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SING A SANG AT LEAST

See below for the list of Songs

Scotland has a wealth of song. Angus McGillveray's "The Rebel Ceilidh Song Book" has served as an excellent introduction to that richness for visitors to "Flag in the Wind" as well as paying a small tribute to his memory. Angus liked nothing better than a song, a dram ( or two ) and a crack with his many friends. "Flag in the Wind" cannot supply a dram but we can continue delving into the wealth of Scottish song. Angus would have liked that.

As a hauflin, my favourite songs were Cornkisters, Scottish and Irish rebel Songs indeed any Protest Song, and I discovered through the burgeoning Scottish Folk scene, in the early 60s, that many others shared my enthusiasm for such songs. At that time, inspired by people such as Dr Hamish Henderson, Folk Clubs were opening up all over Scotland. I joined the Rothes Folk club in Glenrothes and did a weekly report for the Glenrothes Gazette. I still remember the week when I upset the manager of the Club's venue, The Golden Acorn, by reporting that over 300 people had attended an evening with The Corrie Folk Trio - well over capacity!

Among the songs being popularised were those learned at my mother's knee - "Mormond Braes", "Bogie's Bonnie Belle", "The Bonnie Lass o Fyvie, "Nicky Tams" ( see The Rebel Ceilidh Song Book ) or those that I had heard on the wonderful collection of old 78 records by Willie Kemp belonging to my grandparents. I was a folk fan before the folk boom!

The folk song revival marched hand in hand with the rise of the Scottish National Party. From the 1962 West Lothian by-election through to Winnie Ewing's magnificent 1967 victory in Hamilton, Nationalist supporting songwriters fuelled the feeling of Scottishness. Songs such as Roy Williamson's "Flower of Scotland" seized the public imagination and although the number of Folk Clubs has dropped considerably, the seeds planted in the revival have borne a rich harvest. In the General Election of 1959 the SNP only contested 5 seats, by 1974 every Westminster seat in Scotland was contested. The Folk Song Revival more than played it's part in that change.

Over the coming weeks I will bring you a selection of the Scottish songs popularised in the folk boom with the occasional Irish Rebel Song thrown in for good measure. Starting this week with perhaps the most beautiful of our Cornkisters "Bogie's Bonnie Belle", we can together enjoy the wealth of Scottish Song.

Peter D Wright

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