Ulster-Scots Events http://orange-order.co.uk Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:24:18 +0000 2000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35624-ballycarry%e2%80%99s-dublin-visit-opens-up-ulster-scots-tourism-and-orr-opportunity/ http://www.larnetimes.co.uk/news/local/ballycarry_s_dublin_visit_opens_up_orr_opportunity_1_3481297
The Community Leadership Programme delegation inside Leinster House with Minister Brian Hayes TD. INLT 05-607-CON

Published on Tuesday 7 February 2012 12:53

MEMBERS of Ballycarry Community Association have met with senior tourism and government figures in Dublin as part of a Community Leadership Programme.

Seven members of the programme took part in the Action Learning Project, which included a meeting with government minister Brian Hayes TD, the minister responsible for historic monuments in the Republic of Ireland.

The Minister hosted a meeting with the group in the Dail Committee room and answered questions as well as being briefed on Ballycarry and the Broadisland Gathering Festival by the group.

The Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, Niall Gibbons and senior official Mark Henry were present for the meeting and also later briefed the delegation on Tourism Ireland’s view on the potential of the Ulster Scots tourism product.

The Action Learning Project is about communications and cultural tourism and a new website for the community group has been part of the scheme, while the second element will involve highlighting the tourist potential of the area.

The CLP for Ballycarry and District has been funded by the International Fund for Ireland and is administered by NICVA.

Those who were involved in the Dublin visit were Dr David Hume, Carla McKeaveney, Lesley McMillan, Karyn Brown, Carol Dempsey, Cllr Mark McKinty, and Paula Lewis and all were delighted with the day.

The visit included seeing the Dublinia history museum, which features Viking and Medieval Dublin and has an interesting archaeology section, and a guided tour of the Dail.

The final trip was to Trinity College library, where assistant librarian Ellen O’Flaherty provided access for the group to see a set of letters from Ballycarry bard James Orr.

The material in the letters is now being assessed by the group, and Dr Hume said that they had the potential to open a new window on Orr’s life after the 1798 Rebellion.

“Political events and political views are coming across in the letters, as well as personal details which are enlightening as well,” he said.

“More work needs to be done in relation to the content, but for us these letters opened a new window on Orr and we hope to find more detail with the support of Trinity College,” he added.

The Community Leadership group has already visited the Ullans Centre in Ballymoney and a training manual is currently being drawn up for tour guides who will escort historical groups coming to the village in future.

“The IFI sponsored programme has been a major boost for our Association and has opened doors for us which we would not have expected over a year ago when we applied to be part of it. We look forward to the successful completion of the programme and are confident that the information gleaned and contacts made will stand our Association well into the future,” said the chairman.]]> Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:24:18 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35624-ballycarry%e2%80%99s-dublin-visit-opens-up-ulster-scots-tourism-and-orr-opportunity/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35548-%e2%80%9dsober-reflections%e2%80%9d-ulster-covenant-conference-saturday-24-march-2012/ http://ireland.anglican.org/news/3934

Upcoming Events
Added on 06/02/2012
The period 1912–1922 is a ‘Decade of Centenaries’, when significant events in Irish history will be commemorated. To assist in thinking through how these centenaries might be addressed historically, ethically and responsibly by 21st–century Christians, a number of events are being planned over time by the Church of Ireland (at the request of the Standing Committee of the General Synod of the Church). The first of these is to be a conference focusing on the Ulster Solemn League and Covenant of 1912. The conference, entitled ‘Sober Reflections’, will look at the historical detail and context of the Covenant and also try to reflect theologically on the how the Covenant might be addressed by the contemporary Christian conscience. The one–day event will take place on Saturday 24 March 2012, 9.30–4.30, at Moira Parish Centre, Co. Down.

Professor Paul Bew (Lord Bew of Donegore) will give an overview of historical forces which gave rise to the Covenant and its significance to the political and social development of Ireland, north and south; Dr Andrew Scholes will examine the particular role and reaction of the Church of Ireland in the making and signing of the Covenant; Dr Andrew Pierce, Director of the Irish School of Ecumenics (ISE), will consider theological methods of addressing a divisive historical event in a more ecumenical age; and Dr Johnston McMaster of the ISE based in Northern Ireland will share his recent work of theological reflection on The Covenant and of how modern Christians might engage positively with it. The Conference will be chaired by Professor David Hayton of QUB.

Members of the Media are welcome to attend and interviews/photographs can be arranged in advance, preferably from 9.30 to 10.00am or over lunch, 1.00–2.00pm, on the day.
To register an intention to attend as media, please contact either the Revd Earl Storey on 07752 841802, or the Church of Ireland Press Office – contact details below.


For further information please contact:
Church of Ireland Press Office
Church of Ireland House
61–67 Donegall Street
Belfast BT1 2QH
Tel: (028) 9082 8880 (from NI)
Tel: (048) 9082 8880 (from RoI)
Fax (028) 9032 3554
E–mail: Press Office

Paul Harron: (duty phone) +44 (0)7787 881582
Janet Maxwell: (duty phone) +353 (0) 87 948 4412
www.ireland.anglican.org/news]]> Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:28:27 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35548-%e2%80%9dsober-reflections%e2%80%9d-ulster-covenant-conference-saturday-24-march-2012/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35498-free-plantation-tour-event/ http://www.ballymoneytimes.co.uk/news/local/free_plantation_tour_event_1_3491953

Published on Monday 6 February 2012 09:00

A Plantation Tour of Limavady, Ballymoney, Coleraine and Moyle will take place on Friday, 2 and Saturday, 3 March 2012 and residents are urged to attend.

The tour, which is a joint Good Relations initiative between Limavady Borough Council, Moyle District Council, Coleraine Borough Council and Ballymoney Borough Council, will take place from 9.30am to approximately 6pm on both days and will be facilitated by Nick Brannon, Archaeologist and Helen Perry and John Hamilton, Causeway Museum Service.

The tour is FREE of charge and participants can choose which day suits them best as it will be the exact same tour running both days.

The idea of the tour is to highlight the many historic sites within the four council areas and sites visited will include the Dungiven Priory, Roe Valley, Dunluce Castle, Movanagher, Goodland and Ballylough.

The tour will be an intensive, long day involving a lot of walking so suitable footwear and rain wear (if necessary) should be worn.

Participants will meet at Coleraine Town Hall for 9.30am and the tour bus will depart at 10am sharp returning to Coleraine at approximately 6pm.

A light lunch will be provided but participants are free to bring additional refreshments, including flasks of coffee or tea, if they wish.

Anyone wishing to attend must register before Friday, 24 February. Spaces on the tour are limited and places will be allocated on a first come first served basis so register now by calling 02827660233 to secure your spot! When registering please state which day you will be attending and your preferred choice of sandwich for lunch, choices are: Ham and Cheese, Plain Chicken, Cheese & Tomato and BLT.

Michael McCafferty, Good Relations Officer for Ballymoney Borough Council is very enthusiastic about the tour, he said: “The Plantation Tour event promises to be an enjoyable, informative day out and the fact it is running on the Friday and Saturday means people have a choice of what day suits them best. There is a wealth of history within our Borough and neighbouring areas just waiting to be explored and this tour will do just that!”]]> Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:15:37 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35498-free-plantation-tour-event/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35197-robert-burns-the-belfast-connection/ inyourpocket.comview original
http://www.inyourpocket.com/northern-ireland/belfast/Robert-Burns-the-Belfast-connection_56105f

As the strains of Auld Lang Syne subside and we approach Burns Night on 25 January, how many of you are aware of the Scots Bard's Ulster connections?
Robert Burns was born in Ayrshire on January 25 1759, six years after the publication of The Ulster Miscellany one of the first Ulster publications in the Scots language. It had been published in Belfast in 1753 and included nine Scotch Poems.

When Burns' poems were first published in Kilmarnock in 1786, the Belfast News Letter - the world's oldest newspaper still in circulation - was the first in the British Isles to print extracts of his work. The Edinburgh edition of his poems was published in 1787, and the third printing was - you guessed it - in Belfast, in the same year.

