – 20th Oct 87 Jennifer Forrest SDB
Premier NI (Camlin function Rooms) -
Renfrew (Masonic Hall) –
Rothbury (Queen’s Head Hotel) - 1st Oct 87 Jim Johnstone SDB
Shetland (venue?) -
Stranraer (Railway Club) –
Thornhill (?)
Thurso (McKay’s Hotel) –
Turriff (Royal Oak Hotel) – 1st Oct 87 Moyra Fraser Trio 30th Oct 87 dinner Dance to Rob Gordon SDB
Tynedale (The Royal Hotel, Hexham) –
Wick (McKay’s Hotel) –
THERE WERE CLUB REPORTS FROM :-
1. Alnwick
2. Armadale
3. Ayr
4. Balloch
5. Banchory
6. Dunoon & Cowal
7. Forres
8. Highland
9. Islesteps
10. Kintore
11. Lesmahagow
12. Livingston
13. M.A.F.I.A.
14. Mauchline
15. Newtongrange
16. North East
17. Orkney
18. Perth
19. Renfrew
20. Shetland
21. Thurso
22. Turriff & District
23. Tynedale
CLUB DIRECTORY AS AT SEPT 1987 (Clubs didn’t necessarily notify the Assoc when they closed so the following may not be entirely correct. Only the clubs submitting the reports above were definitely open.)
1. Aberdeen A&F Club (1975)
2. Alnwick A&F Club (Sept 1976)
3. Armadale A&F Club (Oct 1978? or 80) originally called Bathgate Club (for 2 months)
4. Ayr A&F Club (Nov 1983 – per Nov 83 edition)
5. Balloch A&F Club (Sept 1972 – per January 1978 issue)
6. Banchory A&F Club (1978)
7. Banff & District A&F Club (Oct 1973)
8. Beith & District A&F Club (Sept 1972 – per first edition)
9. Belford A&F Club (joined Sept 1982)
10. Biggar A&F Club (Oct 1974)
11. Buchan A&F Club
12. Button Key A&F Club (
13. Callander A&F Club (
14. Campbeltown & District A&F Club (c Dec 1980)
15. Castle Douglas A&F Club (c Sept 1980)
16. Crieff A&F Club (cSept 1981)
17. Dalriada A&F Club (Feb 1981)
18. Derwentside A&F Club
19. Dingwall & District A&F Club (May 1979 – per first report)
20. Dunblane & District A&F Club (1971)
21. Dundee & District A&F Club
22. Dunfermline & District A&F Club (1974 – per first edition)
23. Dunoon & Cowal A&F Club (
24. East Kilbride A&F Club (Sept 1980)
25. Ellon A&F Club (
26. Fintry A&F Club
27. Forres A&F Club (Jan 1978)
28. Fort William A&F Club (21st Oct 1980 – per Dec 1980 B&F)
29. Galashiels A&F Club (joined Sept 1982)
30. Galston A&F Club (Oct 1969 – per first edition – closed March 2006)
31. Glendale Accordion Club (Jan 1973)
32. Highland A&F Club (Inverness)
33. Islesteps A&F Club (Jan 1981)
34. Isle of Skye A&F Club (
35. Kelso A&F Club (May 1976)
36. Kintore A&F Club
37. Langholm A&F Club (Oct 1967)
38. Lesmahagow A&F Club (Nov 1979 – closed May 2005)
39. Livingston A&F Club (Sept 1973 – per first edition)
40. Lockerbie A&F Club (Nov 1973)
41. M.A.F.I.A. (early)
42. Mauchline A&F Club (first mention 1986?)
43. Montrose A&F Club (joined Sept 1982)
44. Newtongrange A&F Club (joined Sept 1979)
45. Newton St Boswells Accordion Club (17th Oct 1972 see Apr 1984 obituary for Angus Park)
46. North Cumbria A&F Club (originally Gretna started June 1966 – had to move to a venue in the North of England and changed name – eventually changed back when they returned to the Halcrow Stadium. No breaks in the continuity of the Club)
47. North East A&F Club aka Keith A&FC (Sept 1971)
48. Oban A&F Club (Nov 1975)
49. Orkney A&F Club (Mar 1978)
50. Ormiston Miners’ Welfare Society A&F Club
51. Peebles A&F Club (26 Nov 1981)
52. Perth & District A&F Club (Aug 1970)
53. Premier A&F Club NI (cNov 1980)
54. Rothbury Accordion Club (1987??)
55. Shetland A&F Club (Sept 1978)
56. Stranraer & District Accordion Club (1974 – per first edition)
57. Sutherland A&F Club (
58. Thornhill A&F Club (joined Oct 1983 – see Nov 83 edition)
59. Thurso A&F Club (cSept 1981)
60. Turriff A&F Club (March 1982)
61. Tynedale A&F Club (Nov 1980)
62. Walmer (Bridge of Allan) A&F Club
63. Wick A&F Club (Oct 1975)
Not on official list at the start of the season (closed, did not renew membership or omitted in error?)
