No 25
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News and Comment No 25 |
The funeral is on Friday 14th at 12.30 at Odcombe Church, with drinks in the Mason's Arms nearby afterwards. There will also be a service at the crematorium at 1.30, but that's for family only.
Applications are invited for a 3-year PhD Studentship commencing October 2002 under the provisions of the George Reid Memorial Fund. Full fees at the Home/EU rate and maintenance of £5640 p.a. will be provided. The successful applicant will contribute to the HLF-funded Oral and Cultural Traditions of Scottish Travellers Project based at the Elphinstone Institute. The studentship will be based in the Elphinstone Institute, Faculty of Arts and Divinity, Aberdeen.
Qualifications: The student would be expected to have a 1st or 2:1 Honours degree in a relevant subject (e.g. Ethnology, Folklore,
Social Anthropology, Cultural History). A Master's degree in a relevant subject would be an advantage.
Eligibility: The conditions of eligibility are those applicable to research awards made by AHRB.
Interviews: To be held in July.
Further details, application form and informal enquiries to Dr Ian Russell - 01224 272996, e-mail: ian.russell@abdn.ac.uk or visit the website www.abdn.ac.uk/elphinstone
The major error is that on Volume 3, the final track (32) should have appeared 5 bands earlier as track 27 Whiteoak Stomp. I hope this does not spoil any purchaser's enjoyment of the CD.
The minor booklet errors are that:
Far in the Mountains : Volumes 3 & 4 now availableBoth CDs are full of excellent stereo recordings - 58 tracks, 149 minutes - of ballads, songs, tunes and stories, which Mike made in North Carolina and Tennessee. As usual, the complete booklet notes are available as an article in these pages, and ordering details and an Order Form are to be found on our records page.
Anyone purchasing all four volumes at the same time can do so at the Set price of £30.00
23.5.02
The next Festival is on Saturday 30 November 2002, at the Grenoside Community Centre, Sheffield.
The guests will be:
The review has now been corrected, and I would like to apologise to Mr Heiman for our having unintentionally impugned his work.
Rod Stradling - 14.5.02
Information: e-mail k.ryan@virgin.net www.irishcentre.org
Information: Peta Webb - 020 8340 0530 or petawebken@aol.com
Far in the Mountains : Volumes 1 & 2 now availableBoth CDs are full of excellent stereo recordings - 80 tracks, 150 minutes - of ballads, songs, tunes and stories, which Mike made in Virginia and North Carolina. As usual, the complete booklet notes are available as an article in these pages, and ordering details and an Order Form are to be found on our records page.
The following evening, Sunday 28th April, he will join the resident musicians (Gary Connolly, accordeon; James Carty, flute; Sinead Linnane, fiddle, Reg Hall, piano; and probably many others) in the bar at 7.00pm, finishing around 11.00pm (perhaps later). Admission free.
The landlord and the musicians are bringing Seamus over from Ireland for just these two engagements.
For further information, write to the festival Director, Micheál Ó Cuaig, Áill na Brún, Chill Chiaráin, Conamara, Co. na Gaillimhe. Phone 095 33599 or 33613.
All are welcome and Micheál assures us that the weekend will produce some 'mighty' sessions.
11.4.02
See you there!
19.3.02
Hamish Henderson, the celebrated poet, songwriter, folklorist and hero of the Scottish folk revival has died. Hamish, who had been ill for some time, died at The Grange nursing home in Edinburgh on Friday evening 8 March. He was 82. His wife of more than 40 years, Ketzel, and his two daughters were with him.
Hamish's groundbreaking discoveries in the 1950s of the continuing survival of a wealth of folk song and ballad repertoire in the living oral traditions of Scotland's traveller community provided the major stimulus to Scotland's folk song revival of the latter years of the 20th century.
The funeral will be on Friday 15th at 2 30 pm at St Mary`s Episcopal Cathedral, Palmerston Place, Edinburgh - then on ... a considerable celebration and wake probably at The Pleasance [tbc] around 5.00.
