Northings | Peter Urpeth | Activity

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Sail Loft Project (3), on the site Northings

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 12:41:28 +0000

The language of the sea
PETER URPETH reports on the latest developments in the ongoing Sail Loft Project in Stornoway
FOR MANY, the boat-making traditions of the Scottish Islands and coastal communities […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Sail Loft Project (2) , on the site Northings

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 13:46:07 +0000

Stories, paper, stone…
PETER URPETH gives an update on Stornoway’s Sail Loft Project
The walls have been stripped. What wasn’t saved is now lost. The wallpapers are soaking in a bath in Moira Macaulay’s studio […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Mill a h-Uile Rud, on the site Northings

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 14:41:30 +0000

Destroyers from Seattle
PETER URPETH gets the lowdown on a Gaelic punk band from Seattle ahead of their short tour of Scotland.
SEATTLE based Gaelic punk band Mill a h-Uile Rud, meaning ‘destroy everything’ in a […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Sign Red, on the site Northings

Tue, 08 May 2012 14:19:53 +0000

Sign of the times…
Lewis band SIGN RED have been grabbing the headlines for their enduring popularity with the listeners of Radio 1’s Vic and Gill show, and are heading into a third week at the top of that show’s […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Heb Celtic Preview, on the site Northings

Tue, 08 May 2012 13:34:33 +0000

Banishing the Sunless Summer Blues
PETER URPETH looks forward to another mass outbreak of Celtic music in the big tent at Lews Castle as the HEBRIDEAN CELTIC FESTIVAL gets underway.
IT IS WITHOUT doubt the most […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Sail Loft Project, on the site Northings

Fri, 04 May 2012 13:26:39 +0000

Sea Passages – Stornoway’s Sail Loft Art Project
In the first of a series of pieces, PETER URPETH follows the work of IAN STEPHEN and his collaboraters in a project aimed at capturing the soul of a building and […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Soaking up the Heb Celt Experience, on the site Northings

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:39:49 +0000

PETER URPETH conjures up the unique atmosphere of one of the leading folk and traditional music occasions of the year, the HEBRIDEAN CELTIC FESTIVAL on Lewis.
THERE IS MORE to the Heb Celtic Festival than the […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Rody Gorman, on the site Northings

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:09:13 +0000

Bridging the Gàidhlig-Gaelige gap
PETER URPETH talks to Skye-based poet RODY GORMAN about the publication of an important new anthology of Gaelic poetry, his own work, and the state of Gàidhlig and Gaelige […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, James Barret, on the site Northings

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:04:08 +0000

Early Stornoway paintings reveal ‘A kind of Glenrothes for the 18th century’
PETER URPETH reports on the unveiling in Stornoway of a new acquisition by the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
THE TWO earliest […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, An Lanntair Development Plans Unveiled, on the site Northings

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:44:18 +0000

PETER URPETH takes a look at the plans for an ambitious new Arts Centre in the Western Isles.
Work on the new Arts Centre in Stornoway will finally get underway in July, and as these drawings from architects […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Torcuil MacRath Profile, on the site Northings

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:27:16 +0000

The Buddha of Grimshader
TORCUIL MacRATH of Grimshader celebrates his 80th birthday this year. He remains one of Gaeldom’s most original poets and scholars yet his work is little known outside of Lewis and among […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Angus Peter Campbell, on the site Northings

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:19:49 +0000

Brave new words
PETER URPETH interviewed ANGUS PETER CAMPBELL following the publication of his new Gaelic novel, An Oidhche Mus Do Sheòl Sinn.
AT THE OPENING of Angus Peter Campbell’s novel, An Oidhche Mus Do […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Christine Primrose, on the site Northings

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:37:04 +0000

A journey home…
CHRISTINE PRIMROSE is one of the great voices in traditional Gaelic singing. PETER URPETH looks at Christine’s contribution, and welcomes a new recording with Brian Ó hEadhra
AN TURAS, the […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Hebridean Celtic Festival Preview, on the site Northings

