soc.culture.celtic FAQ 2/5
Craig Cockburn
Last-Modified: 19th August 1994
Version: 1.0 (Lunasdal 94)
(4) Where can I get Celtic music?
lmac...@uogelph.ca has compiled a worldwide list of music stores and
record companies (Lloyd MacIsaac). There is also a list of Celtic music
sources available on the Internet. Mail ceo...@celtic.stanford.edu for more
info, or FTP to celtic.stanford.edu and look in the /pub directory.
Green Linnet (major distributers of Celtic Music) can be reached at
grnl...@aol.com
(5) How do I identify which Celtic language this is?
Clues:
Irish Gaelic and Scots Gaelic do not have these letters: j,k,q,v,w,x,y,z
they also don't have double vowels. Irish Gaelic has fadas (acute accents),
Scots Gaelic has both acutes and graves, but predominantly graves (acutes
no longer officially exist). Irish has no grave accents.
Breton has n-tilde (like Spanish) and a high number of z's
Breton has acute and grave accents.
Cornish looks very much like Breton, except Cornish has very few accents
Cornish has an a-circumflex. K's, w's, z's occur frequently
Welsh has no z's, but a high number of y's and w's
Welsh also has circumflexes on all its vowels : a,e,i,o,u,w,y.
Manx is the only Celtic language to be written according to non-Celtic
phonetic rules. Manx is written according to more or less English phonetic
rules. I think Manx is the only Celtic language with a "j". Manx is also
the only Celtic language to have a c-cedilla. The letter "y" occurs
frequently, as do double vowels.
(6) Books for Celtic names:
Scottish:
_Ainmean Chloinne_, Peadar Morgan. Available from Gaelic books council
Irish:
Linda Rosenkranz & Pamela Redmond Satran _Beyond Shannon and Sea/n_
(St. Martin's Press 1992)
Donncha O/ Corra/in & Fidelma Maguire _Irish Names_ (Lilliput 1990)
Eoin Neeson _The Book of Irish Saints_ (Mercier 1967)
Muiris O/ Droighnea/in _An Sloinnteoir Gaeilge agus an tAinmnitheoir_
(Coisce/im 1991)
(7) Multilingual publications:
(a) Carn
Carn: The journal of the Celtic League. This is in all 6 Celtic
languages with English summaries of many of them.
The Celtic League promotes the Celtic cultures and languages
and is anti violence. They have branches in
Scotland, Brittany, Wales, Ireland, Cornwall, Isle of Man,
London, USA, Cape Breton.
General Secretary is:
Bernard Moffatt, 11 Hilltop View, Farmhill, Braddan, Mannin
(Isle of Man)
(b) Contact Bulletin (European Bureau of Lesser Used Languages)
This publication is English-only but is included here because
of its pan-Celtic linguistic appeal. The bulletin is free and
available by writing to:
An Biu/ro/ Eorpach do Theangacha Neamhfhorleathana
10 Sra/id Haiste I/ocht
Baile A/tha Cliath 2
E/ire
Tel: +353.1.6612205/6618743/6618739
(8) General on-line language resources
This post is to announce a (semi-new) WWW site that
offers information concerning Gaelic and Gaelic
Culture. The url address (how you access) is:
or
http://sunsite.unc.edu/gaelic/gaelic.html
In addition, there is an ftp site where you may log in
as ftp. This address is:
The directory in question is /pub/academic/languages/gaelic.
These two sites contain information on/in Irish Gaelic,
Scottish Gaelic and hopefully soon Manx Gaelic. Lesson(s)
with accompanying audio files are available for Scottish Gaelic.
(This would then qualify as the first on-line language tutorial
that I know of let alone in gaelic. By on-line
I mean available in an interactive format.)
There is a wide range of poetry on this site, both English
and Gaelic. Audio files exist of people reading this poetry also,
in some cases the authors themselves.
You can also pick up any of the last several days worth of experimental
recordings of the RTE Internet Radio project, a ~3MB recording of
Radio 1's morning News. There is information on the Celts as well
as mirrors to several other sites containing more information
on all of these subjects and more.
While not Gaelic in origin, I like it and had someone around
who speaks very good Scots, so some of Rabbie burns poetry
is included also.
Thanks to Stephen Watson, there is a collection of gif
images showing the different tartans. Click in and
look at all the pretty patterns !-)
Hopefully soon, there will be some recordings of different types
of music related to gaelic culture, including recordings
of the different kinds of pipes, celtic harp, fiddle music as
well as singing.
Please note that this site is just starting out and that
all links do net yet lead anywhere.
Ma tha ceistean agaibhse, tha mi aig gae...@sunsite.unc.edu.
(Any questions, please send them to gae...@sunsite.unc.edu)
(9) Pan Celtic information
The London Association for Celtic Education (LACE) produces
a guide to Celtic language related societies in London and around
the UK. I have an old copy and find it very useful indeed. 100's
of entries in the guide covering Scotland, Ireland, Man, Wales,
Cornwall and Brittany
Contact:
Roger Casement Irish Centre, Eastgate Building, 131 St John's Way,
London N19 3RQ. Tel: 071- 281 3225
Section (b) Alba - Scotland
Topics:
(1) Scotland's name
(2) Celtic background
(3) Where can I get Gaelic books?
(4) How can I learn Gaelic?
(5) Where can I get Gaelic music and words to Gaelic tunes, info on Gaelic
(6) Are there any files I can access for more information on Gaelic?
(7) Scottish music radio programmes
(8) How can I get Gaelic TV/radio programmes
(9) Info on Robert Burns
(10) Info on cooking and haggis
(11) Where can I get haggis ?
(12) What is the Scots language. Who do I contact for more info?