History records that a number of Ulster folk, including Samuel Thomson, one of the most renowned Ulster-Scots poets of the era, travelled to Scotland to visit Burns. And there are at least two legends of Burns having visited Ulster - to Co. Antrim and also to Donaghadee in Co.Down - but sadly these can't be confirmed.

During this time, many local fans of Burns' poetry established scores of 'Burns Clubs' across Ulster; it was also said that every Ulster-Scots home had two books - a Bible and an edition of Burns.

In August 1844, Burns' son travelled to Belfast to attend a supper at the city's Burns Tavern, and his daughter, Eliza Burns Everitt, eventually came to live here. Eliza passed her collection ofBurnsiana to her own daughter who, in turn, gave it to the city's Linenhall Library.

So, why not drop in to one of the hundreds of Burns Suppers taking place in hotels, restaurants and pubs across Ulster this January 25. And as you enjoy your haggis and 'wee dram", remember that Ulster and Scotland have had an 'auld acquaintance' for many centuries.

And for true Burns afficianodos among you, why not take a trip over the border to Dundalk, Co. Louth, where there is a memorial to Burns. His sister, Agnes Burns Galt, lived at Stephenstown Pond from 1817 until her death in 1834 and was buried in St Nicholas Presbyterian Church.]]> Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:56:41 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35197-robert-burns-the-belfast-connection/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35148-requiem-for-the-lost-souls-of-the-titanic/ Requiem for the lost souls of the Titanic
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-16808578

The Titanic sank on her maiden crossing of the Atlantic Ocean

It is a requiem for more than 1500 lost souls.

On the night of 14 April, a century after the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank, the lost will be remembered with haunting music.

Composer Philip Hammond has been carrying the precious cargo of a requiem in his head for more than three years - from Portland, Oregon, to Croatia and back home.

Sitting at his piano in the attic of his Belfast home, he watched the steel girders of the signature Titanic building clamber up into the skies

It towers over the lough and mirrors the size of the original boat, billed "unsinkable" as it swept proudly out of Belfast, headed for Southampton and on to New York on its maiden voyage in 1912.

The rest is history.

Hammond grew up in east Belfast under the eye of Goliath - the shipyard was part of his childhood, he remembers the Canberra, the last big liner to have built there, sailing down the lough.

Now the Belfast composer's Requiem for the Lost Souls of the Titanic will be staged at St Anne's Cathedral on the 100th anniversary of the tragedy.

Reflection
"It is part of history and it is part of who we are," Hammond said of the Titanic disaster.

"I have spent three years putting the requiem together and it has developed into six choral movements and five musical meditations.

"These are a reflection of the musicians who stayed for the last moments and went down with the ship.

"No-one really knows what the musicians played and it is subtle," he said.

He has taken a phrase from different versions of the hymn "Nearer my God to Thee" which so many people associate with the final dying moments of the ship and its passengers.

Hammond has also used Irish folk songs from the 1792 Belfast Harp Festival, including the Lamentation of Owen O'Neill and A Parting of Friends.


Philip Hammond's requiem will be performed on 14 April
Writer Glenn Patterson will read his own meditations on those who were on the boat - like the radio operator who kept sending out the same distress message again and again, until the last moment, when he and his friend jumped. He survived: his friend died.

"These thoughts about the people complement the musical meditations," said the composer.

Requiem for the Lost Souls of the Titanic is set to words from the original Latin Requiem Mass.

It will be sung by Belfast Philharmonic Society; Anuna; Schola Cantorum of St Peter's Cathedral, Belfast and Cappella Caeciliana. Brass instruments drawn from the Downshire Brass Band will be used.

Memory
In an Italian technique dating back from the 15th century, the choirs and instruments will be positioned in different parts of the cathedral, echoing and answering each other across the stone pillars and spaces of the old building and down the years.

The cathedral itself will be part of the story, with seating rearranged to resemble the seating on a boat. It will be specially lit for the occasion and after the requiem, a torchlight procession will walk to the Titanic Memorial in the grounds of Belfast City Hall.

The requiem will be repeated in St Peter's Cathedral, Belfast, the following morning as part of an actual Mass.

Philip Hammond wrote his requiem with two people in mind. He dedicated it to Roz Lavine who was 95 years old when she died in Portland, Oregon, and to Miriam Agee, the daughter of a colleague, who died aged four years old.

It is a requiem dedicated to a very old person and a very young person, he said.

But it is in memory of all those who died 100 years ago and all those other souls - the lost who survived but whose lives were forever caught up in the wreckage of the disaster.

Tickets for the requiem in St Anne's are available from the Belfast Welcome Centre, telephone: 02890 246609.

Admission to Requiem Mass at St Peter's on Sunday at 11am is free.

This is one of a series of events in the Titanic Festival of Creative Arts 2012.

The Lyric Theatre will be presenting White Star of the North from 24 March to 14 April, telephone 02890 381081.

Kabosh Theatre company will present A Better Boy at the Belfast Barge from 9 - 15 April, details from the Welcome Centre.

Titanic Toasts is an exhibition at the Golden Thread Galley from 10 April to 11 May.

On Thursday 12 April, Song and Dance from Edwardian Belfast will be performed at the Public Record Office NI. Email sheila@happen.co.uk for information.]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:06:32 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35148-requiem-for-the-lost-souls-of-the-titanic/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35136-members-sought-for-new-caw-flute-band/ http://www.londonderrysentinel.co.uk/news/local/members_sought_for_new_caw_flute_band_1_3447311

Published on Saturday 28 January 2012 15:37

THE members of a new flute band formed to serve the Caw and Nelson Drive areas of the Waterside, are planning a first anniversary march to take place in September.

Officers of Caw Flute Band have also appealed for new members and for experienced flute players and drummers, who want to work as tutors to get in touch.

The band formed in September last year, with the aim of providing young people from Caw/Nelson Drive with a creative outlet.

Although only four months down the line, instruments have already been bought and there are plans to fundraise to invest in a smart gold and navy uniform for the band’s first planned outing in September to mark the first anniversary of it’s formation.

“It was formed with the intention of giving young people an opportunity. People in the estate realised that, for an estate this size, a band was needed,” said bandmaster Mark Hamilton.

“We also believe that this is an opportunity for young people to do something creative and it is something positive for them to do in their free time, and in addition they will be learning how to play an instrument or the drums,” he said.

There are 25 members now learning to play instruments, but Mark and the band secretary, Gareth Connor, would like to see more young people get on board and support the band.

“The flutes and drums are supplied, so there is no outlay for instruments. The money for the instruments has come from fundraising, including a door-to-door collection,” said Mark.

To help raise more start-up money a fundraising night will take place at Brigade Cricket Club on Saturday, January 28, which will feature a disco and live music from other established bands. The evening gets underway at 9pm. Tickets are £5.

“On Saturday night next we will be taking names of those who want to join up and as the hall there is limited to about 300 people we are appealing to those who want to attend to make sure they are there early to avoid disappointment,” said Secretary Gareth Connor.

In addition to defraying the cost of instruments the proceeds from the night will also be used to help buy the band’s first uniforms, which they hope to have delivered in time for their first outing in September.

“The uniform will consist of yellow shirts and navy trousers and peak caps with gold flashing,” he said.

The band does not have any band leaders of drum majors as yet, but those interested are also welcome to give their names at next Saturday night’s fundraiser.

The inaugural officers are: Mark Hamilton, bandmaster; David Blair, deputy bandmaster; Gareth Connor, secretary; Linda Watson, treasurer. A committee has also been formed to oversee the band’s operations.

Anyone who wants more information on the band and the practice nights can contact the bandmaster, Mark Hamilton on 07907689143, or the secretary, Gareth Connor, on 07510378572.]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:13:26 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35136-members-sought-for-new-caw-flute-band/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35069-drumbeat-2012/ http://www.newsletter.co.uk/lifestyle/features/drum_beat_four_counties_unite_for_evening_of_music_1_3454982
Maghera Sons of William flute band

Published on Thursday 26 January 2012 09:14

SEVERAL high-profile indoor band events took place at the weekend, with Co Antrim and Co Tyrone venues.

