The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #39250   Message #754555
Posted By: Susanne (skw)
25-Jul-02 - 04:01 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: The glesga eskimos
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The glesga eskimos
Here are some bits and pieces (which may have appeared elsewhere before - I can't remember):

[1987:] Back in Glasgow the Anti-Polaris Base movement was in full swing with regular demonstrations at the Holy Loch in Dunoon, [...] and leading this movement was a one-man folk revival called Josh McRae. [His] group was known as the Reivers which after some good recording and TV work broke up leaving Josh on his own to lead off the 'Glasgow Eskimoes' a loose grouping of singers whose concentration was upon getting that Base out of the Clyde. [...] As an outlet for contemporary song the Eskimoes had given and were giving stimulus to the creation of hundreds of songs. (McGinn of the Calton 51ff.)

[1990:] [Morris Blythman] was criticised for using so many Orange tunes and references in his campaigning songs. [...] Morris and the poet T. S. Law both worked on the song The Glesca Eskimos, which made use of the American Civil War tune Marching Through Georgia. They were reclaiming the tune, which had been used in Glasgow for an Orange song, in which Hurrah, hurrah, we bring the Jubilee became Hullo, hullo, we are the Billy Boys. This is the only example of a political tune I know - several people have been quite agitated at the idea of singing any lyrics at all to this tune in Glasgow, because of its association with Protestant extremism and anti-Catholicism. (McVicar, One Singer One Song 62)

[1994:] Glasgow Herald, 25 May [196?]: "The anti-Polaris demonstrators today lost the last of their thirteen kayaks in the Holy Loch. The depot ship Proteus was held up as she entered the Loch by lone canoeist Sean Edwards who put out from Kilmun where the demonstrators are encamped. Edwards evaded pursuing launches and got within twenty yards of the vessel before being tipped into the water by naval frogmen. At the subsequent press conference, Captain Lanin, the commander of the Proteus, scoffed at the demonstrators. "They don't worry us," he declared. "They're just a bunch of goddam Eskimos." That was a serious tactical error on Lanin's part because back in Springburn the collective mincer held a sort of apres-rammy soiree and sulking [and went on protesting] (Gordon McCulloch, The Glasgow Eskimos - show at the 1994 Glasgow International Folk Festival)