(13) What Scottish Record labels are there
(14) How do I find out about Folk events in Scotland which might be on?
(15) When are the major Scottish folk festivals
(16) Where's a good place to buy folk records?
(17) How do I trace my Scottish ancestry ?
(18) Any Scottish songs on-line?
(19) What's the number of the Scottish Tourist Board ?
(20) Politics: Scotland and the UK/devolution/independence
(21) When are Burns night and St Andrews Day.
(22) How do I find out about Highland Games or Mods in my area. What is a Mod?
(23) Information on Runrig
(24) Information on Capercaillie
(25) Scottish Cultural classes (music, singing, language, history etc)
(26) Gaelic wedding blessing
(27) Dalriada Celtic society BBS
(28) The Gaelic for "Frequently Asked Questions"
(29) Edinburgh Festival Fringe
(30) Living Tradition.
(31) Seeing Underground Edinburgh
(32) Primary Literary figures
(33) Scottish Guide books.
(34) Primary folk music pubs
(35) What is a Ceilidh
(36) Best Scottish pubs
(37) Scottish Kings
(38) Attitudes towards Gaelic TV in Scotland
(39) What does Craig's signature mean?
(40) Where can I buy a kilt/Highland accessories
(41) Scottish song books
(42) Books for learning the fiddle
(43) Whisky (whiskey)
(44) The Scottish Youth Hostels Association
(45) The Ramblers Association
(46) Books for hillwalkers
(47) What is a Munro/Corbett?
(48) Legal questions
(49) Gaelic festivals
(50) Gaelic playgroups
(51) Scotch
(52) Plaid
-- FAQ Answers -- Scotland --
(1) Scotland's name
Scotland gets it's name from the Scots, or Scotti who first arrived
in Argyll in the late 3rd to mid 4th centuries AD. It was not until
about 500AD that they built up a sizeable colony though. The Scots
spoke Irish, not Scots. Scots is a Germanic language like English,
described later.
(2) Celtic background
It is incorrect to think of Scotland as a wholly Celtic country. Since
the first millenium BC, Scotland has been a place of multiple languages
and this tradition continues today. First of all it was Pictish and
British; then Gaelic, Norse and Scots came and today it's English,
Scots and Gaelic. Nearly all of Scotland was once Gaelic speaking
except Orkney, Shetland and Caithness which had a variety of Norse
until recent times and East Lothian which was settled by the Angles.
Galloway had a Gaelic community which became separated from the Gaelic
speaking Highlands and Gaelic was still in use until about the 17th
century in Galloway. "Poets, scholars and writers in Lowland Scotland
up until the 16th century readily acknowledged Gaelic to be the true
and original Scottish language. For Walter Kennedy 'it suld be al trew
Scottis mennis lede': ('Flyting with Dunbar' c.1500)" : section quoted
from "Gaelic: a past and future prospect", Kenneth Mackinnon. Gaelic is
a Celtic language, like Irish
Other notable reads include anything by the late Prof Kenneth Jackson,
particularly "A Celtic Miscellany", any of John Prebble's books (ie "1000
years of Scottish History") or Nigel Tranter ("The Story of Scotland")
(3) Where can I get Gaelic books?
The Gaelic Books Council stocks every Gaelic book in print
including prose, peotry, songs, music, children's material etc.
They have a catalogue.
Address: An Comann Leabhraichean, An Roinn Cheilteach, Oilthigh Ghlaschu,
Glaschu, G12 8QQ
The Gaelic books council, Dept of Celtic, University of Glasgow,
Glasgow G12 8QQ.
tel: 041 339 8855
Note: All Gaelic addresses can be used fine provided the postcode is written.
(4) How can I learn Gaelic?
Join the Gaelic learners association. They can advise about books,
learners near you, classes, correspondence courses etc. They are called
Comann an Luchd-Ionnsachaidh. This is abbreviated to CLI and prounounced CLEE.
Motto: "The voice of Gaelic Learners". CLI has members around the world.
Address: 5 Caolshraid Mhicheil, Inbhir Nis, IV2 3HQ, Alba
5 Mitchell's Lane, Inverness, IV2 3HQ, Scotland
Tel/Fax : 0463 711792 (+[44] 463 711792)
Also join GAELIC-L, an e-mail list for all 3 Gaelics. Details elsewhere
in this FAQ
Suggestions for learners:
Teach Yourself Gaelic (book,tape) author: Boyd Robertson.
16.99 pounds for both. ISBN 0-340-55925-X. Book alone is 7.99
(ISBN 0-340-55923-3)
Speaking Our Language (workbooks, tapes, videos), published by Canan
(email: ca...@smo.ac.uk). Highly recommended for complete beginners
and people with a year or so in evening classes.
Everyday Gaelic (book) author: Morag McNeill (intermediate level)
Gaidhlig Bheo: Correspondence course, run by The National Extension
College, 18 Brooklands Avenue, Cambridge Tel: (0223) 316644
Fax: (0223) 313586
Gaelic/Highland/Music/Singing courses (1-2 weeks long)
Sabhal Mor Ostaig, Sleite, Isle of Skye tel: 04714 373
Email: ga...@smo.ac.uk
(Sleite is pronounced "Slate")
(5) Where can I get Gaelic music and words to Gaelic tunes, info on Gaelic
choirs
--- Contact An Comunn Gaidhealach, 109 Sraid na h-Eaglais, Inbhir Nis,
IV1 1EY. They have a lot of Gaelic music and maintain a list
of every Gaelic choir in Scotland. Currently the only Gaelic
choirs outside Scotland are in London, Sydney and Vancouver.
An Comunn also has an American branch (see international
section of this FAQ at the end)
(6) Are there any files I can access for more information on Gaelic?
