Not the Common Seal, not the Sea Eagle and not the Wildcat – but Continue reading
Tag Archives: Inveraray Castle
Spirit of the West Festival tickets on sale with a few surprises from The Walking Theatre Company at the press launch
Tickets for the whisky, food and entertainment Spirit of the West Festival at Inveraray Castle on 16th and 17th May are for sale online via the website.
Performers from Cowal’s The Walking Theatre Company (TWTC) made the sort of impact at the Press Launch on 6th March that they will make when they hit the event itself.
They presented a drama around whisky smuggling to a special audience including the Duchess of Argyll. And there was a whisky tasting masterclass with whisky writer Charles Maclean and songs by Robin Laing. Each of these acts will feature at the festival which is set to be the flagship Homecoming Scotland 2009 event for the west coast and a signature event for the programme’s Whisky Month which was launched in February.
The spirit of the west was manifest in more ways than one – as were the magnificent hills of Glen Fyne, seen in the background and the venue for the launch.
In line with the festival’s celebration of west coast culture, the Whisky Coast Memoirs campaign invites people to send through their stories, experiences and passions for the nation’s west coast.
The campaign aims to bring together a global appreciation of the region’s beauty, atmosphere and culture with a focus on Ayrshire & Arran, Argyll, Lochaber, the Hebrides and the North West Highlands.
There is so much to say about this part of the world. The Whisky Coast Memoirs is an inspired idea that promises to be a mesmeric collection we look forard to reading.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, helped kick start the campaign by contributing a memoir of his own of the west.
He says: ‘Although I was born and bred in the East of Scotland, I have spent a lot of time in the Highlands of the West of Scotland. As a student, and even after I was elected to Parliament, I have walked in Skye, Kintail, the Hebrides, Argyllshire and Sutherland, often with parliamentary colleagues such as the late John Smith MP. I have many fond memories of days on the hill and in the glens; and of good hospitality and entertainment in the evenings, as often as not accompanied by a dram. I send best wishes to the organisers of Spirit of the West’.
This memoir was described gratefully by Nicky Murphy, Event Manager for Spirit of the West and Project Manager for the Whisky Coast, as really helping ‘to kick start our campaign’.
The entire programme for the two-day event is steeped in interest, variety – and whisky – and offers something for everyone. The full programme - and information on how to contribute your own west coast memoir – is on the Spirit of the West website.
Herald has major profile on Richard Joynson of Inveraray’s Loch Fyne Whiskies
The business pages of today’s (14th February) edition of The Herald carry a major profile on Richard Joynson – interviewed in the bar of The George, across the road in Inveraray from Richard’s renowned Loch Fyne Whiskies shop.
The journalist describes Inveraray in terms that make it sound like a two-dimensional pop-up book: ‘Inveraray, once known only for the Duke of Argyll, his storybook feudal bastion on the shores of Loch Fyne and a 19th century jail – boasting ‘A Prison for All: men, women children, babies even lunatics…’
The piece then quotes the success of Loch Fyne Whiskies in being voted Retailer of the Year in 2004 by the whisky industry, using this as its move into a close focus on Joynson himself.
He turns out to have begun his life in Argyll as a fish farm owner/manager in the mid 1980s and moved to whisky retailing in the 1990s, feeling that fish farming was increasingly non-viable. He taught himself about whisky, starting from the useful base of liking to drink it.
The writing rightly reflects the amazingly dense variety of stock Loch Fyne Whiskies carries. It remarks on the way gthe wrap-around ranks of bottles, their names, colours, labels and presentation packaging seems to compel purchase. And it records the gratifying habit of Joynson’s customer base in making regular repeat orders though his website.
A recognisable picture emerges of a shop where tastings, intriguing and well informed conversation and unpretentious advice are the order of the day. With evidence on his side, Joynson tells the reporter that he enjoys talking to people who come into the shop. He is hugely well informed on whisky, he loves the knowledge almost as much as the product and he loves to share it. He is as interested in discussing the options you might have in spending £30 on a bottle to kill in short order at a party as in a serious present at whatever you want to pay. And his staff are bred in the same engaging mould.
In the interview, Joynson says that he sella around 50,000 bottles a year, around half of which are online sales. He is no passive retailer, but has created the Loch Fyne blended whisky, the chocolate-orange flavoured Loch Fyne liqueur and the breath-taking – literally – Living Cask. He credits the Furnace Inn – in the village of the same name where he lives in a house with a wonderful view in an area – Mid Argyll – which he calls ‘the most beautiful part of the British Isles’ – with helping to finalise the creation of his Loch Fyne Liqueur. This was down to a series of now legendary tastings of the various blends with which he was experimenting.