64. Bonchester Accordion Club (Closed?)
65. Bridge of Allan (Walmer) A&F Club (Walmer Hotel, Bridge of Allan) (c March 1982)
66. Cleland (cNov 1981 – March 1985) originally called Drumpellier A&F Club (for 2 months)
67. Club Accord
68. Coquetdale A&F Club (Feb 1974 or c1976/77 – 1981/2?)
69. Coupar Angus A&F Club (cSept 1978 - ?)
70. Cumnock A&F Club (October 1976 - forced to close cDec 1982 - see Jan 83 Editorial)
71. Denny & Dunipace A&F Club (Feb 1981)
72. Dornoch A&F Club (first mention in directory 1986)
73. Dumfries Accordion Club (Oughtons) (April 1965 at the Hole in the Wa’)
74. Dunbar Cement Works A&F Club (Closed?)
75. Edinburgh A&F Club (Apr 1981) prev called Chrissie Leatham A&F Club (Oct 1980)
76. Falkirk A&F Club (Sept 1978 - )
77. Gorebridge (cNov 1981) originally called Arniston A&F Club (for 2 months)
78. Gretna A&F Club (June 1966)
79. Greenhead Accordion Club (on the A69 between Brampton and Haltwistle)
80. Kinlochsheil A&F Club (
81. Kirriemuir A&F Club (cSept 1981)
82. Monklands A&F Club (Nov 1978 – closed cApril 1983)
83. Morecambe A&F Club (joined Sept 1982)
84. Newcastleton Accordion Club
85. New Cumnock A&F Club (cMarch 1979)
86. Renfrew A&F Club (original club 1974/5 lapsed after a few years then again in 1984)
87. Straiton Accordion Club (c1968 – closed March 1979)
88. Torthorwald A&F Club (near Dumfries)
89. Wellbank A&F Club
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B&F Treasurer – Mrs Cathy Andrew, 22 Lochinver Crescent, Foxbar, Paisley Tele 2824
The main features in the above issue were as follows (this is not a comprehensive detail of all it contained. The Club reports, in particular, are too time consuming at this stage to retype).
Editorial
My sincere thanks to all Club Secretaries who have returned the completed questionnaire. As a result, we are now able to publish correct details for the benefit of readers. There are still, of course, many Clubs who haven’t responded yet and we intend to publish a complete list later in the season. Secretaries please note that the questionnaire shouldn’t be confused with the Registration Forms being sent out by Association Secretary Andrew Nairn.
Club News
I have had a few letters commenting on reports not being published. As has been explained previously, it is not always possible to include every report in a particular issue. Where reports are left out, they are usually included in the following issue unless the club concerned has submitted a number of reports covering a longish period and some tend to become out-of-date.
There have been occasions when reports referred to by writers have not been received by me.
We are indebted to Club reporters and hope that they will continue their efforts.
Tom Clark
Pipe Major Willie Lawrie
Like Fathers Like Sons
by Norman Y. Williams
“Glencoe”, an evocative name if ever there was, and one which conjures up such contrasts as man’s inhumanity to man, and awe inspiring scenery which must surely rank alongside the finest in the world.
On a Saturday afternoon in June we were happily ensconced on the rocky summit of Shur na Coche (alias the Pap of Glencoe) savouring the magnificent surroundings. Almost inevitably the classic 2/4 march bearing the name of that miniature mountain sprang to mind.
In full view some 3 miles to the west and almost 2,500 feet below lay Ballachulish and it suddenly dawned, adding spice to the occasion, that this was the birthplace and home not only of the composer of the tune, but of a remarkable family of composers spanning three generations.
The first of these, the renowned Pipe Major Willie Lawrie, was born in 1881, and started to learn pipes at the age of seven under the guidance of his father Hugh. When his obvious talent became apparent he was sent for full formal instruction to that master piper of Oban, John MacColl. A dedicated and enthusiastic pupil, his long hours of hard graft and practice, combined with his natural ability, paid off and he became a very successful and highly respected competitor at all the principal Highland Gatherings. He took top honours at both the Argyllshire Gathering (Oban) and the Northern Meeting (Inverness) in 1910, and in the following year again at Inverness he set a record which stands to this day by lifting all the first prizes including the Clasp for Former Gold Medal Winners. Among his adversaries were such notables as John McDonald and P/M G. S. McLennan of the Gordon Highlanders, composer of the reel “Mrs A. MacPherson of Inveran” and the “Jig of Slurs”. He could also number P/M Willie Ross amongst his very good friends and the fact that he was personal piper to both the Earl of Dunmore and Colonel McDougall of Lunga was a clear indication of the esteem in which he was held.
WW1 – P/M Willie Lawrie - The 8th Argyll’s
In 1912, after a period with the Ballachulish Volunteers, came the crowning accolade, he was appointed Pipe Major of the 1st/8th Battalion of his county Regiment, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
At the outbreak of WW1 P/M Willie Lawrie was among the first to volunteer for active service and following a period of training at Bedford, in England, he went to France with the 8th Argyll’s. The appalling conditions of trench warfare, combined with prolonged piping on long marches, took their toll. He became seriously ill and was returned to England where after a few months, despite valiant efforts by medical staff, he died in an Oxford Hospital at the age of only 35, sending a shock wave of sorrow through the piping world both at home and abroad.