On Friday night Dunloy Accordion held their annual concert in the Braid Theatre, with a diverse musical selection appearing. The host band’s concert ensemble opened proceedings, with highlights including the march Punchinello, Scottish traditional air After the Battle and a vocal rendition of Caledonia.

The hosts were followed by the 3rd Carrickfergus Brass Band, who brought a massive band of over 30 on to the stage, supplying a full rich sound that filled the hall. An entertaining set included some instantly recognisable anthems including film themes, Glenn Miller and Gershwin standards.

Londonderry band Maiden City Beat provided a change of tempo and approach after the interval, before the Regimental Band of the Ulster Volunteer Force brought a close to the proceedings.

The east Belfast band treated the audience to a superb selection of marches and traditional tunes, with a fantastic insight given into both the band’s concert and ‘on the road’ capabilities.

During the evening drum major Davy Mercer made the impressive presentation of £3,000 to a representative of Help the Heroes, raised by the Beating Retreat event staged in Seaview last year. On Saturday night the focus switched to the Tyrone village of Coagh where the Tamlaghtmore Flute held a concert to raise funds for new band uniforms.

In all four bands from across four counties performed, each bringing their own particular style to the proceedings.

Dunmurry Protestant Boys Flute were first with some strong Blood and Thunder, closely followed by the Barron Accordion from Donemana. The youthful accordion band membership got a great crowd reaction with a very energetic performance.

Freeman Memorial Flute Coleraine supplied another powerful showing, before the night’s final band appeared in the form of Synotts True Blues Flute South Armagh. The Newtownhamilton men and women are a relatively new addition to the band scene, but had the crowd singing along to a set of time-honoured favourites.

Indoor events continue this weekend with Friday night seeing a Burns night concert in the Cookstown British Legion in aid of the Tullylagan Pipe.

On Saturday night the Shankill Star Flute holds the first heat of a battle of the bands in Liverpool Social Club. Bands appearing include Goldsprings True Defenders, Dunmurry Protestant Boys and Portavogie Flute.

Elsewhere on Saturday night the Ulster Grenadiers Flute are the organisers in Barn United Football Club, with Village Flute Ballycarry, Ballylesson Old Boys and Ulster First Flute on the bill.

Drum Beat will be continuing throughout the winter, however the focus will change to the ever- growing schedule of indoor band events, the formation of new bands and the ongoing work and practice of our existing bands.

If you would like to publicise fundraising, competition, cultural or indeed any events related to the large Ulster marching band community you can contact Drum Beat by ringing or texting Quincey on 07835624221 or emailing quincey@ulsterbandsforum.net, with all contributions, opinions and news from the country’s thriving band movement very welcome.]]> Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:18:51 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35069-drumbeat-2012/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35018-stars-launch-2012-north-west-200/

First Minister Peter Robinson and Arlene Foster MLA

Stars launch 2012 North West 200
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/sport/motorcycling/stars_launch_2012_north_west_200_1_3450488


North West 200 racers John McGuinness, Alastair Seeley, Conor Cummins, John Burrows, Denver Robb, Steve Mercer, Kirk Jamison, Brian McCormack, Jeremy McWilliams and Ian Hutchinson at the launch of the 2012 Relentless North West 200

Published on Wednesday 25 January 2012 07:30

Road racing great John McGuinness has confirmed he will remain in the Honda TT Legends colours this season, returning to the Relentless International North West 200 on May 19 after a year’s absence.

McGuinness, who won the first Superbike race in 2010, was among the special guests at the official launch of the event at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.

The News Letter revealed in November that the official Honda team would be back on the north coast in 2012 after a date clash with the Endurance World Championship forced McGuinness and Keith Amor to skip the North West last May.

And the Morecambe star - a legend at the Isle of Man TT where he has amassed an incredible 17 victories - confirmed his return on Tuesday, although he remains in the dark over the identity of his team-mate for 2012.

“The North West took a bashing last year with the weather and one thing and another,” said McGuinness.

“I was missing the event until I heard what was going on and then I realised I was probably better off where I was (Albacete, Spain).

“I’m really looking forward to the event this year and I’m coming back with the Honda Legends team and I’ll ride for the Padgetts’ family as well, so I’ll have a full stable of machines.

“I’ve been coming to the North West since 1994 - last year was the first time I’ve missed the event in that time.

“It’s a great event and the organisers do a great job.”

Joining McGuinness were Tyco Suzuki riders Alastair Seeley and Conor Cummins, plus Swan Yamaha’s Ian Hutchinson - three of the big favourites for honours this year.

An overhaul of the race programme this year includes the introduction of racing for the first time on the Thursday evening of race week, May 17, with a Superstock and SuperTwins race following the daytime practice session.

A five-race programme will take centre stage on race day, with two Superbike and Supersport races and a second Superstock event, each scheduled for six laps of the 8.9-mile public roads circuit.

The North West suffered a hammer blow last year when a series of setbacks including a hoax bomb alert, poor weather and an oil spill saw the event abandoned with only one Supersport race held.

And Mervyn Whyte, the technical director at the NW200 200, is determined to make amends for the disappointment of the 2011 meeting.

“Suffice to say 2011 was a difficult and frustrating year for organisers, sponsors, riders and spectators alike.

“However, we are looking forward to the 2012 North West 200 and are doing everything in our power to make it exceptional for all the right reasons.”

Practice will take place on Tuesday, May 15 and Thursday, May 17 from 9.30am to 2.30pm.

Roads will close again at 5.30pm on Thursday evening for the SuperTwins and Superstock races, re-opening at 9pm.

The main action will be held on race day, Saturday, May 19, with a five-race programme on the cards.]]> Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:20:54 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35018-stars-launch-2012-north-west-200/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/34988-interview-on-bbc-scotland%e2%80%99s-book-cafe-about-the-radical-seditious-robert-burns/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=drRLJY0JjUg

Interview on BBC Scotland’s Book Cafe about the radical seditious Robert Burns
http://robertburnsnotinmyname.com/
Posted on August 22, 2011

Also.. another review .. this time in tonight’s Edinburgh Evening News. A 4 star review too.

Robert Burns: Not In My Name, National Library, George IV Bridge ****
By Barry Gordon
TO SOME, retelling the “dangerous” works that Robert Burns wouldn’t put his name to may seem like yet another in a long line of pieces inspired by Scotland’s national poet. They’d be wrong.

Kevin Williamson’s passionate and moving interpretation reveals a side of Burns rarely seen – the risqué poems, subversive lines and incriminating, unfinished pieces that discuss sex, war and politics in graphic detail. Some of these poems were found on the backs of money notes, hidden away on friends’ farms, or inscribed on pub windows.

Williamson pronounces every word as though he’s reliving every tale. Come the end, the founder of legendary literary imprint Rebel Inc points to Burns’ name on the back of his shirt in a fashion more commonly associated with a footballer having scored a crucial goal. It’s an emotionally uplifting sight.

Run ends 28 August


--

“(Its) a thrill to hear one of Scotland’s contemporary radical poets – Kevin Williamson, founder of the Rebel Inc imprint – giving us his own performance, from memory, of some of Burns’s most radical poetry, accompanied by beautiful short video films by Alistair Cook… As a reminder of the sweet, soaring spirit of Burns, though – and of how fiercely his yearning for political and sexual freedom connects with the continuing battles of our time – the show is intensely moving; and well worth seeing, for any radical spirits who ever imagined that Burns was a poet of the establishment, with nothing to say to them.”

Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman

“Verdict on Robert Burns: not in my name? A first class, glorious assault on all the senses. Highly recommended! **** “

Kate Higgins, A Burdz Eye View

“5/5 Inspiring, provocative and thoughtful, Robert Burns’ radical lyricism is artfully contextualised alongside stunning and visually hypnotic multimedia. A backdrop of contemporary images, taken from the last hundred years, illuminates Burns’ later poems, endowing them with modern day gravitas. Insightful parallels are drawn between Burns’ revolutionary lines and events such as The Nuremburg Rally, the Iraq War, and the recent News Of The World phone-hacking scandal. Short film interludes act like fragmentary glimpses of memory, enabling a kind of Burns-eye view. Kevin Williamson’s earthy and expressive readings invigorate and stir, and even those less familiar with Robert Burns easily lose themselves in the rich, lilting rhythm and characteristic vernacular. An intensely beautiful, expertly assembled and thought-provoking experience in Scottish poetry.”

