Box and Fiddle
Year 15 No 05
January 1992
Introducing the Clubs
No 5 Mauchline and District
by Irene Cunningham
As Accordion and fiddle Clubs go, we are one of the younger ones. The club was started on 25th October, 1983, by Kenny Nairn and his wife Elizabeth. Kenny as Chairman and Elizabeth as Treasurer. Kenny’s sister Linda, helped as Committee member. The meeting was held in the Jean Armour Function Suite – where we still hold our meetings. Apart from the steep stairs, it is an ideal place. Everyone complains about the stairs, but they faithfully climb them every month I’m glad to say.
At the beginning of the second season, Bill and Irene Cunningham joined the Committee, Irene as Secretary and Bill as Committee member.
We would be one of the first Clubs, as far as I know, to have Inter-Club nights. This is a grand way other Club members and players. Quite a few Clubs have visited us and we have returned their visits having very enjoyable nights.
At Mauchline we have a very faithful, following who come every month from all over Ayrshire. That is why we add ‘and District’ to the Club name.
We do not have a membership, but an open door system. This leaves it open to people from anywhere to come and enjoy the night with us – they will always be made welcome.
In 1985, Linda Nairn dropped out of the Committee to do other things. We than asked Margaret Davidson into the Committee and she is still with us.
The Club continued to flourish, players range from about 12 years to 80 years young. It has been most satisfying to watch the young players develop. For instance, Kenny Cumming, Malcolm Rae, Andrew Murray and later on Davie Gracie. All grew up in the Club and are now the ‘Ballochmyle Ceilidh Band’ and doing very well indeed. Alistair McCulloch also came as a young boy and is now one of the leading solo fiddle players in the country. He also plays in the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra doing some solo work there as well. He has composed some good tunes.
William and Alex Weir both came as boys and although William has his studies to attend to just now, he’ll likely continue later. Alex is a fine accordionist with a promising future – he has won a lot of trophies already, as did William.
Young Scott Gordon is another good accordionist and drummer with a lot of show business experience under his belt already. He will also go far.
The older players all play their part well. There is Tom Gardner, who is now 80 and gives us a tune every month on his 5-row button box, as does Alex Harvey, with his set of ebony bones given to him when he was 12 years old and still going strong. As Alex says he “doesn’t need to tune them”.
Davy Ross and Jimmy Henderson, two friends from Galston also play button key boxes, as does Ben Murray who joins Bob Torrance, our moothie player and produces a lovely mellow sound.
I mentioned Scott Gordon earlier, who bring his dad Joe along, and he joins Scott on banjo. This makes a different sound again.
A few years ago a Trio was formed with Bill Cunningham on fiddle, his wife Irene, who used to play accordion but is now back to playing keyboard, and Lena MacLennan on accordion. They play very much in the pipe idiom. All three compose music and now have a fair collection and Lena does the arranging.
Jim Fleming comes over from Cumnock regularly – a fine player and composer.
One of our older members, Jimmy Cunningham from Maybole, who played faithfully from the beginning is unfortunately not well enough to come and join us nowadays.
A feature we hold at out March meeting every year is our ‘Own Composition’ competition. We usually have about 9 entries and the winner is given a small shield to keep. This is confined to Mauchline players.
Three years ago, Kenny and Elizabeth Nairn found that owing to family and work commitments they would have to leave the Club. Bill Cunningham then became chairman, Irene stayed as Secretary and Margaret Davidson took over the Treasurer’s job. We then asked two of the younger members, Kenny Cumming and Malcolm Rae to join the Committee. We believe in encouraging the younger ones to take part in the running of the Club as it will be in their hands in the future. Kenny and Malcolm share the M.C.s job and are doing fine.
Our hosts over the years were Hugh and Myra Campbell, who looked after us very well. They retired last March and our new hostess is Mrs Catherine Grant, who is carrying on the good work providing hot, home-made soup, pies and peas at the interval. This has always been a ‘highlight’ of the Mauchline club.
I am told that we are known as ‘The Friendly Club’. I do hope this is true, for that is what we aim to be. Pay us a visit sometime – we are always pleased to see players and listeners from all ‘airts and pairts’.
