During the Scottish Folk Revival of the 1960s, in many areas, you could
visit a different folk club every night of the week and have a plethora of
choice of venues at the weekend. For 'old folkies' such as The Flag's
Peter and Marilyn Wright, a visit to Milnathort in a weeks time will revive
happy memiries of forty years ago, as the Kinross-shire will host the annual
Milnathort Crackin' Ceilidh Weekend (11 March - 13 March 2005). Among
the special guests during the weekend will be Scottish folk doyens Archie
Fisher and Mike Wheelans. Archie Fisher played an important part in
running the famous Elbow Room Folk Club in Kirkcaldy during the 60s and is
now presenter of the weekly folk programme on Radio Scotland 'Travelling
Folk'. Milnathort, and round about, is home to several folk singers
who were important to the folk revival and they form the backbone of the
festival artistes. These include the voice of Fife, John Watt, famous
for his songs such as 'The Keltie Clippie' and 'Pittenweem Jo'; Tich Frier
and Andy Ramage, formerly of The Bitter Withy; and Scotland's premier
folk duo and Oliver Brown Award winners Gaberlunzie, Gordon Menzies and
Robin Watson.
The festival programme includes open sessions in the town's various
hostelries as well as events in the Town Hall and Thistle Hotel and don't
miss the Orwell Gird Champioships and Bairns Street Games at noon on
Saturday 12 March in the Milnathort Primary School playground.
Tickets
for all concerts are £8.00 and are available from Fiona McNeil, 28 Victoria
Avenue, Milnathort, Kinross-shire, KY13 9YE (tel: 01577 863000)
Milnathort Crackin' Ceilidh Weekend 2005
Friday 11 march
8.00pm The opening Ceilidh in The Thistle Hotel with The Orwell
Ceilidh Band & festival artistes.
Saturday 12 March
12 noon The Orwell Gird Championships and Children's Street Games,
Milnathort Primary School playground, Bridgefauld Road. Spectators
FREE.
Apres Gird sessions in The Royal Hotel, The Village Inn & The Jolly
Beggars with festival artistes & guest singers and musicians. Visiting
artistes welcome.
8.00pm Concert in the Town Hall with Archie Fisher & Mike Whellans
plus festival artistes.
8.30pm Concert in The Thistle Hotel with Guberlunzie & Guests.
Sunday 13 March
2pm onwards Afternoon sessions in The Jolly Beggars, The Royal Hotel
& The Village Inn with festival artistes & visiting musicians - FREE
7.30pm
Final concert in The Thistle Hotel with The Tich Frier Band & all festival
artistes left standing.
Kinross-shire was the second smallest county in Scotland prior to the
re-organisation of Scottish local government in 1975. Milnathort lies
near Kinross, the only borough in the old county, which is built beside one
of Scotland's most famous trout lochs - Loch Leven. This weeks recipe
has to be for Baked Brown Trout and was supplied by the Holywood Institute
to 'The Anniversary Cook-Book of the Dumfriesshire Federation SWRI 1922 -
1992'.
Baked Brown Trout
Cut the fish and rinse under cold running water. Push a few
sprigs of fresh parsley into the fish, or, if available, some sprigs of
fresh rosemary. Put on a buttered ovenware dish, and dab some
butter over the fish. Cover with buttered foil, and put in the
middle of a moderate oven and bake, allowing twenty minutes per pound of
fish. Serve with a sauce made from the juices, mixed with chopped
parsley and a little cayenne pepper.
