Day 9 Thurs, Scotland 2024

Today was an easy day but, with a late night of music ahead of us. After the concert, we’ll be heading to the Glee Club again as the late nights are on again (Thur-Sat).

 

We decided to grab a cab and continue our Mackintosh and Glasgow exploration by visiting the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum which houses not only a collection of  Glasgow’s art traditions of Mackintosh and associate and their predecesors the Glasgow boys, but also some William Morris and company, a menagerie of stuffed beasties in glass coffins, and relics of Scotland’s past history.  Salvador’s Dali’s Crucifiction of Christ is away in Spain until May.

 

 

 

 

 

You’ll find the city symbols hidden in plain sight all over the city, the gallery was no exception.  We found these delightful little detail just hanging out on the posts of a center hand rail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A huge pipe organ ensconced on the second floor of the center hall, it’s pipes reaching upwards at least two stories more. At 1:00, the organist fired up the pipes and regaled the assemblage with traditional tunes (including pipe/folk tunes) ending with Auld Lang Syne, a poem by Robbie Burns.  It was the poet’s birthday yesterday, and the Bard of Scotland gets a lot of respect here, along with many Burns Dinners in his honor.  In some places around town he gets a whole week of haggis, tatties (potatoes), and neeps  (turnips) dinners in his honor.

We made our way back home by cab and started looking for at our dining options. There were lots of Burns night specials going on around the city, you can even get veggie haggis, which Paul has had before, but we settled on the Cafe Andaluz just across the street where again we were encouraged to pick three items each. And so we did.  Everything was super tasty.

Tonight’s music would be interesting, but we have no idea what we’re in for exactly. I didn’t know the first band called Gnoss and only have some vague idea about what Celtic Odyssee might be about.  We just threw caution to the wind and picked it for our night’s entertainment.  And both experiences were very good.

It seems that a good part of the crowd was there for Gnoss. They were a young band a couple being from up in the Orkney Islands. They were funny, chatting with the crowd, and their playing was fantastic. The crowd in the main hall was hooping it up and plainly sadden when they left the stage, but they promised that what was following was great stuff.

Next up came the group Celtic Odyssee. They walked out with two pipers with different types of small bagpipes (one from Galicia Spain and the other from Breton France), two fiddlers (one from Ireland and the other from Wales), keyboard and grand piano player, a  standup (upright) bass player, a guitar player and whistle from Brittany, a whole drum kit drummer (not sure where he was from) and a cittern (or maybe a bouzouki?) player from Galicia, along with the accordion player from the band Altan. They started their set blazing out the gate with a set of tunes that rocked the house.

Then they proceeded to make their way (the Odyssee part) through the modern Celtic speaking nations featuring tunes from the various musicians’ countries. Starting with Galicia, then they brought out a singer from that country to share a song. Then on to the next country Brittany.  Then, headed north to the UK landing first in Cornwall, then to the Island of Mann, where I heard someone singing in the Manx language for the first time. Then, tunes from the Welch fiddle player.

Last but not least was a musical visit to Ireland. They brought out the Irish singer and fiddle player also from Altan,  Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh.  She started her song telling us that it was about Bridget, who is Ireland’s only female saint.  Mairead quickly shifted that story to the fact that Bridget was originally a great pagan goddess who was (yet again, like other important symbols) appropriated by the church.  The crowd all howled and clapped enthusiastically at her correction of history.

From there on out they just roared through sets and songs with Mairead encouraging the audience to with whoops, yips and clapping the beat, or singing along with the chorus. Which everyone in the audience obliged each according to their particular skill.  After the last set of rip-roaring tunes, they bid us goodbye then came out of a for a stunning encore. With all the players and singers, each country got a bit of a tune and song before moving to the next country.

For those that might be interested, Bridget is pronounced something like Breed in Irish Gaelic, La Fheile Bride.

The after hours show at the Glee Club was a fun night of interesting music and people.  The set list is not publicized in advance, so you never know who you’re going to hear.  We met someone who knew about the first performers, Elizabeth Davidson-Blythe and Daniel Quayle.  Elizabeth’s mom had traveled from Boston to hear her daughter and son-in-law perform at Danny Kyle’s Open Stage.  Right after that afternoon show, Elizabeth and … received an invitation by text to open the night at the Glee Club.  Elizabeth and Daniel are from the Isle of Man, so just getting to Glasgow was a story.  The only 3 air traffic controllers  for Man have recently retired so, for the time being, they’re only have occasional substitutes.  If the winds aren’t bad and the water isn’t too choppy, taking a ferry is your only other option and then you have to arrange ground transportation.  Their trip was worth it as they instantly connected with the audience and presented a fast-paced set of fiddle and guitar pairings.  Elizabeth wrote many of the songs which her mom finally got to hear in performance after usually only hearing the practice and preparation. The following bands were CARNAN, Heisk, The Hello Darlins and there we wrapped up our evening.