Traditional music stakes out Best Achievement for Argyll – and more

Increasingly Argyll is building a name for itself as a major player in the renaissance of the Arts outside the Central belt. Much of the thrust for this is coming from the volunteers and grass roots enthusiasm and dedication of community groups.

This was made transparently clear in the For Argyll Awards 2009, announced on 1st January, where arts (and particularly traditional music and Gaelic groups) gathered what might seem to be a disproportionately high public vote. There was only one category specifically aimed at the Arts (Best Arts Programme); there were five categories which excluded arts relating to websites, local newspapers and the environment.

But in the ‘open’ categories the Arts were heavily supported by the public. In the Best Achievement for Argyll category the only two individuals (as opposed to groups) represented in any of the finals were traditional and Gaelic musicians, and the other two finalists were traditional music groups – one from the world of piping and one from the world of traditional fiddle.

Eilidh Steel

Eilidh Steel, the winner, is a fiddle player and composer from Helensburgh. She started playing fiddle at the age of six and completed a BA Honours in Scottish Music at RSAMD in Glasgow in 2006. She is a prolific composer and many of her tunes are now being played and performed throughout the world.

Eilidh has always been influenced and interested in the music from her home area of Argyll researching this as part of her degree. The musical tradition of Argyll forms an important part of part of her repertoire with guitarist Mark Neal.

She also teaches fiddle both in groups and individual settings. She has considerable experience teaching workshops with many organisations and festivals including: RSAMD, The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO), Feisean Nan Gael, The Scots Music Group and Helensburgh Fiddlers. She is the musical director of the annual Fiddle Festival in Edinburgh, now considered to be one of Scotland’s key traditional music events for both players and audiences.

Joy Dunlop

Joy Dunlop, the close runner-up, is from Connel on Loch Etive and exudes talents ranging from singing to television presenting, dancing to award-winning Gaelic journalism. She was immersed in Gaelic culture from an early age, leading her to graduate with honours in Gaelic Language and Culture from the renowed gaelic college in Skye, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig.

A multi-prize winning Gaelic singer and popular international performer, she combines her full time Gaelic development work for An Comunn Gaidhealach with a regular stints on Gaelic TV and radio. She also writes a monthly column for the Gaelic newspaper An Gàidheal Ùr.

Joy is also in great demand as a teacher, speaker and translator and can normally be found at most cèilidhs dancing up a storm and keeping the crowd on their toes. She is the Gaelic tutor and member of the Taynuilt Gaelic Choir, who have had medal success in the Mod under her tutelage.

Inveraray & District Pipe Band

The Inveraray and District Pipe Band, another of the four finalists in this category, is the area’s first pipe band in 70 years. It was set up by local – and 2009 world champion solo piper Stuart Liddell, who hit on the idea whilst giving weekly bagpipe lessons in local schools.

The band takes part in competitions and is enormously generous in its contribution to local communities and charities regularly giving time to help other groups. It probably needs premises just to house its silverware! In 2009 alone it won the World Championship title at Grade 2 and the Drum Corps prize. Having won all but one major championship by then, it completed the Grand Slam of 5 major titles at the Cowal Gathering. This is the first time since 2002 that this has been achieved in Grade 2.

There cannot be many groups – in any field – who can claim to be Scottish, British, European and World Champions all at the same time. The band will be performing at Celtic Connections on January 16th.

Fiddle Folk / Lochgoilhead Fiddle Workshop

Fiddle Folk and Lochgoilhead Fiddle Workshop, along with their Gaelic arm Fèis Cheann Loch Goibhle, were, together, another finalist in this category.

Loichgoilhead Fiddle Workshop is a charity which raises money to put on about 10 professional concerts a year for local communities in Cowal and Mid-Argyll. FiddleFolk arranges fiddle teaching in five local schools and holds weekly workshops for adults, as well as monthly musical get togethers for youngsters. Fèis Cheann Loch Goibhle runs an annual ten-school tour; puts on residential music and outdoor activities weekends; and, in 2009, arranged the ambitious St Columba Ceilidh Trail over two weeks in Ireland and Argyll with young aspiring musicians.

In 2009 a total of 3,300 people benefited from FiddleFolk’s projects, including 1,200 children. For many of these children it will have been their first opportunity to play a musical instrument or to hear top quality live music.

And it wasn’t just music…

Amongst the finalists from the arts sector were the

• Royal National Mod Oban 2009, an outstanding winner in the Best Major Event category
• Helensburgh Heroes, an astonishing effort bringing an entire spectrum of the community of this large town together with professional recording specialists to produce a live aid version of David Bowie’s Heroes;
• Easdale Island Hall Arts Programme
  
• Meur Chruachain pre-Mod ceilidh and the Summer and Winter ceillidhs
• Walking Theatre Company
• Homecoming Lismore Week, with Coming Home, an original play for Armistice Day from Lismore Youth Theatre Group..

Then among the original list of nominations from the arts sector, there were:

• Stuart Liddell, world champions solo pipe and Pipe Major of Inveraray & District Pipe Band
• Islay Pipe Band
• Cowal Pipe Band Championships
• Ceann an Tuirc Male Voice Choir
• Taynuilt Gaelic Choir
• Glasgow Islay Choir with Coisir Ghaidhlig Ile - joint concert
• Argyll Gold Concert
• Mull of Kintyre Music Festival
• Strachur’s Stars in your Eyes
• Outback Gallery, Islay
• Cowal Open Studios
• AnElephantCant, Helensburgh’s interiors art company and publisher of children’s books
• Islay Bards evening at Ionad Chaluim Chille Ile
• The Islay Book Festival
  
• The Flight of the Arctic Tern from Helensburg-based composed Mark Sheridan and performance group.
• Atlantic Islands Festival, from the Scottish Centre of Geopoetics based on Luing;
• The Hidden Jewel, a Walking Theatre production commissioned by Dunollie Homecoming

And we could all think instantly of other worthy candidates who just weren’t nominated – for example the Jazz Festivals on Bute and Islay; the work of Oban musician Finlay Wells… the bands…

These awards have shown the strength in depth of the arts in Argyll,  and underlined the potential rewards that could follow from a concerted and strategic effort to develop them.

Mark Morpurgo, Fok and Traditional Music Editor