|
02 Jun 17 - 10:40 AM (#3858481) Subject: Kelso Folk Festival From: Allan Conn For anyone looking for a reason to visit the Scottish Borders in early Sept here are the details of what we hope to be the first annual Folk Festival put on by Kelso Folk & Live Music Club. http://www.kelsofolkfest.org/ |
|
02 Jun 17 - 03:50 PM (#3858543) Subject: RE: Kelso Folk Festival From: Johnny J A good place for a festival. The very first Both Sides of The Tweed happened there many years ago. A grand weekend it was too. Some good sessions too although I remember the singers coming into The Black Swan en masse and hijacking a good going tunes session. :-( |
|
03 Jun 17 - 05:31 AM (#3858603) Subject: RE: Kelso Folk Festival From: Tattie Bogle Sounds good, though probably same weekend as Kirriemuir Festival: however, as that is much further up country, hopefully enough people to go round both! I also have fond memries of the first BSOTT Festival in Kelso: think that was where I first met Johnny Jay and his partner! Cycling events and folk festivals? Oh dearie me: big thorn in the side at Linlithgow Folk Festival, where Pedal for Scotland's 10,000 or so riders invade the town in the middle of Festival Sunday! |
|
03 Jun 17 - 07:34 AM (#3858619) Subject: RE: Kelso Folk Festival From: Johnny J Usually same weekend as Portpatrick too although I've never been yet A good chance that the audiences will be different in all three though. Kirrie is very traditional and PP strongly Irish tunes(I believe). |
|
03 Jun 17 - 11:13 AM (#3858639) Subject: RE: Kelso Folk Festival From: Allan Conn I came up with the idea of holding one next year as 2018 is the supposed 1000th anniversary of the Battle of Birgham - so arguably 1000 yrs since this part of the country became a part of Scotland. Then we thought "what the hell" and just went for it this year and lets hope it turns into an annual. We've got most of the funds through we play in the Cobbles Inn every Friday night and pass a tin round for voluntary donations. Though we got help with a grant too. Date was chosen to fall in roughly with the St James Fair which was revived but only lasted about a decade before dying off again. So just something different to fit in with the calendar here and didn't clash with other local events like Border Gaitherin. The bike race being the same weekend was a coincidence. Though it only clashes with the final farewell singaround on the Sunday |
|
03 Jun 17 - 01:08 PM (#3858660) Subject: RE: Kelso Folk Festival From: Tattie Bogle Wishing you all the best, Allan. Might even make it down there! |
|
03 Jun 17 - 01:20 PM (#3858664) Subject: RE: Kelso Folk Festival From: GUEST,IanA It wouldn't clash with the Border Gaitherin since the Border Gaitherin is defunct. Do keep up! |
|
03 Jun 17 - 03:46 PM (#3858687) Subject: RE: Kelso Folk Festival From: Johnny J It was probably still on the go when Allan was first considering the idea of a festival. Why do you need to be so rude? |
|
03 Jun 17 - 04:19 PM (#3858694) Subject: RE: Kelso Folk Festival From: GUEST,IanA Rude?? Arch - possibly. Cheeky - probably. A gentle poke - certainly. I apologise profusely and abjectly to any sensitive flower who has been traumatised by my weak jest. |
|
03 Jun 17 - 04:51 PM (#3858698) Subject: RE: Kelso Folk Festival From: Jack Campin Was the Battle of Birgham fought by cavalry? Would the cyclists fancy dressing up for a bit of re-enactment? |
|
03 Jun 17 - 05:27 PM (#3858701) Subject: RE: Kelso Folk Festival From: Johnny J OKAY, Ian. I realise now you were probably joking and you may well be a friend of Allan's too. |
|
03 Jun 17 - 06:20 PM (#3858707) Subject: RE: Kelso Folk Festival From: Tattie Bogle I have a few parodies I wrote for the annual Pedal for Scotland invasion in Linlithgow: didn't have to change a single word of the chorus of "Ride On"! |
|
04 Jun 17 - 05:27 AM (#3858777) Subject: RE: Kelso Folk Festival From: Allan Conn Johnny is right though the advertising material etc has just been produced the initial planning etc was started a while back and the date was chosen so as to not clash. Apologies Jack I was away in a dwam. Meant Battle of Carham anniversary. Next year's the official anniversary and I think there are some plans afoot by the good folk of Carham to actually do a re-enactment. |