But all was not lost, the proverbial “silver lining” was there – a legacy of some of the finest pipe marches to come from any source, tunes which are appreciated all the more as time passes and which will be around longer than any of us. His aforementioned “Pap of Glencoe” is a swinging march – one of my personal favourites and I understand the composer’s favourite from among his own tunes. Apparently the inspiration came to him during a walk with a friend from Ballachulish to Glencoe, with the “Pap” lying dead ahead. This is a tune in a class of its own, very well structured but with a remarkable simplicity.
Pipe Major Lawrie’s love of his home environment and the fold associated with it is demonstrated in the titles of some of his favourite compositions. “The Braes of Brecklet” – which rose behind his home, “John MacDonald of Glencoe”, “Mrs H. L. MacDonald of Dunach” – great marches. And the good original strathspey “Inveraray Castle” which was brought to the fore by Glasgow City Police Pipe Band in the late ‘40’s. In contrast to the above “dignified” competition type marches a number of compositions written during his service with the Argyll’s were of necessity more in a retreat and quickstep march mould, but still very musical and with the same enduring quality.
In addition to his piping and composing abilities, P/M Willie Lawrie was also a good teacher, and for a number of years during the summer he would spend a couple of months on the Islands instructing in his art under the auspices if the Piobaireachd Society. He had a well developed, almost philosophical dense of humour which came to the fore on one occasion after a court martial when he led the Battalion off the parade ground to “A Man’s a Man for a’ That”.
To those who knew P/M Lawrie he was also a great gentlemen. Those of us not so fortunate will remember him for his great music.
WW2 – Ian Lawrie - Capture at St Valery-en-Caux
He was survived by his wife and three children, the youngest of whom was the late Ian Lawrie, who, although perhaps less well known was to follow a path remarkably similar to that of his father. Born in the Loanfern area of Ballachulish in 1913 he was only 3 years old when his father died. Like his dad he started to learn the pipes when very young, with one of his uncles as tutor, and when old enough joined the 8th Argyll’s (T.A.) where he came into contact with Nicol MacCallum and brother, the late P/M Ronnie MacCallum of Inveraray. These two gentlemen were to have a considerable influence on his piping progress to the extent that he won the Argyll Junior Piper’s Cup for 3 consecutive years in the late 1920’s. He continued as a keen and very active piper and then on the outbreak of WW2 in 1939 history repeated itself and Ian, just as his father had done, served with the 8th Argyll’s in France under the command of Brigadier Lorne V.C. A fine 2/4 march bearing this officer’s name was composed in his honour by Angus McPherson of Inveran.
In 1940 when the British Expeditionary Force was surrounded at St Valery-en-Caux, Ian along with thousands of other men of the 51st Highland Division was captured and spend the rest of the war in a German P.O.W. camp. To add insult to injury all musical instruments, including the bagpipes, were confiscated or destroyed by the German authorities. However after a time one can only presume that the regulations were relaxed slightly because somehow or other a piano accordion materialised. Needless to say, this was a great morale booster for Ian who set to and taught himself to play it to a very acceptable standard.
By sheer coincidence a fellow prisoner was none other than the late Jimmy McFarlane, who was later to become fiddler and whistle player with the Jim MacLeod Band. Needless to say jimmy and Ian had some good wee tunes together.
After his “demob” the Ballachulish piper/accordionist returned home and remained an active member of the Kinlochleven Pipe Band until 1954, when he was forced to give up playing through ill-health, a direct result of the privations of the P.O.W. camps. But his interest in the pipes never waned and he channelled his energies into composing for the instrument. Of his many fine tunes, about fifteen have been saved for posterity of which only four have so far been published. Out of these four, the calibre of compositions like the jig “The Three Sisters of Glencoe” and “Mo Cailleag Fhein” (My Own Lass) – recorded several years ago by Jimmy Blue and his Band – show that Ian inherited his father’s talents to a marked degree.
Sadly he died on 28th January of this year (1987), but, as with P/M Willie Lawrie, he will not be forgotten.
The Box Player – Willie Jnr
The playing and composing achievements of these two men isn’t the end of the story however. Talents not infrequently show up in two generations but then more often than not skip one or more and appear later in the line, but in the Lawrie family they refused to sidestep and made it three in a row, a far rarer occurrence. Willie Lawrie Jnr arrived on the scene in Ballachulish, as did his two forbearers, in 1947. but now a slight deviation from precedent – he did not take up the pipes at a tender age, or if he did he must have laid them down again, but instead, at the age of eleven, he had a shot at his father’s pre-war Hohner accordion and was bitten. Self taught and a devotee of Bobby MacLeod, he graduated to playing for Scottish Country Dance classes in both Ballachulish and Kinlochleven, and in his mid-teens took the next logical step, viz. playing with a local band led by Charlie Campbell, and accordionist/saxophonist.
Having served his “apprenticeship” with this great group for six or seven years, and playing for dancing throughout the West of Scotland, Willie got a transfer to the well known Fergie MacDonald’s Highland Band in 1969, staying with them for four years, during which time the band recorded 2 L.P.s including solo tracts by Willie. One of the highlights of his association with Fergie was a trip to Copenhagen to play at a St Andrew’s Night Ball.
