SONGLINES: THE ROAD TO BONNYMUIR

An anthology of late 18th/early 19th century political song in Scots and English, which Alan has compiled, arranged and edited to commemorate the bicentenary of  the Radical Rising. Includes 40 songs and 14 songwriter biographies with useful notes on each song.  

The 1820 Radical Rising was the first sustained mass-political movement since the Jacobite uprisings. It led to many secret trials for treason and sedition, as well as street massacres, transportations and executions. Its significance has been downplayed ever since, being relegated to a footnote in Scottish history. A chorus of voices, each claiming to tell the true story, has portrayed it as “a nationalist rising for independence, a potential revolution, a milestone on the road to universal suffrage, or an agent-provocateur-provoked plot as a cover for savage government repression.” 

This anthology takes a fresh approach. Seen largely through the eyes of the songwriters of the day, it reveals not just factual truth but people’s attitudes and reactions to circumstances and events. What emerges is a narrative of the extreme lengths that the landed oligarchy went to, from the trial of Thomas Muir to the trials of the Bonnymuir Radicals, to hold onto power and property.

Publication was made possible with funding from the Alistair Hulett Memorial Trust and the Third Age Trust. It has 84 pages, in A5 saddle stitched format. Postage & Packing Charges UK only.

This collection of lyrical verse (in Scots and English) celebrates the life and work of Scottish poet and songwriter Robert Burns. It covers a wide range of themes; providing a light-hearted and re- freshing perspective on Burns. Some compositions refer - in the spirit of the Bard – to events during the 250th anniversary

of his birth.

 A5 size paperback book (without music) with 60 pages. It includes

background notes to a number of the compositions and Burns’s quotes.