Jessica Balance, Three Weeks

“Kevin Williamson seemed to relish having all those fucks resonating around the National Library of Scotland… anyone who fancies hearing some seditious and up-them poetry, would do well to get along to this. The filmed material is also good, and Kevin Williamson provides a valuable background to his reading. A very stimulating hour indeed!“

Tony Challis, ScotsGay Magazine

“Greatly enjoyed Kevin Williamson’s Not In My Name, with superb films by Alastair Cook”

Colin Fraser, Anon Magazine

“Williamson’s Burns is stirring, lyrical, explicit, frequently hilarious and above all feels contemporary”

Darran Anderson, 3:AM Magazine

“.. very funny, but very dirty… broken up by dream-like video sequences placing the poems in context. It’s interesting, but perhaps one more suited to Burns aficionados looking to learn a little more about their subject rather than the mainstream.”

Kirstyn Smith, The List]]> Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:50:28 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/34988-interview-on-bbc-scotland%e2%80%99s-book-cafe-about-the-radical-seditious-robert-burns/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/34985-ni2012-campaign/ Watch this - @discoverNI ni2012 TV Advert 'Our Time, Our Place' youtu.be/KbctoBGog7I #tweetni #ni2012 #ourtimeourplace Please RT




Old foes predict a golden future in Northern Ireland even as the bombers strike
telegraph.co.ukCole MoretonJanuary 21st, 2012view original
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/northernireland/9030126/Old-foes-predict-a-golden-future-in-Northern-Ireland-even-as-the-bombers-strike.html


From left, Peter Robinson, First Minister, Christine Bleakley, a TV host, Martin McGuinness, and Arlene Foster, a minister, at St James's Palace
Among them was the Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, who had never been inside one of Her Majesty's royal palaces before.

The former IRA commander used to believe in the armed struggle against British rule, and is thought to have approved shootings and bombings, so his presence inside the Sovereign's official residence was a historic moment.

Mr McGuinness joked about having to dress up like a penguin for the glamorous black tie event, and sang the praises of his home town Londonderry – or Derry as nationalists call it.

Next year it will become the first UK City of Culture, and the proud Sinn Fein member joked that it would earn yet another name: "Legend-Derry." There were smiles – but then the bombs went off.

Barely a day after the party, Londonderry was shaken by two explosions. The first went off at 7.44pm on Thursday night outside the tourist office on Foyle Street. The second was four minutes later, near the council offices on Strand Road.

They were only small bombs, probably carried in rucksacks, and there were no casualties because the police had been given a telephone warning and time to clear the area.

But this was a lucky escape, said Chief Superintendent Stephen Martin, head of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in the city. "Thankfully we are not dealing with mass casualties or worse.

"The reckless acts of those who planted these devices stand in stark contrast to those of the brave officers who entered these areas to evacuate local residents and businesses."

Yesterday, workmen were working to clear up the broken glass and put new doors on the tourist office, where a sign urged citizens to "register support" for the City of Culture.

Even before it takes on that status, Londonderry will be part of a major campaign to attract visitors to Ulster, with an unprecedented series of high-profile events under the banner NI2012.

This is what Van the Man, Eamonn Holmes and Christine Bleakley were launching at the palace on Wednesday along with McGuinness.

In the shipyards of Belfast where the Titanic was built 100 years ago, a new £97 million visitor centre will open at the end of March. Festivals, plays, concerts and BBC proms will follow.

In June, Londonderry will host the first of a nationwide series of cultural events to mark the Olympics.

The Peace One Day concert with the band Massive Attack will take place in the reclaimed former army base at Ebrington Barracks, at the eastern end of the city's most modern attraction: the beautiful Peace Bridge, which snakes across the River Foyle.

Opened last summer for £13 million from the EU, it links the east bank of the Foyle, where the population has historically been Protestant, with the west bank, where it has mainly been Catholic.

Amy McDaid, an 18-year-old student, was walking across into the city on her way to her Saturday job.

"This is a happy place, at least for me," she said.

"The teachers were complaining away about what happened with the bombs, saying the traffic was awful so it was hard for them to get to school, but half the people I know don't pay it any attention at all."

What did she think the bombers were hoping to achieve? "I really don't know."

The heartland of Republicanism in the city is the Bogside, where a huge sign says, "You are now entering Free Derry."

The local museum offers walking tours of the huge murals on the sides of the houses, one of which is a reminder that this is the place where Bloody Sunday happened 40 years ago next week.

British soldiers opened fire on a civil rights march, leading to the death of 14 people. Last year's long-awaited Savile Report slammed the conduct of the soldiers that day, and the Prime Minister apologised in the House of Commons.

But even here, where memories and emotions are strong, there is a desire to move on. This year, for the first time, there will be no collective march to mark the anniversary.

There will be a lecture, a remembrance Mass and a ceremony at the Bloody Sunday monument on Rossville Street, and some relatives may walk the route, but more than 100 others have signed a letter declaring that a march is no longer fitting, because "the time for protest has passed".

That message has failed to get through to the sort of people who continue to set off home-made bombs. But who are they and what do they want?

"There's no doubt the principal line of inquiry will be one of the republican groups – probably either the Real IRA or Oglaigh na hEireann [Soldiers of Ireland]," said Chief Sup Martin.

"I would be surprised if it wasn't one of those."

MI5 says there has been "an ongoing rise in the activity and ambitions" of dissident Republican groups in recent years and they now have about 700 members.

It says the level of threat in Northern Ireland is "severe" – meaning a terrorist attack is highly likely. That's more serious than the threat from al Qa'ida and other terrorist groups in Britain as a whole, which is rated "substantial".

Jonathan Evans, Director General of the Security Service, says the difference between the various groups is "based on marginal distinctions and personal rivalries".

Their weapons of choice are guns and explosive devices, although these tend to be crude because of a lack of expertise and supplies.

They are beyond the control of the old-style IRA and dismissive of the calls of Sinn Fein to join the democratic process. To them, Martin McGuinness is a traitor. They have no obvious political aims and no support from any major party.

Martina Anderson, who represents the Foyle area for Sinn Fein, said after the attacks: "Once more we have seen the mindless actions of organisations that command minuscule support disrupting citizens' lives.

"There is no rational argument for armed actions in the political climate that now exists."

Some are old-timers hanging on to an exhausted ideology, but many senior figures have been arrested and sent to prison in recent years.

Their place has been taken by younger recruits, many of whom have no memory of life during the Troubles.

They believe the romantic stories of an armed struggle for a free Ireland, and their disaffection is fuelled by unemployment and economic hard times.

Londonderry is the second largest city in Northern Ireland but in terms of glamour it lags far behind Belfast, which has a flourishing café and arts culture, a multicultural student population, thriving film studios in the old dockyards and a host of impressive new buildings.

In Belfast they have repackaged sectarianism as authentic local culture for the tourists: the 12th of July Protestant marches, for example, have been rebranded as Orangefest and attract crowds from overseas.

By contrast, any tourists who turned up for the Apprentice Boys march in Londonderry in August will have had to be careful not to get caught up in a riot. A woman and daughter were dragged from their car, which was hijacked and set alight.

Away from the tourists and their money, across Northern Ireland there continues to be a low but frustrating level of trouble including punishment beatings and shootings. Buses get hijacked. Small bombs are let off.

Last year the centre of Londonderry was evacuated several times.

The City of Culture offices were targeted twice in 2011 by what the police chief called "improvised, clandestinely made devices are made in garages or barns by people with limited engineering experience".

After the latest attacks, Chief Sup Martin said: "I can't understand their logic or what they hope they can contribute.