At the end, the profile presents the picture of a happy and discriminating man with no wish to expand what would clearly be an expandable business. He has no need of the hassle and he doesn’t need to do better than he’s already doing, He says: ‘As long as I can keep my family in steaks and coffee, why bother… I don’t thin k people or companies should be greedy. They should be happy and provide the service and the customers will come’.
You get the sense that the journalist enjoyed Joynson’s company, the conviviality of The George and maybe even the odd dram and some advice from the shop. It’s an attractive piece and it accounts for a soundly founded business that is a way of life.
By the way, if you’re feeling flush, Loch Fyne Whiskies’ ‘Tomorrow’s News‘ informs customers that it has managed to source some more of the second release of the MacAllan Lalique 55 year old. Due in soon – its recommended retail price is £6,000.
Connect Music Festival – Farewell for 2009
There has been widespread disappointment in Argyll at the shock cancellation of the 2009 Hydro Connect Music Festival held at Inveraray Castle. There has been anger at the lateness of the decision, giving local businesses little time to refocus. And there has been bewilderment at some of the grounds given for the decision.
The three partners in the event – Argyll Estates, Highlands and Islands Enterprise Argyll (HIE Argyll) and promoters, DF Concerts have expressed their own regrets.
Argyll Estates says: ‘It is sad that this has happened and we will be looking at other options for future events within the Estate albeit on a smaller scale’.
HIE Argyll says: ‘We are obviously disappointed that the organisers of the HydroConnect Festival felt that they could not continue this year. The Festival has been a major boost to the economy in and around Inveraray and we hope that it will be back in future years. In the meantime, we will continue to look at ways to support the economy in the area, including in the creative industries’.
DF Concerts says: ‘As we remain dedicated to Connect’s future and its award winning quality, we have decided that the best way forward is to stage some smaller associated events in 2009′.
What Connect gave Argyll – in two years – was a wide spectrum of positive impacts:
- a contribution to the local economy said by DF Concerts to have been £1.5million in 2008
- the stimulus for a group of food producers in Argyll to come together under the banner of ‘Food from Argyll’ and start to explore joint marketing and other initiatives
- an event in their home territory that really connected with Argyll’s young people – who have very little to do that is relevant to their generation. Connect gave them an extended social network and a cool event they could go to and be proud to be associated with – at home in Argyll
- something colouful, joyful, exotic, celebratory – and big – all good news in lifting the ambitions and the experiences of Argyll
- a sense of ownership of the event that became evident in Inveraray during the 2008 event
These are hugely significant benefits and together they reward the initiative – and the courage – of the Argyll Estates in taking a deep breath and deciding to host a music festival, literally on the doorstep of Inveraray Castle and in a cautious little Argyll town.
The reasons given by DF Concerts for the decision to cancel this year’s festival are:
- Argyll’s small population and lack of an existing festival crowd
- the high infrastructural and servicing costs associated with staging the festival in Argyll
- the lack of audience growth from the 2007 to the 2008 festival
- the economic downturn
- the credit crunch
The key factor has been the cost, the losses involved to date and the predicted financial picture for the 2009 event. Many of the other reasons advanced bear little scrutiny and have arguably been an unhelpful distraction in deflecting energies to dispute the eminently disputable.
Argyll’s population did not shrink overnight. It’s location did not change – and, at an hour and a half from Glasgow Airport, it is considerably more accessible than is Glastonbury, down the A303. It never had an existing festival crowd. All of these factors were in place when the original commitment was made to running the festival for a three year trial period.
Any new event anywhere has its audience to build. This takes time, effort and imagination. Connect has not been given the time – cancelling two years into the planned three – and the current economic circumstances have had a part to play in the decision to take a year out.
The audience for the event remained stable at 15,000 in each of its two years of operation. DF Concerts spent £1million in promoting Connect 2008, twice as much as their marketing spend for the 2007 event. That this did not produce the anticipated audience growth has been a major factor in the decision not to walk into what the organisers saw as an inevitable loss in recession-hit 2009.
The economic downturn is cited today by any company already troubled for other reasons. DF Concerts in 2008 had, as For Argyll reported at the time and before there was any public awareness of the banking collapse to come, reported financial difficulties. It claimed that these were related to the costs of the Connect Festival.
The company’s argument that the credit crunch is likely to affect the Connect audience more than that of other festivals does not bear much examination.
While all three partners in the event are unwilling to discuss the nature of any contractual commitments, the Argyll Estates have informed us that just because they do not wish to discuss the matter, any assumption that there were not contractual arrangements in place, framed with due diligence, would be completely wrong. We have also been informed that no contractual commitments have been broken.
HIE is in a rather different position to the other two partners in the event. In making available public money to the running of the event, one would expect more transparency. Public money has got to be given seriously, received seriously and taken seriously. This is not to say that it has not been so in this instance, but lack of transparency in public service agencies creates unease – not necessarily over probity but over attitudes to accountability.
