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BATTLEGROUND PERTHSHIRE is a concise account of the battles and minor military events that have taken place within the county of Perthshire. Comprising two thousand years of battles, raids, rebellions, sieges, riots, feuds, ambushes and skirmishes, Battleground Perthshire shines the spotlight on the military history of Scotland’s big county. Drawn from extensive primary and secondary sources: archives, eyewitness accounts and official records, it tells the fascinating stories of struggles for wealth, power, freedom and the right to self-determination. This chronicle of Perthshire’s military history stands as an important reminder of some of the events that have marked the development of the Scottish people. It will appeal both to the reader interested in the history of Scotland and to those interested in military history.

Battleground Perthshire can be bought from most bookshops in the Perthshire area: The Watermill at Aberfeldy; Sweet Words at Dunkeld; Waterstones - various stores including Perth; WHSmith - Perth and Pitlochry. And, in Perth Museum, the AK Bell Library, Gloagburn Farm Shop, the Brig Farm Shop by Bridge of Earn. Alternatively, it may be purchased for £7.00 with FREE postage and packing to any UK address {Please email for postage costs for locations outside UK}. Send cheque or postal order (payable to Tippermuir Books) to Tippermuir Books, c/o 3 Graham's Place, King Street, Perth, Perth, PH2 8HZ. It can also be bought through most of the UK online (internet) booksellers.

Spanish Thermopylae: Cypriot Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-39 SPANISH THERMOPYLÆ is the story of the fifty-seven Cypriots who served in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War, 1936-39. It is also the story of a war that defined the lives of a generation and whose outcome decided the fate of hundreds of millions of people across the world. Drawing on recently released records from the Comintern Archive in Moscow, Spanish Thermopylae will appeal both to the reader interested in the experiences of the Cypriot volunteers, and to anyone looking for a concise history of the Spanish Civil War. 'This is the first book devoted solely to the contribution made by Cypriots to the cause of democracy and progress in the Spanish Civil War. It bears witness to the injustice committed against humanity by fascism in Spain and the inspirational sacrifices made by a small band of Cypriot volunteers. Spanish Thermopylae is a fitting tribute to them, and the International Brigades.' Demetris Christofias, President of the Republic of Cyprus 'True to the best traditions of their Greek forefathers, the heroes of the Greek War of Independence, the Cypriots rallied to the support of Spanish democracy and independence, realising that a defeat for the Spanish people would have meant world war. On the Spanish battlefields was being decided the fate of Europe and with it that of Cyprus. They recognised fascism as the greatest enemy of humanity and volunteered to help crush it... Many Cypriots lie buried in the Spanish soil fighting fascism. Cyprus is proud of her heroic sons who fell in the anti-fascist cause, but the fight is not over. We fight on until fascism is destroyed from the face of the earth.' Ezekias Papaioannou, Cypriot International Brigades volunteer and General Secretary of AKEL (1949-88) "Before many years have passed, their own countries will feel equally proud of the volunteers. That will be their best and highest reward." Juan Negrín, Prime Minister of the Spanish Republic (1937-39). It is available from www.amazon.co.uk

 

 


History

Dick Gaughan

Scottish folksinger and songwriter born in 1948 who is a regular visitor to Perthshire. Born in Glasgow, Dick Gaughan is considered to be one of the best interpreters of both modern and contemporary folk music around. His repertoire ranges from classic balalds to politcal songs and it is for the latter he is known as well as his support for progressive causes.

Brought up in Leith, Dick Gaughan started out as a teenager singing in the pubs of Edinburgh. Between 1972 and 1973 he was a member of the band, Boys of the Lough and in 1975 help to set up Five Hand Reel. Soon he went solo and has been playing by himself ever since.

Dick Gaughan has played acroos the United States and the Soviet Union. His Perthshire concerts are always well attended. The biography and discography below is copied from Dick Gaughan's own website www.dickgaughan.co.uk

  • 1972 No More Forever
  • 1973 The Boys of the Lough
  • 1975 The Bonnie Pit Laddie ( 2 tracks )
  • 1976 Kist O'Gold
  • 1976 The 2nd Folk Review Record ( 2 tracks )
  • 1976 Five Hand Reel ( Five Hand Reel )
  • 1977 Sandy Bell's Ceilidh ( 2 tracks )
  • 1977 Coppers and Brass
  • 1977 For A' That ( Five Hand Reel )
  • 1978 Songs of Ewan MacColl ( Dave Burland / Tony Capstick )
  • 1978 Gaughan
  • 1978 Earl O' Moray ( Five Hand Reel )
  • 1981 Folk Frinds 2 ( various )
  • 1981 Handful of Earth
  • 1982 Parallel Lines ( Andy Irvine )
  • 1983 Different Kind of Love Song
  • 1983 Songs for Peace ( 1 track )
  • 1984 Out of the Darkness ( 1 track )
  • 1985 Fanfare for Tomorrow ( Ken Hyder )
  • 1985 Live in Edinburgh
  • 1986 True and Bold
  • 1987 Woody Lives ( various )
  • 1988 Call it Freedom
  • 1995 Clan Alba
  • 1996 Sail On
  • 1997 Spirit of Ireland ( 3 tracks )
  • 1998 Redwood Cathedral
  • 1998 Where Have All The Flowers Gone? ( 1 track )
  • 2001 Street Cries ( 1 track )
  • 2001 Outlaws & Dreamers
  • 2002 Prentice Piece
  • 2002 Shining Bright ( 1 track )
  • 2003 Seeds ( 1 track )
  • 2004 The Clear Stream ( 2 tracks )
  • 2004 McCalman Singular ( 1 track )
  • 2006 Lucky For Some

"Well, firstly, and most importantly, Dick Gaughan is a Scot, from Leith on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth. Leith, once a separate port, has been part of Edinburgh since the 1920s but has retained a distinct identity.

