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When Scotland Ruled….the pop charts.

An epic tale of Paul McCartney, the Mull Of Kintyre and the Canadian Connection.
A Celtic Festival Exclusive.
By Lenny Stoute

The Mull of Kintyre (formerly Cantyre) is the most southwesterly section of the long Kintyre Peninsula in southwestern Scotland, about 10 miles from Campbeltown.. The area's significance as a cultural nexus dates back to Neolithic times. The name is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic 'maol chinn tire', the bare headland of Kintyre. Mull is derived from ' maol' meaning bare and refers to a land formation bare of trees, such as a rounded hill, summit, mountain or promontory. It's mostly in use in the southwest of Scotland, often applied to headlands and the tips of promontorys or peninsulas.

The area's ancient and rugged geography pounded by the relentless North Sea is the picture book definition of "wild beauty"; travellers familiar with the region say the description is equally applicable to its women. Scotland's mighty malt whiskies are likewise widely available throughout the region with servings the traditional 'a full measure and a wee drop more'.

Both Ailsa Craig and the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland and Rathlin Island are clearly visible from the Mull. On clearer days Malin Head in County Donegal in the Republic Of Ireland and the Ayrshire Coast on the other side of Ailsa Craig can be seen.At its nearest point, mainland Northern Ireland is only 20 km (12 miles) from the Mull. This unique closeness of lands makes the area one of the only two places in the Isles where Britain and Ireland can be viewed simultaneously; the other being Mount Snaefell on the Isle of Man.

The Mull itself is at the extreme south tip of the Kintyre peninsula, about 8 miles beyond the southernmost village of the peninsula, Southend, and reached via a single track road

Records show it's been an important landbridge throughout history. It is thought that it was used by early humans journeying from continental Europe to Ireland.In more recent times it was used by the Scotti when they travelled from Ireland to establish the kingdom of Dal Riata in modern-day Argyll.

You could think of The Mull as the Bering Strait bridge between the European continent and Britian, a waiting room for countless travellers and tribes. As the place where they would have first encountered each other and the local populace, a case could be made for the Mull and its peninsula as the cradle of northern British civilization.

Replacing the ancient bonfires that once blazed from the headland as a beacon to sailors, the Mull of Kintyre lighthouse was completed in 1788. It was hailed as a triumph of engineering owing to the remote and challenging location and unpredictable weather.The lighthouse was rebuilt in the 1820s, converted to electrical power in 1976, and automated in 1996. The lighthouse keeper's cottage is now run as a holiday cottage by the National Trust of Scotland.

While all this lore of the Mull of Kintyre was absorbed by any good Scot with mother's milk, it wasn't until 1977 and Paul McCartney's song of the same name that the Mull of Kintyre entered the global pop cullture consciousness.

Following the Beatles' implosion, McCartney had retreated from London to the isolated beauty of the Kintyre peninsula, buying a spacious farm and installing a recording studio. It was at this studio during a break in the recording of the Wings London Town album, that McCartney and Wings guitarist Denny Laine dreamed up 'Mull Of Kintyre'. Tensions were high in Wings at that point, as the recording process in London had been set back by Linda McCartney's pregnancy and not everybody in the band was happy with that.

Paul and Denny thought they'd get away for just a bit to the country, got to talking about the countryside and came up with a hauntingly beautiful song which speaks volumes about Paul's need for a little piece of mind on the home front at the time. Bagpipes from the local Campbeltown Pipe Band were a vital part of the recording and worked perfectly to nail the tune's sense of a unique place.

"Mull of Kintyre" was recorded in August and released as a double-sided A single in November 1977, independently of the album.It was Wings' biggest hit in the UK becoming the Christmas Number One, a huge deal over there, spending 9 weeks at the top of the charts. By year's end it was the first single to sell over two million copies in the UK.

