Tommy Sands – Saturday 25 March

We welcome Tommy Sands, Northern Irish singer, songwriter and social activist back to the Salmon Bothy in Portsoy on Saturday 25 March. Renowned worldwide, Sands performed with his siblings as The Sands Family, and has developed into one of the most powerful songwriters and enchanting solo performers in Ireland today. 

Bob Philips, chairman of Folk at the Salmon Bothy, commented, “The Bothy Folk are looking forward to a busy year, with lots of events and entertainment planned.  We have witnessed a range of amazing talent grow and emerge from the local folk scene, as well as welcoming performers from across the world to Portsoy, and we look forward to continuing this throughout 2023. 

We are especially excited about welcoming Tommy Sands, providing the opportunity to listen to a fantastic performer in the intimate surroundings of Portsoy’s Salmon Bothy”

Tickets £12, Doors open 1930, BYOB

Contact Bob at bobportsoy@gmail.com

Bothy Ballads and Burns

Bothy Ballads & Burns

A celebration of the works of Rabbie Burns and of the Bothy Ballads of North East Scotland


Featuring the fantastic Tripple (Jill, Cate & Annie Lennox) supported by Bill & Mac Lennox
Also starring Bothy Trophy Winners ~ Doug Hay & Bill Gray, Bowling Club, Portsoy
Sat 18th February 2023 ~ Doors Open 6:30 pm
3 Course Meal, Tea, Coffee & a Dram!
All for Only £25
Booking Essential ~ Tickets available from Bob Philips 07968 872217 bobportsoy@gmail.com

New Year’s Day Bash

Sunday 1st January 2023.

New Year’s Day Bash.

Survived Hogmanay, then come along to very informal New Years Day Session. Portsoy Bowling Club. 2000 start. Entry free, but bring a raffle prize and some nibbles to share.

Whats on …

Whats happening at Folk at the Salmon Bothy?

  • Friday 16th December – Open mic Xmas Special, hosted by Mic HO HO HO ! Blackburn. 1930 in Salmon Bothy. Bring a seasonal song, tune, story, or simply come along and relax and enjoy the performances. Joan and Paul in charge of the ‘falling down’ refreshments and nibbles. Donations to local food bank can be left in box at foot of stair. We will ensure goods are delivered to local distribution point. 
  • Sunday 1st January 2023. Survived Hogmanay, then come along to very informal New Years Day Session. Portsoy Bowling Club. 2000 start. Entry free, but bring a raffle prize and some nibbles to share.
    Saturday 28th January. Banffshire Ceilidh. Banff RFC/ Cornhill Games , Burns Ceilidh Dance. Banff Bowling Club. Euan McIlwraith to address haggis and dancing to Dark Island Ceilidh Band. Tickets £25. Booking essential.
  • Saturday 18th February. Bothy Ballads and Burns Night . Portsoy Bowling Club. Hosted by The Lennox Family, with Doug Hay and Bill Gray. 3 course meal and a dram. £25. Booking essential.
  • Sat 25th March. Tommy Sands in Concert at Bothy. £12. A most gifted songwriter…with an ability to write on serious subjects which come across as songs rather than sermons…also well able to be extremely funny in the way he puts words together. . . Irish Times
  • 13th HAAL – 2nd, 3rd, 4th June 2023. A weekend of concerts, sing arounds, tunes, sessions, story telling, competitions and tributes to Jimmy McBeath and Davy Steele. Featuring – The Sands Family, Karine Polwart, Sileas, Danny Couper, Aaron Clark,  The Spiers Family, Scott Gardiner, Natalie Chalmers, Beth Malcom, Jamie Steele, Doug Hay, Bill Gray and many many more. Weekend tickets available. Camping, B & B, Hostel and AirBnB all available.

    3rd Friday each month – Open Mic. At the Salmon Bothy.
    Information and Tickets from bobportsoy@gmail.com, Www.bothyfolk.org or FB.

Coming up at Folk at the Salmon Bothy

Coming up at Folk at the Salmon Bothy. Here are some great events during the next few months.