Born Richard Peter, the eldest of three children, in 1948. By a sheer accident of timing, this event took place in Rottonrow Maternity Hospital in Glasgow while his father was temporarily working as an engine driver at Colville's Steelworks and so Gaughan spent the first year and a half of his life in Rutherglen, a period of which he swears he has no recollection at all, not even of being knocked down by a bus. This must have had a profound effect, however, because immediately after this he went to Leith to his paternal grandparents with whom he lived until his own parents returned to Leith some months later and he has never been back to Rutherglen since!

His mother, Frances MacDonald, was a Highland Scot, originally from Bohenie in Lochaber, whose first language was Gaelic. She was a singer in both Gaelic and English and won a silver medal at one of the Gaelic Mods as a child in the 30s while at school in Arisaig.

His father, Dick, was born in Leith of an Irish father, an Irish speaker and fiddle player, from Doohoma in Mayo. Gaughan's grandmother, Bridget Madden, born in Glasgow of Irish parents from Killala, played button accordion and was also a singer, in English only.

Gaughan was brought up immersed in the musical traditions and culture of the Gaels, both Scots and Irish, which naturally, therefore, provide the foundation for everything he does.

He has been a professional musician and singer since Jan 1970. Has been playing guitar since the age of 7 and made his first solo album in 1971. Working mainly in the areas now known as "Folk" or "Celtic" music, he has recorded quite extensively since then in many countries and in various combinations. Has also worked extensively as a session musician in a wide variety of musical styles.

During this time he has also been fairly active as a record producer, midi programmer, composer - composing the music for films for the BBC, Scottish Arts Council and independent producers - actor and theatre music director, having been in both roles with the celebrated 7:84 (Scotland) Theatre Company in the early 80s, songwriter whose songs have been recorded by, among others, Billy Bragg, Mary Black and Capercaillie, and also served for several years as a reviewer/columnist with Folk Review magazine in the late 70s. Instigated the setting up of the association Perform in the early 80s and was its Chair for 2 years.

Was an early member of the band Boys of the Lough and is on their first album and was with the now-legendary Scottish Folk-Rock (what a lousy label that is!) band, Five Hand Reel, making 3 albums with them. In the 90s he founded and produced the short-lived but quite extraordinary ensemble Clan Alba.

Having very eclectic tastes, he also plays everything from free jazz and rock to country music and has studied orchestration to develop his compositional and midi programming skills. He plays most fretted stringed instruments but his natural instrument, and perhaps what he is happiest doing, is acoustic guitar. His greatest musical love is for the ancient traditional Scots ballads. Also know as The Muckle Sangs (the big songs), these are the big story songs which form a substantial part of Scotland's living wealth of traditional song.

Over the years, Gaughan has recorded and performed many of these "Muckle Sangs", The great Scots Ballads are mostly of very great antiquity with some of the themes and motifs being traceable back thousands of years. Full of mystical and supernatural references. they are very dramatic and powerful and Gaughan has always insisted that the greatest singer of ballads he ever was privileged to hear and learn from was the late Jeannie Robertson.

Gaughan has also been quite passionately obsessed by computers since 1984 and took a programming course at Edinburgh's Telford College during 1984, while recovering from voice problems, spent several years as a Sysop on one of Compuserve's Forums and is a regular reader and occasional participant on the Usenet newsgroups rec.music.celtic and uk.music.folk

He has also been designing and building websites since the birth of the WWW, experience which he puts into his web design company, Gaelweb. Believes passionately in the principle that all sites should be designed so as to be fully accessible to all readers regardless of platform or software, especially in view of the number of people with disabilities using the web, and has no patience with sites which say "best viewed on ..." or which are built using using non-standard code which only works with one particular browser (i.e. Microsoft-specific coding). He also has a great love for Celtic art and did all the little graphics you'll find here and there around the site.

Lists his greatest influences as Karl Marx, Groucho Marx, Flann O'Brien, Bert Jansch, Betty Frieden, John Lennon, Vladimir Illych Lenin, Hugh MacDiarmid, Davey Graham, Doc Watson, Hank Williams, Jeannie Robertson, Ewan MacColl, Somerled, Bertolt Brecht, his mother (Gaughan's mother, not Brecht's), his father (likewise), Calgacus, Dolinna MacLennan, Crazy Horse, Sandy Denny, Martin Carthy, Clarence White, Sean O'Riada, Jack Mitchell, John MacLean, Big Bill Broonzy, Hamish Henderson, Robert Burns and everybody else he ever met, read, saw, heard or spoke with."

 
email: ap@alternative-perth.org