Speaking of his inspiration for the song, McCartney said at the time:"I certainly loved Scotland enough. I very quickly had feelings of home for it, so I came up with a song about where we were living; an area called Mull of Kintyre It was a love song to the place really, about how I enjoyed being there and imagining I was travelling away and once away, wanting to get back there"

The tune kept rolling into a massive international hit, dominating the charts in Australia and many other countries over the holiday period.

The Canadian Connection looms large in the performance history of the song. "Mull of Kintyre" stiffed in the US, only reaching #45 on the Easy Listening chart. A miffed McCartney has consequently never played the tune in an American concert but has instead performed it on most of his Canadian tours, most recently on 11 July 2009, at a Halifax NS show, accompanied by the real deal 78th Highlanders (Halifax Citadel) Pipe Band.

During his show at London's O2 Arena in December 2009, McCartney performed "Mull Of Kintyre" accompanied by the 18-piece Balmoral Highlanders Pipe Band. 'Twas said later there was a not a a dry eye in the house.

In the UK you know a song has truly entered popular culture when it's picked up as a soccer team's anthem. It didn't take long for 'Mull of Kintyre' to be taken up by fans of several soccerl teams in Britian. It's still heard during games and is firmly established as the anthem of Nottingham Forest F.C. A different set of lyrics were penned for the melody in 1992 for the song "Valley Floyd Road", written for Charlton Athletic F.C. in celebration of their return to their original home base, The Valley. Another sign of popular recognition over there is when your song's parodied and the best known of them is comedian Frank Sidebottom's "Mull of Timperley".

In Canada, Ashley MacIssac played it sraight up with his version on the self-titled 2003 album with vocals from Dallas Smith of the band Default and heavy metal mob Celtic Thunder gives it a searing guitar treatment on their Act Two album. American country icon and openly Scottish Glen Campbell was a huge fan of the song and performed it often on his 70s tours, playing the bagpipes himself.

One last Canadian connection brings it all back home. Fresh off a Scandanavian tour and with a hot new album A Willing Heart in hand, country/roots troubadour Don Graham plays the Celtic Festival in Toronto's Kew Gardens, Sept.11-Sept.12.

A highlight of his sets will be a tune called "Pipes And The Mist", written by Graham after witnessing an especially moving performance of "Mull of Kintyre". Often referred to as "the Canadian Mull Of Kintyre" , Graham's performance of his song matches McCartney's intensity for intensity in getting across the longing for and heart-tug of the homeland, and is a must-see for folks attending the Festival.

http://dongrahammusic.com/

Sandy Graham and The Beach Celtic Festival

Sandy Graham grew up in Montreal Quebec in a family of Scottish descent. Her grandparents on her mother's side, Donald and Florence Sutherland and grandfather on her dad's side Peter Graham had emigrated to Canada from the Old Country, albeit under different circumstances, to begin a new life in the New Country. Her grandfather on her maternal side, Donald Clarence Sutherland was Pipe Major of The Black Watch of Canada, so Sandy was familiar with the sound of bagpipes for the very beginning of her life.

Her maternal grandmother, Florence Seaby Sutherland, kept the traditional Scottish cooking and way of life alive and passed it on to her daughter, Jemima Blackie Sutherland Graham. It doesn't get more Scottish than that ensemble of names. Jemima was a competitive highland dancer in Scotland and later in Canada and, although a Canadian, was determined to keep her three children, Donna, Donald and Sandy well aware of their Scottish heritage. Through music, food and traditions, Sandy grew up well versed in all things Scottish, and keeps these traditions in her own family, raising two boys, Ian Sutherland Robertson and Graham Maclean Robertson in all things Celtic.

When Sandy's mum Jemima, passed away June 30th 2001 in Montreal, Sandy was here at home in Toronto and the following day being Canada Day, was unable to do all the necessary steps to begin funeral services. On July 1st, while sitting on the grass in Kew Gardens, attending a Lions Club Canada Day event she heard the bagpipes and sadly thought "Mum would love this!" And so was planted the seed for the Beach Celtic Festival.