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:34:34 +0000

PETER URPETH brings us the lowdown on the packed programme of the 2003 Hebridean Celtic Festival.
Those hoping to see The Waterboys perform a power-packed stadium rock gig at this year’s Hebridean Celtic Festival […]

Peter Urpeth became a registered member

Tue, 04 May 2010 15:43:09 +0000

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Sounds in the Grounds 2009, on the site Northings

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:47:21 +0000

Lews Castle Green, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, 22 August 2009 THIS IS August in Lewis. Like an army of minute junkies the midges are getting their score from each square millimetre of exposed flesh, and the thin grassy crust on the porridge of mud beneath our feet is threatening at any moment to break open and swallow […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Maggie Macinnes Trio, on the site Northings

Fri, 22 May 2009 21:16:40 +0000

An Lanntair, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, 21 May 2009 PERFORMANCES by Maggie MacInnes have for this writer always had something of a qualitative difference from those of other singers performing songs from the Scottish Gaelic tradition. The difference stems entirely from Maggie’s direct family relationship to a tradition of song which evolved in…[Read more]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Hebridean Celtic Festival 2008, on the site Northings

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:51:43 +0000

Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, 16-19 July 2008 IT IS NOW almost a contractual necessity for reviewers of British summer music festivals to dwell on the vagaries of the climate and the appalling public health consequences of the seemingly endless deluge that is the British summer in these modern times. The latest excesses of this climatic speculation […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Alasdair White, on the site Northings

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:59:43 +0000

Learning from Masters PETER URPETH chatted with the Lewis-born fiddle maestro back on home ground for the Hebridean Celtic Festival I CAUGHT UP with Alasdair in a quiet corner of Stornoway’s An Lanntair arts centre some hours after Alasdair’s gig with Calum Alex MacMillan at the festival . He began by describing their tuition as youngsters on the […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Katharine Stewart, on the site Northings

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 13:20:43 +0000

A Woman of the Highlands The launch of her latest book, ‘Women Of The Highlands’, to a packed Waterstones in Inverness in December marked another memorable chapter in the 46-year publishing career of writer KATHARINE STEWART. Peter Urpeth caught up with her for Northings AN ADOPTED Highlander who has over the years not only entertained a large, l…[Read more]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Torcuil Macrath, on the site Northings

Sun, 26 Nov 2006 14:58:29 +0000

Seeing the Big Picture PETER URPETH wrote on the work of the late Torquil Macrath for an early issue of Northings in 2003 THE SUDDEN DEATH of Torcuil Macrath, at the age of 82, robs the Gaelic language and culture not only of one of its most learned and original writers but also of one of its most […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Scottish Ensemble: 'Virtuosi', on the site Northings

Fri, 08 Sep 2006 20:15:35 +0000

An Lanntair, Stornoway, 6 September 2006 THE SCOTTISH ENSEMBLE – based in Glasgow and comprised of 12 string players, led and conducted by violinist Jonathan Morton – have a considerable reputation for original and fresh programming and dynamic performances, and the programme for this concert, part of their ‘Virtuosi’ tour of the Highlands and…[Read more]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Ingrid Henderson, on the site Northings

Fri, 10 Feb 2006 16:25:39 +0000

Maintaining Respect PETER URPETH talks musical integrity and West Coast cultural traditions with clarsach player and pianist Ingrid Henderson in Lochaber FOR ALL FAMILIAR with Ingrid Henderson’s work to date, her first solo CD, ‘The Little Beauty’ (OLP 001), will come as something of a surprise. Having established a reputation as an…[Read more]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Sail Loft Exhibition, on the site Northings

Fri, 11 Nov 2005 20:27:38 +0000

An Lanntair, Stornoway, until 2 December 2005 MANY MOONS BACK Samuel Johnson held that “when men come to like a sea-life, they are not fit to live on land”, and over the years the truth in that statement has barely waned. While the material qualities of Johnson’s ‘sea-life’ may be changed forever, in spirit nothing has […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, VAN MORRISON / XOSE MANUEL BUDINO (Big Top, Stornoway, Thursday 14 July 2005), on the site Northings