A chance to broaden his experience still further came in 1973 when he teamed up with Angus Grant, the left-handed fiddler from Caol near Fort William, to do mainly cabaret work in local hotels.
Throughout the late ‘70s and early ‘80s Willie concentrated more on solo playing broken by the odd “local” gig (using a scratch band) such as the St Andrew’s night dances on two occasions organised by the Caledonian Society of France.
In 1985 he invited two Fort William players, John Cameron (piano) and John McIntyre (bass), to join him, and as the Willie Lawrie Trio they entertained at several Accordion Clubs including the Premier Club of Northern Ireland.
But to get back on course, like his father and grandfather before him, Willie Jnr has a strong competitive urge, but it lay dormant until he was twenty years old. All it needed was something to spark it off. One evening in 1967 at a Scottish Country Dance Rally in the Corran Halls in Oban, the double bass player in the band was Duncan Campbell. Duncan is, of course, a tremendous enthusiast and a very active member of the Oban Festival Committee, and he it was who talked Willie into having a go and, as we all know, he has been hooked ever since. Incidentally, the fiddler in the band at that 1967 Corran Halls function was none other than Charlie Hunter, the father of bandleader Alasdair.
From first hand experience I can vouch for the fact that Willie is the perfect competitor. He doesn’t get upset if he disagrees with the adjudication, he is the first to congratulate successful competitors, and he is always on time to play in his allotted position. For twenty years he has staunchly supported over a wide area by entering the Senior Traditional Sections without fail. And this coming October he will be able to compete in the veterans (over 40) class at Perth. I know he is going to enter. He has a string of successes too numerous to catalogue here, with wins at Blairgowrie, Kinross, Oban and Perth to name but a few. In 1978 he was runner-up at Perth and third in the same section in1986, a performance which I would personally say was one of Willie’s greatest achievements in competition, playing flawlessly in the finals in a field of players mostly less than half his age and all with 10 fingers on each hand. A truly remarkable effort.
Still right on course in the true Lawrie tradition, at the age of fifteen Willie discovered the need to express himself in the dots – his natural composing talents had surfaced. He is a prolific composer, even more so than his predecessors. Quantity does not always ensure quality but in Willie’s case the majority of his tunes are good or very good. He has just got “it” – simple as that. His success in the Own Composition section at Perth speaks for itself – a record five times winner of the Jimmy Blue Trophy.
His tune titles reflect his interest in the folk around him, and his regard for fellow musicians, composers and other enthusiasts. Good examples are “Duncan Campbell of Oban” – a truly excellent tune in two flats – and “Willie Lawrie’s Compliments to Iain Peterson”. Willie has a great admiration for the younger generation of players – “Our music is safe in their hands” he stresses. Tunes such as “Deirdre’s Fancy”, “Kathleen Ann Black” and “Jennifer Forrest” back up this assertion. His respect for the older generation is manifested in such offerings as “The Mickie Ainsworth Polka” and “Willie Lawrie’s Compliments to Fraser McGlynn”!
In addition to a number of tunes appearing in earlier publications, more than thirty of Willie’s compositions are contained in a recently issued book “The Lochaber Collection”, hopefully the forerunner of more. There are so many others to come to light.
It is interesting to reflect on the fact that many of our best composers live either in rural environments, work in the open air, or have a great love of the outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
Why should this be? Your guess is as good as mine – some say they are inspired by the sounds and smells of nature. I wonder – birdsong – yes, flowers - yes, but the sound of a Force 10 gale and battering rain are not the most musical of sounds, and the aura of pig manure being broadcast over the countryside cannot quite match honeysuckle or Chanel No. 5. No, I think it must be the unpolluted (in the widest possible sense) surroundings and the freedom from so-called civilisation which leaves the brain uncluttered and capable of producing greater things.
For the record, the daily occupations of the Lawrie trio of composers in chronological order were slate quarryman, slate quarryman/forestry worker, and lastly Willie Jnr is furnaceman with “Alcan” in Kinlochleven where he now lives with his wife Cheryl and daughter Heather. Cheryl is not a musician, but is a keen Scottish Country Dancer and it was through this interest that she met her man. Heather is neither a piper nor accordionist, but plays recorder.
In conclusion, one thing is for sure. The remarkable Lawrie family will live on through their music. Like Fathers Like Sons.
Compositions of Pipe Major Willie Lawrie
2/4 Marches :-
The Braes of Brecklet
John MacColl’s March to Kilbowie Cottage
Mrs H. L. MacDonald of Dunach
John MacDonald of Glencoe
Captain Carswell
George Ross’s Farewell to the Black Watch
The Pap of Glencoe
4/4 Marches :-
The 8th Argyll’s Farewell to the 116th Regiment de Ligne (or The 8th Argyll’s Farewell to Bousincourt)
The Cellars of Authuille
Colonel Baird
Retreat March :-
The 8th Argyll’s
Strathspeys :-
Inveraray Castle, Kilberry
Reel :-
Clacklarick (Henderson’s Stone, Glencoe)
N.B. – the above is by no means an exhaustive list. P/M Lawrie also composed piobaireachds, his “Lament for the Late Lord Archibald Campbell” being but one example.
