Bags of fun in the pipes line at county gathering
Mar 28 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal
EUROPE’S bagpipe-playing traditions and a famous son of Northumberland will both be celebrated at an annual festival of Northumbrian music and culture, which starts today.
The 41st Morpeth Northumbrian Gathering – this year with a special Crossing Borders theme – today, tomorrow and Sunday, is keeping alive the region’s music, dance, dialect, crafts and heritage.
Proggy mat-makers, Northumbrian pipers and dialect poets will mingle with visitors, as will musicians from the Scottish Borders – and the Welsh and Czech border regions, which have their own bagpiping traditions.
The festival will also feature Tudor music events to mark the launch of the town’s year-long celebrations of the 500th birthday of Morpeth’s own William Turner, known as the father of English botany.
There will be more than 50 events over the three days, including outdoor shows in the Market Place and Carlisle Park, craft exhibitions in the Town Hall, indoor music and dialect competitions and the annual opening of the town’s Clock Tower and Old Council Chamber. The Crossing Borders theme will be marked by a film presentation by Prague-based Jefe Brown on the Czech international bagpiping festival at Strakonice, with archive footage of Northumbrian musicians and dancers.
There will also be a Civil War battle re-enactment from the Welsh Border by Sir Thomas Glemham’s Regiment of the Sealed Knot.
The Gathering reaches a climax on Sunday with music, dance and drama by students from King Edward VI School on the life of William Turner, a talk on Turner by Marie Addyman and a grand concert by the York Waits in full Tudor costume, featuring their new tune A Fanfare for William Turner.
Throughout the weekend there will be puppet shows, storytelling, pub music sessions, a vintage bus park and ride service, bellringing and even orienteering.
Highlights of the Saturday morning pageant through the town will be children’s miners-style banners created by Whitley Memorial First School in Bedlington and the giant figure of piper Jamie Allan making a return visit after his unveiling in 2007 by Dodgy Clutch Theatre.
Other artists include leading early music groups the York Waits, Misericordia and Hautbois, singers Mike Tickell and Sandra Kerr, Northumbrian Water Ellington Band, Morpeth Highland Pipe Band, the county’s youth ensemble, the Northumbrian Ranters, barn dance group the Castle Band, Northumbrian piper Neil Smith and Border piper Matt Seattle.
Gathering chairman Kim Bibby-Wilson said yesterday: “We can’t legislate for the weather and are keeping our fingers crossed it will be OK. Some of the activities can be moved indoors if necessary, but events like the battle re-enactments will definitely go ahead outdoors.”
Tickets, accommodation information and details of all of the events are available from Morpeth Tourist Information Centre at The Chantry on Bridge Street. Telephone (01670) 500700. Kim can be contacted on (01670) 513308