"They appear to be cavalier in terms of the risk they are prepared to take. They will have scurried off and got themselves safe before making their phone call.

"They'll have left the bombs inside bags, and you could have had inquisitive young people, people walking theirs dogs or stopping for a chat, cut to pieces, with bombs going off prematurely."

Asked about plans to increase security for the City of Culture, he said: "I don't think it would be in any of our interests if we throw a ring of steel around this city for 2013. I don't think there's anything cultural about that."

This time the bombers managed to make a small hole and a scorch mark on the wall of a dental surgery near the council offices, and blow in the doors of the tourist centre.

There was nobody in at the time, said Odhran Dunne, the visitor services manager.

"We've set up a temporary desk at the Tower Museum, the lads here are putting new doors on and we'll be open again on Monday morning. It has only caused minor disruption.

"This is the off season anyway, so it's much quieter. What they did is more annoying than anything."

The day after the Londonderry bombs, Brian Shivers, 46, from Magherafelt in County Londonderry was sent to prison for life for the killing of Sappers Patrick Azimkar and Mark Quinsey and the attempted murder of six others in March 2009.

The soldiers were shot at close range as they collected pizzas outside the entrance of the army base in Massareene. They were the first members of the British security forces in Northern Ireland to die since 1998, the year the Good Friday peace agreement was signed.

Colin Duffy, 43, from Lurgan in County Armagh, known to be a dissident Republican, was acquitted and set free. The police said the hunt for the rest of the killers would go on.

Meanwhile, the best hope of peace continues to be prosperity. Hundreds of millions of pounds have been poured into Northern Ireland from Europe and America since 1998, and the visitors have begun to follow.

Tourism was up across the whole of Northern Ireland by 11 per cent in the first half of last year, bringing an estimated £165 million into the province.

Londonderry is desperate to share in the growth experienced by Belfast, and has every chance of doing so over the next year or two, provided the wonderful events and performances that are due to happen there are not disrupted.

"Derry has so much to look forward to in the next couple of years, yet some people seem set on causing mayhem and as much disruption as possible," said Martin McGuinness.

"Theirs is an agenda of the past; our is of the future."

After he spoke at the party in the palace on Wednesday night, Van Morrison had got up and sang, "From the dark and lonely street to the bright side of the road".

There are still some who would drag Northern Ireland back into the dark. But the message from politicians and people on all sides is that there are far more who are enjoying the sunshine, and are determined to stay there.]]> Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:34:32 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/34985-ni2012-campaign/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/34976-scots-vote-tam-oshanter-favourite-robert-burns-poem/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-16671321
bbc.co.ukJanuary 22nd, 2012view original

A mural depicting the tale of Tam O'Shanter was unveiled last November
Tam O'Shanter has been voted the nation's favourite Robert Burns work in a poll carried out ahead of the annual celebrations in honour of the Bard.

The YouGov survey was conducted as part of the Year of Creative Scotland 2012.

More than 1,000 Scots were asked to select their favourite poem for Burns Night from a list of options.

Almost a quarter (23%) chose the tale of a man who stays too long at a pub and witnesses a disturbing vision of witches and warlocks.

A Man's A Man for A' That came second, with 17% of respondents rating the poem - famous for its liberal ideas of society in the 19th Century - as their number one choice.

In a close third place was the Address to a Haggis, which 16% of Scots selected as their favourite.

Cultural icon
Speaking ahead of this year's Burns Night celebrations on Wednesday, Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: "Robert Burns is Scotland's greatest cultural icon, recognised and celebrated all around the world.

"The results from this poll show that our national Bard still holds a special place in the nation's heart.

"The favourite, Tam O'Shanter, is considered by many as one of the best examples of narrative poem."

Ms Hyslop said her personal favourite was Mary Morrison as it was the poem she read during her final year at Alloway Primary School to win the Burns Recital Prize.


Events will be held across Scotland to celebrate Burns Night on 25 January
She added: "That was a great honour and to this day I still find the poem very moving."

Scotland's Makar Liz Lochhead chose To a Mouse as her favourite Burns poem, describing it as her "best and dearest".

Traditional Burns suppers are taking place across the country this week to honour the Bard, including at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Ayrshire and the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh.

The 2012 Big Burns Supper festival will also see events held at venues across Dumfries.

In November a new mural, created by Edinburgh-based artist Chris Rutterford, depicting the tale of Tam O'Shanter, went on display at the Burns Museum in Ayrshire.]]> Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:55:49 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/34976-scots-vote-tam-oshanter-favourite-robert-burns-poem/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/34974-brian-cox-blasts-male-only-burn%e2%80%99s-clubs/ http://deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/01/23/bri%E2%%A6
deadlinenews.co.ukNiamh AndersonJanuary 23rd, 2012view original

Brian Cox said it was "sad" that some Burns clubs refused to admit women
Photo by: Picture by gdcgraphics
HOLLYWOOD actor Brian Cox has lashed out at male-only Robert Burns clubs, blasting the ban on women as “prejudicial idiocy.”

The 65-year-old Scot said that Burns himself would be turning in his grave to see that societies dedicated to the national bard are still refusing to let women join.

In the run up to this year’s Burns Night celebrations, two major societies in Scotland have said their forthcoming dinners will be once again strictly male only.

The clubs in New Cumnock in Ayrshire and Montrose in Angus refuse to make the change in their men-only Rabbie Burns Societies.

But Cox, a fan of Burns and campaigner for equal rights for women, said Burns “must be performing back flips in his mausoleum, at the sheer prejudicial idiocy of these individuals.”

And the Hollywood star is not the only one who thinks the men-only rule should be abolished.

Karen Scott, a Burns enthusiast, living in Montrose, said she is saddened some organisations continue to exclude women from Burns Night suppers.

Ms Scott has been pushing for women to be included in the suppers over the last decade.

She said: “It’s so sad that things haven’t moved on after all these years.

“It is wrong that I have a local club but I will have to travel to find one that will accept women.

Traditions

“I have spoken at Burns suppers in schools where both boys and girls take part but in some areas, if the girls want to continue being active in them after they leave school, they are hit with this.”

Equality laws do allow for single-sex clubs but only in some circumstances.


Burns suppers are held across the globe on January 25, the Bard's birthday
As stated in the Equality Act 2010, all groups except for political parties may restrict access of their members and guests to people who share the same protected characteristics as the members of the association.

But Chris Rollie, a Burns Historian and former president of the New Cumnock club, defended the men-only policy.

He said: “New Cumnock has a function, the Burns Supper, which is for males. It’s a question of freedom really, if the committee decide to continue with the traditions of the club in that way, then who’s to stop them?

“It’s not as if there’s been a huge clamour of females wishing to attend, it’s just that it would change the character of the supper.

“In a free world we have the right to meet as a group of men and that’s what we do.

Meanwhile, Montrose Burns Club president Graeme Newton said the issue of women attending one of their suppers was rarely raised, if at all.]]> Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:50:22 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/34974-brian-cox-blasts-male-only-burn%e2%80%99s-clubs/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/34873-north-antrim-bands-forum-created/ http://www.ulsterbands.co.uk/north-antrim-bands-forum-created/
Posted by admin on 20 Jan 2012 in News | 0 comments

On Thursday 1st December a number of band members from North Antrim came together to discuss the needs of marching bands in the area and the possibility of setting up a bands forum.

The following bands had representatives in attendance. POTP Armoy, Ballymaconnelly SOC, Crown Defenders Cloughmills, Eden Acc, Dunloy Acc, Dunaghy FB and Bushside FB
Those in attendance received a presentation from Valerie Quinn, Chairperson of the Confederation of Ulster Bands (CUB) on the present situation regarding bands and band forums throughout NI. She explained that there now exists 16 local band forums under CUB and each have two representatives feeding in.
Attendees then undertook a SWOT analysis of the marching bands situation in North Antrim.

