The Shanty Yellmen – February 10^th 2015.

The remainder of the previous week, after visiting the Shetland Archives and Lawrence Tulloch, was spent examining documents and following up on leads from Lawrence and other sources – which ranged from the documents obtained, background reading and casual conversations. In researching what, if any, other local resources might wish to contribute to the eventual performance, I came across a website for “The ShantyYellmen”). Having contacted them via the details given on the site, I shortly afterwards received an email from a Peter van Mill inviting me down to their weekly rehearsal in Cullivoe Hall, north Yell, on Tuesday the 10^th February at 7.30pm. This I promptly accepted.

                                                        The Shanty Yellmen.

After the greetings and introductions, I was invited to tell the gathering – about 10 at this time – about the project. All seemed genuinely interested, and we discussed their potential contribution. Provisionally, it was later agreed that if I wrote a “shanty type” song for them , they would happily learn and perform it. Later on in the evening, I played them an embryonic melody I had written, and they thought it to be suitable. After a little more work on the piece, I will send it to them and, at that time, will post it in a future blog entry.

They then offered to sing for me, and agreed that I could film and record them. I recorded 2 songs. One of them was entitled “Rowing Foula Doon”. It can be viewed here. The lyrics tell how the men from Papa Stour, and most likely others heading out to fish, used the hills of Foula, which lies on the Western side of the Shetlands, to navigate. In the previous post the calculation was documented for approximating visibility distances at sea, and, given the highest point in Foula is 1371 feet, then Foula, shrinking to the horizon as the men rowed out, would be theoretically visible from as far out as 45 miles. This takes no account of conditions, but does lend the song veracity. The writer was not romanticising – this is undoubtedly one of the fishermen's navigation aids.

"Oot bewast da Horn o Papa,

Rowin Foula doon!

Owir a hidden piece o water,

Rowin Foula doon!

Roond da boat da tide-lumps makkin,

Sunlicht trowe da cloods is brakkin;

We maan geng whaar fish is takkin,

Rowin Foula doon!"

The song also mentions the Moderdai – or “Mother Wave” discussed with Lawrence Tulloch. The pull of writing a piece for the performance talking of the moderdai grows stronger!

One of the Shanty Yellmen is the, now retired, GP for Yell – Mike McDonnell. He seemed keen to help with my research, and kindly invited me round to his house near Mid Yell to examine documents and books in his possession. This invitation was accepted, and will be discussed in the next entry.