Ayr Accordion & Fiddle Festival
by
The first Ayr A&F Festival was held in the Eglinton Rooms at Ayr Racecourse on Friday, 12th and Saturday, 13th June 1987. Everyone who attended seemed to enjoy the fun atmosphere of the Festival, and highly praised the excellent venue.
We were fortunate enough to have visitors from England, Northern Ireland and throughout Scotland to attend what turned out to be a marvelous event.
We congratulate all our prizewinners and in particular James Coutts, who won both the Junior Traditional and the Junior Pipe Sections, and Karin Leitch who won the Senior Traditional and Senior Pipe Sections.
Many thanks to all the helpers, too numerous to name individually, and to our adjudicators – Fraser McGlynn, Ivor Britton, Kenny Thomson, Robert Black, Peter Bruce, Lorna Leitch, Ron Gonella and Shona Leitch.
All competitions were judged behind screens with at least two judges.
During the afternoon we had good tunes in the bar area from Peter Wood, Alan Gardiner and Davie Tulloch to name only a few.
The evening started at 6.30pm with our prize-winners playing in the Concert with John Carmichael, Fraser McGlynn, Jamieson Greer, Lorna Leitch, Ron Gonella and our Senior Traditional play-off for the top three places. Everyone involved put on a great performance to the delight of our audience.
We must thank Ken Mutch and the B.B.C. for recording and subsequently broadcasting some highlights from our concert.
The evening then continued when we all danced to John Crmichael and his Band.
Results of Competition
Under 12 Accordion
1) Mhairi Coutts (Kirkcaldy)
2) Craig Skinner (Blackridge)
3) Louise Harkness (Paisley)
Junior (Under 16) Fiddle
1) Kathryn Nicoll (Kirriemuir)
2) Aidan O’Rourke (Oban)
3) Alastair McCulloch (Ayr)
Senior Fiddle
1) Archie McAlister (Campbeltown)
2) Kathryn Nicoll (Kirriemuir)
3) Mhairi O’Neil (Larbert)
Junior Accordion Pipe Music
1) James Coutts (Kirkcaldy)
2) Mark Cummine (Drymen)
3) Wayne Robertson (Arbroath)
Junior Traditional Accordion
1) James Coutts (Kirkcaldy)
2) Wayne Robertson (Arbroath)
3) Iain Carmichael (Glasgow)
Senior Accordion Pipe Music
1) Karin Leitch (Ayr)
2) Alan Gardiner (Lamington)
3) Brian Morrison (Forfar)
Senior Traditional Accordion
1) Karin Leith (Ayr)
2) Billy McGuire (Kirkcaldy)
3) Gordon Shand (Tillycoutry)
Dance Bands
1) Alan Gardiner (Lamington)
2) Peter Wood (Crawfordjohn)
3) Suzanne Gray (Clackmannan)
Many thanks to everyone for their help and support. We look forward to seeing you all back again next year on 10th and 11th June
Scottish Musical Milestones
by Ron Gonella
On Sunday, 21st June, 1987, a vast crowd of fiddle enthusiasts filled Little Dunkeld Churchyard to witness the unveiling of the replacement Niel Gow gravestone. The ceremony began with His Grace, The Duke of Atholl, giving the background to the Niel Gow Memorial Trust and the need to preserve the original memorial which was erected in 1808 by Niel’s sons, John and Nathaniel, following their father’s death in 1807. The augmented Dunkeld S&R Society accompanied the praise – Psalms 150 and 92.
The Scripture reading was by the Chairman of the Trust, Provost John Mathieson, and following the dedication by Rev. Tom Dick, minister of Dunkeld Cathedral, the unveiling was performed by Captain Jack Anderson, a direct descendant of Niel Gow. Following the unveiling, Ian Powrie and Ron Gonella played ‘Niel Gow’s Lament for the Death of his Second Wife’.
The new stone, of Karin Grey granite, with a base of black granite showing a fiddle motif, is styled so as to reflect the original stone, now safely under cover in Dunkeld Cathedral Chapter House. The Trustees are presently discussing the placing of signs to ensure that the locations of both the old and news stones are known.
This preoccupation with signs gave rise to the thought that this might be a very appropriate time to outline, albeit briefly, the main signposts on a grand fiddle tour of Scotland. The following does not, of course, claim to be exhaustive, but fiddle enthusiasts, by following the footsteps of Robert burns, in this the 200th Anniversary of his Highland Tour, will reach many of the musical milestones in our fascinating heritage of Scottish fiddle music.
From Edinburgh, scene of many Caledonian Hunt Balls with music by Nathanial Gow’s Band, our route takes us due west to Stirling, where the stirring scenes at Bannockburn and Stirling Bridge caused Burns to write at a later date :
“Scots, wha hae wi’ Wallace bled,
Scots’ wham Bruce has aften led.”
We continue on the A9, branching left at Greenloaning to Crieff, around which are many reminders of the golden age of fiddle music – Drummond Castle which houses our earliest extant collection of instrumental dance music, ‘The Drummond Castle Manuscripts’ – Abercairney, the former estates of James Moray of Abercairney, of the famous lament, and within the Abercairney estates, a small summer house built from the stones of Inchbrakie House, home of the Grahams, whose family tunes feature prominently in the Gow Collections – the strathspey, ‘Major Graham of Inchbrakie’, was the original tune to which Robert Burns set ‘My love is like a red, red rose’.
