As we’ve mentioned all along, we expect this trip to be quite unique. We’ll try to see as much as we can in the time we are there, but still have time to enjoy that time. Does that make sense?
For instance, our journey into the Highlands on Friday will take us by Loch Lomond and wind its way into the Highlands across Rannoch Moor, by Glencoe and into Fort William for lunch. The trip continues north from there and features some beautiful scenery and a stop at Urquhart Castle (1) on the shores of Loch Ness. This castle stood during the time of Wallace and was one of the most formidable of its kind. A giant step back in time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urquhart_Castle
We’ll find our way to Inverness from there, check into the Columba Hotel, across the Ness River from Inverness Castle (2) and prepare ourselves for an evening at Hootananny, http://www.hootananny.co.uk/index-2.php a great night spot with a performance by Ted Christopher, http://www.bannockburnband.co.uk/ one of Scotland’s busiest and most entertaining singers. (And close friend of David’s)
On Sat. we rise, have our breakfast and say goodbye to Inverness as we make our way to Culloden Battlefield. http://www.nts.org.uk/Culloden/Home/ We will stand on the ground that saw the end of a way of life for Scotland. A haunting place that stirs emotions of those that understand its significance, a place Big Davey said was a must see on this trip.
Did I mention that our guide for the Highlands and Culloden is Hugh Allison, http://www.scottishtalespinner.com/ (another friend of David’s) who is the former Director of the Culloden Battlefield. A writer himself, Hugh will be a great addition to our trip. I bet he will have some interesting insights and a few funny stories about Davey.
We leave Hugh at Culloden and head south toward our next evening’s lodging in Pitlochry. On our way there we will make another stop at Blair Castle (3). http://www.blair-castle.co.uk/ This is the home of the Murray Clan and is one of the busiest castles in Scotland. We will not be doing an inside tour of the castle but we will see the grounds and visit the ruins of St Brides Kirk, that is tucked away under some very old, very large trees. St Brides was built on a Druid mound and was constructed during the 1100s. Buried under the floor of the Kirk is Bonnie Dundee, one of Scotland’s strongest military leaders during the time of King James II & IV, who was killed during the battle of Killiecrankie, just a couple of miles down the road.
After an early afternoon check in at our hotel and time to catch your breath, we’ll head toward our evenings destination, a wedding and dinner at Murthly Castle (4) near Dunkeld. http://www.murthly-estate.com/page2.html We plan to be there around 4 pm to tour the glorious grounds of this 15th century castle in daylight then move into the 17th century chapel for the wedding of our good friends Randy Dedrickson and Susan Barry Hallenburg. We’ll have great music for the service featuring bagpipes, Susie Malcolm on harp and her husband, 2004 Scots Trad Songwriter of the Year, Jim Malcolm, singing and playing guitar. http://www.jimmalcolm.com/ The local minister, Rev. Bill Ewart (in kilt of course), will be officiating at one of his last services, as he is due to retire in April.
Once the service is completed we move into the castle for dinner and an evening of more great music. Jim will join us again in the evening and Scottish fiddler Pete Clark http://www.musicinscotland.com/PeteClark/ along with a pianist will perform and also play some dance music for us. Can you say ceilidh? (kay-lee)
I might also mention that our special guest for the evening (besides the bride & groom) will be the owners of Murthly Castle. Cool, huh?
So, there you go, four castles and a wedding. And this all happens within a 36-hour period.
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Due to last minute cancellations we now have 4 seats available for the Albannach Homecoming Tour to Scotland March 9-16, 2010!!!
This trip will allow you to see some of the best Scotland has to offer and there will be plenty of music and merriment to be had.
Stirling, Bannockburn, Glasgow, Inverness, Edinburgh, Loch Ness, Glencoe, the Highlands, castles, all will leave their marks. Featuring performances by Albannach, Ted Christopher, Jim Malcolm and Mickey Harte, in some of Scotland’s most interesting places.
This trip will be the experience of a lifetime!!!
For more information, visit: CLICK HERE!
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By now, most everyone has heard the shocking news of the untimely passing of David R. Ross. And, if you hadn’t known, our apologies for conveying the news in this manner. David Ross succumbed on 2 January, 2010, unexpectedly, of heart problems. Those in our circle of family and friends already miss him deeply.
David’s passing naturally raises many questions. Not the least of which is what impact there may be on the Scotland Tour coming up in March. Davy was expected to ably lead us around his beloved Scotland with his abundant enthusiasm, wit and passion. Sadly, that’s no longer possible.
