Taproot began in 2017 as a 3 day Festival of literature and music subtitled – the wee festival that digs deep. It ran from Friday 14 to Sunday 17 September. The plan was to have it every 2 years. The programme was ambitious.
Marianne Pallister opened the event . As a feature writer and commentator, Marianne has covered social issues in Scotland and round the world, particularly war zones. She previously taught journalism at Napier University and is the author of a number of highly acclaimed books including Cruachan: The Hollow Mountain, The Crinan Canal and Not a Plack the Richer. She says she likes to give a voice to the voiceless, and those marginalised because of class or gender. Greatly appreciated.
Norman Bissell and Donald Meek, both island writers, appeared in a session alongside Lismore writers on Friday afternoon. They also had a joint meeting- Words and Stories From the West Coast the next day when Normal Bissell read from ‘Slate, Sea and Sky’ and Donald Meek told many a tale. Pauline Isabel Dowling who has lived on Lismore for nearly three decades introduced her I Would Like to Have Been A Nun which is her mother’s story and launched Going bananas – My Trailing Career Volume which describes the reality and hilarity of going to work with her mariner/crofter husband. Cover by Lismore artist Gilly B. Jennifer Baker read extracts from one of her many short stories and introduced her children’s book, The Tartan Trampoline, inspired by her grandchildren, and illustrated by local artist Sarah Campbell . All books available to buy in the heritage shop and Waterstones.
Donald Meek 2017
Norman Bissell 2017
Pauline Isabel Dowling Going Bananas
Tartan Trampoline Jennifer Baker 2017
An afternoon music session in Davy Maddock’s music studio in Tirlaggan followed. Davy is one of The Clincarts – an eclectic collective of musicians, singers and composers founded by Stuart Findlay, Cal McKinlay and Davy Clincart in Glasgow. Originally a country bluegrass band, The Clincarts have become a recording vehicle for the compositions of its members.
The children were not forgotten with a storytelling session and a workshop with Alice Fernbank and Svend Engh who brought their piece “Giants” which invited the children to see the world from the top of the hill, feel the beating heart of a giant and go home feeling taller.
The day ended with ceilidh in the hall with Mairi Campbell and local artists.
Saturday started with a walk Off the beaten track with songs and stories with Mary MacDougall (nee Smith).
Mary MacDougall
Mary was born and brought up in Pollokshaws in Glasgow speaking Gaelic at home with her mother and siblings. After Teacher Training she moved to Taynuilt where her Gaelic was greatly appreciated. She became interested in old stories of the Argyll areas, not the sanitized versions but the quirky bits like dreams and omens of the area, and realised the value of the tales her Seanair used to tell them on dark winter nights. Over the years she added to her repertoire of local tales and shared some of these on her walk.
On Saturday morning James Kelman talked about his book his Booker prize winning book ‘Dirt Road’ the story of a boy accordionist’s journey of grief from a Scottish island to the deep south of America and zydeco music. He also performed later with his band The Dirt Roadsters. and discussed the film version (not yet out) but starring Neil Sutcliffe who also performed to huge appreciation.
The Dirt Roadsters 2017
Neil Sutcliffe 2017
James Kelman 2017
Liz Lochhead -– The Makar (national poet of Scotland)- performed to a full and appreciative audience in the hall on Saturday afternoon introduced by Jennifer Baker.
She also appeared in a late night session with James Kelman and The Dirt Roadsters, and Cera Impala and the New Prohibition – a trio from the Borders,
Mairi Campbell’s Pulse on Saturday evening had been showcased in Edinburgh in 2015 and at Celtic Connections in 2016 and is her original story of her musical homecoming. After her classical viola study at the Guildhall school of Music and drama in London she travelled through Mexico and Cape Breton, a personal and musical journey that took her away from home to discover where she belongs. Her performance weaved viola, voice, animation, and movement and was touching, funny, and potent.
An evening Ceilidh in the hall had contributions from James Kelman and the Dirt Roadsters, Liz Lochhead, Cera Impala and Elyssa Vulpes.
Sunday started with another storytelling session with Alice Fernbank and Svend Engh and more amazing tales of Giants
Bob Hay led an Off the beaten track walk starting at the Heritage and ending at the church.
Which is where Lismore Voices performed in the afternoon with Mairi Campbell in The bach o’ beyond. Lismore Voices was launched in 2013 for those living and visiting the island who love to sing. Sarah Campbell and Katy Crossan direct the choir in a a diverse repertoire ranging from Rachmaninov to Ladysmith Black Mumbazo including Gaelic, Georgian song and shape note singing. For Taproot, they performed a choral arrangement of a Gaelic poem written by Donald Meek in memory of a much loved islander, Donald Black, one of the founders of the Comann Eachdraidh Lios Mor. The melody and choral arrangement were written specifically for Taproot by Sarah Campbell and Katy Crossan.