Twenty miles north of Crieff through the Sma’ Glen lies Dunkeld with its host of Gow associations – Niel’s cottage can be found at Inver, just behind the Inver Inn and the Hermitage, a folly built by the 3rd Duke of Atholl at a spectacular gorge on the River Braan, and a favourite haunt of Niel Gow’s, is only a shortish woodland walk from Inver.
Due north from Dunkeld in the Vale of Atholl, is Tulliemet, birthplace in 1745 of Robert ‘Red Rob’ Mackintosh, a contemporary of Nathanial Gow, and one of the finest of our fiddle players / composers.
The next obligatory stop is Blair Castle, home of the Duke of Atholl. The castle has become the focal point for momentos of Niel Gow. In the ballroom is his fiddle, his whisky goblet from which Queen Victoria supped Atholl Brose on her first visit to Scotland in 1842, and the extremely well-known portrait of Niel Gow by Sir Henry Raeburn, painted when Gow was about 60 years of age.
Incidentally, enthusiasts may like to visit Hopetoun House at South Queensferry, where Sir Henry Raeburn was knighted by King George IV during the King’s controversial visit to Edinburgh in 1822.
Our next musical milestone comes far up the refurbished A9 when a diversion to the left at Daviot via Loch Ness side, brings us to the heart of the Simon Fraser country, just north of Fort Augustus. Many of the places and events connected with the Simon Fraser Gaelic collections can be found nearly – the Falls of Foyers, Knockie, Belladrum near Beauly, Gorthleck and to the east of Inverness, Culloden Moor itself.
Travelling due east from Culloden on the Elgin road, with the fringes of the ‘Whisky Country’ to the south, is Fochabers and nearly Gordon Castle. William Marshall was in the service of the Duke of Gordon and although Gordon Castle is a private residence not open to the public, Marshall’s grave at the little churchyard at Bellie, in the western lee of the Gordon estates, can still be viewed. The Gordon Arms in Fochablers still provides the same warm hospitality enjoyed by Robert Burns.
As we leave Fochabers and move eastwards toward Aberdeen, we enter the domain of J. Scott Skinner, the ‘Strathspey King’. Although a plaque in the Main Street in Banchoey, some seventeen miles west of Aberdeen, records the fact that Skinner was born in Banchory, his travels regularly took him all over the North-East. His tune titles often read like a gazetteer of Northern Scotland and the names of several of his collections reflect places where he lived – The Elgin Collection – The Miller ‘ Hirn (near Banchory) – the Monikie Series (nine miles north of Dundee) and so on.
As with Niel Gow and William Marshall, J. Scott Skinner is tangibly remembered today by his gravestone and his fiddle. The imposing granite memorial in Allanvale Cemetery near Bridge of Dee is well worth a visit, while, should you care to see and perhaps even play on Scott Skinner’s ‘Stroh’ fiddle (the very instrument used by him for his early acoustical photograph recordings) then call on my old friend John Junner at Strachan, near Banchory. John is a mine of information about Skinner and an hour in John’s company will shoot past.
Between Aberdeen and Edinburgh, as indeed in so many places before them, one can linger among kindred spirits in the Strathspey and Reel Societies of Aberdeen, Kirriemuir, Dundee, Fife and Edinburgh itself, to say nothing of those in Dunkeld, Stirling, Inverness and Elgin, or of the societies in Glasgow, Ayr or in the Borders.
If time does not run our on you, and William Marshall’s fiddle attracts you, visit the collection of musical instruments in Edinburgh University’s Reid School of Music (near the McEwan Hall) and ask to see the fiddle. Opening hours here are restricted, so try to plan ahead.
Jack Scott – Obituary
It is with sadness that I have to report the sudden death of our friend and compere Mr Jacky Scott, perhaps better known as Bungy Bell.
Jacky supported all the Clubs in the south west and, did the same duty at Castle Douglas.
He performed in and organised concerts for all kinds of charities.
Jacky Scott, a friend of players young and old, will be sadly missed.
Ian Gray – Secretary, Islesteps A&F Club
Readers Letters
Sir – It is now Accordion and Fiddle time again. I am sure we are all looking forward to another winter of good music.
Some time last season there was a programme on BBC Scotland with Robbie Shepherd, Norman Williams and Bill Brian. Robbie read out a letter from Angus Fitchet, something about getting a grant of some sort to help the A&F Clubs. As I go to many clubs, I know that there are some very wealthy Clubs, but there are also a lot of poor ones. In fact, I wonder how some of them exist at all.
Instead of looking for a grant, why not get the Treasurers of all the Clubs to take their Balance Sheets to the AGM where they could be vetted. Now the clubs with the fat bank books (and I know some of them have hundreds in the bank), what about them giving the poor Clubs a donation? Mind you, the A&F Clubs are not supposed to be a profit making body, so I don’t see why the rich can’t help the poor.