This is not to hammer HIE Argyll. Supporting this event was a courageous and judicious decision to contribute to the economic development Argyll badly needs – and the event, even in its aborted two year genesis, has certainly done just that.
DF Concerts, in its Press Release, announces that it will run some small and ‘intimate’ events in place of the 2009 Connect Festival. The company has told For Argyll that what it has in mind is events with an audience of around 500 that could be indoors and involve accommodation. This may involve a concert run under the Connect banner. Such events will be a very welcome addition to energies in Argyll and to enhancing the lifestyles of young people here who very much need such support.
The irony was that although the audience for Connect 2008 did not grow from its 2007 volume despite the increased marketing budget, the sense of ownership of the event among the Argyll public and the town of Inveraray grew very significantly with the second festival. Alongside this, the partners in the event will have had financial realities to face and the evidence suggests that since then the purpose has been disengagement from the 2009 event.
It would have been helpful to local businesses, to fans of the event and to potential visitors in this year of Homecoming Scotland had this intention been communicated earlier. We have no information on why this was not done.
For Argyll does not doubt that all concerned went into this partnership with real commitment and good intent. The emergence of hard times has brought hard decisions. We do not, however, fully accept that the audience for the 2008 event could not have been grown or that it could not have been grown again for 2009 with a more divergent approach to marketing and a vigorous engagement with the possibilities inherent in Homecoming Scotland 2009.
We have first hand evidence of the strength of the event’s appeal.
When dates for the 2009 event were not forthcoming and local businesses were becoming agitated, the Argyll Estates consulted DF Concerts and gave us the provisional September dates we published. Within 30 minutes the site had a huge traffic spike from members of the widespread fanbase of the event – and this interest remained constant. They were coming to our site because the official website for the event carried no updated information. The reaction speed and interest Connect’s fanbase exhibited is powerful testimony to what the event has achieved in its two year existence.
When, in the ForArgyll Awards 2008, Connect was nominated in the Best Event category, we – as is our practice – informed DF Concerts of this and invited them to promote the vote to Connect’s fanbase. DF Concerts neither replied to us nor, from the evidence of the online public voting, did anything to promote support for the event. While it received a perfectly respectable vote, Connect did not come close to the top three events in this high-voting category where, with the sheer size of its fanbase, it could have been expected to walk away with the award.
To demonstrate the cost of this in marketing terms: the Awards had hundreds of nominations and many thousands of votes from Scotland and both numerously and widely from across the world. Every nominee and every finalist had their website linked to their entry at each stage of the contest and, from our own site monitoring system, we could see the visitor traffic going to check out the contestants’ sites.
The winners of each award have been given what is virtually a one year free advertisement – with an attractive series of images down the left hand column of the For Argyll site’s many pages. Each image is linked to an award winner’s own site. We can see the traffic visiting these sites and some winners have confirmed with us that they have experienced a 60% improvement in traffic to their sites with this promotion.
Connect could have benefited from this. Moreover, as with all winners, it would also have had a special feature article prepared and published at a time helpful to its own plans. As an indication of the value of this, ForArgyll.com’s latest set of site statistics for January 2009 shows hits for the month at a figure of 1,043,011. This is a more than modest performance – especially in a site representing a very undersold area of Scotland and it is growing steadily month on month. We would have done all we could to help promote the event – without charge – as we do for all our award winners and this contribution would not have been negligible. This was a missed opportunity for Connect.
But there is a positive legacy of experience and of experiences for all concerned, including audiences and including Inveraray town. This has been a fantastically exciting event for Argyll – not only in its nature but in its scale. It has flown the flag in Argyll for ambition and for facing forwards. Beyond the event itself, this is the sort of inspiration capable of galvanising enterprise across Argyll and its Islands as well as economic development. This is why it matters.
It is to the credit of Argyll Estates and HIE Argyll that they had the will and the imagination to engage. There is every reason to build on the experience rather than to retire wounded and there is no suggestion that this will happen.
The challenge now is to excite again – for better and for longer – if, possibly, differently. We may or may not see the Connect Festival again in its previous form – but we will certainly see a range of attractive events adding to the variety of experience available in Argyll and enthusiastically welcomed.
For nostalgia – and to keep the dream alive during the event’s year off, re-visit For Argyll’s photographer, John Fyfe Patrick’s Flickr gallery of stills taken at Connect 2008.
The photographs accompanying this article – of Connect 2008 – are reproduced here by permission of the copyright holder and For Argyll’s Connect photographer, John Fyfe Patrick. Apart from the audience shots, the top photograph shows The Whip onstage and the third photograph shows Amy MacDonald in concert – the only artist to have played both Connect 2007 and Connect 2008.
