Celtic Connections

[Globaltruth]

So JC I think you have to tell us a bit more about J M Barrie...didn't realise he was a little Kirriemuir lad?

[johncorrigan]

So JC I think you have to tell us a bit more about J M Barrie...didn't realise he was a little Kirriemuir lad?

.....and Bon Scott of abcd - he's a Kirrie lad - they've got a bit in the local museum dessicated to him.

But the town's got P Pan statue, a creepy bit of Hook dialogue on a bench, The House in Thrums, http://thecapitalscot.com/scotplaces...ow_thrums.html
his birthplace (wee cottage) and a fine Camera Obscura within the cricket pavilion which he presented to the town and on any day when the drizzle isnae dreich you can see some fine views up Isla, Prosen and Clova and down Strathmore. Yeah there was a bit of harrumphing going on in this house this evening when Dame Purdie seemed to be backing some charlatans in Dumfries as the home of Smee and the Lost boys, when all you'd need to do is come to Kirrie on a Friday evening and you'd spot a pile of them - pirates too.

http://www.angusahead.com/VisitAngus/ExploringAngus/VisitKirriemuir.asp

An apocryphal story is that David Niven claimed Kirrie as his birthplace - he was apparently trying to raise his profile in Hollywood and reckoned that a Scottish, slightly military background would go down a treat - the fact that he was born in London was neither here nor there. It's a nice wee place, the gateway to the Angus Glens, the home of Peter Pan.

[Globaltruth]

Thanks for that JC.
So Capn Hook went off to play with New Order, Barrie himself spent the latter part of his career composing Bond themes, Wendy operates a global donut franchising operation out of California (Wendy's donuts), Pan was uncomfortably hijacked by Jackson, Smee now sells used cars (Smee's Cars) but did the crocodile just go to Dundee?


I think we should be told...

[johncorrigan]

but did the crocodile just go to Dundee?


I think we should be told...

The croc was drawn to the bright lights by the promisee of fame but the clock was ticking and he fell victim to Elton Bog and was inveigled into a sordid enterprise (TOTP with Jimmy Saville). Eventually he retired to the wee island of Millport in the Firth of Clyde where he continues to amuse the holidaymakers especially when they're doon the watter fur the Fair.

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/342203

[Globaltruth]

My McLeod White pudding has just arrived from Stornoway.

Anyone know any suitable songs?

With a Celtic Connection of course...

[johncorrigan]

My McLeod White pudding has just arrived from Stornoway.

Anyone know any suitable songs?

With a Celtic Connection of course...

'Now for the blackout' by Stornoway?

[PatrickOD]

My McLeod White pudding has just arrived from Stornoway.

Anyone know any suitable songs?

With a Celtic Connection of course...

I half remember a song with the line 'On Saturday night we'll have pigs feet and tripe' to the tune of Do You Want Your Old Lobby Washed Down, but I doubt if you'll find it anywhere. My grandmother sang it to me about 70 years ago.

If it's food you're after, how about some dulse and yellowman. And there's all the Celtic connection you could ask for. What? You don't know what dulse and yellowman are?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KayVMyJdJ_o&feature=related

[Lateralthinking1]

JC - Interesting to hear about Kirrie. I have a pal whose surname is Macdonald and he has a son called Angus. Might that suggest that his family roots are not far from where you are? On the later Van -

I hold out for Avalon Sunset (1989). Love that album whatever the accusations of it being "a bit Radio 2" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBzFo...eature=related.

The follow-up "Enlightenment" (1990) was so-so but had the magnificent "In the Days Before Rock n Roll" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT_ua50nJ1k.

Then definitely the whole of "The Healing Game" (1997) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8Fjv...eature=related

And "Magic Time" (2005). Hey, "Midnight Train To Georgia" was so good, it was worth writing two of them - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2oOC...eature=related.

And to top the lot, the best version of one of the best songs ever, from "Best Of, Volume 3" (2007) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayLMkTIx8-E.

How different from each other are Scottish and Irish gaelic? I am very keen on that album "Rian" by Liam O'Maonlai.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFlHO3r9UBk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VvR2_P17X0

[Globaltruth]

I half remember a song with the line 'On Saturday night we'll have pigs feet and tripe' to the tune of Do You Want Your Old Lobby Washed Down, but I doubt if you'll find it anywhere. My grandmother sang it to me about 70 years ago.

If it's food you're after, how about some dulse and yellowman. And there's all the Celtic connection you could ask for. What? You don't know what dulse and yellowman are?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KayVM...eature=related

Did you treat your Mary Ann to some dulse and yellowman,
At the Auld Lammas Fair in Ballycastle-O?