Another thing, then the NAAFC started there were no guest artistes, just a group of musicians who got together for a tune and a crack. Then the Bands got on the scene and they were clamouring to play at the Clubs, because they got their names on the radio. Now some of them are asking such large fees that the poor Clubs cannot afford their prices. It’s all wrong. We don’t want them to play for nothing. If only they would give and take a little.
Come on folks, let’s be hearing from you.
Willie G. Cassie
19 Hayshill Road
Kippen
Stirling
Well there’s a revolutionary idea. There must be many of you with comments. The Ed.
CLUB DIARY
Aberdeen (Dee Motel) –
Alnwick (Fleece Inn) – members only –
Armadale (Masonic Arms Hotel) – 1st Oct 87 Guy Biagi Trio
Ayr (Gartferry Hotel) – 4th Oct 87 Ian Holmes & Kenny Wilson
Balloch (Bell Centre, Dumbarton) –
Banchory (Burnett Arms Hotel) – 26th Oct 87 Craig McCallum SDB
Banff & District (Royal Oak Hotel) –
Beith & District (Anderson Hotel) –
Belford (Community Club) –
Biggar (Clydesdale Hotel) –
Bridge of Allan (Walmer Hotel) -
Buchan (Buchaness Hotel) –
Callander (Glengarry Hotel) –
Campbeltown (Royal Hotel) – 17th Oct 87 Jim Johnstone SDB
Castle Douglas (Ernespie Hotel) – 20th Oct 87 Bill Black SDB
Coupar Angus (Royal Hotel) –
Crieff & District (Drummond Arms Hotel) –
Dalriada (Royal Hotel, Lochgilphead) –
Derwentside (Working Men’s Club, Consett) –
Dingwall (venue? ) –
Dunblane (Westlands Hotel) – 20th Oct 87 Wallochmor Ceilidh Band
Dundee (Queen’s Hotel, Nethergate) – 1st Oct 87 Dennis Morrison SDB
Dunfermline (Northern Roadhouse) –
East Kilbride (King’s Park Hotel, Rutherglen) –
Edinburgh (Abbey Suite, Abbey Lane) –
Ellon (Ladbroke Hotel) –
Falkirk (Park Hotel) –
Fintry (Clachan Hotel) – 26th Oct 87 Willie Simpson & Gordon Pattullo
Forres (Brig Motel) – 14th Oct 87 John Crawford Trio
Fort William (Cruchan Hotel) –
Galashiels (Maxwell Hotel) –
Galston (Theo’s Restaurant, Galston) –
Glendale (Black Bull Hotel – Wooler) –
Gorebridge (Rangers FC Social Club) –
Highland (Drumossie Hotel) –
Islesteps (Driveway Inn) –
Kelso (Ednam House Hotel) –
Kintore (Crown Hotel) – 7th Oct 87 The Garioch Fiddlers
Langholm (Crown Hotel) –
Lesmahagow (Masonic Hall) –
Livingston (Golden Circle Hotel, Bathgate) 20th Oct 87 Addie Harper Trio
Lockerbie (Bluebell Hotel) -
Mauchline (The Jean Armour Restaurant) –
M.A.F.I.A. (Masonic Hall, Milngavie) –
Montrose (Park Hotel) –
New Cumnock (Crown Hotel) –
Newtongrange (Dean Tavern) –
Newton St Boswells (Railway Hotel) –
North Cumbria (Howard Arms) (prev called Gretna Club) –
North East (Seafield Hotel, Keith) – 6th Oct 87 Hebbie Gray
Oban (Park Hotel) –
Orkney ( venue?) –
Ormiston (Miners’ Welfare Social Club) –
Peebles (Countryside Inn) –
Perth (Station Hotel) – 20th Oct 87 Jennifer Forrest SDB
Premier NI (Camlin function Rooms) -
Renfrew (Masonic Hall) –
Rothbury (Queen’s Head Hotel) - 1st Oct 87 Jim Johnstone SDB
Shetland (venue?) -
Stranraer (Railway Club) –
Thornhill (?)
Thurso (McKay’s Hotel) –
Turriff (Royal Oak Hotel) – 1st Oct 87 Moyra Fraser Trio 30th Oct 87 dinner Dance to Rob Gordon SDB
Tynedale (The Royal Hotel, Hexham) –
Wick (McKay’s Hotel) –
THERE WERE CLUB REPORTS FROM :-
1. Alnwick
2. Armadale
3. Ayr
4. Balloch
5. Banchory
6. Dunoon & Cowal
7. Forres
8. Highland
9. Islesteps
10. Kintore
11. Lesmahagow
12. Livingston
13. M.A.F.I.A.
14. Mauchline
15. Newtongrange
16. North East
17. Orkney
18. Perth
19. Renfrew
20. Shetland
21. Thurso
22. Turriff & District
23. Tynedale
CLUB DIRECTORY AS AT SEPT 1987 (Clubs didn’t necessarily notify the Assoc when they closed so the following may not be entirely correct. Only the clubs submitting the reports above were definitely open.)
