WALLACE DAY 2017 |
Wallace Day 2017 was dreich, damp and pretty miserable as folk gathered at the square in Johnstone. The turn-out was lower than usual, as it had already been decided to hold the commemoration in the hall rather than at the monument, due to seriously inclement weather. Many folk decided to wait at the hall for the speeches rather than get soaked on the march, but a reasonable number of souls braved the conditions and marched behind Clann an Drumma, all the way to the hall. There was the usual fantastic lineup at the evening event. |
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Sheltering from the rain, waiting for the march to start |
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Clann an Drumma ready for the off |
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Wreath laying at the monument |
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Society wreath |
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George Kempik gets us underway by saying a few words about this year's winner of the David R Ross memorial quaich, which was presented to George Thom - a unanimous decision. |
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Gobsmacked! |
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Still can't believe it |
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One of the few times George has been stuck for words. |
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An attentive audience |
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Dave Carney from Clann an Drumma makes his public speaking debut |
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Reenactment Group Britannia XIV, who joined us on the march, now give us the low down on the weapons and clothing worn by Sir William Wallace's men, and the formations they formed during battle
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Next speaker was the lovely Jean Brittain who gave an excellent account of Sir William Wallace's life. |
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Gordon Aitken gave a speech and a song. |
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Next up was Kate Smith who led us all with a rendition of "Scots Wha Hae" |
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We had an unexpected Pipe off between a visiting student from Argentina and one of our own Andrew Tennant. |
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The Argentinian piper |
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Clann an Drumma |
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A banner appeared outside the hall |
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All the way from Jamaica - the fantastic Brina. |
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And now to finish, tonight's star attraction the amazing Graham Brown Band - to say they were on fire is an understatement. Smoke from the band's effects set off the smoke alarm and we had to evacuate the building - well that's got to be a first! |
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Dancing to the Graham Brown Band |
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Waiting for the fire brigade |
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The heroes appear |
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Neil and Garaidh - "Thank f**k that's over for another year!" |
Special thanks to Cha Halliday for all the photos |
| © Society of William Wallace 2007-2024 | The Society of William Wallace is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation Registration number SC045959 |