Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
With Kevin our melodeon player away on a short holiday, fiddle player Robin and myself recorded another eight sets of tunes this week.
Our second set is the tune, "Dark Island". The following comes from Wikipedia:
The Dark Island is a six-part British television miniseries, produced by Gerard Glaister for the BBC. It premièred on 8 July 1962. It was later adapted for radio, which was transmitted in 1969. It was set on the Outer Hebridean island of Benbecula, though the majority of the series was filmed on South Uist. All six episodes are lost media.
While the show is no longer seen, the theme tune remains a favourite with Scottish musicians, mostly accordionists and pipers. The air was originally called "Dr. Mackay's Farewell to Creagorry" by its composer, Iain MacLachlan about 1958. David Silver of Glasgow wrote the most common and famous words to the theme after the TV series appeared. Another set of lyrics was written by Stewart Ross of Inverness and is also quite well known, having been recorded by Calum and Fiona Kennedy as well as Daniel O' Donnell. Both sets of lyrics were published in 1963.
I have sung both versions but as the Two Grumpy Old Men, Robin and I do not sing.
With Kevin our melodeon player away on a short holiday, fiddle player Robin and myself recorded another eight sets of tunes this week.
Our second set is the tune, "Dark Island". The following comes from Wikipedia:
The Dark Island is a six-part British television miniseries, produced by Gerard Glaister for the BBC. It premièred on 8 July 1962. It was later adapted for radio, which was transmitted in 1969. It was set on the Outer Hebridean island of Benbecula, though the majority of the series was filmed on South Uist. All six episodes are lost media.
While the show is no longer seen, the theme tune remains a favourite with Scottish musicians, mostly accordionists and pipers. The air was originally called "Dr. Mackay's Farewell to Creagorry" by its composer, Iain MacLachlan about 1958. David Silver of Glasgow wrote the most common and famous words to the theme after the TV series appeared. Another set of lyrics was written by Stewart Ross of Inverness and is also quite well known, having been recorded by Calum and Fiona Kennedy as well as Daniel O' Donnell. Both sets of lyrics were published in 1963.
I have sung both versions but as the Two Grumpy Old Men, Robin and I do not sing.