  • Friday 18th November – Stuart Campbell is our MC for this months Open Mic Event. Doors open 1900. £4 includes Tea/ coffee etc. BYOB.
  • Friday 16th December. Mike Blackburn is to MC our Xmas Extravaganza. More info to follow.
  • New Years Day 2023 – Session on New Years Day 2023. Portsoy Bowling Club. Free entry, however bring a raffle prize and some food to share. 8.00pm onwards. Please let Bob know asap if interested. This event will only run if enough support.
  • Saturday 18th February – Bothy Ballads and Burns. The Wonderful Lennox Family will once again host our Bothy Ballads and Burns event, Portsoy Bowling Club. More details to follow. Bookings now being taken.
  • Saturday 25th March. – Tommy Sands in concert in the Salmon Bothy. Tommy is no stranger to Portsoy and is  a superb singer songwriter, story teller and peace activist. 

For more details please get in touch on FaceBook or email Bob at bobportsoy@gmail.com

Folk Singer Jimmy McBeath Remembered Through Music And Song

Folk Singer Jimmy McBeath Remembered Through Music And Song

Bothy ballads echoed through Portsoy recently as musicians gathered to remember the legendary late folk singer, Jimmy McBeath.

The event on Saturday 1 October was organised by the town’s Folk at the Salmon Bothy, to mark fifty years since McBeath’s passing in 1972.

One of Scotland’s most memorable and talented personalities, McBeath bequeathed a priceless treasury of songs as part of Scotland’s heritage.  Many of his songs such as Come aa Ye Tramps and Hawkers, The Wind Blew the Bonnie Lassie’s Plaidie Awa and The Bonnie Lass o Fyvie, have been adopted by internationally known folk singers, and are still valued and sung around the world today.

A group of twenty people, many who had known McBeath personally, gathered at Portsoy graveyard to celebrate the grand legacy of song left behind by McBeath.

David Denoon, who had known McBeath well, gave a moving tribute to ‘The Scout’ as he was known, prior to laying a wreath of autumn flowers at McBeath’s grave.

The day of celebration and remembrance continued in front of extended audiences.  An excellent presentation on McBeath’s life was given, compiled by Tom Spires and led by Arthur Watson. Songs and stories were contributed by Geordie Murison, Maggie Spiers and Scott Gardiner.

A number of bothy songs performed by local champion singers Doug Hay and Bill Gray kicked off the evening event, followed by a fantastic and moving performance of Jock’s Jocks, which brought tears to many eyes. The evening programme was brought to a close by Choras, who harmonised beautifully across a variety of songs.

Reflecting on the day, Bob Philips, chairman of Folk at the Salmon Bothy, commented, “The event was a fitting celebration of Jimmy McBeath, one of Scotland’s most talented and memorable personalities on the traditional folk music scene.  Performers and audience members alike shared both laughter and tears during a host of superb performances from talented musicians and singers throughout the day. The evening event concluded with all the performers and some of the audience singing A Parting Glass, which proved to be a very apt end to a day during which many a glass had been raised to the folk music legend that is Jimmy McBeath.”

Folk Singer Jimmy McBeath To Be Commemorated Fifty Years On

Folk Singer Jimmy McBeath To Be Commemorated Fifty Years On

On Saturday 1st October Folk at the Salmon Bothy will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the passing of renowned Scots folk singer Jimmy McBeath.

McBeath was one of Scotland’s most memorable and talented personalities, bequeathing a priceless treasury of songs as part of Scotland’s heritage.  Many of his songs such as Come aa Ye Tramps and Hawkers, The Wind Blew the Bonnie Lassie’s Plaidie Awa and The Bonnie Lass o Fyvie, have been adopted by internationally known folk singers, and are still valued and sung around the world.

Born in Portsoy in 1898, McBeath served in France with the Gordon Highlanders during World War 1, followed upon his return to Scotland by casual work across farms in the north east.  During these times, he heard songs in barrack rooms and bothies, and soon himself began to perform songs of the north east. Supplementing his income by performing at hiring fairs, markets and in the streets, his distinctive voice and pawky sense of humour saw him became an easily recognised character.

