15th June 2014 - Kippen

The Cross Keys, Kippen, Stirlingshire
15th June 2014

The village of Kippen lies about ten miles West of Stirling and once a fortnight a group of locals meet for a musical afternoon in the Cross Keys Inn. One of the regulars, mandolin players Robert Thomson, has been trying to get me to go along for ages, so I finally took the trip. Robert and his wife Joan (whistle) gave me a cup of tea in their home beforehand, and then we walked down to the main street to join the session.

It had been the weekend of the Kippen Fair, and there had also been a musical gathering in the area the day before, so it wasn't as busy as usual. However, a select group of us played tunes and had the odd song from Hairy Dave, and some crack was created. There were quite a few tunes which are almost exclusive to that group, and a visitor would be very unlikely to know them, but it is a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

Tunes:

• Farewell to Whisky (Niel Gow)/Flowers of Edinburgh
• The Gentle Light That Wakes Me (Phil Cunningham)
• Sans Nom
• Spanish Ladies/London Bridge
• Winster Galop/Jamie Allan/Salmon Tails Up the Water
• Boys of Blue Hill/Harvest Home/The Trumpet Hornpipe
• The Barrowburn Reel (Addie Harper)/Sally Gardens
• The Famous Baravan (Gordon Duncan)/The Road to Banff (M Reavell)/Crabbit Shona (Angus Grant Jr)
• Jean and Andy Leonard's Waltz/Miss Rowan Davies
• The Redheugh Library Jig (Robin Dunn)/Paddy Carey
• Da Peerie Hoose Ahint da Burn/Da Mirrie Boys of Greenland/Jack Broke da Prison Door/Donald Blue/Sleep Soond ida Moarnin/Da Bonnie Isle o Whalsay
• The Old Horned Sheep
• I Loe Nae a Laddie But Ane/Shandon Bells/The Rakes of Kildare/The Irish Washerwoman
• Hamnataing
• Quindaro Hornpipe/Up Downey (Declan Corey)
• Unknown/Puddleglum's Misery (John Kirkpatrick)
• Marnie Swanson of the Grey Coast (Andy Thorburn)
• The Bear Dance Set
• Squirrel In a Tree/Unknown/Fear a Bhois Fada Gun Phosadh
• King of the Fairies/The Old Grey Cat/Stepping Stones/The Rochdale Coconut Dance
• PM Jim Christie of Wick (Addie Harper)
• The Snowy Path (Mark Kelly)/The Butterfly
• Starry Nights o' Shetland/My Cape Breton Home (Jerry Holland)
• The Banshee/The Tongadale Reel (Farquhar MacDonald)
• Buttered Peas/Unknown/Unknown
• [Obscure accordion tunes]/The Ballyoran Polka
• The Spider/The Cup of Tea/The Cup of Tea
• Flatwater Fran (Phil Cunningham)/Marnie Swanson of the Grey Coast (Andy Thorburn)