Celebrating our Irish Connections

Tomorrow, Tuesday 22nd January, the Whittaker Library is hosting an event by Dr Margaret Bennett and Kath Hardie, with extra input by two of our Honours Year Scottish Music students, Robyn Stapelton and Ainsley Hamilton.

It's at 5 pm in the Whittaker Library, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.  Come along!

• More on Margaret's website.
• Royal Conservatoire of Scotland website

On this day, 2nd January 1824

Poet and song-collector William Motherwell responded to his friend R. A. Smith's polite request for a preface, along these lines: yes, fair enough, but it'll take me a week to get over Hogmanay!

To all those staff and students just wearily psyching themselves up to some 'real' work on 2nd January 2012 - one can only imagine how Motherwell celebrated Hogmanay in 1824, if it was going to take a week to get over it!

And did he write the preface eventually?  Yes, after a fashion.  Smith and his committee of "ladies" drafted a preface for The Scotish Minstrel, and Motherwell rearranged it a bit.  Gee whizz!

• Whittaker Library at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland catalogue
• COPAC - union catalogue of university and national British and Irish libraries

More Scottish history - 13th October

On this day ...

Ballad and song-collector William Motherwell was born in Glasgow on 13th October 1797.  To be fair, he was rather more interested in the words than the tunes.  But he did work with the musician R. A. Smith, and enlisted Andrew Blaikie to do some of his song-collecting for him.

Actually, Motherwell is a hugely important name in this field.  Mary Ellen Brown's book, William Motherwell's Cultural Politics is a fascinating read.

So find out more - what are you waiting for?! 
What's in the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Whittaker Library on Motherwell?  Three items.  Brown's book, and two editions of Motherwell's book, Minstrelsy Ancient and Modern.  Get details here.