-- See the Gaelic-L archives
(7) Scottish music radio programmes
In Scotland:
Radio Scotland (MW= Medium Wave 810, FM = 92.4 to 94.7)
Sat: 7-8pm Take the floor (FM,MW): 8-10pm "Travelling Folk" (FM,MW)
10-midnight: "Celtic Horizons" (FM,MW) (Fiona Ritchie)
In the US: The Thistle and Shamrock. This is hosted by Fiona Ritchie.
There is an on-line list of stations carrying this programme -
see /pub/thistle.list on FTP site: celtic.stanford.edu.
The list is maintained by Pat Murphy (pmu...@nrao.edu) and posted
regularly to the rec.music.celtic group
The T&S has a brochure that gives some background on Fiona Ritchie and the
show, and includes information about their Newsletter, Playlists, and
Souvenirs -- T-shirts, a pin, tankard and coasters. If you want this
brochure, send a SASE to "The Thistle and Shamrock, P.O. Box 560646,
Charlotte, NC 28256 (USA).
(8) How can I get Gaelic TV/radio programmes
Gaelic Radio is on Radio Scotland Medium Wave (810) 9pm-10pm Mon-Fri
This can be picked up throughout most of the UK, including as far
south as London.
Gaelic TV is on BBC Scotland. Scottish Television and Grampian
Television. For details of times and programmes, see the Gaelic
TV times "Suas!", publisher: The Gaelic Television Committee.
contact: Suas!, 4 Acarsaid, Cidhe Sraid Chrombail, Steornabhagh,
Eilean Leodhais PA87 2DF, Scotland.
Tel: 0851 705550
Fax: 0851 706432
(9) Info on Robert Burns
Robert Burns, the National Bard of Scotland, was born in 1759, the son
of an Ayrshire cottar. A cottar is a Scots word for a tenant occupying
a cottage with or (from the late 18th century) without land attached to
it or a married farmworker who has a cottage as part of his contract.
The word dates from the 15th century. Anyway, back to Burns. He
apparantly developed an early interest in literature. Between 1784 and
1788, whilst farm-labouring, he wrote much of his best poetry,
including "Halloween", "The Cotter's Saturday Night" and the skilful
satires "Death and Dr Hornbrook" and "Holy Willie's Prayer". In 1786
the "Kilmarnock" edition of Robert Burns' early poems was published,
bringing with it fame and fortune, and the second edition, published by
William Creech, brought him enough financial security to marry his
mistress Jean Armour. The couple settled to a hard life in Ellisland
with their four children, and to supplement their meagre income, Burns
took a job as an excise man. From 1787, Burns concentrated on
songwriting, making substantial contributions to James Johnson's "The
Scots Musical Museum", including "Auld Lang Syne" and "A Red, Red
Rose". In 1796, at the age of 37, he died, his health undermined by
rheumatic fever.
Most of the above was taken from a recommended book "The complete
illustrated poems, songs and ballads of Robert Burns" 12pounds 95p.
Published by Lomond Books, ISBN 1 85152 018 X. This is a reprint of a
1905 publication so the print is a bit strange and unfortunately there
is no index and the contents aren't in alphabetical order. However, it
is 650 A5 size pages (hardback) and was recently seen in bargain books
for a mere 5 pounds!
The picture most usually seen of Burns (but not the one on the Bank of
Scotland five pound note) is from an engraving after a portrait by
Alexander Nasmyth, 1787. Today, many thousands of Scots around the
world celebrate Burns night on his birthday, 25th January. Burns night
has even been commemorated in the Kremlin. Burns night consists of
having a meal of tatties (mashed potatoes), neeps (turnips - not
swede!) and haggis. Details of how to buy haggis are elsewhere in this
FAQ. There is usually quite a bit of whisky drunk at these occasions
too, particularly as Burns was a well known drinker (and womaniser).
Usually a bloke makes a speech remembering Burns and how his thoughts
and poems are timeless and as relevent today as they were when they
were written. Then there's a "reply from the lassies" where it's usual
to point out the other side of Burns and how he left many women broken
hearted. Well, that's the general idea anyway, there's lots of
variations.
Probably Burns' most famous tune is Auld Lang Syne, however most people
do not sing either the right words or the original tune. A lot of
people erroneously insert the words "the sake of" in the chorus - this
was not written by Burns. The tune is a bit confused too. Burns
originally wrote the words to a tune which his publisher didn't like,
so he then put the words to the tune which most people know. However,
the second tune is also claimed by the Japanese!. The original tune is
available on some recordings, including "The Winnowing" by The Cast and
"File under Christmas" by Scotland's leading Clarsach (Harp) duo,
Sileas (pronounced Shee-lis"). The old tune is rapidly gaining
momentum however, and I have heard hundreds of people sing it in
Edinburgh without difficulty. The old version of the tune is also in
The Digital Tradition (see elsewhere for details).
It is someting of a comment on the English-biased nature of Scottish
education that Scotland has produced one of the world's greatest and
best loved poets and yet he is hardly studied in his own country, most
people studying Shakespeare at school. Shakespeare was obviously a
world class bard as well, but isn't there room for Burns too?
(10) Info on cooking and haggis
2 recommended books:
F. Marian McNeill - The Scots Kitchen, it's lore and recipies. A
classic and as much a source of folklore and history as a culinary
reference. First published in 1929. 300+ pages. Published by Grafton
Books, 8 Grafton St, London, W1X 3LA. ISBN 0-586-20784-8. Grafton books
is a division of Collins, Glasgow. Just about every recipie has a tale,
saying, poem, song or bit of history printed with it (the occasional
one in Gaelic; with translation). F. Marian MacNeill was a historian by
profession.
