6 October 2024
Taproot 24/25 Norman Bissell
Taproot began with Noman Bissell launching his book Living on an Island: Expressing the Earth which combines personal memoir with an in-depth account of the history of the geopoetics movement, seen in particular from Scotland. It is this poet’s accommodation with the ecology of life on a small island, and his growing understanding of the deepest meaning of a community. Geopoetics is, he explained, a way of living in what the American poet Charles Olson called a “human universe” . he demonstrated with some interesting readings. The launch was well received by over 20.
20 October 2024
Taproot 24/25 Mango Lassie
Amy Bowman, the singer/songwriter known as Mango Lassie, is currently living on The Isle of Mull but earlier lived for some time on Lismore. Of this performance Shona Wright, herself a singer/songwriter wrote: Amy’s style is very much her own. Melodic, vivid and honest. She has a way of taking the listener on a journey through her songs, which feels like one big adventure! All songs were her own. She took us through Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter with songs she had written at the time, corresponding to each season. Amy’s mode of travel at the time was her bike. So she wrote a lot of these songs cycling from place to place, but also cycling through the seasons of the year. using a GoPro attached to her helmet, captured footage of the cycle trips. Cameron McLellan, He provides percussion, and here he was playing a cajon.
Report: Shona Wright
Denmark – A film by Lesley Riddock 3 November 2024
Denmark. Famous for Lego, bacon and shipping. And also as Lesley’s film showed – for being happy. High taxation, expensive fuel and cars not a problem it seems. After losing most of its Empire at the end of the 19th century little Denmark had to reinvent itself.
From cycle lanes and mega cycle parks in Copenhagen to a sculptural local heating facility with a dry ski slope on its roof to 15 year olds encouraged to take a year out of school, the film was mesmerising. As Lesley roamed around talking to people and finding out about a variety of aspects of Danish life there was a shared instinctive indrawing of breath at the kindergarten children cheerily sawing logs with proper saws while the others (sans helmets) pelted about on bikes and trikes.
Critical points that were brought out were the small size of the largely autonomous local authority areas, the stability of successive government policies and the willingness of the population to embrace it all.
At the end Lesley answered a variety of questions from the fascinated audience. The only downside to it all appeared to be the question of immigration and integration which Lesley admitted had been skirted around in the film.
Report: Rosemary Barry
24 November 2025
Taproot 24/25 Shona Wright
On a dark and stormy afternoon a surprisingly high proportion of the island braved the weather to support one of their own. Singer and songwriter Shona Wright grew up on the island and began writing songs when only 12 years old. Her eclectic set was mainly made up of her own personally reflective compositions. The audience could readily appreciate songs like ‘The Wrong Side of the Moon’ which described the sort of day when everything sems to go wrong – starting with the breakfast toast burning. Shona encouraged the audience to join in for songs like the enigmatic ‘Build me up Buttercup’, originally a 1968 hit for the Foundations and co written by Mike D’Abo of Manfred Man.
The 60s theme continued with islander Sarah Campbell duetting beautifully for the Beatles, ‘Blackbird Sang in the Dead of Night’. And finally a soulful rendition of Simon and Garfunkel’s gentle ‘59 th Street Bridge Song’|. Sebastian Tombs joined Shona to premiere his song ‘Chess’ relating the difficulties of relationships to the moves of pieces on a chess board.
Arthur Cross contributed two tunes, one of his own composition from his time as a shepherd on Taransay. Shona wove the varied programme together seamlessly, show casing her own talent as a song writer, singer and guitarist and also the range of island talent.
Report: Rosemary Barry
19 January 2025
Taproot 24/25 Ron Livingstone
Taproot 24/25 Ron Livingstone
It may be hard to lure people out on a dark January afternoon but the return of Ron Livingstone and his extraordinary record collection toTaproot was welcomed by over 20 islanders and visitors. He had, he explained, around a 55,000 78 rpm records of various sizes, some over 100 years old. In a well-organised set aided by appropriate illustrations he shared a tiny fraction of this collection, played on a variety of original wind up record players. These ranged from a portable ‘picnic’ one to an ‘his Master’s Voice’ type with a large horn, to a substantial cabinet model. The audience was continually intrigued as Ron explained the various unexpected methods of altering the volume by, for example, opening and shutting the front or literally ‘putting a sock in it’.
One of the young audience members was fascinated in particular with the garish, plastic, children’s example on display and enjoyed being involved in winding the handles and setting up some of the records to play. What was to the older folk old fashioned was to her a novelty.
Ron had chosen a variety of musical genres spanning many decades from early jazz and blues and opera through comedy and Gaelic songs to the age of Rock and Roll. The intriguing pieces of paper numbered 1 to 4 set out on the chairs before arrival allowed audience participation in choosing between different possibilities with some of the examples to be played. So, by popular vote we heard an eclectic mix of a Gaelic choir, The Deadwood Stage, The Mucking of Geordie’s Byre and a very young Cliff Richard.
Ron allowed plenty of opportunities between records for questions and comments and his offer to come back next year was well received. Finishing on the dot of 6pm he invited all to the café to take part in the quiz.