Fri, 15 Jul 2005 08:00:29 +0000

PETER URPETH finds Van the Man up to his usual tricks, on and off the stage To the names due for review from this evening’s concert should be added the formation of Blas, a gathering of women traditional Gaelic singers performing new and specifically commissioned work for the Festival. However, your reviewer was stood half a […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, SEAMUS BEGLEY (Stornoway Town Hall, Wednesday 13 July 2005), on the site Northings

Thu, 14 Jul 2005 15:00:51 +0000

PETER URPETH finds good music and plenty of Craic from Seamus Begley and Friends. THE SECOND HALF of the opening night at the Hebridean Celtic Festival was given over to Kerry accordionist Seamus Begley with Cork guitarist Jim Murray and to this potent mix was added the slightly surreal occasional performance of dancer Patrick Hopkins. Although […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, James Graham, on the site Northings

Wed, 13 Jul 2005 22:00:18 +0000

Stornoway Town Hall, Wednesday 13 July 2005 THIS YEAR’S Heb Celtic Festival opened with a set by traditional Gaelic singer James Graham and his band, and on this evidence the Assynt-born singer would doubtlessly have come to prominence without the BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year gong he received in 2004. Graham has the same power […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Campbell and MacNeil, on the site Northings

Fri, 10 Sep 2004 10:25:58 +0000

Words and Music PETER URPETH takes a look at the fruitful collaboration between former Astrid guitarist WILLIE CAMPBELL and writer KEVIN MACNEIL THAT THE MUSIC scene in Stornoway and the Isle of Lewis in general is in robust good shape and firing on all creative cylinders at present is old news, with a string of original, energetic […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Hebridean Celtic Festival 2004 Day 4: Session A9/Kila, on the site Northings

Mon, 19 Jul 2004 18:20:34 +0000

Lews Castle, Stornoway, Saturday 17 July 2004 THE HIGH SPIRITS of the previous night cast a long shadow into the following day, but nothing that a few tunes from the U-18 bodhran champion of Ireland couldn’t fix. Playing with his band in An Lanntair on an exchange trip with Stornoway’s own young guns, Teine, he gave a masterclass […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Hebridean Celtic Festival 2004 Day 3: The Saw Doctors / Peatbog Faeries, on the site Northings

Sat, 17 Jul 2004 14:20:57 +0000

Lews Castle, Stornoway, Friday 16 July 2004 LET IT BE SAID, this was the evening on which the Heb Celtic’s plans for big time expansion were fully realised, and the new big top seemed hardly big enough on the night for what was without doubt one of the finest night’s music ever staged at this festival. The […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Hebridean Celtic Festival 2004 Day 2, on the site Northings

Fri, 16 Jul 2004 08:00:40 +0000

Lews Castle, Stornoway, Thursday 15 July 2004 DAY TWO SAW the music switch to the new 5000 capacity tent at Lews Castle. The alignment of the venue has changed this year, too, running with the slope of the Castle grounds, with the stage at the bottom to create a raked auditorium. As matters progressed in the evening’s […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Hebridean Celtic Festival 2004 Day 1, on the site Northings

Thu, 15 Jul 2004 08:04:00 +0000

Town Hall, Stornoway, Wednesday 14 July 2004 THE HEBRIDEAN CELTIC FESTIVAL opened its doors this year to the sound of Teine, a young quartet of singers and multi-instrumentalists from Lewis whose presence on this hallowed stage is not only justified by the quality of their music, but is also totally symptomatic of the vitality, self-confidence…[Read more]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Metagama, on the site Northings

Wed, 14 Jul 2004 10:53:38 +0000

Dermot Healy delivers on Metagama PETER URPETH, a co-founder of Theatre Hebrides, reflects on the company’s forth-coming production Metagama, and the road to the fulfillment of a major new commission. THE NAME METAGAMA is totemic in the history of the Outer Hebrides, and furled within its rolling mouth music, like energy stored in a cultural b…[Read more]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Battlefield Band - Playing to Their Strengths, on the site Northings