Another book, rather more contemporary (no stories etc but probably
biased towards modern eating trends and it also has US-UK conversions).
Scottish Cookery: Catherine Brown. ISBN 0-86267-248-1. Published by
Richard Drew publishing, 6 Clairmont Gardens, Glasgow G3 7LW. Really
good traditional stuff and well laid out.
Haggis
McNeill's book gives several recipies for haggis. The Traditional
Cottage Recipe includes : "The large stomach bag of a sheep, the pluck
(including heart, lights and liver), beef-suet, pin-head (coarse)
oatmeal, onions, black pepper, salt, stock or gravy. Meg Dod's recipie
includes "Sheep's pluck and paunch, beef-suet, onions, oatmeal, pepper,
salt, cayenne, lemon or vinegar.". Haggis Royal includes "Mutton, suet,
beef-marrow, bread-crumbs or oatmeal, anchovies, parsley, lemon,
pepper, cayenne, eggs, red wine.". Deer Haggis includes "Deer's heart,
liver and suet, coarse oatmeal, onions, black pepper, salt, paste." It
takes about a day to make a haggis from scratch, but very very few
people do this as it is particulaly gruesome. Most people buy their
haggis from the butcher's. See next section for details of how to get
some.
(11) Where can I get haggis ?
The best haggis in the world (in my, and several other people's too) is
made by Charles MacSween of Edinburgh. He makes about 1 ton a day and
ships it all over the UK and overseas too (it keeps remarkably well in
the post). Many shops in the UK (including supermarkets) sell
MacSween's haggis. There is also a vegetarian version which is quite
tasty.
contact:
McSweens Haggis, 130 Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh, EH10 4ES
Tel: 031 229 1216.
(12) What is the Scots language. Who do I contact for more info?
The Scots language is a Germanic language related to English.
It is not Celtic, but has been influenced by Gaelic.
For more info, write to:
John Mackay, Membership Secretary
6 Cairn Walk, Cults
Aberdeen, AB1 9TF. Ordinary membership (UK) is 7 pounds a year
There is also some info in the following section:
"The Pocket Guide to Scottish Words: Scots, Gaelic"
by Iseabail Macleod. Published by W&R Chambers, Ltd.
43-45 Annandale Street, Edinburgh EH7 4AZ
(ISBN 0-550-11834-9). Widely available at bookshops and airports
US distributors
Unicorn Limited, Inc.
P.O. Box 397
Bruceton Mills, WV 26525
(304) 379-8803
It has "Place names, personal names, food and drink. Scots and Gaelic words
explained in handy reference form."
There are 30 pages of Scots words explained. No grammar. It does list a
number of interesting sounding books:
--------------------
SCOTS LANGUAGE DICTIONARIES:
Mairi Robinson, editor-in-chief "The Concise Scots Dictionary" 1985,
(Aberdeen University Press) 862pp, a comprehensive one-volume
dictionary covering the Scots language from the earliest records to the
present day; based largely on:
William Grant, David Murison, editors "The Scottish National Dictionary"
10 vols., 1931-76, the Scots language from 1700 to the present day, and:
Sir William Craigie, A J Aitken et al "A Dictionary of the Older Scottish
Tongue" published up to Pr- in 5 vols., 1931-, the Scots language up to
1700.
Alexander Warrack, "Chambers Scots Dictionary" 1911, 717pp.
William Graham, "The Scots Word Book English-Scots, Scots-English
Vocabularies" 1977 and 1983, 194pp.
GENERAL SCOTS BOOKS:
A J Aitken, Tom McArthur, eds "Languages of Scotland" 1979, 160pp., a
collection of essays on Scots and Gaelic.
David Murison "The Guid Scots Tongue" 1977, 63pp
"The New Testament in Scots" 1983, by W L Lorimer
Just to add to the list of books of/about Scots, one should mention
the reprint of P Hately Waddell's _The_Psalms:_Frae_Hebrew_Intil_Scots_
(orig 1871, reprinted with modern introduction 1987 by Aberdeen Univ Press).
I would love to see some instructive writing about the Scots tongue,
more than just word-lists. Especially pronunciation, intonation, cadence,
etc. as well as grammar.
There are two books that are essential reading on the subject of Scots.
The first is "Scots: the Mither Tongue" by Billy Kay. This is available
both in hardback and paperback.
The second is "Why Scots Matters" by J. Derrick McClure. This is more of
a booklet than a book, and is an inexpensive paperback.
>
> William Graham, "The Scots Word Book English-Scots, Scots-English
> Vocabularies" 1977 and 1983, 194pp.
Although the Scots-English part of this is fairly limited, this was once
worth having for the English-Scots part, which for a long time was the only
one available.
Last year the Scottish National Dictionary Association published its long-
awaited "Concise English-Scots Dictionary", which is a far more comprehensive
work. Although it still has a number of imperfections, I'd recommend it
rather than Graham's work, good in its day as it was.
(13) What Scottish Record labels are there
-- search this FAQ for "Lloyd MacIsaac"
Main labels are Temple, Lismore, Greentrax
(14) How do I find out about Folk events in Scotland which might be on?
-- The Scottish Folk Arts Directory. This is a book detailing
virtually everything to do with the Scottish folk music scene.
contact: Blackfriars Music, 49 Blackfriars St, Edinburgh EH1 1NB
Tel: 031 557 3090. 1994/5 edition was published July 94.
(15) When are the major Scottish folk festivals
-- Edinburgh is the last 3 weeks in August usually
-- The Edinburgh folk festival is on for 8 days during
the Easter break
(16) Where's a good place to buy folk records?
