Lochinver
Another couple of days at Temple before the next run of shows. I am Sure that if my Grandmother were alive she would be proud or at least surprised that I spent so much time going to Temple, especially outwith the Sabbath.
Our next gig is in Lochinver way up in Sutherland so to break up the journey I take Pat and Alasdair to Newtonmore in Badenoch to stay with my old pipe band chum Chris Thomson - a great piper from Laggan with whom I played in the Gas board pipe band some years ago. Chris and his wife Shirlie run a superb four-star guest house (Coig na Shee) on the Fort William road in Newtonmore so our stay was exceptional especially after a few pints with the local pipe band and tea and a few drams in the kitchen. Chris unfortunately had to get up at 6a.m. to make breakfast for all of the other guests though he was gracious enough to cook for us much later at the luxurious time of 10.30. Alasdair still missed it.

Lochinver itself is an astonishing location: A fishing port in a bay on the northwest coast of mainland Scotland. While we were setting up the P.A. Pat Spotted a gaggle of French fishermen reading the poster. So Pat, a fluent French speaker, immediately struck up a conversation in French with these fellows, asking them if they were coming to the show. As it happens they were only in town for two hours before their boat was due to leave, so this was impossible but I cannot help but think that they must have been at least slightly surprised that some guy off the street would just start speaking to them in their own language. Hopefully they will return home thinking that everyone in Lochinver speaks French.

Before the concert I nipped down to the hotel by the pier for a quick pint where I met some extremely pished fishermen from Peterhead whose boat was in for repairs. One of them told me that he used to be a lighting engineer and roadie for the band Joe Public who had once done a tour supporting Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark back in the 1980’s. But, the highlight of the concert for me was when Alasdair introduced me to play a solo on the pipes: “Mike is a great piper, instrumental in re-introducing old tunes, he is also a great bass and guitar player who listens to all kinds of different music and all of these diverse influences come together to make one big… hairy….. whole.”

The concert was great and after we returned to the Culag pier bar après concert with the promoter Alex Dickson and a few others. He is another on of these guys who puts on great gigs way out in the country. Closing time was prompt;12:45.

Tonight’s show is at the Sunart Centre and we have a support act: Six of the young Ceilidh Trail folk who have recently finished the Feis Lochaber and are being taken on a tour of twenty-five gigs around the north. The Feis movement is basically concerned with teaching “camps” based in different parts of the country where people have the opportunity to learn from great teachers and of course play together intensively. Former Battlefield Band members Iain Macdonald and Dougie Pincock often teach at these events. Some of these kids come from the Plockton High School centre of excellence in traditional music of which Dougie is the chief. The kids play great and it would be interesting to see them after twenty-five gigs.

As well as our concert there was to be a wedding the next day so the pub was heaving with interesting people: I met Dave MacKay, himself a piper who plays drums with the world famouse Fergie MacDonald dance band from Acharacle; There was a couple from Tasmania who had re-jigged their holiday to come back to Strontian to see us; and a Deer stalker who had come from Knoydart to see us. There are no roads to Knoydart so you either take a boat seven miles or hike thirty through the hills. To meet all of these people was very flattering.
Another late breakfast - 9 a.m. This was quite a good one: More home-grown eggs and black pudding with the big pieces of lard in – mmmm.

HRH Alasdair White. Doesn't
look a day over 21

Iona via Mull
We are making our way to the island of Iona where St Columba introduced Christianity to Scotland. You can decide for yourself who won. Rob and I drive to Lochaline to get the ferry to Fishnish. As it is only 11:00a.m. and Rob has never been to Mull, we decide to take a detour through Tobermory (i.e. a pint at the Mishnish) and on to the west coast road - sixty miles of single track road to Fionnport where we get the Iona ferry. Once across we meet the rest of the band and Alasdair’s family – Half of Iona. As his mother, father, aunties, uncles, and cousins are all here, tonight becomes Alasdair’s birthday once again complete with cakes, whisky, tea, and gifts. I suppose that this is his “Official” birthday which makes him something like the Queen: The queen of Lewis perhaps. No that doesn’t work.

We dine lavishly in the Grant family’s restaurant next to the pier: Masses of Fresh prawns, grilled sole, Lobster, crab steak and porter. The promoter, Judith Jardine, single-handedly puts on great gigs in the village hall and ours was no exception. Due to its physical beauty and historical significance, Iona is a mecca for tourists and this is reflected in the cosmopolitan nature of the crowd, locals, Americans. English, Spanish, Oystercatchers, Auks, etc.

After the show it's drams and tea next door with Alasdair’s family. Incidentally, Alasdair’s uncle Charlie runs the boat trips to the island of Staffa and Fingal’s cave – one of Scotland’s natural wonders. A trip worth taking. Anyway, we retire late on. Tomorrow is the journey home for us and Fionnaport gala day for everybody else on Iona. This comprises fishing boat races, fishing competitions, and a dance, so it attracts folk from all over – even Tiree. As we mop up the remnants of our very last fry-up of this tour, the locals are making ready for a huge day out. Alasdair heads north to Taransay to teach for a week and we head to get the ferries home until we meet again for our next gig in that most outer island – Venice, and a festival in Italy.