Programme for May’s Spirit of the West Festival almost complete
Spirit of the West – Scotland’s first whisky culture festival – to be hosted at Inveraray Castle in May, now has most of its programme tied up.
Run in conjunction with Whisky Coast and part of the programme of Homecoming Scotland 2009 events, the event brings together Scotland’s – mainly Argyll’s – west coast whiskies with the best of local food producers’ delicacies, crafts, cookery demos from the whisky coast’s top chefs and a raft of entertainments.
Bagrock wow band, the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, pipes & drums tribal group Clann an Drumma, folk singer/songwriter Robin Laing, the Argyll Homecoming Gaelic Choir, and the silken voice of Islay’s Norma Munro are the latest acts to be announced.
The Red Hot Chilli Pipers – voted ‘Live Act of the Year 2007’ at the Scots Traditional Music Awards – will blast the event into life on 16th May.
The programme has added some family-oriented open air activities including crowd pleaser Big Rory, Ochi & The Giant Seagulls and sheepdog & duck display team, Drakes of Hazzard, as seen on Blue Peter.
There will be an Arts & Crafts marquee with craftsmen demonstrating their skills, fabulous gifts and crafts to shop for and advice on tracing your family tree.
Moving to the food elements – you can wait a little longer for the news on the whisky content – celebrity chef Nick Nairn joins the event on Sunday 17th May, cooking up for Argyll along with other well known west coast chefs. Across the weekend over 20 top local food producers will serve delicious dishes from stovies to venison stews.
16 world famous whisky distillers – 13 of which are from Argyll – including Springbank & Glengyle from Campbeltown, Isle of Arran, all eight distilleries from the Isle of Islay including Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman, Lagavulin and Laphroaig, Isle of Jura, Oban, Tobermory from the Isle of Mull, Ben Nevis from Fort William and Talisker from the Isle of Skye will join the Dram Room. This is of course the star attraction.
Then the Whisky Theatre will hold 12 whisky masterclasses with key industry figures and feature whisky bards and industry celebrities in their own right, including Charles Maclean.
An evening ceilidh on Saturday 16th May will be hosted by Len Murray, one of the foremost speakers on Rabbie Burns. From 7pm till midnight on the Saturday night, the event will celebrate the Spirit of the West with a five star, five course Rabbie Burns supper, charity auction, after dinner entertainment including music from Ceilidh Minogue and inescapable volumes of traditional mad ceilidh dancing.
Spirit of the West tickets are now available to buy online.
- Standard adult ticket prices for the day time event are £14.50 per day or £22 for the weekend.
- Family, concession and children tickets are also available.
- Whisky masterclass tickets cost an extra £10 per class and will be available for purchase on the day, based on a first come first served basis.
- Ceilidh tickets cost £65 per person, for over 18s only, with a percentage of the proceeds going to a chosen charity.
For details on how to book tickets for the Whisky Coast Ceilidh please email your interest to info@spiritofthewest.co.uk and check out the event’s website for more information.
Photograph of Inveraray Castle above is reproduced with permission and is by John Patrick.
CANCELLED: Connect Music Festival, Inveraray Castle
The Hydro Connect Music Festival at Inveraray Castle is scheduled by its promoters, DF Concerts, to take place on 4th, 5th and 6th September.
Update on dates for 2009 Hydro Connect Music Festival at Inveraray
DF concerts have indicated that the dates given in For Argyll’s recent news item for the 2009 Connect Festival – 4th, 5th and 6th September – are correct at the time of publication.
Neither the Argyll Estates – with their own volume of print publications now going forward on the basis of these dates – nor For Argyll has any reason to doubt these dates.
However, For Argyll notes that DF Concerts have neither made a public announcement themselves of the dates they have given to the Argyll Estates nor updated the official website to show the 2009 dates.
Full confirmation should be sought from the promoters – DF Concerts – with the hope that their contactability and response times are better than For Argyll has experienced.
Bluebell Festival, Inveraray
Inveraray’s first Bluebell Festival runs from 1st-31st May with a programmen of cultural events in venues in the area, featuring theatre and storytelling, the Spirit of the West Festival – and a revival of a traditional run up the hill to the folly at Dun na Quaich above Inveraray Castle.
This event is part of Argyl’s programme for Homecoming Scotland 2009.
Inveraray Castle Hydro Connect Music Festival 2009
The Hydro Connect Music Festival 2009 is on 4th, 5th and 6th September at Inveraray Castle.
Dates now confirmed for Inveraray’s Connect festival 2009
DF Concerts have informed the Argyll Estates, which host the event, that the dates for this year’s Hydro Connect Music Festival are, at this time of publication, 4th, 5th and 6th September at Inveraray Castle.