After much deliberation, we have decided we must carry on with the Scotland Tour. David would want it that way. And, in honor of David, we’re dedicating the March Homecoming Tour to him. His family and friends on both sides of the Atlantic will be gathering at the places he’d have loved to share with us. We’ll have several nights in his honor, including a more formal recognition of David R. Ross the evening of Sunday, 14th March. And, from a practical standpoint, we’ve already had gracious offers from family and friends wanting to help out with managing the tour stops. Stay tuned for more details. Davy would be proud.
So, to confirm, the Albannach/David R. Ross Homecoming Tour of March 2010 will definitely proceed. As for David R. Ross, we’ll have his continued inspiration yet not his physical presence. That’s a powerful force, indeed.
Lastly, I might mention that we still have a couple of places left available in our original group reservation with Continental Airlines. Should anyone wish to join Albannach, Celtic Force, and friends/family of David R. Ross, please contact us. 
Thanks for your continued interest and support. Let’s raise a glass to David R. Ross… in Scotland.
With fondest regards,
The Celtic Force
Visit: http://www.davidrross.org
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Care to get a feel for what life was like in 17th Century Edinburgh? Perhaps even a touch of paranormal contact with a “being” of Olde Edinburgh? Well then, Mary King’s Close is the place to be!
Mary King’s Close is a very real address on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. But, it’s one of those that time forgot. Until recently that is. For those of you who hadn’t known, a “close” is the original term for the narrow streets with houses on either side, some of which stretched up 7 stories during their time. In the 1600s, Mary Kings Close was one of many such bustling narrow streets so typical of Edinburgh in that era.
What’s most interesting about this place is that it’s entirely underground, having been trapped
by a 1750s-vintage urban renewal program. At that time, a new Royal Exchange (now City Chambers) building complex went up, wherein the tops of the old buildings were sheared off leaving the bottoms to serve as foundations. These old buildings were “rediscovered” and reopened in 2003 with all their centuries of dankness and mystery revealed. That’s the Mary King’s Close Experience.
A visit to Mary Kings’ is both an eerie and moving experience. One can see and feel how folks lived back in the 16th and 17th century. Why, you might even meet a folk or two. Visitors can also learn about the affects of The Black Plague in Edinburgh. Perhaps even more than they’d ever want to know!
For those participating in the Albannach/Ross Homecoming Tour in March 2010, we’ll be offering the Experience opportunity. Presently, this is planned as an “optional” event on the itinerary and we’d appreciate hearing from you with your interest. And, for anyone interested, in any way in Mary King’s Close, here are a few links:
http://www.realmarykingsclose.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_King%27s_Close
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6s6-N2a5eU (copywrite Antix Productions)
The Real Mary King’s Close is funded by the City of Edinburgh Council and operated by Heritage, part of Continuum.
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Posted in The Celtic Force, Trips | Celtic Music, ghost hunting, mary king's close, paranormal, Scotland, Tours | Leave a commentNew 3-part series from Scotland TV a feast for the senses!
A “must see” for those visiting Scotland (or wanting a reminder!).
To coincide with countrywide efforts and events for Homecoming 2009, STV produced a glorious travelogue series aired in September 2009. The subject? A celebration of Scotland. Now, both organizations have made available substantially all of the series to viewers online. And in rich, high-definition.
With our own Scotland Tour planned for March 2010, we thought we’d share these links with you. As did we, I’m sure you’ll find the imagery stunning, the aerial fly-over views to be spectacular, and the whole presentation to be crafted with joyous love for people and place. Episode #1 starts with Scotland’s main cities: Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Stirling. In this episode as well as those following, you’ll have an exquisitely teasing opportunity to preview some of the very places on the itinerary for the March 2010 Tour with Albannach and David R. Ross.
And, if you haven’t already fallen in love with all that is Scotland, it will be hard to resist after “Scotland Revealed.”
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By: Eric Johnson
The Celtic Force
In the last years, we’ve noted an interesting and pleasing trend. Scottish heritage events such as Highland Games are not really limited to “things Scottish” anymore. Increasingly, we see a blend of influences from related cultures that could be called “cousins” to our own Scottish heritage.
Today, event organizers (and their audiences!) welcome contributions from all the Celtic-rooted cultures of Ireland, Wales, Galicia, etc. as well as even more distantly-related ones such as Native American and African-influenced. Celtic Force contributes to the trend by integrating a broader range of Celtic performing acts into our music festival lineups.
Much in the same fashion, Irish heritage festival events are expanding. Scottish-themed artists with whom we regularly work are increasingly booked into “Irish” events. Naturally, Celtic Force’s scope of interest has expanded accordingly. Recently, we’ve participated in several Irish festivals and thought you might be interested to share in our experiences.
For starters, simply said, Irish festivals are awesomely fun. In a Gaelic word, Irish fests are great “craic,” a phrase heard so often. “What’s the craic?” asking what’s delightfully fun in a high-spirited, often beverage-drinking, musically-oriented setting is a classic Irish greeting. That certainly tells you something about priorities of life!
