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  • Iolair
 Scottish Folk Groups
Iolair

Iolair were Norman Stewart from Easter Ross and Janice Clark from Aberdeen. Janice's aunt, Lindy Cheyne, was a founder member of Aberdeen Folk-Song Club and introduced her to the scene at an early age. There she listened to some of the giants in Scots song: Jeannie Robertson, Lizzie Higgins, Jimmie MacBeath, etc. Her younger sisters Jenny and Kathleen followed Janice into the Scots music field (Jenny was once the singer in The Battlefield Band).

Norman Stewart, a forester by profession, was surrounded by Gaelic music and song as a child, and when he was in Edinburgh he frequented Sandy Bell's Bar in the company of Hamish Henderson and other highly influential people. Norman met and later married Janice Clark (later of the group Highland Tradition) at a North-East ceilidh and the partnership produced one record, detailed below.

Erich Nestler emailed to say "When I met Norman at a gig about 10 years ago, he told me that all 3 of his records are to be released on CD, so there must be at least another one..."

Some of Iolair's recordings are detailed below:


Iolair Iolair (Celtic Music CM003, 1980)

Side One: The Kings Command; Gaudie Rins; Sitting In the Stern of a Boat; Shirra Dam; Glasgow Gaelic Club/The Blackberry Bush; Sandwood Down to Kyle; Laddie Lie Near Me
Side Two: Ciaora/The Wee Man from Skye; Cirichree; As I Went Into Inverness-shire; The Poachers; Yellow Haired Laddie; John MacMillan of Barra/MacLeod of Mull (MacLeod); Fishermans Wife

All songs traditional except where indicated

Janice Clark (vocals); Norman Stewart (vocals)
with Christine Martin (fiddle)


ns2.jpg - 4Kb Norman Stewart Sings and Plays the North Highland Tradition (cassette, Tigh Na Teud, n.d.)

Side One: Pride of Coll (Iain MacDonald); Fear a'Bhata; Cosheyville (Stuart MacGregor); John of Lorne (Neil Munro); As I Went to Inverness-shire; Kenneth J Macleod (Donald MacLeod)/ Lyndhurst (Jack Smith)/ The Conumndrum (Peter R MacLeod)
Side Two: The Men of Knoydart (Hamish Henderson); 'S Fhada Leam an Oidhche Gheamhraidh; Macallum's Lament; My Donald (Owen Hand); A Rhibhinn Og Bheil Cuimhn' Agad?; The North Highlands

All songs traditional except where indicated

Norman Stewart (vocals)
with Christine Martin (fiddle, clarsach); Duncan MacGillivray (guitar)


ns1.jpg - 12Kb Norman Stewart & Elspeth MacGillivray: Twilight To Dawning (Celtic Music CM036, 1987)

Loch Tay Boat Song; The 79th Farewell to Gibraltar/Campbeltown Kiltie's Ball/The Brolum; When I was in my 18th year; The 10th btn H.L.I. Crossing the Rhine/The Seige of Delhi; I left the Village; Pipe Major Donald MacLean of Lewis/Man from Skye; Twilight to Dawning; The MacNeils of Ugadale/MacLeod of Mull; I'm a Rover; Togail curs air Leodhas/The Glasgow City Police Pipers; The Road to Drumleman

All songs traditional except where indicated

Norman Stewart: vocals, guitar, mouth organ; Elspeth MacGillivray: highland pipes, guitar, vocals; Eiliah Martin (aged 6 years): additional vocals on track 7


Norman Stewart: North Atlantic (Celtic Music CMC053, cassette 1993)

Includes: North Atlantic; The Greenpeace Inflatables

All songs traditional except where indicated

Norman Stewart: vocals, guitar, mouth organ


 Nigel Gatherer, Crieff, Perthshire | nigelgatherer@mac.com