For full information on his life, his death and latest confirmed funeral arrangements, see the Scottish Ballad Weblog http://www.springthyme.co.uk/weblog/scotsballadblog.shtml with links to related sites and obituary by Raymond Ross in The Scotsman http://thescotsman.co.uk/obituaries.cfm?id=272292002 today, Monday 11 March 2002.
Peter Shepheard - 11.3.02
We have also heard that John Doonan, of the Doonan family band of north-eastern England, died on Friday. His 80th birthday concert in Newcastle went ahead on Saturday.
And, as if that weren't enough, we've just heard that Wiggy Smith died at the weekend, as well. His funeral, at St Paul's Church, Cheltenham, was very well attended. For an account of Wiggy's life, see his CD booklet notes in these pages.
These have been a black few days, and no mistake! All three men will be much missed.
Just to add to the blackness, John McCoy, one of the original members of the Teesside Fettlers, also died that week.
Eileen Morrison Darren has e-mailed to say that she has had an excellent response to her request for Tom Morrison recordings. In fact, she has had so many offers that she will be able to cover all the recordings she is looking for. There is therefore no need to get in touch over further copies.
However, she would still be glad to hear from anyone who may have information about Tom Morrison - contact her at darrene@ncc.edu.
Fred McCormick - 9.3.02
There are also many less well known performers, such as Nelson Ridley, Caroline Hughes and Maggie McPhee. As well as the usual materials of folklore, the collection contains large amounts of interview material. It is therefore an invaluable resource for the study of vernacular culture and it will prove inestimable source material for future generations of folklorists, social historians etc.
The recordings are currently on reel to reel tape, a medium which is notoriously subject to deterioration. Unless they are transferred to a non-destructible medium, this wonderful legacy will eventually become unplayable and unusable.
Unfortunately, Ruskin library does not have the means or the funding to do anything about their preservation. I have therefore offered to transfer the recordings to CD-ROM at no expense to anybody but myself. However, I do not nowadays possess a suitable reel-to-reel recorder, and I need access to one in order to make the transfer.
I am therefore interested to know whether anyone possesses a tape recorder, in reasonable working condition, which they would be willing to loan for the duration of the exercise? It will need to run at 3.75 and 7.5 ips and it must be able to accommodate 7" reels.
If you have such a machine, and would be willing to loan it for this important exercise, do please contact me on 0151 678 6311, e-mail Fredamhran@aol.com Naturally, I will guarantee to take scrupulous care of any equipment loaned to me, and to return it in the best of condition.
Fred McCormick - 9.3.02
The exhibition, which has previously been staged at Coventry, contrasts the Irish musical experience in these two cities. It will show how the musical traditions of Ireland have been maintained and developed by first, second and even third generation Irish. Through oral history, objects, photographs and music, Irish people from both cities explain how these traditions have been central in creating a sense of identity, community and heritage.
For further information visit the museum's webpage at http://www.museumofliverpoollife.org.uk or phone 0151 478 4080.
Fred McCormick - 8.3.02
A Most Sunshiny Day : Sussex and two folk song revivals
an illustrated talk by Shirley Collins, with John Watcham (concertina), at Cecil Sharp House, Tuesday 14th May, starting at 8pm.
Advanced tickets £4.50 (£5 on the door).
Contact: Malcolm Taylor (Librarian), EFDSS, Tel 0207 485 2206 x18 E-mail: malcolm.taylor@efdss.org Web: www.efdss.org
Shirley is also goving the same talk as part of the Hastings Jack in the Green Festival on Sunday 5th May 2002, 4 pm in the Stables Theatre, The Bourne, Hastings. Entrance is free but suggested donations £2.
Contact: Fee Lock: FeeLock@hotmail.com The website is www.jack-in-the-green.co.uk
Mummers' Play bookTwo of England s foremost authorities on folk drama provide us with a discussion about the roots and history of this fascinating and living tradition, together with a selection of texts of the various play types and some hints to their performance.
With all orders for this book, a companion volume, The English Mumming Play : an introductory bibliography, can be purchased at the cheaper price of £3.50.
Contact: Malcolm Taylor (Librarian), EFDSS, Tel 0207 485 2206 x18 E-mail: malcolm.taylor@efdss.org Web: www.efdss.org
Correspondence:
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