paulanderson

Adventures of a Scottish Fiddler

Professor Ian Russell and the Royal Highland Show

Wrll the Summer is very nearly past and the Braemar Gathering is fast approaching, which in this part of Scotland is when you can expect the first frost and even early snow.

I was very sad to hear of the passing of Professor Ian Russell in June. Although I knew that he was seriously ill it still as a shock when news of his death was announced.

Ian was the director of the Elphintone Institute at the University of Aberdeen and has a stalwart supporter of the culture of the North East of Scotland these past 30 years while in that role. He founded the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention and the Cullerlie Traditional Singing Weekend and he'll be a great loss. 

His funeral in King's College Chapel at Aberdeen University was attended by a suitably large congregation of mourners who had travelled from all over the British Isles with Ian's son Joe, travelling to Aberdeen from his home in Australia. My wife Shona and I both played at what was reall acelebration of Ian's life. The reception took place in the Elphinstone Hall and went on long into the night with about 50 singers and musicians paying tribute to a great man.

On Sunday the 21st of July, Shona and I both took part in the Sunday service at the Royal Highland Show ground at Ingliston near Edinburgh. The North East of Scotland held the Presidency for 2026 and the Reverend Kenneth Mackenzie who's the Minister at Crathie and Braemar was this year's chaplain. It was a beautiful day for a drive South and it was more than a little hot for my taste but I enjoyed the day being the first time I've attended the Highland Show for many years. As a boy, when my dad showed Fresian cattle at the Highland Show, it was the highlight of the year.

The Royal Highland Show

King's College Chapel

Tim Edey at Migvie Kirk 

Tim Edey is one the World's most acclaimed traditional musicians and it was a great pleasure to welcome him to Migvie Kirk for a recital. Tim had performed at our Strathspey King Memorial fundraising concert in Aberdeen Music Hall with Ross Ainslie, and at the end of that great event he had expressed a desire to play in Migvie Kirk. A date was quickly arranged.
Migvie Kirk is a special place and it has the most wonderful acoustic and we're lucky enough to now have a long list of wonderful musicians and singers perform there.
We had almost a sell out show of about 60 folk and they were treated to a remarkable performance notable not just by Tim's incredible musicianship but also by the pure joy Tim takes in making music. It was a great pleasure to join Tim for a couple of tunes and Shona was accompanied for the Robert Burns classic, "My Luv is Like a Red, Red Rose"
It was a memorable event.
After the concert Tim joined a group of us in the Commercial Hotel where we ended up playing till about 9.30pm. As I said, a memorable day and if you get the chance to see Tim life, grab it with both hands; you wont be disappointed.

Paul accompanied on "Rowan Tree" and "Tullochgorum" by Tim Edey in Migvie Kirk.

Fèile Colm Cille, 6th - 9th June 2026 

On Friday the 5th of June I was up bright and early for the journey South to Cairnryan for the ferry route Larne in Northern Ireland and then on to Gartan in Donegal in tue Republic of Ireland.
It was a long and tiring day but a pleasant journey none the less, passing beautiful Scenery, Red Deer in Glen Clunie and Ailsa Craig off the coast of Ayreshire.
It was into the evening before I arrived in Gartan. After getting a little lost I managed to track down and check into a wonderful B&B called Bridgeburn House which was about 2 miles outside the main settlement of Church Hill. I was met later in the evening by James Boyle from Committee and we spent a sociable evening in the towns Wilkin's Bar with some of the locals. James was a slendid host and after a day than began at 4am I was a little surprised to see that it was 1.30am when I finally made it to bed.
In the early afternoon I made my way to St Columba's Church in Church Hill where a superb choir from Letterkenny gave a recital to locals, visitors and a group who had just completed a 7 km walk in the footsteps of St Colm Cille, the inspiration for the festival. Colm Cille would become better known to the world as St Columba, a Prince of the local Ui Neill dynasty who was born and brought up in Gartan.
Later that afternoon and it was back to Wilkin's Bar for a session from 5 till 7pm with local musicians and what a great atmosphere there was. Ann and Francy Devine arrived from Dublin and it was great to catch up. Francy would be taking part in the main concert with me on Sunday at Gartan Heritage Centre.
The main driving force for the festival was Claire Murray and Francy, Ann and I were invited to dinner with Clair's family that evening and were treated to traditional Irish stew; beautiful.
Claire's parents were with us and as it happens, her father Ignatious is a cousin of Francy and it was only the second time they'd met. We had a few tunes and songs and Claire's young daughter Cladagh introduced us to her pet rabbit Midnight.
A great day.
I visited Colm Cille's birthplace which has a massive Celtic Cross to mark the spot. Beside the remains of an ancient tomb is the cup marked birthing stone where tue Saint is said to have been born in 521 AD. It's a beautiful and tranquil spot.
After lunch at the Heritage Centre it was back to the B&B to prepare for the evenings concert which was mainly music and poems from Francy and I from out Iona album. The packed hall were also treated to poetry recitations from lical poets and a wonderful performance on pipes, fiddle and concertina by the O Donnell Sisters. As a bit of a departure for myself I sang my hymn "Light of the West" which was inspired by St Columba. 
My pal Martin McGinley and his partner Violet came along from Ramelton which is only 20 minutes away so we retired to Wilkin's Bar again after the concert for a catch up and tunes with Francy and Ann.
Another great day.
Before heading home on Monday Francy and I attended an event at the Heritage Centre where 6 local schools gave short presentations on the life of Columba in poetry, songs and music. They did brilliantly. Francy and I gave short performances before I got back on the road and made for Larne and my ferry back to Scotland. I made it home at 11pm with still a little light in the sky.