Cask Strength since 2006
Just a short update on yesterday’s post about the Mac Ìle CD with Fraser Shaw’s Islay tunes. Yesterday I wrote I couldn’t share any tunes, but I’ve since found out that the album is actually available online to listen to (to get you interested) and more importantly to buy. You can find it on Bandcamp:
While you can buy the download I would highly recommend buying the physical CD, Somhairle‘s artwork is as beautiful as the music.
As I’m writing this The Islay Sessioners will be playing some beautiful tunes at Bruichladdich Hall on Islay, for today is the Fraser Shaw Islay tunes CD launch I mentioned back in May. Sadly I can’t be there myself as my recent holiday didn’t last long enough, so I’m doing the next best thing, listening to the CD.
I picked up my copy from the Ardnahoe distillery shop in Islay House Square last week, it will also be available at Bruichladdich distillery and I assume at the Port Charlotte Hotel, a big supporter. Probably also other places on Islay. And if you can’t get to Islay to get your copy you can of course order it online from The Fraser Shaw Trust website.
I can’t share any tunes here, so for now the beautifully designed CD (artwork by Somhairle MacDonald) is all I can give you.
But of course the music is the most important part. Of course I’m not a music critic, my knowledge of music extends to ‘I love it’, ‘I like it’ and ‘No, thanks, that’s not for me’. This CD is firmly in the first category, I love it. My favourites are the Pipe Set (#5) and Cairn’s Set (#9), I’m going to quote Ciara MacTaggart from her review in The Ileach:
There is a pipe set on track 5 that is powerful and toe-tapping with harmonious piping riffs. The type of tunes that fill you with energy and tunes as a musician you want to learn immediately. Track 9 Cairn’s Set does something similar. It has the power to turn stressful worries into a positive, lifting your mood immediately. In fact, the entire album has this contagious air about it.
It should be obvious that I highly recommend it. A fantastic job by all the musicians and everyone else involved in this project. I had the pleasure to see many of them during the Islay Sessions over the last few years and hope to see and hear them again in November.
A late evening treat, a generous dram of the Laphroaig PX Cask Islay single malt whisky with some nice Scottish strawberries (unfortunately not of the Islay variety. Yes, that does exist.)
A bit of very old Islay tonight. There are a number of Iron Age hillforts on Islay, the filmmaker who also filmed the MV Hebridean Isles from the air created a nice drone video about two of them:
In a way they are easier to see from the air than from the ground I think. I also find it fascinating how much of them remains after such a long time.
Some interesting news for avid readers on Islay over the next few weeks. I’ve been bookcrossing for many years (according to my bookcrossing profile I joined September 2007) and have released books in Swindon and Aldermaston Wharf over the years. I thought about taking some to Islay during my holidays and release them there, but for various reasons never got round to it. I think there have been a few individual releases over the years, but this year the Islay Book Festival team has decided to make Islay a bookcrossing heaven:
We have lift-off for our travelling books, which are going out into the wilds of Islay! Tweet #IBFwildbooks if you find one! #bookcrossing 📚 pic.twitter.com/Of9VXuvBGV
— Islay Book Festival (@islaybookfest) May 27, 2017
We're leaving our authors' books 📚 around the island over the next few weeks. Watch out for one of these and send us a tweet! #IBFwildbooks pic.twitter.com/15CPzTPdeN
— Islay Book Festival (@islaybookfest) May 27, 2017
Sounds good to me, hopefully there will be many Islay based bookcrossers soon (of course visitors can also join in), sending books on journeys from various locations on Islay!
Want to watch what’s there to see and do on Islay and Jura? Mark Beaumont and Explore Islay and Jura are ready to show you with their latest video, very nicely done and edited:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPH7kUCRgIA&t=6s&ab_channel=ExploreIslayandJura
And if that’s not enough for you I can’t resist a shameless plug for my own Whirlwind Tour of Islay (trying to get to over 1,000 views ;-))
The second season for the Islay Pipe Band to compete in Grade 2 has arrived. The first big event was the British Championships which took place on St James Playing Field, Paisley, on Saturday 20/May/2017. Considering the resources and small size of Islay the band achieved an excellent 9th place out of 15 bands. Here’s a video of their performance:
The next public performances will be during the Islay festival, on 28/May/2017 at Bruichladdich and 1/Jun/2017 at Kilchoman.
I’ve mentioned Leon before, sharing some of his Islay videos filmed with his drone (Wreck of the Wyre Majestic, MV Finlaggan arriving in Port Ellen). He has also shared some nice still pictures on his Instagram account, some of my favourites here:
I hope you like them, for more including other Islay pictures from the ground check Leon’s Instagram account.
In April I went to Islay for the Islay walking week and more. For various reasons I haven’t got round to write about the week so far, better get my act together now. As hoped it turned out a great week, even the weather largely held up.
Not having been on Islay for a year due to my heart operation I only went on three walks this time, freeing up some time for other activities. One was taking pictures of the remaining red phone boxes on Islay before they disappear. Here’s one of them at Ardbeg:
But back to the walking: As mentioned I went on to three walks, the opening walk on the Oa, the long walk out to Bholsa and the excursion to Jura. I had considered going to Colonsay and Oronsay, but having been so many times already I changed my mind and in the event the ferry was cancelled that day anyway.
The walk on the Oa was beautiful, the weather turned out better than expected and the Sun came out for the most important part of the walk along the steep cliffs (a very heavy rain shower arrived just as we got back to the road and were arranging transport back to the cars, couldn’t have timed it much better). While it was hazy for most of the time the views were impressive. It even cleared up for a short time and we could see over to Ireland.
The walk to Bholsa in the far north of Islay was educational, as it was led by geologist and book author David Webster. He explained how the landscape had formed, where the rock formations came from and much more. Some of the rocks are of volcanic origin, were once 1,800°C hot and located in what’s Iceland today (hope I remembered that correctly).
The last day took us over the Sound of Islay to Jura for a walk north along the shore. From Carragh an t-Sruith lighthouse we looked over to the construction site of the future Ardnahoe distillery. Unfortunately some quite heavy rain set in soon after we left the lighthouse after lunch, ruining some of the best photo opportunities. I’ll have to revisit this during my next visit. Luckily the rain stopped and by the time we returned to Port Askaig the Sun had come out and we could sit out in the garden for an after walk drink and look back at a great week.
On my non-walking days I was busy with a variety of other activities, including catching up with friends, visiting Bruichladdich and Laphroaig distilleries, visiting Islay Ales brewery, trying out the new Peatzeria pizzeria, walking on the beach in Machir Bay as well as Saligo Bay and birdwatching at Gruinart.
In summary, a great week! Looking forward to both my next Islay visit in June as well as the Islay walking week 2018.
Two years ago Fraser Shaw passed away, but his memory and his music live on, in particular through the Islay Sessions and the Fraser Shaw Trust. In the Fraser Shaw Trust Fraser’s family and friends have worked to finish a song book of Fraser’s compositions and record them. Both will be published this year, the proceeds will be used to support Multiple Sclerosis help organisations and activities in Argyll.
I don’t know if these were his own tunes or someone else’s, here are some memories of Fraser playing together with other musicians at the Port Charlotte Hotel during the Islay Sessions 2012:
But back to the future, in particular the upcoming CD launch. Three events are coming up over the next few weeks and months:
For further updates follow the Fraser Shaw Trust on Twitter or visit the Fraser Shaw Trust Facebook page.