The best shop which specialises in folk is Blackfriars Music
-- address is in the answer to 14. The other good places in
Edinburgh are the folk/Scottish sections of Virgin
Records and HMV (on Princes St). Folk is often subdivided
in these shops into subcategories (i.e. Scottish, Irish,
pipe bands, folk etc). John Menzies (sometimes pronounced "Mingis")
and also on Princes St, is usually the cheapest place to get CDs
but the folk section is small and poorly organised. Tower records
is probably the best place to start looking in Glasgow.
(17) How do I trace my Scottish ancestry ?
There is a book published by HMSO (Her Majesties Stationary Office)
called "Tracing your Scottish Ancestry". All the records for
births, marriages and deaths in Scotland are held at:
New Register House, West Register St, Edinburgh, EH1
Tel: 031 334 0380
Fax: 031 314 4400
(18) Any Scottish songs on-line?
There are quite a few in The Digital Tradition, a free 4000+ strong
database (many with tunes to play on your computer's speaker). It is available
to FTP from ftp.uwp.edu, or mail digi...@world.std.com for more information.
There is also a lot of other musical info and folk info on that ftp site.
Particularly watch out for the October 94 edition which should have a lot
more Scottish material
(19) What's the number of the Scottish Tourist Board ?
031 332 2433 (+[44] 31 332 2433)
(20) Politics: Scotland and the UK/devolution/independence
Addresses of relevant organisations:
Political Parties:
Labour Party
Scottish National Party, 6 North Charlotte St
Edinburgh. EH2 031 226 3661
(also known as Partaidh Naiseanta na h-Alba - PNA)
Conservative and Unionist Party
Liberal Democrats, 4 Clifton Terrace, Edinburgh EH12 031 337 2314
Green Party
Politically Oriented organisations
Common Cause, PO Box 822, Glasgow, G14 9JA 041 631 2420
Democracy for Scotland, 5 Regent Rd, Edinburgh EH7 031 558 3088
Scottish Patriots, 76 Constitution St, Leith, EH6 031 554 7951
(21) When are Burns night and St Andrews Day.
25-Jan, 30-Nov.
Neither is a holiday in Scotland.
(22) How do I find out about Highland Games or Mods in my area. What is a Mod?
An Comunn Gaidhealach runs the Mods. An Comunn is based at
109 Church St, Inverness, IV1 1EY
The Mods are a series of Gaelic competitions involving singing, poetry,
drama, music etc.
The Royal National Mod is held in Mid-October each year. Forthcoming
venues for it are:
94 (Dunoon), 95 (Golspie), 96 (Blairgowrie), 97 (Inverness)
The National Mod runs from a Friday to the Saturday morning of
the following week (the competitions end on the final Friday)
There are also local Mods. Here's a list of them:
Caithness/Sutherland; Dalriada (Lochgilphead area); Easter Ross;
East Kilbride; Edinburgh; Glasgow; Harris; Inverness; Islay; Kyle;
Lewis; Lochaber; Oban; Mull; Perthshire/Angus; Skye; Stirling; Uist;
Wester Ross. Local Mods generally run over a weekend.
Contact An Comunn Gaidhealach in Inverness for contact details
(23) Information on Runrig
Contact the fan club at:
Runrig Fan Club, 55 Wellington St, Aberdeen AB2 1BX. Tel: 0224 573100
Runrig is a term Blair Douglas thought up when he was studying
in Glasgow. A rig is a strip of farmland and a run is a series
of those strips. The run-rig system of farming is no longer
used, but the marks of it can still be seen particularly on Skye
where the core of the band is from.
Discography:
Play Gaelic (good, very folky, last 2 tracks are very good, limited
lyrics in Gaelic available from fan club)
Highland Connection (v good, my favourite, mix of ballads and heavy rock,
lyrics supplied, but no translations. I have translations of Cearcall a'
chuain - one of my all time favourite tracks and an easy one to sing along
to and learn)
Recovery (v. good, close second, similar to Highland Connection. Translations
for Gaelic available from this point on)
Heartland (v. good, slightly more commercial than previous two, less Gaelic)
Cutter and the Clan (OK. considerably more commercial than Heartland.
2 Gaelic tracks. An uabhal as airde is a very good song from this album)
Once in a lifetime (live album featuring material from previous 4, but only
1 track from Play Gaelic- Chi mi'n Geamhradh)
Searchlight (OK. More commercial than "Cutter", 2 Gaelic tracks)
Big Wheel (improvement on Searchlight. Commercial, but some good tracks, 2
Gaelic tracks)
Amazing things (rather bland and middle of the road. Some good tracks, but
many forgettable)
The band seem to be struggling to make their albums more and more
commercial in sound and the Gaelic content of each is nearly always
lower or the same as the last. However, they don't seem to be having
much sucess outside Scotland. They are the biggest selling band in
Scotland, and I think Donnie Munro is a very good singer. It's ironic
that Capercaillie have managed about the same sucess with singles as
Runrig yet Capercaillie's single was in Gaelic and a lot more
traditional. Runrig are perceived as too Scottish by many non-Scottish
audiences and their following is very heavily biased towards people
from Scotland or with Scottish connections.
Runrig have played a major part in bringing Scottish music up to date
and reviving the Scottish folk scene, and interest in the Gaelic language.
However, I wish they'd accept that they're not going to have a major
breakthrough in popularity overseas and go back to the feel of their
earlier material. This early material, particularly pre-"Cutter" gets a
better response at concerts in Scotland.
The fan club has all the albums and can be reached at the address above.
I think most of the band currently live in the Edinburgh area.
(24) Information on Capercaillie
Try:
Capercaillie Fan Club
Chapmanagement
PO Box 1155
Glasgow
G3 7TW
There is also a fanzine called Sidetaulk. Call Mandy Shanks on
Hopeman 0343- 835194 for more info, or write to her at:
21 Thom St, Hopeman, Elgin, Moray, Scotland IV30 2SS
Capercaillie is pronounced "Cap-ir-cay-lee", not "Cape-r-cay-lee" A
Capercaillie is the largest member of the Grouse family (from the
Gaelic words for Wood Grouse) and is an endangered species.