Next Steps
In principle it was agreed that the formation of a bands forum in North Antrim would be positive and should be further discussed among other local bands.
Therefore a position paper has been produced and is being circulated to all are catchment bands. Once recieved if you could take it to your band for discussion preferably prior to the next meeting which will be held on Thursday 2nd February 2012 at 7.30pm in the Imperial Bar, Main Street, Ballymoney.
If your band is unable to meet prior to the next meeting please ensure you have at least one representative there.
Also forward an email to iainmcafee@hotmail.com to receive further information.]]> Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:07:33 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/34873-north-antrim-bands-forum-created/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/34867-the-loss-of-the-scots-language-would-be-a-cultural-catastrophe/ http://www.scottishreview.net/MichaelHance216.shtml

Michael Hance

I have a confession to make. Once many years ago I tried on a tweed jaiket – in a charity shop in Edinburgh. I'd read that tweed was now fashionable, looked good and I imagined that because it was made in Scotland and infused with the colours of our native land it would enhance my sandy hair and freckled, peely-wally, complexion. It didn't. In fact I looked like a wee skinny malink in his dad's oot o date auld suit.

That's the nearest I ever got to David McVey's stereotype (8 December) of a Scots language guardian since I am not only a disdainer of tweed but an inhabitant not of Corstorphine or Bearsden but a small ex-mining town in West Lothian.

Mr McVey's bitterness towards those he attempts to satirise arises it seems from the suggestion that his poetry wasn't good enough for publication in a Scots language magazine. Now, on that subject, I cannot comment. I have no qualifications as a literary critic and have never worked for the magazine to which he submitted his work. But I do know that one ought not to make assumptions about an entire community based on a brief connection with one individual associated with it.

But the facts, as the old saying goes, should never get in the way of a good story. Mr McVey suggests that Scots language 'guardians' are opposed to the use of contemporary language but cites no evidence to back up that position. In fact at the Scots Language Centre, the organisation of which I am the director, we seek to represent the widest possible range of Scots registers, dialects and forms. Indeed our critics have suggested that we over-emphasise modern Scots. If he visits our website or our group on facebook he'll find plenty of variety and along with the 'uncos' and 'aiblins' he so dislikes he'll read and hear examples of the language used by hundreds of thousands of people in streets, homes, shops and pubs throughout the country.

He might enjoy 'Bedroom Radio', the touching documentary from Glasgow-based film makers, Autonomi, which follows the lives of Paisley couple, Gary and Yvonne, who run a pirate radio station from their cooncil flat, or clips from 'One Day Removals', the raucous story of robbery in modern Doric from Aberdonian producer, Mark Stirton. It's not that we're against preserving – and celebrating – older Scots but we understand fully that to promote pride in the language and to encourage understanding of its history and cultural significance we need to present it in all its lively and creative modern forms.

Mr McVey's antipathy to those who use lexical items which have become less common in recent times glosses over serious questions about language loss and language shift. As a boy I heard many words like, for example, 'ilka' which have now become rare. But this is not as Mr McVey suggests the result of a natural process. Language shift has occurred because efforts have been made to change the way people speak.

That Scots and its many dialects have survived against all the odds is a triumph of small over large, right over might and local over global. Surely
we should celebrate the language where it survives.

Anyone can search the internet to find heartbreaking examples of Scots-speaking youngsters encountering linguistic prejudice and ridicule at school. Studies of attitudes towards Scots by Austrian linguist, Dr John Unger, reveal that Scots-speaking children were subjected to physical and psychological abuse by teachers who sought to stamp out the language. And just because this process of linguicide is no longer carried out with the aid of a leather strap does not mean it is a thing of the past as Polish academic, Wojtek Gardela, discovered when he recently researched attitudes to language in schools in Midlothian. So if some thoughtful souls are over-zealous in their attempts to redress this situation then surely we cannot do anything but sympathise with their efforts.

The claim that a language which requires support is a language that is beyond saving is one which is often made but rarely critically examined. The argument fails to take into account the support which 'national' languages like English receive at the taxpayers' expense through broadcasting, education and the various institutions of the state. It is precisely because Scots does not and did not receive these indirect forms of support that it is being lost at such speed. To stand by and sneer while this cultural catastrophe continues is not in my view a reasonable response.

I wish David McVey had visited our website – he might have discovered a Scots language world in which he would have felt very comfortable since it is an inclusive and affirming space where in podcasts, blogs and videos the speech forms of ordinary Scots can be heard and enjoyed alongside readings from literary classics like the W L Lorimer translation of the New Testament. He would also be pleased to hear our positive views about Glasgow dialect, the form of speech towards which Scots language 'guardians' are alleged to have a particular hostility. Glesga Physics, the marvellous videos created by Paul Greer, an innovative young teacher from Clydebank, to help students revise for their Higher exams is just one example of the range of Glasgow dialect focussed resources that we promote. The tweed-jaiketed, 'big man' denizens of Corstorphine are entirely absent and one wonders if they were ever anything but a figment of Mr McVey's imagination.

We all have tastes, likes and dislikes but are there many things more depressing than someone who wears his prejudices like a badge of pride? It is not an act of cultural radicalism to seethe inwardly at another person's use of their local dialect. Speakers of Scots are guardians of a centuries-old language and culture. For far too long they have been told to shut up and 'speak properly'. That Scots and its many dialects have survived against all the odds is a triumph of small over large, right over might and local over global. Surely we should celebrate the language where it survives, encourage experimentation and expression in it, and rejoice when we hear it.

Michael Hance is director of the Scots Language Centre

--------------


http://www.scottishreview.net/DavidMcVey206.shtml

To the Doric speaker, I wanted to shout: 'Gonnae speak English, hen?'
David McVey

I've tried to be concerned about the Scots language. I really have. Years ago I read a fine book by Billy Kay and tried to start doing some writing in what I understood to be 'Scots'. I'd produced a story narrated by a working class student from Glasgow and it didn’t work in standard English so I tried redrafting it in the daily speech I'd known since I was a boy in Kirkintilloch. As a story, it probably wasn’t very good. Here's a taste:

I did come fae a fairly drab workn class hame; ma daein the dinner an the washin an da workn, comin hame an readin the Record until his tea wis ready – ye'll know the kinna thing a mean.

I submitted it to a magazine that specialised in Scots and received probably the sniffiest rejection letter I've ever received – and I've received a lot. The one thing they didn't say was that the story was rubbish, actually an evaluation I'm always prepared to accept. No; the problem was that the language I had used wasn’t really Scots. The vocabulary was English with a Glaswegian accent. And Glasgow speech was, after all, debased by influences from the Irish diaspora.

And I suppose, fatally, I hadn't used words like 'aiblins' and 'unco' and 'anent', thus making my language not genuinely Scots. Perhaps I should have signed my Christian name as 'Dauvit'. In any case, I decided to give up writing in Scots. Well, not quite. My local council used to run literary competitions every year, one of them for a poem in Scots. So I wrote a poem that I called 'The Guardians o Lallans; My Last Scots Poem' (as it happens it was also my first). It began:

The Guardians o Lallans are humourless and dour,
Ower the language o Scots they hae aa the power,
They hae goatee beards an aye wear tweeds...

I also somewhat cheekily laid into the kind of individuals who (in my experience) tended to win Scots poetry competitions. And I had a go at the commissars of literary Scots:
'The language of Glasgow is debased and vile,
Tainted with influences from the Emerald Isle.'
Funny: when it's their ain hooses they're in,
They speak the English o Kelvinside or Corstorphine.

I know, I know, cheap, nasty and not very good. But I was annoyed and angry. Even so, I did make one cogent point: how that odd word 'Lallans' sounds like the name of an accountant's bungalow in Bearsden. I came third. Out of four. And had to sit, watching, as the tweed-jaiketed winner strode to the front and smugly read out his aiblins-spattered entry. So by now I had the clear picture; Scots was the everyday language of ordinary Scottish people. It had been denied us in our culture, in our churches, in our schools, in the media and even in our literature. But if you tried to write in it, men – always men – with glasses and beards and tweed jaikets would tell you that you weren’t Scots enough.
Not so terribly long ago I was at a conference (on the subject of adult literacy) and at lunch the conversation turned to the Scots language. I remarked, in a mild and understated way, upon my experiences with the Lallans commissars. One man turned suddenly to me (and I jerked back because he was a big fella) and exploded, 'The language of the Scots people was stolen from them in a campaign of systematic cultural oppression!'. And, yes, he actually spoke like that. He ranted on in similar vein for quite some time. At the end I said, in emollient terms, 'More tea?'. They should send me to the Middle East.