Wed, 07 Jul 2004 19:27:26 +0000

PETER URPETH teases out the tale of Scotland’s most indestructible folk band with their longest serving member, ALAN REID, and their newest recruit, ALASDAIR WHITE ‘This band’ says Battlefield Band keyboardist Allan Reid, ‘started in 1969, so we’re into our fifth decade now. That’s scary, seriously scary…’ It’s a summer evening in Edinburgh and y…[Read more]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Interview: Ian Stephen, on the site Northings

Sun, 01 Feb 2004 10:52:25 +0000

Waterlines Stornoway poet IAN STEPHEN is an artist in residence at this year’s Stanza Poetry festival in St Andrews, where his work will explore poetry and the sea. PETER URPETH caught up with the sailor home – if only temporarily – from the sea ON A RECENT sea voyage in the mouth of the River Ex and the […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, A Hogmanay Story, on the site Northings

Sat, 13 Dec 2003 16:13:24 +0000

All That Remains A short story by PETER URPETH THE ARTS JOURNAL is a journal of comment and criticism rather than fiction and poetry, but in another well-established publishing tradition, we offer a short story for the New Year by Contributing Editor Peter Urpeth. ‘All That Remains’ is set in a remote Highland glen. Since it is rather […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Kenneth White, on the site Northings

Tue, 02 Dec 2003 15:11:54 +0000

Living More, Living Better PETER URPETH considers the significance of the work of poet and theorist KENNETH WHITE in the wake of publication of his long-awaited Collected Poems. THERE ARE TIMES when the reader sadly wishes that he or she had never explored an author’s work beyond that first golden book, those first magic, glowing pages that opened […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Grinneas Nan Eilean 2003, on the site Northings

Wed, 10 Sep 2003 19:07:04 +0000

An Lanntair, Stornoway, 6 September-4 October 2003 SUMMER IS traditionally the time when local public galleries give their wall space over to local artists for the ‘annual show’, and An Lanntair in Stornoway is no exception. This year’s Grinneas nan Eilean show features over 240 objects and pictures by nearly 100 island artists and groups. G…[Read more]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Hebridean Celtic Festival 2003 - Day Three, on the site Northings

Sat, 19 Jul 2003 08:45:54 +0000

Stornoway, Friday 18 July 2003 FROM EARLY MORNING the festival office had the sign in its window: ‘Tonight’s events are sold out’. The Waterboys would play to a packed house, as would McGoldrick, McSherry, O’Connor and Byrne. As previously flagged-up on this site, The Waterboys have enjoyed something of an Indian Summer over recent years wi…[Read more]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Hebridean Celtic Festival 2003 - Day Two, on the site Northings

Fri, 18 Jul 2003 09:00:24 +0000

Stornoway, Thursday 17 July 2003 THE MUSIC started early yesterday for this reviewer. The offices of my day job are above the shops in the centre of Stornoway, and from mid morning the sound of buskers wafted through the open windows, a mix of piping, guitar and fiddle duets and that strange background hum that crowds seem […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Hebridean Celtic Festival 2003 - Day One, on the site Northings

Thu, 17 Jul 2003 07:39:05 +0000

PETER URPETH is uplifted by radiant Gaelic song on the opening day of the Hebridean Celtic Festival, but sounds a note of caution on one of the weekend’s headline acts. THE HEBRIDEAN CELTIC FESTIVAL opened its doors to an expectant public last night, with a concert of rare beauty. No, not for us on this grassy knoll […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Peter Urpeth on Gaelic Music, on the site Northings

Tue, 01 Jul 2003 09:00:33 +0000

Does Gaelic Music live in Exile at Home? Northings aims to provide a regular platform for figures in the arts world to have their say about a key issue of the day. This month: The Waulking Songs of Barra provided a life-changing epiphany for PETER URPETH, but why does the music of the Gael remain marginalised within the national […]

Peter Urpeth wrote a new post, Beka Dilworth, on the site Northings

Mon, 30 Jun 2003 06:45:46 +0000

PETER URPETH reports on photographer BEKA DILWORTH’s homecoming, and the fruition of a 12-year project. Residents of the Isle of Harris saw a familiar face in their midsts recently when photographer Beka Dilworth returned to the island to progress the completion of a new book of portraits of Harris people. Beka was raised in Becravik, in the […]