A few years later, in the summer of 2004, That seed would take a long time to germinate because it wasn't until the summer of 2004 while relaxing in cottage country in the Muskokas, Sandy and her husband Charles Robertson decided to put on a large outdoor ceilidh in the very park in The Beach where three years prior Sandy had heard the bagpipes playing. Charles himself is a first generation Scot, and as well a world champion Highland dancer. It became The Beach Celtic Festival when the word 'ceilidh" proved a little too difficult to pronounce!

With the only advertising being the front page of the local newspaper, The Beach Metro News, the first annual Beach Celtic Festival began what would turn into a tradition in this close knit eastend neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario. With limited funding, and only word of mouth to promote the Festival, this authentic event will now be celebrating it's 7th Annual appearance in Kew Gardens. For two days, this beautiful park becomes home to all things Celtic, from food to clothing, music and memories.

Unlike other Scottish events or "games' the Beach Celtic Festival has no competitions and is strictly a celebration of Celtic heritage with food, music and the sound of bagpipes and drums echoing in the Beach neighbourhood.

'The first time we had the Festival, I was amazed at seeing my neighbours and friends in kilts and sashes', Graham said 'When I gave it some thought it all made sense, as their last names were MacDonalds, Fergusons and the likes. We have now progressed with more Irish, as they have joined forces with us to show their heritage as well. But this event, just like St. Patrick's Day is not limited to Celtic ancestry. We want everyone to come experience the food and music that is so much a part of the Scottish and Irish heritage in Canada."
For the last several years the Festival has been hosted by Irish Person of the Year 2009 and the most famous Irishman in Toronto, the multi-talented Hugo Straney, radio host and all around entertainer.

The talent line-up this year includes Beacher Don Graham, Celtic duo Wild Geese, The Scarborough Pipes and Drums, Emerald Isle Seniors Choir, The Gilchrist Cavanagh Irish Dancers, Meghan Bold and her Highland Dancers, The Cabbage Pipes and Drums courtesy of The Black Watch Association and direct from Ireland, Linda Welby, The Galway Fiddler.

The Beach Celtic Festival is September 11 and September 12 from 10 am to 6 pm and is Kew Gardens in Toronto, Canada. The event is free admission.

And as Sandy Graham is fond of saying" It's a good Scottish price!! It's FREE!"

Celtic Music in Canada

by Don Graham

Celtic music is alive and thriving in Canada and has been for many years!

Celtic music is most generally Irish and Scottish music and is linked largely in Canada to Scottish/Irish diaspora in Newfoundland and Cape Breton.

Fiddles, pipes, tin flutes and string instruments like guitars and mandolins are prevalent in the Celtic music world.

The late John Allan Cameron, of Inverness in Cape Breton, was considered by most musicologists to be the Godfather of Canadian Celtic music. With his big twelve string guitar and swirling kilt, John Allan brought Celtic music to the main stage, opening for pop megastar and fellow Canadian, Anne Murray. Cameron would bring his bagpipes on stage at some point in the show and wow the audience with genuine Scottish and Celtic songs. He would then switch to a John Prine song or another popular song of the day; therefore bridging the gap between the Celtic and Pop world.

To say John Allan paved the road and opened the door for the Celtic musicians and singers of the Canadian Celtic community would be a gross understatement. The success of Rita MacNeil, The Rankin Family, Natalie MacMaster and countless others is due in a large way to the ground breaking work of John Allan Cameron. The emergence of Newfoundland's favourite sons, Great Big Sea, cemented Celtic music in the ears and minds of a huge demographic of Canadians. No longer the music of an older generation, groups like the Mahones and the Drop Kick Murphys are bringing their brand of Celtic music to a whole new generation.

Electric fiddles and guitars, whole drum kits and great vocals have brought Celtic music into the twenty first century and will insure it will be here for generations to come, so the tradition will live on.

Long live Celtic pride and Celtic music!