Glasgow Letter
Cuba football tops
Donnie Maroot, who will be this year’s chairperson of the Lewis and Harris annual gathering, has been doing wonderful charity work again.
On Monday evening, he hosted a Fitba 4 Cuba quiz in the Park Bar (having recently visited the country) and asked competitors to donate football tops which will be sent out to impoverished children in Cuba.
There are two things about this that make me smile. First, the wonderful work that Donnie continually does for various charities across the world and at home. And, secondly, the fact that, very soon, dozens of Cuban children will be running around the streets of Havana in Rangers, Celtic, Partick Thistle and Ross County tops – among many others.
Marag supper
This Saturday night’s Marag supper by the Glasgow Skye Association will, in fact, be a Marag supper with a bit of a difference.
Rather than just the usual annual supper and ceilidh (which is always a fantastic night), this time it will be a Marags and Bàrds night with Eilidh Cormack talking about the poetry of Skye Bàrds, Tearlach a Phosta and Niall Gobha.
Eilidh, who has just returned from the National Mòd in Dunoon having won the Scottish Government’s Gaelic Ambassador of the Year Award, and who works for DASG (the Digital Archive of Scottish Gaelic), will be singing some of those bàrds’ songs as well as giving her talk.
Rory MacDiarmid will also be there giving a few tunes on the box.
As usual, this event will take place at 7.30pm in the Crawford Hall, Beith Street.
Great line-up
This year’s Lewis and Harris Association annual gathering on Friday November 2 looks set to be another cracker in the Glasgow University Union.
Singers are Arthur Cormack, Ainsley Hamill, Alasdair MacArthur and Joanie Morrison. Donald Black will guest on the mouth organ and the association piper, Ross MacKay, will play throughout the night.
The evening will be hosted by Donnie ‘Maroot’ MacLeod – whose patter I’m sure will be as eagerly anticipated by many as the music.
Tickets are £10 and available at the door and further details are below in the What’s on section.
What’s on
Saturday October 27: Glasgow Skye Association Marag supper at 7.30pm in the Crawford Hall.
Saturday October 27: Stirling branch of An Comunn Gàidhealach cèilidh in the Lesser Albert Hall.
Thursday November 1: The Glasgow Lewis and Harris Association chairman’s dinner in Pond Hotel, Great Western Road, at 7.15pm for 7.30pm.
Friday November 2: The Glasgow Lewis and Harris Association annual gathering concert in Glasgow University Union at 7.30pm and thereafter the dance with Beinn Lee Ceilidh Band at 10.30pm-2am.
Saturday November 10: Gaelic singing workshop in the Church of the Holy Trinity and St Barnabas, Paisley, from 9.30am-1pm.
Saturday November 10: Glasgow Lewis and Harris Association children’s party in Heart of Scotstoun, 64 Balmoral Street, at 1pm.
Friday November 23: The Glasgow Uist and Barra Association dinner dance at 7.30pm – venue TBC.