Since his death in 1972, McBeath’s songs have remained popular, being frequently performed at traditional music venues and events all around the country.

Now fifty years on, the esteemed of the north east’s traditional folk music scene will come together to remember McBeath’s talent and legacy.

Following the laying of a wreath on his grave at midday, an event celebrating his life and contribution to folk song will take place at Portsoy Church Centre from 2pm.  Led by Arthur Watson, with support from Danny Couper, Geordie Murison, Scott Gardiner and The Spiers Family, a number of songs from McBeath’s repertoire will be performed, including a few recorded snippets from the man himself.

An evening concert from 7.30pm offers an equally impressive array of talented folk musicians and singers who will cover McBeath’s works, including Bill Gray and Doug Hay, as well as Aileen Carr, Barbara Dymock and Janice Clark, who perform together as Choras.

The concert will also include a performance of Jock’s Jocks, a one-act play based on the wartime stories of around sixty World War 1 soldiers who were interviewed by north east folk singer Jock Duncan, who was highly influenced by McBeath’s work.

Over fifty years of Jock Duncan’s life was spent seeking out and interviewing ‘the Jocks’, Scottish veterans of the Great War. Transcribing the recordings word for word on an old manual typewriter over two thousand Sunday mornings, his labour of love provides a truly unique glimpse into the lives of those who left the farms of Buchan, Aberdeenshire, Angus and Perthshire for the fields of Flanders and France and the shores of Gallipoli. These memories have been lifted off the page and put on the stage in the musical play, Jock’s Jocks, featuring Scott Gardiner, Charlie West and Gary West.

Looking ahead to the full day event, Bob Philips, chairman of Folk at the Salmon Bothy, said, “Jimmy McBeath is without doubt one of Scotland’s most memorable and talented personalities, his influence is still apparent in the songs performed on the traditional folk music scene internationally today. It seems only fitting that in the fiftieth year since his passing, performers and musicians from across the north east’s folk music scene will get together to celebrate his life and works.  We are also delighted to be hosting Jocks Jock’s, in the most northern showing of the play to date, where audience members should be prepared to laugh, cry and sing as they watch the drama unfold. We are very much looking forward to an enjoyable and uplifting day of music and entertainment.”    

Tickets available now, priced at £10 for the afternoon event, £15 for the evening concert, or £20 for both, can be bought by contacting Bob Philips at bobportsoy@gmail.com or 07968 872 217.

More information at www.bothyfolk.org

Cancelled – Kenny Spiers – Sat 10th September

Unfortunately this event has been Cancelled

Kenny Spiers – Sat 10th September

Kenny Speirs is one of the leading figures of the Borders folk scene, from his early days reforming Peebles Folk Club and presenting the weekly folk programme on Radio Borders to the founding of Denholm Folk Club in 1993 which he still runs today.

An evening of fine songs not to be missed.
https://www.kennyspeirs.com/ 

Salmon Bothy, Sat 8th Sept.,
Doors 7.30pm £10.

Remembering Jimmy McBeath

Remembering Jimmy McBeath

Our day of events Remembering Jimmy McBeath (postponed from January) is to be held on Saturday 1st October 2022.

The day will consist of a selection of presentations, concerts, sing-arounds and a performance of the play based on the late Jock Duncan’s Book, Jock’s Jocks.
Our star-studded line up includes …

  • The Spiers Family,
  • Geordie Murrison, 
  • Bill Gray,
  • Doug Hay,
  • Danny Cooper,
  • Arthur Watson,
  • Scott Gardner,
  • Gary and Charlie west and
  • Choras.

Only £25 for a superb days entertainment. Booking would be appreciated.
Tickets available from Bob as usual.

Kenny Spiers – Sat 10th September

Kenny Spiers – Sat 10th September

Kenny Speirs is one of the leading figures of the Borders folk scene, from his early days reforming Peebles Folk Club and presenting the weekly folk programme on Radio Borders to the founding of Denholm Folk Club in 1993 which he still runs today.

An evening of fine songs not to be missed.
https://www.kennyspeirs.com/ 

Salmon Bothy, Sat 8th Sept.,
Doors 7.30pm £10.

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