Seemingly alone in the UK, working-class Scottish youngsters are resisting language influences from the USA and helping to shape their own spoken language's future. That's Scots.

One interesting thing he said was that the guardians of the Scots Language Dictionary were now beginning to include Glasgow words and phrases in their tome. This struck me as nice of them, even if it had taken them quite a while to include us in their exclusive, goateed club, and I said so. I soon wished I hadn't. I was at another meeting, more recently, when it was pointed out that the Scottish Government was now placing Scots language input in the school curriculum. This was warmly welcomed from the floor by a woman who spoke in the heaviest and (it sounded to me) most affected Aberdonian Doric; I struggled to follow her and was sorely tempted to shout out 'Gonnae speak English, hen?'.
It's a strength and a blessing in Scotland that we have such a variety of spoken language, whether you corral any of it as 'Scots' or not. But I struggle to see any connection between the peculiar extra-terrestrial inflexions and pronunciations of Aberdonian Doric and the language that I grew up with. Are they both Scots? Are either of them? Is Doric purest Scots, while Glaswegian is some kind of mixed-race lower-caste pidgin?

The problem with any language is that once you have to start protecting it, it's effectively dead already. Probably half of Scotland's Gaelic-speaking population now work in television and are broadcasting to the other half; it won't save Gaelic as a modern language. Nor will the Guardians o Lallans save any mass synthetic Scots linguistic entity. Lallans will never be used in academic discourse, in publicity copy (even the Scots Language Society's homepage is in English, I notice), in the media or for technical purposes.
Yet Scots will survive on the streets, on buses, on the football terraces and in the pubs. Users of so-called 'ned' language have, on their own (with, perhaps, a little help from 'Chewin' the Fat'), evolved a uniquely Scottish vocabulary and style: 'You're a pure total wideo, man!'. By contrast, middle-class Scots teenagers speak a mildly Scottish-accented English whose cadences and phraseology are traceable from transatlantic influences such as 'Friends': 'Like, I'm so not ready for this exam, Fiona'. Equally, in England, youth language is evolving with Friends elements in some circles and hip-hop cadences in others: 'You so is not respectin mi'.

Seemingly alone in the UK, working-class Scottish youngsters are resisting language influences from the USA and helping to shape their own spoken language's future. That's Scots.
You can't channel or dictate the evolution of language. In literature, Scottish writers will continue to reflect Scottish speech and language in ways of their own choosing. They should be free to do so. It's better to trust our writers than to try to prescribe the language they ought to use.

I'll certainly continue to write the way I want to, mostly in English but also reflecting the West of Scotland speech I grew up with. If this annoys the Scots purists, I won't lose any sleep over it.

David McVey is a writer and lecturer who worked for many years at the then University of Paisley. He writes both short stories and non-fiction]]> Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:08:08 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/34867-the-loss-of-the-scots-language-would-be-a-cultural-catastrophe/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/33016-belfast-braced-for-world-piping-decision/ http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/city_braced_for_piping_decision_1_3302528
ON SCREEN. Field Marshal Montgomery perform at the World Pipe Band Championships in Scotland as the camera closes in on Pipe Major Richard Parkes MBE.BM34-9021F.

Published on Friday 2 December 2011 08:30

BELFAST will discover this weekend if it has been successful in its bid to host the World Pipe Band Championships.

Senior officials from the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association (RSPBA) will decide tomorrow if Northern Ireland’s capital city or Glasgow will stage the large-scale event for three consecutive years from 2013.

It is estimated that if Belfast wins the RSPBA’s approval, the championships could generate in excess of £10 million for the local economy.

As many as 50,000 competitors and spectators would be expected to congregate in the city for the annual event, which is traditionally held in mid-August.

Such an economic boost for the province from 2013 would come as Belfast plays host to the World Police and Fire Games in the same year and follows on from last month’s hugely successful MTV Europe Music Awards.

As well as the Titanic centenary next year, the city will also welcome the return of the Tall Ships in 2015.

Belfast last hosted the event in 1962 and failed three years ago in its most recent bid.

City venues thought to be in the running to host the championships include Stormont, Ormeau Park and Mallusk playing fields.

Pipe major Mark Rodgers, from the Co Down-based Upper Crossgare Pipe Band, said hosting the event in Northern Ireland would serve as suitable recognition for the continued success of local bands on the world stage.]]> Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:34:37 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/33016-belfast-braced-for-world-piping-decision/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/33007-big-guns-on-way-to-bike-festival/ http://www.newsletter.co.uk/sport/motorcycling/big_guns_on_way_to_bike_festival_1_3297116
PACEMAKER BELFAST 13/08/11: John McGuinness on his TT Legends Honda leads Cameron Donald (Craig Honda) during the first Superbike race at Dawsons Corner during the 2011 Ulster Grand Prix PHOTO SIMON PATTERSON

Published on Wednesday 30 November 2011 22:56

Road race rivals John McGuinness and Ian Hutchinson look set to enter into some verbal sparring early next year in Belfast.

The occasion is the annual Adelaide Motorcycle Festival which runs for three days starting on Friday, 10 February at the King’s Hall complex.

“Chat-shows are now an integral part of the Festival,” said organiser Billy Nutt on behalf of Nutt Promotions. “We are fortunate in securing such high profile names as McGuinness and Hutchinson.”

“We are currently in negotiations with other celebrities.”

Affectionately dubbed the Morecambe Missile, 39-year-old McGuinness was previously a brick layer but his speciality now is the Isle of Man TT where he has notched-up 17 wins.

A former 250 cc British champion, Supermac is expected to ride Hondas again in 2012.

So far as 32-year-old Hutchinson is concerned, he too is a TT specialist scoring an unprecedented five wins in one week in 2010.

But that particular season when he also had three Ulster Grand Prix wins ended in near tragedy for the Bingley Bullet who crashed on the opening lap of a Silverstone race where he was clipped by another machine and air-lifted to hospital.

During his period of recovery he had 16 operations and several skin grafts. His future as a road racer looked bleak.

But Hutchy has bounced back in style with a third place on his Swan-Yamaha at the recent Macau Grand Prix.

“So far as the exhibitors are concerned all the major manufacturers will be represented,” according to Nutt who is embarking on his 17th Show.

“We will have Honda, Yamaha, Triumph, KTM, Ducati and Harley Davidson,” added Nutt. “Several of the road race teams will be launched during the Show.”

“Clothing specialists Clinton Enterprises will no doubt attract a lot of interest along with the Auto-Jumble which continues to grow each year.”

“We want to build on our outside activities and that includes the Trialstar team which performs daring stunts verging on the impossible!”

“The 2011 Festival was hailed by exhibitors and visitors as the best motorcycle festival ever. Exhibitors reported doing brisk business and many visitors came back for a second day.”

“So far as next year is concerned, the response so far from local dealers has been very encouraging.”

“What with 15,000 through the doors last February this is an opportunity not to be missed by both dealers and the biking public.”

“In fact there will be something for everyone, it’s that sort of Festival with the widest possible appeal.”

Adelaide Insurance is back as the title sponsor for the eighth successive year which is in fact the third year of a three-year sponsorship deal.

Make a note of the Festival dates: Friday February 10, Saturday February 11 and Sunday February 12 - just the ideal build-up to St Valentine’s Day!

For further information contact Billy or Marty at Nutt Promotions on 028 7035 1199 or email billy@nutttravel.com or visit the promoters’ website www.nutttravel.com and click on Motorcycle Festival.

Meanwhile, Alistair Seeley’s future team for a Superbike ride still isn’t clear!

Earlier this week he tested with the Crescent Suzuki team at Portimao in Portugal which also attracted Eugene Laverty and his Aprilia team-mate Max Biaggi.