1. Aberdeen A&F Club (1975)
2. Alnwick A&F Club (Sept 1976)
3. Armadale A&F Club (Oct 1978? or 80) originally called Bathgate Club (for 2 months)
4. Ayr A&F Club (Nov 1983 – per Nov 83 edition)
5. Balloch A&F Club (Sept 1972 – per January 1978 issue)
6. Banchory A&F Club (1978)
7. Banff & District A&F Club (Oct 1973)
8. Beith & District A&F Club (Sept 1972 – per first edition)
9. Belford A&F Club (joined Sept 1982)
10. Biggar A&F Club (Oct 1974)
11. Buchan A&F Club
12. Button Key A&F Club (
13. Callander A&F Club (
14. Campbeltown & District A&F Club (c Dec 1980)
15. Castle Douglas A&F Club (c Sept 1980)
16. Crieff A&F Club (cSept 1981)
17. Dalriada A&F Club (Feb 1981)
18. Derwentside A&F Club
19. Dingwall & District A&F Club (May 1979 – per first report)
20. Dunblane & District A&F Club (1971)
21. Dundee & District A&F Club
22. Dunfermline & District A&F Club (1974 – per first edition)
23. Dunoon & Cowal A&F Club (
24. East Kilbride A&F Club (Sept 1980)
25. Ellon A&F Club (
26. Fintry A&F Club
27. Forres A&F Club (Jan 1978)
28. Fort William A&F Club (21st Oct 1980 – per Dec 1980 B&F)
29. Galashiels A&F Club (joined Sept 1982)
30. Galston A&F Club (Oct 1969 – per first edition – closed March 2006)
31. Glendale Accordion Club (Jan 1973)
32. Highland A&F Club (Inverness)
33. Islesteps A&F Club (Jan 1981)
34. Isle of Skye A&F Club (
35. Kelso A&F Club (May 1976)
36. Kintore A&F Club
37. Langholm A&F Club (Oct 1967)
38. Lesmahagow A&F Club (Nov 1979 – closed May 2005)
39. Livingston A&F Club (Sept 1973 – per first edition)
40. Lockerbie A&F Club (Nov 1973)
41. M.A.F.I.A. (early)
42. Mauchline A&F Club (first mention 1986?)
43. Montrose A&F Club (joined Sept 1982)
44. Newtongrange A&F Club (joined Sept 1979)
45. Newton St Boswells Accordion Club (17th Oct 1972 see Apr 1984 obituary for Angus Park)
46. North Cumbria A&F Club (originally Gretna started June 1966 – had to move to a venue in the North of England and changed name – eventually changed back when they returned to the Halcrow Stadium. No breaks in the continuity of the Club)
47. North East A&F Club aka Keith A&FC (Sept 1971)
48. Oban A&F Club (Nov 1975)
49. Orkney A&F Club (Mar 1978)
50. Ormiston Miners’ Welfare Society A&F Club
51. Peebles A&F Club (26 Nov 1981)
52. Perth & District A&F Club (Aug 1970)
53. Premier A&F Club NI (cNov 1980)
54. Rothbury Accordion Club (1987??)
55. Shetland A&F Club (Sept 1978)
56. Stranraer & District Accordion Club (1974 – per first edition)
57. Sutherland A&F Club (
58. Thornhill A&F Club (joined Oct 1983 – see Nov 83 edition)
59. Thurso A&F Club (cSept 1981)
60. Turriff A&F Club (March 1982)
61. Tynedale A&F Club (Nov 1980)
62. Walmer (Bridge of Allan) A&F Club
63. Wick A&F Club (Oct 1975)
Not on official list at the start of the season (closed, did not renew membership or omitted in error?)
64. Bonchester Accordion Club (Closed?)
65. Bridge of Allan (Walmer) A&F Club (Walmer Hotel, Bridge of Allan) (c March 1982)
66. Cleland (cNov 1981 – March 1985) originally called Drumpellier A&F Club (for 2 months)
67. Club Accord
68. Coquetdale A&F Club (Feb 1974 or c1976/77 – 1981/2?)
69. Coupar Angus A&F Club (cSept 1978 - ?)
70. Cumnock A&F Club (October 1976 - forced to close cDec 1982 - see Jan 83 Editorial)
71. Denny & Dunipace A&F Club (Feb 1981)
72. Dornoch A&F Club (first mention in directory 1986)
73. Dumfries Accordion Club (Oughtons) (April 1965 at the Hole in the Wa’)
74. Dunbar Cement Works A&F Club (Closed?)
75. Edinburgh A&F Club (Apr 1981) prev called Chrissie Leatham A&F Club (Oct 1980)
76. Falkirk A&F Club (Sept 1978 - )
77. Gorebridge (cNov 1981) originally called Arniston A&F Club (for 2 months)
78. Gretna A&F Club (June 1966)
79. Greenhead Accordion Club (on the A69 between Brampton and Haltwistle)
80. Kinlochsheil A&F Club (
81. Kirriemuir A&F Club (cSept 1981)
82. Monklands A&F Club (Nov 1978 – closed cApril 1983)
83. Morecambe A&F Club (joined Sept 1982)
84. Newcastleton Accordion Club
85. New Cumnock A&F Club (cMarch 1979)
86. Renfrew A&F Club (original club 1974/5 lapsed after a few years then again in 1984)
87. Straiton Accordion Club (c1968 – closed March 1979)
88. Torthorwald A&F Club (near Dumfries)
89. Wellbank A&F Club
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