Well at the weekend we had our first road trip.Over the hills to Aviemore to play at the big hotel complex there and support the re-enactors who were putting on a skirmish.
Scotland never fails to amaze ,the scenery as we drove over was breathtaking and none more so than at Corgarff castle.The castle has been restored and now stands a vivid white against the changing scenery all around.

http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/places/propertyresults/propertyabout.htm?PropID=PL_072&PropName=Corgarff%20Castle

The weekend was a great sucess with the band playing outside during the day and in the complex at night to a large crowd.
On the final day Brendan and Skirlie were  part of the Jacobite contingent taking on the red coats.And even with the pipes and guns going off we still able to  hear Ranjit urging the Jacobites on to finish off the red coats.
At the end the whole band took to the field for a final bow before heading back over the hills. 

Yesterday we missed an important Scottish Anniversary which our good MySpace friend DJ Frankie has reminded us of - The execution of Mary Queen of Scots at Fotheringay Castle in 1587. Frankie is currently writing a play about the injustice of her trial and execution. On his blog he writes:
'The anniversary of the execution of Mary Stuart, Mary Queen of Scots falls on Sunday 8th February.

She was executed for her faith in the Catholic Church and Jesus Christ on February 8th 1587.

She was forced to abdicate the crown of Scotland because she was a Roman Catholic and spent over 20 years in prison devoted to her faith and died with the crucifix of the Roman Catholic Faith in her hand.

She was denied a priest before her death and denied the Last Rites.
I propose that she should be recognized in Catholic Church Bulletins to commemorate a true martyr for the Catholic Faith unlike anyone of us will ever achieve in our lives and her sacrifice should be blessed by every Catholic.
Robert Burns wrote;'She died with a spirit truely Roman'

God bless,

Frank J Dougan
You can find out a lot more about Queen Mary and her place in Scotland's history at http://www.marie-stuart.co.uk/ or visit DJ Frankie's MySpace page to keep up to date on his progress with the play.
Your brothers aye,
The TRybe
 
 ..

A couple of things I forgot to mention in our previous blog. One is the Rotten Tomatoes webpage http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/vine/journal_view.php?journalid=100004715
This is the site Rose and Lady Alexandria ( www.myspace.com/ladyalexandria7) set up to promote the idea of Gerard Butler as Robert Burns. Why not drop by, say hello and thank these two friends who have done much to bring fans of Robert Burns together worldwide

Calling all pipers and lovers of bagpipes, a good friend of ours, Adam, has just set up a webspace http://pipingfraternity. ning. com/ dedicated to all aspects of the piping world. It is early days yet, but we have great hopes for it as a site where pipers can gather, blether, share tunes over a virtual dram. If you have any interest in piping, head over there, sign up and enjoy the craic.
The other big news in the Pictish Nation is that there is about to be a new film made about the life of Scotland's, if not the world's, greatest poet - Robert Burns.
Category: Burns News
Article Date: January 24, 2009 | Publication: Times Online (UK) | Author:
Stuart MacDonald
Source: Time Online (UK) Posted by: admin ShareThis

The long-awaited film based on the life of Scotland’s favourite son is to start filming this year

A biopic of Robert Burns, starring the Scots actor Gerard Butler, will begin shooting in Scotland this year.

The £5m production, which has been beset with financial difficulties, will begin filming following the launch of a government-backed campaign to raise funding.

Glasgow-born Butler, 39, has starred in blockbusters including The Phantom of the Opera and 300. The script has been written by Greenock-born Alan Sharp, who penned Rob Roy, the 1995 blockbuster starring Liam Neeson.

The film, which will be directed by Vadim Jean, a French film-maker, and produced by James Cosmo, a Scots actor, will be shot on location in Edinburgh and Burns’s native Ayrshire.

Most of the budget, which includes investment from Scottish Screen, is already in place. The remainder will be raised by signing up 250 "subscribers" to the project.

Each will commit a sum to the project in the same way that investors backed the publication in 1786 of the famous Kilmarnock Edition of Burns’s poetry.
The success of the collection convinced Burns to stay in Scotland rather than emigrate to Jamaica, as he had planned.

Alex Salmond, the first minister, will host a dinner at Edinburgh Castle in May to help raise funds.

The film, titled Burns, will be the first big-screen biopic of the poet since the 1930s. It will focus on his love affairs with his wife Jean Armour and Agnes McLehose, also known as Clarinda, an Edinburgh society hostess.