Capercaillie albums
Cascade (recorded 1984)
Lineup: Karen Matheson (lead vocal)
Joan MacLachlan (fiddle, vocal)
Marc Duff (Recorder, Whistles, Rauschpfeife)
Shaun Craig (Guitar, Bouzouki)
Martin Macleod (Basses, Fiddle)
Donald Shaw (Accordion, Keyboards, Fiddle)
Published by Taynuilt Records, Highfield, Taynuilt, Argyll, PA35 1JQ
This is the village which the band hail from and it's possible the
record company has some of Karen's earlier recordings when she was
with The Etives. The band met at Oban High School.
This is a really good album, but has no words with it and is only on cassette.
Greentrax stock it.
Album #2: Crosswinds (1987):
No words with this, many copies of the words are
available in books though. Excellent album.
Available on Green Linnet
Album #3: The Blood is strong (1988)
Soundtrack for TV series. Very good tunes (most are quite
short though, as is the album). Lyrics and translations
Album #4: Sidewaulk (1989)
Similar in sound to Crosswinds. The first album with
any English on it.
Full Gaelic and English lyrics supplied
On Green Linnet
At this point the band leave the Green Linnet label and join Survival
records. The fan club starts in a London suburb (graciously promoting a
ceilidh I was singing at in London!) and later moves to the studio in
Glasgow where the band do much of their recording. The sound becomes a
bit more contemporary, the Gaelic content goes down slightly but the
sound remains much more traditional than Runrig
Album #5: Delirium (published 1991)
Coisich a' ru\in (a 400 year old waulking song) from this
album becomes the first ever Scots Gaelic tune to enter the
UK top 40 after it becomes the theme tune for a UK wide TV
programme featuring Prince Charles entitled "A Prince among
islands". Charles appeared on this programme supporting
Gaelic and has since appeared on TV talking in Gaelic.
The beautiful song "Breisleach" from this album had its
lyrics written by well known Edinburgh based Gaelic poet
Angus Dubh (=Black Angus). It later became the theme music
for the Gaelic soap TV programme "Machair" shown at prime
time on Grampian TV and Scottish TV.
Album #6: Get Out! (1992)
An album of remixes, live material etc. Outlaws (=The Poll
Tax Song) is on this album.
Album #7: Secret People (1993)
Similar in sound to Delirium. This album is dedicated to
the oral tradition and so the lyrics were intentionally
not printed, nor are they available from the fan club (I've
already asked). An Eala Bhan however is available in some
songbooks (it's traditional, and is also on Cascade). Some of
the other tracks are traditional too and may be on albums by
na h-Oganaich (a source of Capercaillie material). Na
h-Oganaich (Young Blood) recorded 3 albums in the early 70s on Beltona
Records and were very influential in updating Gaelic music.
Tobermory on the album also appears on the Flora MacNeill album
"Craobh nan Ubhal" (on Temple). Capercaillie seem to get most of
their traditional material from Christine Primrose, Flora MacNeill
and na h-Oganaich. So now you know where to get most of the words
to Secret People!
To get Capercaillie records or more info, contact:
Stuart Fleming
Capercaillie Fan club
Chapmanagement
PO Box 1155
Glasgow
G3 7TW
If that fails, then try Greentrax records (who I bought Cascade from) or
Blackfriars Music, 49 Blackfriars St, Edinburgh EH1 1NB
Tel: 031 557 3090, Fax: 031 556 2552. As publishers of The Scottish Folk
Arts Directory, this shop has info on virtually everyone in the Scottish
folk scene.
Capercaillie cite na h-Oganaich (young blood) as one of their major
influences. Na h-Oganaich recorded 3 albums
1. "The Great Gaelic Sound of Na h-Oganaich (All Gaelic All Vocal)" 1973
(ref: SBE 145)
2. "Gael Force 3: Na h-Oganaich (Young Blood)" 1974 (ref: SBE 160)
3. "Scot-free: na h-Oganaich, Young Blood" 1975 (ref: SBE 184)
Contents: 'Canan nan Gaidheal', 'Cumha Dhiarmaid', 'Coisich a ruin',
'Chor a' ghritheach dhonn', 'Eilean a' cheo', 'Puirt a beul',
'Come by the hills', 'Willie's gaen tae Melville castle',
'The searing things', 'The freedom come all ye', 'Farewell to Nova Scotia'
and 'Flower of Scotland'.
These records are on the Beltona label. Beltona's address is (this may be way
out of date)
Beltona Records
(Division of) The Decca Record Co. Ltd.
Decca House
9 Albert Embankment
London SE1 7SW
Another source of Capercaillie material is Christine Primrose who has the
following 4 records on the Temple label:
Aite mo ghaoil, 's tu nam chuimhne, The Quiet Tradition (with Alison
Kinnaird - clarcist) and Mairidh gaol is ceol (as part of Mac-Talla - highly
recommended album).
(25) Scottish Cultural classes (music, singing, language, history etc)
For the Edinburgh area, contact either
The School of Scottish Studies (Sgoil Eolais na h-Alba),
University of Edinburgh,
27 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LD
(they run a number of summer schools)
Tel: 031 650 1000
The main work of the dept is with teaching undergraduate and
postgraduate courses in Scottish ethnology (there is a separate
dept of Celtic)
or
The Adult Learning Project (ALP), 184 Dalry Rd, Edinburgh,
EH11 2EP Tel: 031-337 5442
(has about 20 classes and about 300 students in culturally related
evening and day classes)
for Skye, try Sabhal Mor Ostaig (address elsewhere)
(26) Gaelic wedding blessing
-- Supplied by Christopher Lau, University of Calgary
Mi\le fa\ilte dhuit le d'bhre/id,
Fad do re/ gun robh thu sla\n.