No 5 Mauchline and District
by Irene Cunningham
As Accordion and fiddle Clubs go, we are one of the younger ones. The club was started on 25th October, 1983, by Kenny Nairn and his wife Elizabeth. Kenny as Chairman and Elizabeth as Treasurer. Kenny’s sister Linda, helped as Committee member. The meeting was held in the Jean Armour Function Suite – where we still hold our meetings. Apart from the steep stairs, it is an ideal place. Everyone complains about the stairs, but they faithfully climb them every month I’m glad to say.
At the beginning of the second season, Bill and Irene Cunningham joined the Committee, Irene as Secretary and Bill as Committee member.
We would be one of the first Clubs, as far as I know, to have Inter-Club nights. This is a grand way other Club members and players. Quite a few Clubs have visited us and we have returned their visits having very enjoyable nights.
At Mauchline we have a very faithful, following who come every month from all over Ayrshire. That is why we add ‘and District’ to the Club name.
We do not have a membership, but an open door system. This leaves it open to people from anywhere to come and enjoy the night with us – they will always be made welcome.
In 1985, Linda Nairn dropped out of the Committee to do other things. We than asked Margaret Davidson into the Committee and she is still with us.
The Club continued to flourish, players range from about 12 years to 80 years young. It has been most satisfying to watch the young players develop. For instance, Kenny Cumming, Malcolm Rae, Andrew Murray and later on Davie Gracie. All grew up in the Club and are now the ‘Ballochmyle Ceilidh Band’ and doing very well indeed. Alistair McCulloch also came as a young boy and is now one of the leading solo fiddle players in the country. He also plays in the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra doing some solo work there as well. He has composed some good tunes.
William and Alex Weir both came as boys and although William has his studies to attend to just now, he’ll likely continue later. Alex is a fine accordionist with a promising future – he has won a lot of trophies already, as did William.
Young Scott Gordon is another good accordionist and drummer with a lot of show business experience under his belt already. He will also go far.
The older players all play their part well. There is Tom Gardner, who is now 80 and gives us a tune every month on his 5-row button box, as does Alex Harvey, with his set of ebony bones given to him when he was 12 years old and still going strong. As Alex says he “doesn’t need to tune them”.
Davy Ross and Jimmy Henderson, two friends from Galston also play button key boxes, as does Ben Murray who joins Bob Torrance, our moothie player and produces a lovely mellow sound.
I mentioned Scott Gordon earlier, who bring his dad Joe along, and he joins Scott on banjo. This makes a different sound again.
A few years ago a Trio was formed with Bill Cunningham on fiddle, his wife Irene, who used to play accordion but is now back to playing keyboard, and Lena MacLennan on accordion. They play very much in the pipe idiom. All three compose music and now have a fair collection and Lena does the arranging.
Jim Fleming comes over from Cumnock regularly – a fine player and composer.
One of our older members, Jimmy Cunningham from Maybole, who played faithfully from the beginning is unfortunately not well enough to come and join us nowadays.
A feature we hold at out March meeting every year is our ‘Own Composition’ competition. We usually have about 9 entries and the winner is given a small shield to keep. This is confined to Mauchline players.
Three years ago, Kenny and Elizabeth Nairn found that owing to family and work commitments they would have to leave the Club. Bill Cunningham then became chairman, Irene stayed as Secretary and Margaret Davidson took over the Treasurer’s job. We then asked two of the younger members, Kenny Cumming and Malcolm Rae to join the Committee. We believe in encouraging the younger ones to take part in the running of the Club as it will be in their hands in the future. Kenny and Malcolm share the M.C.s job and are doing fine.
Our hosts over the years were Hugh and Myra Campbell, who looked after us very well. They retired last March and our new hostess is Mrs Catherine Grant, who is carrying on the good work providing hot, home-made soup, pies and peas at the interval. This has always been a ‘highlight’ of the Mauchline club.
I am told that we are known as ‘The Friendly Club’. I do hope this is true, for that is what we aim to be. Pay us a visit sometime – we are always pleased to see players and listeners from all ‘airts and pairts’.