The Bog Cotton Reel Band

If you have ever passed near the hotel on a Sunday evening in recent months, you may well have heard some musical, and some less musical, noises wafting from the inner depths of the pool room. This is not the sound of the scrape of chalk on cue, but the weekly practice of the Bog Cotton Reel Band.

The band has been together for nearly a year now, and what began as a disparate, and sometimes desperate, bunch of musicians has developed into something a bit more. The band has played at a number of engagements around the Island. During the summer, they parked themselves outside the Bistro on Saturday mornings to entertain passers by; on Thursday evenings they entertained volunteers and midges alike at the Ballyhough dances; there has been many a ceilidh at different homes around the island, the most memorable at Hyne and Gortron, when the entourage trundled down the bogs with all the gear and trundled back up again in the wee sma ' hours singing to the misty sunrise. They took over at the New Year dance to give Ron, Julianna and Big Ron (the professionals!!) a break, and they play regularly for the Songs of Praise service up in the church.

The band has grown in number recently with the addition of Heather Price, who adds some bass with her saxophone. The beat is kept by Ron Davis and his drums, and the top line is provided by Mike Taylor and Elda Lunghi on a combination of violins, mandolin, guitar and whistle. Singer and songwriter, Roger Mann (keyboard) with his flair for arranging music, is the backbone of the band, and Julia Thomson, when she is not knitting, sings beautifully in both English and Gaelic.

However much fun the band has on Sunday nights does not detract from it's more serious alms. As a group of musicians the fact of playing together regularly has meant there is no doubt that the standard of musicianship is improving. This is obvious to Kevin, Julie and Squish and their Sunday night regulars who don't shut the door on them anymore, and no longer wear their Sony Walkman. The band is now In the process of forming a music society which aims to promote the musical skills of islanders and to try to reintroduce the tradition of music within the community In the way it was known in the days of Angus Kennedy, Arinthluic; and Flora McLennan's brothers at Ballyhough.

With this aim in mind, music workshops are now being established for both instrument and song. The whistle workshops have proven most popular so far, probably due to the fact that a whistle only costs £ 1,78, compare this with a decent second hand fiddle which doesnt come any cheaper than £200. Mike has recently purchased another fiddle which he is prepared to loan to anyone keen to join the fiddle workshop, Roger has several keyboard students and Ron has one enthusiastic Bodhran student.

So far the band has been self funded. The band members have spent a total of £750 between them on new instruments and equipment. All gigs have been unpaid except those at Ballyhough. The money from the Ballyhough gigs was used to buy microphones and stands which have improved the overall sound and professionalism - a great improvement on the first (and excellent) microphone which Ken Hyne rigged up with a C.B. mike and Christmas tree stand using an ordinary recordplayer amp.

The Coll Music Society, if it gets off the ground, hopes - with the assistance of grant-givlng bodies - to extend their activities to include the provision of free lessons and workshops for the primary school children and the establishing of a feis. Perhaps most usefully, grants could help subsidise the hire of the local hall for practices and workshops. In the early days Karen with infinite patience and dedicated support put up with a regular Sunday night cacophony until the living room at Gallenach became too small for the ever increasing volume of band gear. Kevin and Julie very generously let the band use the pool room throughout the winter months.

Now however, with the hotel getting busier as the season begins, the band is once again looking for somewhere for weekly practices.

The founding of the Music Society was publicised by a highly successful and well-received Easter Concert followed by an excellent buffet tea and a lively dance,

Due to public demand, the band will be playing for at least two further dances - one at Witsun and one in the Summer. The Band has also been invited to perform in the near future at Glamis which will represent its first experience of being on the road' and will be an exciting time for all concerned.