News 2009

Latest news 2010

03-08-2010

Just back from a rerr weekend in Co. Cork in Ireland. Thanks to Stevie Gillies who is driving (road and ferry) all the gear, I was able to fly in to Edinburgh and make it back to Nicky Tam's gig in Stirling on time. I'll buy you a Guinness when you get back - just on the off chance you didn't get enough at the weekend. Many thanks to Nicholas and Margaret Corkery for taking us into their home and making sure we put on about a stone in weight each.

Talking of hospitality, I eventually managed to get out to Skye with the family to pay a long overdue visit to Lisa and Brian Hill who run a fabulous hostel out there. If you are planning a visit to Skye then I highly recommend spending a night or two with them in Portnalong. Both great musicians and Lisa is a fine songwriter. www.skyewalkerhostel.com

Incredibly busy this month (all in Scotland) and I am again honoured to be asked to give a speech at Wallace Day in Elderslie. This will be a poignant one as it is the first without Big Davie. I'm not so scared of following in his shoes as feeling his boot up my backside if I dry up. Be great to work with Albannach again and I know that as they have the hall bouncing we'll all be well aware that this annual success is another one of his legacies.

Stevie Gillies and I at the
Rory Gallagher memorial in Cork

Stirling Bridge commemoration is shaping up well with tickets for ceilidh going fast. Bowmar pipe band will again lead the march down from the castle and speakers at the bridge will include Duncan Fenton of The Society of William Wallace and Bruce Crawford MSP. I'm really pleased with evening line up (see poster) and this will be a definite night to remember

09-06-2010

Well the Culloden commemoration was as cold as I can remember it ever being but there's something poignant about feeling exposed and very uncomfortable in that place. Lets face it we were out there for about an hour to pay our respects. We are well fed and well clothed and each of us had a warm bed to return to.That bears no comparison to being ravaged with hunger, exhausted, wet and frozen and still having the determination and belief to hopelessly charge across that moor to death. Whatever the weather throws at us we'll be back next year to share Drumossie, just for a short time, with the ghosts of Culloden .

The other recent commemoration I attended was the North Rising at Avoch on The Black Isle. It commemorates where Andrew de Moray raised his standard during the wars of independence. A much under recognised hero, he regained from the English all of the castles north of the Forth before being mortally wounded fighting at Wallace's side at Stirling Bridge. Avoch is a beautiful place and the views from the site of the old castle are stunning. I really enjoyed the gig at night even though, the day I visited, 20,000 people left the Black Isle to go and support Ross County in the Scottish Cup Final.

I spent a great couple of days up at Glencoe at the end of May. Had a stormer of a gig in the Clachaig on the Friday then got dragged out onto Loch Leven in a canoe by Ian Graham on the Saturday afternoon. We landed on Eilean Munde which is the site of a seventh century chapel and the ancient burial ground of the MacDonalds of Glencoe, Camerons, MacInnis and Stewarts. Found the resting place of MacIain, the chief of the MacDonalds massacred in 1692. A really peaceful place and well worth the effort to get there. Ian and Linda then treated me to a fine barbeque before spending a really enjoyable night playing in the Loch Leven Hotel.

Just finished tidying up after this years Scribblers Picnic. It's an annual musical fun day in Stirling which raises money for five cancer charities. This was our ninth year and It features five stages of music with everything from an oompah band to punk metal. Huge crowd,brilliant day and raised loadsa money."the Scribbler" was a fine musician called Graham Whitelaw who died from throat cancer. I wrote "The Lion Roars" with Graham back in 1990 and we played in a band together called "Yetanothertonto". At Sunday's Picnic I dedicated our set to Graham and we did half an hour of old "Tonto" songs. It was a hoot. It was also the biggest Bannockburn line up to date (see photo)

25th April 2010

Hard to believe that a third of a year has passed already. Certainly Big Davie's passing threw the beginning of the year into turmoil .His funeral was very emotional and the huge turnout was confirmation of the respect and admiration in which he was held. I was honoured to be asked to sing at it. It was difficult but I managed to hold it together (just). We gave him a rerr send off. He deserved it.
On the same subject, Celtic Force, Davie's American agents came over with a party of forty people who were scheduled to tour Scotland with Davie as their guide. At the end of the visit we organised a tribute night in The Three Sisters in Edinburgh where Albannach and I led the celebration of his life. A memorable night for us all.

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Being presented with "The Order of The Good Time" by the Minister for Tourism in Halifax NS

On the road Kenny Donalson and I headed out to Estonia in January for a Burns supper. Going for a walk to see the sights of Tallinn wearing kilts in -30c temperature wasn't one of our better ideas. Paddy's night in Amsterdam gave Ziggy and I the chance to meet all our friends in The Tara again. Great staff, great food,great crowd, great craic.
The beginning of April gave me my first opportunity to visit Nova Scotia. What can I say? It really is New Scotland. Everything about it is Scottish including the people. After all we are kith and kin from the same forefathers. I have visited many countries that have given this stranger a tremendous welcome. The difference was, in Nova Scotia, I wasn't a stranger. I was just one of the family they hadn't seen for a while......
Too many thank yous due to list them all here but a special thanks to Ian and Marjory and Liz and her family for throwing open their lovely homes.
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Had some real belters of gigs in Scotland too.
I was proud to be involved in the opening of the new Robert The Bruce Heritage Centre in Renton. This is a venture by The Strathleven Artisans and you can read much more from their website www.strathlevenartizans.com
The midnight Culloden Commemoration was once again a really atmospheric experience even though the wind was strong and absolutely bitter. At this point I have to give a mention to Pam MacDonald of The Clan Donald in Perth, Western Australia. She was making the trip halfway round the world to be at Culloden and got as far as Dubai before being stranded due to the Icelandic dust cloud.
On 18th April I took the band to The Tullie Inn in Balloch for the end of the Tartan Army Kiltwalk. 500 of the TA walked the 26 miles from Hampden to Balloch to raise money for kids charities. It was like a field hospital when we arrived but by the end of the night they were dancing on their blisters. Well done guys.

So, the snows gone, the suns out, Scotland is turning green again. It's just braw and I've got another summer of travelling her highways and byways coming up.It's a hard life!

2nd January 2010

David R. Ross 1958 - 2010

Today I have lost a true friend, Scotland has lost one of her finest sons. He was a giant of a man in so many more ways than his physical stature. No man loved his country more and he made sure everybody knew it with an incredible passion for both its history and its future. I feel humble and priveleged to have been a part of his life and to have been asked to be part of William Wallace's funeral service in 2005. I hope he knew just how much it meant to every one of us there that day.
He had so much more he wanted to do, so many plans. We can never replace his presence, knowledge and friendship but through his books, words and actions he left a legacy that continues to inspire thousands of people to acknowledge who we are as a nation and to share in his dreams. It now falls on us to carry these dreams forward.
Sleep well Big Davie - we will not let you down.

David R Ross

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