Mo/ran la\ithean dhuit is si\th,
Le d'mhaitheas is le d'ni\ bhi fa\s.
Translated as:
"A thousand welcomes to you with your marriage kerchief,
may you be healthy all your days. May you be blessed
with long life and peace, may you grow old with
goodness, and with riches."
This is attributed to the Rev. Donald MacLeod, minister of Duirinish,
Skye, Scotland c. 1760.
The bit about the marriage kerchief probably isn't applicable these days,
so you could just ignore it. (any Bards fancy thinking up a suitable
replacement?)
(27) Dalriada Celtic society BBS
Information on Arran's only BBS. Here's the details:
Dalriada BBS: (line 1) up to V.42 bis. +44 (0)770 302049
24 hours Fidonet number 2:259/6 (line 1 only)
(line 2) up to V.42 bis. +44 (0)770 302532
Celtic file areas - culture, crafts, folklore, myths & tales, etc.
CELTNET Celtic conference network, "What's On" guide etc.
Sysops - Sammy McSkimming, Helen McSkimming, Lorraine MacDonald
Date: Wed, 6 Jul 94 11:05:00 +0000
Organization: ALMAC: Scotland : +44 (0)324 665371
ALMAC are pleased to announce the availability of information from the
Dalriada Celtic History Society.
It is available (along with a host of other Scottish/Celtic material)
through gopher on almac.co.uk . URL: gopher://almac.co.uk:70/11/
With thanks to Lorraine MacDonald of Dalriada for some excellent work.
Forrest Duncan forrest...@almac.co.uk
ALMAC tel: +44 (0) 324-666336
141 Bo'ness Rd fax: +44 (0) 324-665155
Grangemouth FK3 9BS BBS: +44 (0) 324-665371
(28) The Gaelic for "Frequently Asked Questions"
"Ceistean Minig a Thig" (Scots Gaelic)
"Ceisteanna Minic a Thig" (Irish Gaelic)
There is a saying :
"Is truagh nach ta\inig Minig Nach Tig
Leath cho minig 's a tha\inig Minig a Thig"
(29) Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The complete programme for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is now available
by gopher from almac.co.uk. (Forrest Duncan, forrest...@almac.co.uk
first described this on a UK newsgroup - thanks). There is also some
generic information about how the Fringe works.
This is HUGE, over 10000 lines of information, and I don't think Almac has
a very powerful server. Don't overwhelm them, save the address and call
sometime over the next few days. It might be an idea for somebody in the
US to make a copy available over there (subject to the Fringe agreeing -
the programme is copyrighted).
>From a quick look it doesn't seem to me to be *quite* complete - no details
about exhibitions yet. But hey, getting 95% of the schedule for the biggest
arts festival in history available this way is a darn good start.
Forrest says the Fringe can be contacted at festiva...@almac.co.uk;
I haven't got this to work yet and they are unlikely to be offering an
email booking service. No word yet on when or whether the International
Festival, Jazz Festival and Film Festival will go electronic. Accommodation
is not handled by the festival organizers but by the Tourist Information
Office.
The dates for the 94 fringe are 14th August- 3rd September.
95 dates are 13 August to 2 September
(30) Living Tradition.
This is the main magazine for Scottish folk music info, although it
covers other forms of traditional music too. The magazine can be
reached at: living.t...@almac.co.uk (E-mail)
(31) Seeing Underground Edinburgh
The bit that the tourists (and very few locals) have ever seen. Mary
King's close, a medieval street under the Royal Mile. Sealed off in
1670. Not generally open to the public, but groups can book access by
arrangement by calling John Wilson on 031- 662 0039 (early evenings).
Access is through the City Chambers. The section is 60 metres long,
steep, slippery and full of ghosts (!). John's tour's get booked up
several weeks in advance. They last about three hours and are generally
midweek starting about 7pm. The tour covers both the Close and the City
Chambers. A donation of 3 pounds is requested for the tour. John is a
councillor with an interest in local history. Bob Morton also does
tours, but these just cover the Close. Sometimes it is possible to find
a spare slot or two on an existing tour. About 30 people are catered
for at a time.
(32) Primary Literary figures
Robert Burns
Lewis Grassic Gibbon (author of Sunset Song - my favourite book)
Neil Gunn (particularly recommended is
Highland River/The Silver Darlings)
James Hogg (Confessions of a Justified Sinner)
Sir Walter Scott (The Heart of Midlothian)
Robert Louis Stevenson (Kidnapped)
Norman MacCaig (Collected poems)
Sorley Maclean (From Wood to Ridge)
The greates Gaelic poet alive today and one of the greatest
ever. Book is bilingual; author's own translations.
Astoundingly powerful stuff.
ISBN 0 09 9887207 (published by Vintage, London)
(33) Scottish Guide books.
The definitive guide to eating good traditional Scottish food is
"The Taste of Scotland" published by
Taste of Scotland, 33 Melville St, Edinburgh, EH3 7JF
The primary guide to finding out the best things to do, go, eat,
see etc in Scotland is "Scotland the Best". This is an alternative
guide to Scottish culture for both locals and tourists alike. I liked
it so much I bought the book. However, there were a few things I
wanted adding so I sent in some comments for the 94
edition (ISBN 1 85158 622 9) (possibly ..662 9) and for my
efforts got a free bottle of single malt, free Capercaillie tickets and
my name in the book!
