Year 12 No 8 - April 1989
The Club having been reconstituted in November last, seems to be ‘off to a flyer’. The first open night in Portree in December was well attended with 15 participating local musicians plus some 40-50 others forming a most appreciative audience. A good night was had by all.
The January Club, held in Broadford, was even more of a success, with over 20 of the Fingle Creek Club having crossed to the island in weather conditions that were fierce. On button key was Sandy Ross, Neil ‘the Weaver’ McKay on piano key, Duncan MacKenzie on melodeon and Jennifer MacKenzie on fiddle, contributing much to the musical and light hearted atmosphere of the night. Jennifer is a young lady whose talents on the fiddle are already impressive.
The Skye and Lochalsh Fiddle Society afforded a well received input into the enjoyment of the night with several playing sets of reels, marches and waltzes in a group of some 10 fiddlers, one of whom is teaching the playing of the instrument on the island. In addition, another very talented young lady from Oban, Karina Campbell, became a member of the A&F Club and is very welcome.
Add to the foregoing, the box and keyboard playing of stalwarts, Iain MacDonald and Alisdair Henderson, and that of Donna Lamont, a young lassie who, with her accordion now produces her own form of wizardry, and the Gaelic piping of Arthur Cormack, fairly recent Gold Medalist at the Mod and now seen and heard a lot on television and radio, and there was nothing lacking in entertainment value.
The non-drivers in the company played havoc with what was on the gantry, and there was tea, coffee and sandwiches served by the hotel staff. On the whole, together with the tremendous rapport between musicians and audience, produced a night to remember.
The Club intends to pursue a plan to hold its Club nights in different venues throughout the island , and interlace these nights with Entertainment Nights, where the emphasis would be placed upon visiting bands or artistes, at least until the merit of this approach can be valued.
The success of the Broadford night is proof enough that the ‘getting together’ of two Clubs or more is most worthwhile, and this was commented upon by both the ’home and away teams’ involved. Similarly, the value of a few adult skilled musicians willing to devote time to bringing on young and lesser skilled enthusiasts is very apparent.
There are many more ‘Box and Fiddle’ players on the island and we are hopeful that they will come along and join us in the ensuing months.
The players at Broadford were, on piano key Iain McDonald, Alasdair Henderson, Donna Lamont, Neil McKay and Ronnie Dunn.
On melodeon Duncan MacKenzie.
On button key, Sandy Ross.
On drums Francis Coghill
On keyboard Iain MacDonald
On fiddles we had Karina Campbell, May MacLennan, Christine Martin, Colin Kneen, Karen Ann MacArthur, Ronan Martin, Harold Warriner, Jennifer MAcKenzie.
On double bass Kerry Simpson
On cello John Sikorsky.
Ronnie Dunn
The Club having been reconstituted in November last, seems to be ‘off to a flyer’. The first open night in Portree in December was well attended with 15 participating local musicians plus some 40-50 others forming a most appreciative audience. A good night was had by all.
The January Club, held in Broadford, was even more of a success, with over 20 of the Fingle Creek Club having crossed to the island in weather conditions that were fierce. On button key was Sandy Ross, Neil ‘the Weaver’ McKay on piano key, Duncan MacKenzie on melodeon and Jennifer MacKenzie on fiddle, contributing much to the musical and light hearted atmosphere of the night. Jennifer is a young lady whose talents on the fiddle are already impressive.
The Skye and Lochalsh Fiddle Society afforded a well received input into the enjoyment of the night with several playing sets of reels, marches and waltzes in a group of some 10 fiddlers, one of whom is teaching the playing of the instrument on the island. In addition, another very talented young lady from Oban, Karina Campbell, became a member of the A&F Club and is very welcome.
Add to the foregoing, the box and keyboard playing of stalwarts, Iain MacDonald and Alisdair Henderson, and that of Donna Lamont, a young lassie who, with her accordion now produces her own form of wizardry, and the Gaelic piping of Arthur Cormack, fairly recent Gold Medalist at the Mod and now seen and heard a lot on television and radio, and there was nothing lacking in entertainment value.
The non-drivers in the company played havoc with what was on the gantry, and there was tea, coffee and sandwiches served by the hotel staff. On the whole, together with the tremendous rapport between musicians and audience, produced a night to remember.
The Club intends to pursue a plan to hold its Club nights in different venues throughout the island , and interlace these nights with Entertainment Nights, where the emphasis would be placed upon visiting bands or artistes, at least until the merit of this approach can be valued.
The success of the Broadford night is proof enough that the ‘getting together’ of two Clubs or more is most worthwhile, and this was commented upon by both the ’home and away teams’ involved. Similarly, the value of a few adult skilled musicians willing to devote time to bringing on young and lesser skilled enthusiasts is very apparent.
There are many more ‘Box and Fiddle’ players on the island and we are hopeful that they will come along and join us in the ensuing months.
The players at Broadford were, on piano key Iain McDonald, Alasdair Henderson, Donna Lamont, Neil McKay and Ronnie Dunn.
On melodeon Duncan MacKenzie.
On button key, Sandy Ross.
On drums Francis Coghill
On keyboard Iain MacDonald
On fiddles we had Karina Campbell, May MacLennan, Christine Martin, Colin Kneen, Karen Ann MacArthur, Ronan Martin, Harold Warriner, Jennifer MAcKenzie.
On double bass Kerry Simpson
On cello John Sikorsky.
Ronnie Dunn