Sport

IslayMcLeod230

21 October 1972 · Islay McLeod

My short career

as a subversive
Scottish nationalist

John Cameron on welfare +
Gerard Rochford’s March poem

The damage to
an already fragile
relationship

The Cafe +
Bob Smith on the Oscars

‘I might be able to spare
you a couple of minutes,
but no more than that’

Gerry Hassan:
Seven wonders of Scotland

Our national narcotic is
doing so well that there’s no
need to send warships

Friends of SR:
We need your help

The Cafe

It may be of interest to know that Billy Connolly’s walk-outs in Scarborough and Blackpool were not his first.
     I came across a ticket for the Edinburgh University Highland Society ‘Folk Night’ in Wilkie House for Saturday 21 October 1972 and memories came flooding back. I was there. The Folk Night entertainers were advertised as Contraband, Billy Connolly and The Buskers, with a ticket price of 60p and the quaint suggestion – ‘Refreshments available’.
     The EU Highland Society’s ‘Highland Annual’ dance was legendary throughout student Scotland with buses laid on from each of the nation’s ‘Halls of Macademia’, and tickets as scarce as hens’ teeth. Lurid tales handed down from sibling to sibling about this cross between a junior version of the Whisky Olympics and a giant rugby scrum was, I suspect, the reason why tickets sold so well for a ‘Folk Night’ on a Saturday. More of the same was expected. Sadly it was not to be. We were expected to keep quiet and listen.
     The volatile mix of students, released only a few weeks previously from the restraints of the Calvinist Highlands, newly armed with their first grant, and with access to ‘refreshments’ proved to be over-powering. As the evening wore on conversations grew louder and louder until eventually they blotted out the musical contributions.
     Billy Connolly who had begun to add storytelling to his musical repertoire didn’t seem to like this one bit. He shouted over the micophone that ‘if you dinnae want to listen to us then we’re no gonna play’. A few minutes of respectful silence was followed by more of the same, until full volume was restored. No one seemed to notice Mr Connolly leave the stage and slip away into the Edinburgh night. I hope he got paid. Oh by the way, his guitarist that night was a certain Gerry Rafferty.

David McGill

The Midgie

A reminder from The Midgie that nominations are invited for place names in Scattland that would benefit from having an exclamation mark attached to them. Send your choice with reasons to: islay@scottishreview.net

Unlike many publications SR doesn’t have an online comment facility – we prefer a more considered approach. The Cafe is our readers’ forum. If you would like to contribute to it, please email islay@scottishreview.net

Today’s banner:

Iona wedding
Photograph by
Islay McLeod