Report: Rosemary Barry
9 February 2025
Taproot 24/25 Archie Campbell
On a gloriously sunny afternoon in late winter the Heritage centre was so packed that extra chairs were needed. The reason? Mairi Campbell was billed for another spell binding blend of song, music and story. A large projected picture of a smiling Archie Campbell set against a familiar Lismore scene and the dates 1929 to 2025 announced that this evening was not going to be quite the session anticipated. Mairi explained that that her father had died 10 days before, in Canada, and the session was to be a tribute to him.
Archie’s story began in Skye but moving with his Minister father to the east coast when a lad he left school at 14 with no qualifications. He was saved by conscription after the war when his time of National Service enabled him to study and gain a degree in Physics and subsequent employment in the rarified sphere of solid state physics. He ended up as a university lecturer. On the way he met and married an art student who was to introduce him to her family heritage on Lismore and combine their mutual love of music with his science and her artistic creativity.
Mairi opened the session with an exquisite rendering of Bach’s Prelude number one. Archie’s son-in-law and Sarah, one of his four daughters who lives on the island contributed their memories interspersed with more songs, musings and music from Mairi.
The descriptions of some of Archie’s exploits were extraordinary. Deciding in later life the wish to climb Mont Blanc this non mountaineer being told by his experienced mountaineering daughter, Anne, that he needed to be fit and undergo training to undertake this dangerous feat he proceeded to cycle to Chamonix to meet up with her!
Intriguingly as a long time inhabitant of the Scottish east coast his life was book ended with Canada. Archie’s father was a calvary soldier in the first world war and taking part in the final battle his horse was shot from under him. As he lay while the next row of horses thundered over him he was struck by a hoof. A Canadian rider who spotted him vowed that if he survived he would come back for him. He did and he did.
After the tragic loss of his beloved wife, Archie struggled with grief for two years. Then, wandering disconsolately around Lismore one day he was inspired to write a moving poem about winter bracken. He decided to take heart from the metaphor of the green spring shoots to get on with his life. His plan was to travel to Canada where his daughter Alison was living and then on to New Zealand. He never made it beyond Canada where he met, married and settled down with a fellow choir member.
It was a privilege to share in the long life of such a remarkable man whose zest for life was captured so ably and honoured in such a moving blend of pictures, words and music.
Report: Rosemary Barry
Herding or learning? Schools on Lismore after the 1872 Education Act – Caroline Bath and Bob Hay – 23 February 2025
Taproot 24/25 Caroline Bathe and Bob Hay
Taproot 24/25 Caroline Bath and Bob Hay
From an entry in the Baligarve Parish School logbook for 1883 by long standing schoolmaster James Wilson ‘One week is much a repetition of another that one is gravelled for lack of matter for keeping the log’ it appears that writing the legally required daily entry was almost as tedious as meticulously trawling through three decades of them. Fortunately for the audience that packed into the Heritage centre on a glorious late winter afternoon, Caroline’s talk was anything but tedious.
Bob Hay set the scene with an outline of the schools already on the island. As well as the principal Parish School at Killandrist there was a so called ‘side’school at Baligrundle to the south plus an SPCK sewing school and another school for girls at the UPC church usefully augmented by Sabbath schools.
The 1872 Act made school attendance compulsory for all five to 13 year olds and two new schools and school houses were built at Baligarve and Baligrundle, both still occupied today as private houses. The rhythm of island agricultural life and the vagaries of the weather meant children were often absent to ‘herd’ or help with essential potato planting or harvest. Despite this, parents seemed to value education and able pupils were encouraged to stay on until 18. Achievement was mostly high enough – except for sewing – to satisfy the new inspectors’ yearly interrogations.
And Caroline’s conclusion after comparing the logs from the 1860s to the 1890s? Did compulsion improve the quality of education on the island? Apparently not as life seems to have gone on much the same. What came over though was how the gems unearthed in the log book entries gave an extraordinary insight into the social conditions and ways of life on the island towards the end of that century
Report: Rosemary Barry
The full text of Caroline Bath’s article – From Parish to Board: Schooling on the Isle of Lismore 1866-1890 here
6 April 2025
Taproot 24/25 The Lismore Dance Band
Taproot 24/25 the Lismore Dance Band
The Lismore Dance Band led by Mairi Campbell was a fitting end to an entertaining series. It began with a cartoon show depicting a brief history of Scottish Country Dancing voiced by Robbie Shepherd. Mairi explained that she had set up the Band a few years back to ‘Get Lismore Dancing Again’ GLDA?
The band membership varies a little depending on availability. This time there were three fiddlers (Jane, Noelle and Mairi) two accordionists (Ann and Duncan – plus mouth organs), a guitarist (Shona) and a drummer (Yorick). Each band member introduced a linked group of tunes. Jane described her Granny’s love of Jimmy Shand, Noelle how Jane had written a tune for her (The Second Noel) as a choir Secret Santa present and Duncan played leaving Lismore on his mouth organ.
To complete the relaxed atmosphere Mairi sang a slightly ‘risky’ composition poking good natured fun at band members provoking some rueful smiles along the way. The audience tapped their toes, sang along, laughed and sat wondering what was coming next.
As Jennifer Baker announced at the end, next season’s schedule is already being organised.
Report: Rosemary Barry