Glasgow Letter
It has been a busy weekend in Glasgow.
The streets were lined with country music revellers in stetsons and cowboy boots attending Country 2 Country in the Hydro – a music festival that tours a full three-night show between Dublin, Glasgow, and London. Meanwhile, Tide Lines played our biggest headline show to date in the sold-out O2 Academy. On top of this, the usual full line-up of music was taking place each night in the Teuchter Triangle.
To start at the beginning, though, last Thursday night the Comunn Oiseanach (Glasgow University’s Gaelic society, or Ossianic society, named after the warrior poet from Irish legend) held their annual piping competition in the Park Bar.
As a former member of the society myself when I was at uni, I seem to remember that this is an event that’s yearly occurrence is a stipulation of the society’s 1831 constitution.
I say 'seem to remember' because it feels a fair while ago that I was involved. My year group at uni had some great nights with the Comunn Oiseanach and it’s great to see the society going from strength to strength with a younger generation of students.
That said, I see they have adjusted our old competition of tossing coins at a bottle of whisky to tossing coins at a bottle of rum. A sign of the times if ever there was one. I remember one of my pals used to turn up at each Comunn Oiseanach event with a pocket full of change in order to try and win the bottle of whisky!
When the piping competition took place last Thursday night, I was in the flat trying to stay Covid-free for my gig at the weekend; but I enjoyed watching much of it on the Park Bar Facebook page.
Angus MacPhee, Calum MacMillan, Finlay Frame, Gilleasbuig MacVicar, Ryan Macintyre and Seamus Scullion all competed with the bagpipes and there were some informal songs by Eilidh MacPhee and Claire Francis
MacNeil. I’m sure there will have been many more performances on the evening but these are the ones I saw virtually.
It finished (as is tradition) with all the singers on the stage for a rendition of the society’s anthem – the inimitable Ruairidh Gray leading the way in full kilt regalia.
I was sorry to have missed the event but keeping myself to myself proved worth it for a really memorable gig in the O2 on Saturday night. It is a fantastic venue where I have seen some great bands play before – including a great night at the Saw Doctors a few years ago.
On Sunday, I made it to the Park to hear Deoch n Dorus and was delighted also to hear a selection of Irish songs from Tommy O’Hanlon, then Donnie Morrison sing his old favourite, Chì mi’n Tìr. With about half an hour until last orders, the place turned into something resembling the Grand Ole Opry as the crowds piled in from the Hydro. It was a great weekend!