(34) Primary folk music pubs
Edinburgh:
The Ceilidh House
Sandy Bell's
West End Hotel
The Royal Oak
Digger's (Wednesdays)
Cafe Royal (Wednesdays, entrance fee but high profile acts)
Scruffy Murphy's
Old Coach Inn (Caledonian beer; non smoking bar; Folk Thu's)
(35) What is a Ceilidh
A Ceilidh (pronounced "Kay-lay", emphasis on 1st syllable) is many
things. It derives from the Gaelic word meaning a visit and originally
meant just that (and still does in Gaelic). It can also mean a house
party, a concert or more usually an evening of informal Scottish
traditional dancing to informal music. Ceilidhs in the lowlands tend
to be dances, in the highlands they tend to be concerts. Dances in the
highlands are called "ceilidh dances". Ceilidh dancing is fundamentally
different from Scottish Country Dancing in that it is much less formal
and the primary purpose is the enjoyment of doing the dance. Scottish
Country Dancing is much more oriented towards being a demonstration or
exhibition. Ceilidhs are extremely popular indeed with young people and
often attract from a few dozen people to several hundred. There are
world championships for ceilidh bands now (the first winners were Fire
in the Glen, now called Tannas). There are also workshops for ceilidh
bands at The Adult Learning Project, Dalry Road, Edinburgh.
Best places for Ceilidhs are:
Edinburgh: Walpole Hall, Assembly Rooms, Marco's leisure centre,
Cafe Royal, Southside Community Centre, St Bride's centre.
The West End Hotel has leaflets on the noticeboard showing when
ceilidhs are on, or look in the Folk music section of
The List (the Glasgow and Edinburgh what's on guide; out fortnightly
available at most newsagents). The West End Hotel also has great beer.
Glasgow: The Riverside Club. OK place for a ceilidh but prone to being
busy and too much like a nightclub.
There are even bouncers (unheard of at all the good ceilidhs)
(36) Best Scottish pubs
To find out where to get the best beer (Real Ale), look in The
Good Beer Guide, available from all major bookshops. Published by
CAMRA. ISBN 1 85249 006 3. Published in October each year.
Edinburgh: Bannerman's; Bert's bar; Bow bar; Canny Man's;
Cumberland Bar; Clark's Bar; Drew Nicol's; Golden Rule; Greenmantle;
Guildford Arms; Halfway House; Hampton Hotel; Holyrood Tavern; Kay's
Bar; K. Jackson's Bar; Leslie's Bar; Malt and Hops; Oxford Bar;
Robbie's Bar; Royal Ettrick Hotel; Smithie's Ale House; Southsider;
Stable Bar; Starbank Inn; Todd's Tap The Caledonian Brewery (Slateford
Road) has a big beer festival in early June; The biggest beer festival
in Scotland is held at Meadowbank Stadium in early October.
Glasgow: Athena Taverna; Babbity Bowser; Bon Accord; Boswell Hotel;
Brewery Tap; The Horse shoe; Mitre; Pot Still; Sloane's; Station Bar;
Tennents; Three Judges; Ubiquitous Chip; Victoria Bar
Non-smoking bars in Scotland. Compiled by Craig Cockburn.
Please e-mail additions or corrections to me at cr...@scot.demon.co.uk
This list is regularly sent to anti-smoking organisations and compilers
of books.
Borders
Selkirk: Tibbie Shiels Inn, Tel: 0750- 42231
Swinton: The Wheatsheaf Hotel, Tel: 089 086- 257
Central
Dollar: Strathallan Hotel, Tel: 0259- 42205
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries: Station Hotel, Tel: 0387- 54316
Highland
Inverness: Glenruidh House, Tel: 0463- 226499
Kingussie: Royal Hotel, Tel: 0540- 661868
Ullapool: The Ceilidh Place, Tel: 0854- 612103
Lothian
Edinburgh (Braidburn): The Braidburn (former police station - on
extension of Mayfield Rd) - no more details available yet.
Edinburgh (Canonmills): Old Coach Inn (totally non-smoking lounge bar)
Tel: 031- 539 8123. Also has a regular folk evening and real ale.
Edinburgh (Newhaven): Starbank Inn. Tel: 031- 552 4141 (not a proper
no-smoking bar, but a no-smoking restaurant which converts into a
no-smoking drinking area when they stop serving food. Real Ale).
Edinburgh (Newington): The Festival Theatre. 031-529 6000. Real Ale, no
smoking allowed at all. The bar is at the front and you don't
have to be attending a performance to have a drink there. You can watch
the performance on the TV screens.
South Queensferry: Hawes Inn Hotel, Tel: 031- 331 1990
(no-smoking family room until 9pm, smoking is allowed after 9pm).
Lothianburn: The Steading. Tel 031- 445 1128 (no-smoking restaurant
which converts into a no-smoking drinking area when the meals trade
dies down, usually after 9pm)
Strathclyde
Ayr: Chestnuts Hotel. Tel: 0292- 264393
Glasgow: Boswell Hotel, Tel: 041- 632 9812
Kilmarnock: Hunting Lodge, Tel: 0563- 22920
Paisley (Glasgow Airport): Tap and Spile, Tel: 041- 848 4869
Tayside
Broughty Ferry: Old Anchor Inn, Tel 0382- 737899
(no-smoking area is only at lunchtimes)
Dundee: Speedwell Bar, Tel: 0382- 67783. Sawdust on floor!
Kinesswood: Lomond Country Inn, Tel: 0592- 84253
Montrose: George Hotel, Tel: 0674- 75050
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Craig Cockburn, pronounced 'Coburn' E-Mail: cr...@scot.demon.co.uk
Sgri\obh thugam 'sa Ga\idhlig ma 'se do thoil e.