Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2004 23:19:38 +0000
From: Jack Campin
Subject: Re: [scots-l] Scotland May 25-June 5th
 
>   I will be in London from May 25 then to Edinburgh May 29, out & about
>   on to Glasgow, leaving June 5. I will have with me a dear young niece
>   recently infected with a passion for Scots traditional music and two
>   of her friends, new graduates also, ready for introduction. Anything
>   good going on I can bring them to hear?
> Any suggestions for this person?
 
There isn't anything regular in Edinburgh on Saturday night, but there is a Saturday afternoon session at Babbity Bowster's in Glasgow. If that's not practical, go to one of the session pubs in Edinburgh (Sandy Bell's, the Tass, the Royal Oak, Canon's Gait, West End Hotel...) and pick up a copy of the Gig Guide (free), which will give you a current listing.
 
Sunday afternoon is me and my pals at Sandy Bell's. Monday is Marieke and Andrew's session at the White Hart in the Grassmarket (not been to that one yet). Tuesday is the ALP session at the Athletic Arms (a.k.a. the Diggers) beside Dalry graveyard (vast army of fiddlers) and a session I haven't yet been to at the Central Bar in Leith (worth seeing just for the astonishing interior). Wednesday is Nigel's slow session at the West End Hotel and a session with wildly varying numbers at the Shore Bar in Newhaven. Thursday is the session at the Antiquary in St Stephens Street, Stockbridge (big & smoky as hell) and the session at the Old Pier in Bath Street which I go to fairly often (smaller, friendlier and you won't emerge smelling like an Arbroath Smokie). You'll manage to just miss the TMSA session (fourth Monday of the month), the Musselburgh one (first Monday of the month) and the Edinburgh Shetland Fiddlers (first and third Sundays of the month).
 
There are also weekly folk clubs in Edinburgh, Balerno, and Newtongrange; also Haddington and Penicuik, beyond getting-back-by-public-transport range. Newtongrange is not that great for traditional music, the others might be worth a visit but find out what sort of night that week's is (they have guest spots that could be almost anything).
 
There are also regular ceilidhs, e.g. at the Caledonian Brewery, see the local press. Also use BBC Radio Scotland for Ken Mutch's Dance Diary in Robbie Shepherd's "Take the Floor" programme (available via "Listen Again" on the BBC website).
 
There is also a folk festival at Dunblane and Doune the weekend of the 28th-30th May. See the TMSA calendar on my website.
 
 
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DON'T INCLUDE MY EMAIL ADDRESS ** - use the URL of my website instead.
 

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Jack Campin: 11 Third Street, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4PU; 0131 6604760
<http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack>    *    food intolerance data & recipes,
Mac logic fonts, Scots traditional music files and CD-ROMs of Scottish music.