Adventures of a Scottish Fiddler
Kirriemuir Folk Festival 2026
Kirriemuir is a picturesque, red sandstone built town in the County of Angus and it's annual folk festival which takes place over the first weekend in September in one of the finest traditional music festivals in Scotland.
It's been a few years since I was a guest so I was delighted accept the invitation to this year's festival. Shona was also invited to be a guest artist so after performing in the Flying Stag Bar in the Fife Arms Hotel in Braemar we headed up over into Glenshee, through Glen Isla and down in to Kirrie.
My first duty was to judge the fiddle competitions and similar to the fiddle competitions at the Aboyne Highland Games the entries were low. However, the playing was too class.
After a wee while listening to the trad session in the Three Bellies Bar I headed down to the memorial to one of Kirrie's most famous sons, Bon Scott, the original singer with Rock legends AC/DC. The life suze statue depicts Bon with a set of bagpipes which featured on one of the bands most famous songs "It's a long way to the top if you want to Rock and Roll."
My first concert of the festival was held at Kirriemuir Bowling Club which made for a warm intimate venue and then in was down to the Kirk in the town centre for the main concert which Shona and I closed. A great audience and a great atmosphere. The festival committee, led by local traditional singer Scott Gardener, really did a splendid job in organising the best Kirrie festival I've been at for many years.
Kirriemuir had quite a few famous sons,; J M Barrie ( playwright and author of Peter Pan), Bon Scott (AC/DC) , Angus Cameron (one of Scotland's greatest fiddlers) and one of Scotland's greatest ever traditional singers Joe Aitken.
Both Shona and I were extremely fond of Joe and were devastated when we heard the news of his passing a few years ago. After checking out of the Airlie Hotel we visited Joe's grave and remembered the great man.
On Sunday afternoon there's always a concert at Kirriemuir Thistle football club and Shona and I performed there before a run up over Glen Isla and Glenshee for a post Braemar Gathering event at Invercauld House near Braemar.
A memorable weekend.
With Bon Scott in Kirriemuir
Invercauld Castle near Braemar
Crathie Kirk
Crathie Kirk near Balmoral Castle on Deeside is one of World's most famous religious buildings due in no small part to the continued attendance of the British Royal Family.
This association began with Queen Victoria who began attending the old Crathie Kirk in 1848 and she then laid the foundation stone on the current "famous" Kirk in 1893. She created something of a Victorian scandal when she decided to worship at the Church of Scotland church as it was thought that as the Supreme head if the Church of England that she would attend services at the Scottish Episcopal Church which recognised the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Christianity arrived in the district with Saint Manire who was a follower of St Columba. The remains of his original chapel can be found to the East of Crathie and the Saint's remains are said to be buried at the site.
I've been playing fairly regularly at Crathie Kirk for around 20 years now. The format is usually the same; there's a shorter piece played during a short period of reflection, a longer slow air played during the collection and then something more upbeat after the service has finished and the Minister has retired to the main door to await for the parishioners fir a fare ye well as they leave the building.
When the Monarch is in attendance, the parishioners are expected to remain seated till they depart. I must have now played to members of the Royal family well over a hundred times and I'm pleased to say that they have always waited till I finish playing before leaving the building.
On Sunday the 23rd of August, my wife Shona and I both took part at the service which was attended by 11 members of the Royal family and on arrival at the Kirk the Royal Regiment of Scotland formed a guard of honour along the road up to the Kirk; quite something to see.
During the service Shona sang Psalm 23 in Doric (Scots dialect of the North East of Scotland) while I played Chapel Keithack by William Marshall and my own slow air Luskentyre. The guest preacher for the day was the Rev. Grant Barclay.
As it was the weekend of the Lonach Gathering, Shona and I decided to play "The Pibroch of Donald Dhu" which is something of an anthem for the Lonach Society, followed by the rousing reel “High Road to Linton.”
One notable moment was two bars before the end of the reel my E string snapped and flew off of my fiddle to the general amusement of the congregation and the Royal family.
All in all a memorable day.