Yellowman is called cinder toffee in England. So I know what it is now!
Dulse - I would love to try it, we were actually looking at the seaweeds in Siabost and saying how edible they looked. I wonder why this great source of food is overlooked? Other than samphire (hard to find) and lava bread (Welsh speciality). Any others?

A modern version of the song you mention from Newfoundland:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGgvunglprY

I wish I could find a version with the words you mention though, but apparently 'washing the lobby down' was an alternative to paying the rent. Make of that what you will.

Crubeen too (I'm sure there are many spellings of that word)
Crubeen raw

Boneless, breadcrumbed and delicious

And Mrs GT, being of Irish stock, has always cooked colcannon; it was many years before she realised what this traditional dish from her mother actually was...

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/4990/diane-s-colcannon.aspx

What's the difference between that and champ?



Finally, JC, Stornoway may have been on in Stornoway but are not from Stornoway...Whereas this young feller

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kgxpDkOQj0

was on too, is definitely from there and deserves a bit more exposure, even tho he has chosen to go down the tricky pop/rock route (at the moment) Shows what a lovely place he lives in. Callanish. And he finished his set with a Randy Newman track - so he has some good influences...

[johncorrigan]

Patrick, in the late 70s I worked in a bar in the Gorbals in Glasgow, the Blarney Stone - a lot of the folks traced their (fairly recent) roots to Donegal and a lot still had the Gaelic. Most of the men who came in were hard working and heavy drinking and loads of talk. Buses left every weekend to go 'over by' and people would return with bags full of dulse and new tales from home that would be handed round.

As I said, these guys were hard working - on a Thursday evening they'd turn up in the pub having been paid. Rounds would be paid in £10 and £20 notes - even if you'd just given somebody change 20 minutes before the next drink would be paid for by a twenty. (till drawer full of notes, nae change!) This would go on through to Sunday, the denomination decreasing until there were these pockets full of change. So then they would buy a round and would go into the trouser pocket and pull what seemed a shovelful of change and push it towards you. My job would be to try to take the required money, but my memory is trying to work between the copper and silver and dulse, and if they suddenly spotted a nice bit of dulse they would grab it from the mass of smash and pop it in their mouth. To me it only ever tasted like salt, but I'm sure it had the taste of their lifetime wrapped up in it.

The cleaner in the bar used to make something which I think was colcannon and could reduce a bunch of big Irishmen to tears by passing it round the bar as they remembered their Ma makin' it - buncha big softies.

Lat, on the topic of Van - you're absolutely right - I had thought that 'Irish Heartbeat' was after 'Avalon Sunset' with Cliff (which I love) and Enlightenment (also), both of which had some really wonderful songs. Have to disagree about Healing Game - maybe it was where I was when it came out, but I found it dull and samey. My problem with Van is that he has one of the greatest voices ever to come out of these islands but in recent years has churned out pretty much the same old stuff - the best are usually a trip back to childhood as in the magnificent 'Days before rock'n'roll', but there's too few - I thought the 'Celtic New Year' just sounded like a pile of others he has done, albeit quite well performed.

I'm certainly no expert on Gaelic - that first track you put on by Liam O'Maonlai came from the programme that May Ann introduced bringing Scottish and Irish Gaelic performers together ( and very good it was too). My understanding in Scotland is that Lewis will speak a different Gaelic from Barra and they'll say they speak the true Gaelic and the Islay Gaelic speakers will say they're the true upholders of the language. So I don't think there's one Scottish Gaelic in the same way I imagine there isn't one Irish Gaelic though given the curriculum over in Ireland there may be a more standardised version - when you hear May Ann speak to Irish Gaelic speakers they seem able to understand each other fine. As for Angus MacDonalds, Lat - ten a penny - I wouldn't go as far as to say it's the John Smith of Scotland - that's probably Donald MacDonald.

Liked you're Lewis guy Global - ain't them Hebridean beaches the best - when me and the family went to the beaches on Iona there would be about three other people on a beach half a mile long - and the Atlantic - glorious and freezin' but you've got to do it, haven't you?!:cool2:

Global

[Lateralthinking1]

The scenes you describe sound reminiscent of lyrics in songs by the Pogues and Jackie Leven among others. Oh, and the novels of James Kelman. Interesting to hear a factual account.

Mr MacDonald - I am not sure he uses a capital "D" - has just e-mailed me to advise that the first few singles he ever bought were on 78. Hands up. Who admits to being in that clan?