|
04 Jun 17 - 05:51 AM (#3858782) Subject: RE: Kelso Folk Festival From: Jack Campin Searching for it as the Battle of Bingham did eventually work, though Bing kept insisting I meant Birmingham. And with the English side led by Uhtred and Cnut, they'd have had a massed force of spellcheckers to confront. The Scots won. And Uhtred was earl of Northumbria. So why isn't the border along the Tees? |
|
04 Jun 17 - 10:02 AM (#3858819) Subject: RE: Kelso Folk Festival From: Allan Conn In the 7thC what is now the Scottish Borders and part of the Lothians itself up to the Forth came under Anglian control ruled from Bamburgh after they took over control from the previous rulers who were Britons. So this was called Bernicia which then joined with the more southerly Deira and formed the Kingdom of Northumbria. This included Edinburgh etc as well as the Borders. Towards the end of the millenium things changed as most of what is now northern England became part of the Danelaw including that part of Northumbria which was previously Deira - that is from the Humber to the Tees approx. Bernicia or the northern part of Northumbria was nominally independent and controlled by the Earls of Bamburgh but Northumbrian power was much reduced with losing the southern part to the Danelaw at the same time as the emerging Kingdom of Scotland (Alba) was expanding south of the Forth. So it is thought that the Battle of Carham just reinforced what was already a reality that the northern part of Bernicia (the current Scottish Borders and Lothians) had come under control of the Kings of Alba. Bamburgh held on to the southern part of Bernicia (ie modern Northumberland and down to the Tees) until it was later absorbed into the emerging Kingdom of England. I think the border could certainly have been further south - or even further north at that. And there were periods when Scotland controlled part of what is now England and vice versa - but it is generally regarded that (Berwick aside) the border in the east side of the country has been more or less as it is now since Carham. The Scottish kings held land in England (as Earls both of Northumbria and Huntingdon) which they swore fealty for - which caused all sorts of problems later when the English kings tried to force the issue that the fealty was for Scotland itself. It is an interesting area though. Here in Kelso we have the ruins of Roxburgh Castle which the Scots themselves destroyed so it could never fall into the hands of the English again. James II of Scotland was killed by his own exploding canon whilst retaking the castle and the young infant James III was crowned in Kelso Abbey! |
|
05 Jun 17 - 07:49 PM (#3859129) Subject: RE: Kelso Folk Festival From: Tattie Bogle Sounds like you need to have a history walk as part of your new Festival, Allan? |
|
06 Jun 17 - 03:17 PM (#3859292) Subject: RE: Kelso Folk Festival From: JHW 'So why isn't the border along the Tees?' Has been suggested |
|
06 Jun 17 - 07:27 PM (#3859319) Subject: RE: Kelso Folk Festival From: Allan Conn The start of the second millenium was a period when Scotland and England were both establishing. Several Scottish kings (for instance Malcolm III and his son David I)tried to expand control further south. After the Norman invasion it looked at first like the border might be basically the line between their two new castles built in Carlisle and Newcastle but certainly no further south than that. The Scots looked to push south but events like the death of Malcolm then later David I losing the Battle of the Standard hindered the Scottish advances. I suspect that as well as events a defining factor in the end might simply be the lay of the land. The border in the east of the country as it is follows natural boundaries. That is the River Tweed then the Cheviot Hills which run across the country rather than north to south. You have the fertile Scottish border valleys north of the Cheviots and the much hillier less agricultural land south of the Cheviot line. So in the end how much resource and trouble would Scotland be prepared to go to in order to try and grab the hills and moors between Carter Bar and Newcastle? |