“Alistair is still under contract to us,” said the TAS Suzuki boss Hector Neill. “However, we did give him permission for him to deputise for the injured John Hopkins in Portugal.

“Alistair won the British Supersport championship for us this year and we would like to keep him on board

“I know that he has been speaking to other teams but it will probably be next week before we can announce a partner for Josh Brookes.”

Incidentally, Biaggi and Laverty were fourth and fifth fastest respectively after the first day of testing which was topped by Leon Haslam.]]> Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:36:10 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/33007-big-guns-on-way-to-bike-festival/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/32842-ulster-scots-play-returns-to-city-stage/ Ulster-Scots play returns to city stage

AN Ulster-Scots nativity play is to return to an east Belfast church next month due to popular demand.

And the Wile Wise Men Came - written by local actor Dan Gordon - will take to the stage at Westbourne Presbyterian Community Church following a successful run last year.

Aimed primarily at youngsters, the light-hearted production has also proved popular with accompanying adults.

The Ulster-Scots version of the familiar story encourages audience interaction.

Prebyterian minister the Rev Mervyn Gibson welcomed the return of the play ahead of Christmas.

He said: 'The 2010 production proved to be a wonderful event which all the children really enjoyed.

"It's great to have it back in the church. I would have no hesitation in recommending the show to one and all"

The play will take place on Tuesday, December 13 at 7pm.

Admission is by ticket, which are free and can be obtain]]> Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:45:23 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/32842-ulster-scots-play-returns-to-city-stage/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/32788-top-night-of-music-as-bands-play-ulster-hall/ http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/top_night_of_music_as_bands_play_ulster_hall_1_3281686


Flautist Jane Watterson will perform a solo in tribute to soldier Stephen McKee

Published on Friday 25 November 2011 08:39

THE Ulster Hall in Belfast will reverberate tonight to the sound of a selection of the province’s most distinguished marching bands.

Now in its third year, the popular News Letter/Ulster Bands Forum Festival of Marching Bands will showcase different genres of music, including flute, accordion and pipe at the landmark city venue.

A poignant chord will also be struck when a special musical tribute is played in honour of a Banbridge soldier tragically killed in Afghanistan earlier this year.

Local flautist Jane Watterson will perform a flute solo entitled The Sleeping Warrior in a tribute to Royal Irish Lance Corporal Stephen McKee.

In March, the Co Down soldier was taking part in an operation in Helmand province when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb.

Mr McKee had been a member of Downshire Guiding Star Flute who are performing at this year’s event. His brothers still play in the band.

Completing the line-up on the night will be Lisburn Young Defenders Flute; Gortagilly Coronation Flute, Moneymore; Brookeborough Flute, Fermanagh; Pride of the Maine Flute, Ballymena; Cavanaleck Pipe, Fivemiletown; Corbet Accordion, Banbridge and Omagh Protestant Boys Flute. This year’s schedule will also include performances from three local world champion drum majors who claimed their respective titles at the world pipe band championships in August.

Looking ahead to tonight’s concert, News Letter marching bands’ columnist Quincey Dougan said: “We are into the third year of the festival, and every year the interest right across the province is phenomenal.

“The mixture of different styles of marching music is, without doubt, the key ingredient in making for a very entertaining musical evening.

“The diverse line-up of styles and genres promises to deliver something for every fan of the marching band culture.”

Tickets for the event, which begins at 7.30pm, start from £17 and are still available by contacting the Ulster Hall on 028 9033 4455 or online at www.ulsterhall.co.uk.

Meanwhile, marching bands in Lisburn have produced an educational DVD in a bid to reach out to all sections of the community.

The special production — which will be launched next month in the city — has been described as “groundbreaking” by its contributors. Lisburn bands forum chairman Brian Higginson said band personnel hoped to change people’s views on the province-wide movement through “education”.

“This is something that has never been done before,” he said. “We wanted to show people our culture and what the marching bands’ scene is all about. This will reach out to the nationalist/republican community and dispel some myths. It will show them how bands are run in a true light.”

The DVD will be formally launched at the Laganview Centre on the Old Warren estate on December 8.]]> Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:44:45 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/32788-top-night-of-music-as-bands-play-ulster-hall/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/32728-belfast-in-national-geographic-top-10-destinations/ Belfast in National Geographic top 10 destinations
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-15872225
By Natasha Sayee
BBC Newsline

The National Geographic Traveller has voted Belfast one of of the top 10 places to visit in the world.

Belfast has been voted one of the world's top destinations for 2012 by an international travel magazine.

The National Geographic Traveller called the city a "treasure" with an "incredible atmosphere".

Next year is the centenary of the Titanic and Belfast City Council has just announced that the hugely popular Tall Ships will return in 2015.

Other locations on the magazine's must see list are Iceland, north Columbia, the Volcanoes of Virunga and Oman.

The Titanic Centenary Commemorations are the next high profile event in Belfast, due to start in just a few months time.

When the Tall Ships last came to Belfast in August 2009 they attracted an estimated 800,000 visitors in the four days of the festival.

The National Geographic Traveller's editor-in-chief, Keith Bellows, wrote of Belfast: "It was great, the food, the incredible atmosphere and don't take this wrong, in many ways it reminded me of Cuba, what it was like there seven or eight years ago.

Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote

I felt that this place was a treasure that had sort of been preserved, it hadn't been trampled on by the big foot of tourism and so I really loved its purity. ”

Keith Bellows
Traveller magazine
"I felt that this place was a treasure that had sort of been preserved, it hadn't been trampled on by the big foot of tourism and so I really loved its purity.

"You look at where the energy spots are in the world and this is Belfast's time."

Particular mention was given to the Belfast Bred walking tour, performed by Kabosh Theatre Company who took Mr Bellows on an ingredient hunt, tracing Northern Ireland's culinary heritage.

Michael Lavery is one of the actors involved in the tour, he plays the role of a resurrected chef of RMS Titanic.

"Its great for Belfast, to get mentioned by the National Geographic, its going to be an incredible year, there's lots to see, this is such a fantastic city," he said.

"I've learned so much by doing this, like the man who invented Milk of Magnesia came from Belfast. He lived in a wee house around the corner, so its great being able to point out things like that and see in people's faces the reaction, but the Titanic year is going to blow them away, its going to be huge for us."


Michael Lavery is one of the actors on the Belfast Bred walking tour.
The accolades don't end there. The Financial Times has listed Belfast as one of the 'Top 10 places in the world' to hold a conference or major event.

The FT says significant investment in Belfast's tourism, accommodation and transportation infrastructure secured the position as an international conference and events hub, putting us up there with Melbourne, London, Barcelona and Guadalajara.

Gerry Lennon is from Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau.

"This comes on the back of Trip Advisor saying Belfast is the best value UK city break and the Lonely Planet saying you had better get here before the rest of the world comes," he said.

"This means that our image and reputation as a city break has been transformed, which means we are in a very good position coming into 2012, to capitalise on this.

"Basically though, nobody wakes up and thinks we've got to go to Belfast. We have to exploit these accolades, we've got to get out there and market our city because we are an excellent destination, we're great value and now is the time to come to Belfast."]]> Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:47:44 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/32728-belfast-in-national-geographic-top-10-destinations/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/32720-londonderry-derry-city-of-culture-2013-ebrington-events-grants/ http://cityofculture2013.com/Get-Involved/be-part-of-it/Ebrington-Events-Grant.aspx
Londonderry-Derry City Of Culture 2013 - Ebrington Events Grants
23/11/2011

Ilex is seeking applications for grants to support the development of events/projects for Ebrington up to March 31st 2012.

This is a pilot scheme intended to support events/projects of varying scale and character that advance the use of Ebrington as shared space, in ways that add value to the city region. Events/projects may or may not be linked to other events being organised in the city.

Application forms and guidance notes are available via e-mail from Martin Fitzpatrick martin.fitzpatrick@ilex-urc.com or by telephone on 028 7126 9226.
Completed applications may be submitted anytime up to 12 noon on Friday 16th December 2011.]]> Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:57:24 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/32720-londonderry-derry-city-of-culture-2013-ebrington-events-grants/