Hi folks, I hope you’re well. I’ve emerged from my May fiddle camps in one piece, wrapping them up with basking in the sun and swimming in the loch. Lismore is so beautiful at this time of year and an ideal location for the camps. Pictures below courtesy of Susan Adamson. Musically, the group was a great mix of players and we worked through many old and new tunes – all of which are on my Tunes hub. We covered technical and

Hi folks, Gosh, time just flies! I’ve finished my last online fiddle class in March and the Lismore fiddle camps in April/May are now sold out. I think I’ll pick up the online fiddle classes again in the Autumn, but in the meantime the group plans to keep connected and meet up every week or two to work on their fiddle, so that’s great. I’m looking forward to hosting the fiddle camps here on Lismore – especially as we’re trying to

Hi folks, Welcome to our new subscribers! Thanks to an article this past week in the Oban Times, we have a few new faces. More on that below… Firstly though, thanks to everyone who came to the Auld Lang Syne shows last month. I loved playing it again and meeting new friends and fans and the feedback was terrific. I hope to be on the road again next January ’24! But for now I’m now back to the quiet of Lismore. Well, not

Hi folks, Tomorrow! (Saturday) is the start of the tour at An Tobar and Mull Theatre, Tobermory. Tickets also on the door. Then Aberdeen on 24th, Perth on Burns Night, Hawick on 26th and Edinburgh on 27 and 28th. I left Lismore on Thursday to get to Edinburgh for rehearsals. I left at 7am in the snow, worrying about the roads, but didn’t need to. Oban was pretty clear. I then headed straight to Dave Grays and recorded 6 songs in

Hi folks, That was fun! I played three gigs with the Occasionals around Hogmanay. It’s always a lift to play with Freeland, Kevin and Sheila. We were in Glasgow (a wedding), Stockbridge (Colonies annual) and Kingskettle, Fife (Christmas community doo). Numbers were possibly a bit lower than previous years, due to sniffles and these times, but a good time was had by all. Meet me in THE SONG in a couple of weeks! Auld Lang Syne is such a fun

Hi folks, Well, it’s that time of the year and a wee look back on 2022 makes me realise we’ve been through and are going through seismic changes. I hope to see you in twenty three, when we’ll still most likely be at sea. But bobbing along, singing a song, is where you’ll find me.  I hope to see you on some stage in January for the show Auld Lang Syne or the new run of online fiddle sessions. More

Hi folks, To celebrate Robert Burns birthday on Jan 25th, I’ll be playing six Auld Lang Syne shows in late January – in Tobermory, Aberdeen, Perth, Hawick and Edinburgh! I’ve a good number of stories associated with this song. And with the help of my director and co-creator Kath Burlinson we’ve made a cracking wee show that reveals the many layers that make this ageless song stay in our hearts and minds. Many audience members have told me they thought

Hi folks, Marion Kenny and I have had an amazing tour round the Hebrides – or some of them – as part of our ‘Journey to the Isles’ tour. Eigg was a revelation! Such dynamism in a small place. Wind farm energy that supplied the whole island and meant that the school house, community hall and visitor centre had free heating! Because the residents bought their island, they have some inspirational ways of being in community. I really enjoyed meeting them and a very

Hi folks, What a momentous time we’re in. The great letting go.  I hope that this end of an era paves the way to a road of peace, kindness and deep respect for all living beings. This newsletter has information about concerts and tours coming up around Scotland plus a seasonal song at the end ‘Smile or Cry’. I will be starting an online fiddle class/session at the beginning of October – a seven week block, so look out for that in