Irish festivals are so welcomingly fun that attendance at the largest events reaches well over 100,000. This past month, we had opportunity to join in the festivities at two of the largest: the Milwaukee Irish Fest and the Newport (RI) Irish Fest.
Newport’s 3-day Labor Day weekend event, right on the picturesque Newport Waterfront, was a delight. It was the 13th annual festival here and it draws upwards to 40,000 attendees each year. Newport offers that broader Celtic variety of performing talent showcased on 5 stages of continuous music including names you should recognize. The lineup for 2009 featured the Tartan Terrors, Black 47, Screaming Orphans, Shenanigans, Town Pants, and Glengarry Bhoys, with headliners being Eileen Ivers and the Immigrant Band.
Also appearing at Newport were one group of artists with whom we work…The Killdares. You may recall seeing them a couple years back at Grandfather Mtn. Well, I caught up with them in their first-ever performances at Newport.
Over the weekend, The Killdares offered several inspired performances of their cutting-edge, Texas-infused, alternative Celtic rock music which audiences from all over the U.S. have come to appreciate. Talking with both Tim Smith and Brek Lancaster, they were quite pleased with standing-ovation results, having met many new friends as well. They even took in some of Newport’s sights including the grand mansions of America’s Gilded Age.
I also chatted at Newport with the Screaming Orphans, those delightful gals from County Donegal, Ireland. We first met at Bill Reid’s Midwinter Valley Forge fest, when the Orphans were on the program with our colleagues in Celtic madness, Albannach.
Well, just as at Midwinter, The Orphans, those 4 sisters named Diver, were definitely one of the highlights of Newport. They rocked the audience with their performances so much that headliner Eileen Ivers asked them back on-stage to share in her own closing numbers of her already sizzling set.
If you haven’t seen a Screaming Orphans performance, you’re in for an experience. The Screaming Orphans are four funny, high-spirited, musically-obsessed sisters with roots in traditional Irish music, flavoured with diverse set of influences ranging from Simon & Garfunkel to REM, strongly focused on melody-driven songs with pop and rocks strains. For a group of Trinity College of Dublin School of Music grads, their zanily fast-paced and staccato music accompanied with continual banter, are refreshing. It’s a joy to see them play, or even chat with them. And, in comparing notes, we know they’re already booked to come back for Midwinter.
Newport was a superb success, for sure. Then… well… there’s Milwaukee Irish Fest.
Part II coming soon……………
For more information check these out:
http://www.newportwaterfrontevents.com/
http://www.thescreamingorphans.com/
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Dates updated for Scotland Trip – New travel dates announced
The idea for this trip was born when Eric and I made a trip to Ireland and Scotland earlier this year. We felt that with a trusty guide in the form of one David R. Ross that we could put together something memorable and that’s what’s happening. We are also learning that the travel market has its own unique circumstances and they are keeping us on our toes. Having to think with a group mindset definitely changes your perspective on the situation.
As we’ve mentioned previously in our materials, dates could vary for travel dependant on several factors and those factors have arisen. Because of the time of year, Continental is our only choice for non-stop flights to Scotland. We have found that in order to guarantee space for everyone that is interested in going (and there are quit a few of you) it will be necessary to depart from Newark on Tues. March 9 and return on Tues. March 16.
When we requested a block of seats for our original dates we were told they were available for the flight over but could not guarantee seats for the return flight. They also informed us that the prices had gone up from the previous quote just two weeks earlier! Well, we looked at options and the best was to move things back a day and we will fly in and out of Edinburgh instead of Glasgow. This will allow us to maintain our rates by locking in our price for the flight now with enough seats to handle a good crowd.
By the way, did I mention that we have met the minimum amount of people necessary to make this trip happen? As I mentioned earlier, the response has been wonderful and is allowing us to put things in place early enough to insure a fantastic experience for all involved. We wanted to keep you updated and appreciate your understanding. Keep checking our website, we will have our FAQ sheet on the trip up shortly.
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We wanted to let you know that we had hoped to have online registration for the trip set up by Aug. 1, however technical issues have prevented us from making that happen.
We attempted to send an e mail blast on Sat. with the registration form attached to those on our newsletter list. Seems our provider for doing large list doesn’t like our registration attached to the e mail. Technology is a wonderful thing.
Don’t despair! Our trusty web guy, Boomer, has been working to attach a downloadable version of the form on the site.
Good news…it is up and running! CLICK HERE for the registration form!
We are very excited about this trip and know that many of you are as well. The recent addition of David Urquhart Travel as one of our partners in Scotland will lend itself to making this a very unique trip when combined with Albannach, David R. Ross and the beauty of Scotland.
Imagine the possibilities!
Slainte,
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