"Robert Burns is rightly regarded as Scotland’s favourite son," said Salmond.

"It would be great for Scotland if Burns could be immortalised in modern film, particularly as we mark the 250th anniversary of his birth this year and celebrate his genius through Scotland’s Year of Homecoming."
Our friend Rose has done some great work supporting this project over the last two years and she sent me this press release. If you see any mention of it in the media can you send a copy to Rose at www.myspace.com/ladyroseleclublair  
Your brothers aye,
The Trybe
 

The only place to be at Hogmanay is Stonehaven.

It has the party in the square which dovetails nicely with the famous fireballs ceremony.

We went on at about 9.30 pm and that gave us plenty of time to take in the ancient fireball ceremony .This takes place in the high street  and the crowd were about 10 deep in places.The fire balls are swung over the heads of the swingers and they eventually end up getting thrown in the harbour at the bottom of the street.

Below is a link to the website.There is even a web cam so you never know you could see some of the band making their way down to the harbour for a pint.

 

http://www.stonehavenfireballs.co.uk/

After this we were back on the big stage in the square .The place was bouncing and the crowds really got into it as Skirlie blasted out the jigs and reels and the drummers kept the beat going.

So well done to all involved in the organising of this event they all deserve a pat on the back,so forget Edinburgh ,Stoney is the tops. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61R6IPTR2T4

Share a few moments with the band during their New Year Show at Stonehaven's Fireballs.

We travelled down to Cambusbarron just outside Stirling last night to help support the cause of the local residents in their battle to save an ancient piece of Scottish history.

The hill is under threat from quarrying,once its gone its gone and a hole in the ground won't have the same impact when Scots in future years are told this is where The Mighty Bruce held his "sma folk" prior to and during the Battle of Bannockburn,well until they got fed up waiting and dived into the battle themselves.

It is causes like this by what is in effect the "sma folk" against the relentless surge of big business that make me proud to be a  Scot.And the multi millionaires of the quarrying companies will I am sure meet their match at Gillies hill in much the same way as a bigger bully met his match in the area almost 700 years ago.

We had a great night last and would like to thank all who attended and in particular those involved in setting the whole thing up. 

Go and have a look at their web site and support this good cause.

http://www.savegillieshill.org.uk/

AYE THE TRYBE

 

Well we are quickly running out of Summer.We had a weekend down at Arbroath at the Seafest Festival.

This is a huge event attracting thousands of people to the historical town of Arbroath.This year for company we had a group of Viking re enactors complete with a couple of longships which had travelled over from Ireland.on the car ferry ????

Turned into a great weekend and it was brilliant to see a Viking longship unfurling its sail and heading onto Arbroath beach though it did look a bit dangerous for a minute to such an extent that the lifeboat was launched.

We played a few sets at various locations and on the main stage.As some of you will know we have a great wee tune called "The broken sword".Its about a chief who had a favorite sword,passed down through his family and been through many battles however in one battle his beloved sword was broken.A pipe tune was then composed about it.As we were playing it the Vikings were doing battle below us.Imagine our surprise when one of the Vikings did indeed break their sword during the battle.I've taken part in quite a few re enactments and thats the first time I've seen a sword go and spooky during that particular tune.

We are already taking bookings for next year and the big news is that it looks like we will be heading over the Atlantic to Canada.As details are confirmed we will update the web site.

We still have a few events to go and we are already working on our next CD ,its non stop.

 

THE TRYBE

You may have noticed that Ed no longer dances on our profile?

He has decided to pursue a musical journey beyond the Pictish Nation. We've all really enjoyed having Ed in the band and couldn't have made 'Fire & Sword' the album it was without his contributions and ideas. He shared his vision and provided glimpes of other possibilities which pointed to a different road and a different journey.

Ed has now embarked on that journey, using live and sampled sound to create a new musical form which shares his love of traditional music and the excitement he finds in contemporary dance rhythms. He plans to put a band together and tour, so we will find our paths crossing at some future point.

Thank you Ed for walking with us, for all the fun, the inspiration and the legacy you have left to take root here in the Pictish Nation. If you'd like to follow Ed's adventures log into his MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/edboyter  I'm sure he'd love to hear from you.

 

Wednesday Wanderings and Fire and Sword- A Trybal Gathering

Wednesday, May 28

Published on: 30. 05. 2008 17:21:14