[Globaltruth]

Mr MacDonald - I am not sure he uses a capital "D" - has just e-mailed me to advise that the first few singles he ever bought were on 78. Hands up. Who admits to being in that clan?

My older brother was in that clan - starting off with a certain Jailhouse rock by a certain Elvis Presley.

However he lost focus and drifted off towards Lonnie Donnegan and Stravinsky. Leaving your chewing-gum on the bedpost was in fact a rite of spring. A potentially lethal combination from which he has never really recovered.

JC - a fascinating post, thanks. I am keen to go to Barra. But our favourite place was Bernera. I like this page from the BBC website about it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/islandblogging/westernisles/bernera.shtml

of course there haven't been any posts since 2008 - they are far too busy for that kind of stuff. Some memorable beaches and loch's there. And the bridge over the Atlantic - I wonder if it was what Davy Spillane was thinking of?

http://www.musicscotland.com/cd/mp3-Davy-Spillane-Atlantic-Bridge-Cd.html

[johncorrigan]

The scenes you describe sound reminiscent of lyrics in songs by the Pogues and Jackie Leven among others. Oh, and the novels of James Kelman. Interesting to hear a factual account.

Lat - I worked in the Blarney with my brother - he could keep you in stitches for a fortnight with tales of the place (complete with voices) - a lot of the other pubs in the area were sectarian in some form - rangers celtic, provo official, but old Sophie who owned the place refused to allow any of that nonsense and we had everyone in - on Saturday morning the Little Sisters of the Poor used to come in and nobody, of any denomination, didn't put their hand in their pocket - I bet there was a bit or two of dulse in the tins.

Global, my pals are heading to Lewis this week and are booked in to a trip to St Kilda - I think it's three hours in an open boat from Harris. I am ashamed to say that we got to Iona and never go any further though I also would love to go to Barra - it's the catholic island, of course. I remember being at a conference in Harris and a Lewis man getting up and saying that he had never gone to Barra till the previous summer and was amazed that they did things on a Sunday - he couldn't believe that the hotel was open and that they had feis and music and the like, and no doubt folk hung out their washiing too.

A place I would like to visit is Rhenigidale in Harris - I recall reading the story of the village that refused to die and they campaigned to have the road built at huge cost. The article was about the postman who had to walk the road daily - otherwise everything came in by boat - I think the road was eventually built in 1990. Sounded fascinating.

[johncorrigan]

But our favourite place was Bernera. I like this page from the BBC website about it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/islandblogging/westernisles/bernera.shtml

[/URL]

Global, I liked this bit I found about Bernera when looking for the Rhenigidale articla :

The travel writer, Bettina Selby, attended a ceilidh on Berneray while researching a book and wrote: ‘The previous evening had been marvellous. The light in the western sky was quite astonishing, long after the sun had set in a riot of yellow and orange hues. I can only describe it as the most unearthly sort of light I have ever seen. At 1.00 am, the after-glow was still lighting up the western sky, quite overpowering the halfmoon and stars of the eastern sky – it was very difficult to tear myself away and go to bed.’

[Globaltruth]

Global, I liked this bit I found about Bernera when looking for the Rhenigidale articla :

The travel writer, Bettina Selby, attended a ceilidh on Berneray while researching a book and wrote: ‘The previous evening had been marvellous. The light in the western sky was quite astonishing, long after the sun had set in a riot of yellow and orange hues. I can only describe it as the most unearthly sort of light I have ever seen. At 1.00 am, the after-glow was still lighting up the western sky, quite overpowering the halfmoon and stars of the eastern sky – it was very difficult to tear myself away and go to bed.’

We only caught a few sunsets but they were astonishing. We also went to the Bridge to Nowhere. a photo now exists of me officially on The Road to Nowhere.



Picture obviously taken by someone who had fallen off it. Mr Leverhulme had a lot to answer for - I think his enthusiasm was misdirected, but was fascinated to make the link between what he got up to there (was it well-intentioned or exploitative) and MacFisheries....another largely beneficial dietary influence that went awry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWtCittJyr0

and to kind of link it back to r3 and inevitably MAK, here's a Spotty track from Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas, as recently featured on MAK's Wo3, which celebrates my absolute favourite time in The Hebs, which was on a small boat miles out on the Minch.
Rob Roy I ain't...

http://open.spotify.com/track/1bV18ZHTDYlLLOBWSOcovN

PS From your description now I definitely want to go to Barra. Was is the Western Isles Council that you were at?