About 'A RED, RED ROSE':

 

A NOTE FROM JAMES:
"I was fortunate to journey back from Perth, Australia to Edinburgh, Scotland. Sunny days were spent out on the Pentland Hills and rainy days on red double-decker busses taller than many of the shops of the narrow, cobblestone streets. From the moment we arrived it all seemed perfectly natural to be here. And then I heard a piper, unseen from the distance.
Tracing one’s family roots by journeying back to faraway lands, is for many a once in a lifetime adventure. To tread the soil, breathe the air of generations, appreciate the differences of the seasons and the temperatures and climate- to experience breathtaking scenery like this...

 

 

 

And to this add tales of ghosts and imagination! The kindness of the people wherever we journeyed made it a special time to share and to learn. The Gaelic of the highland folk changes from district to district, and I recall this spirit of adventure as our ferry reached the Isle of Skye, entering the fishing dock, the hillsides disappearing up into the mist.

From cobblestones to snowflakes, from football to the piping at the Edinburgh Tattoo, it’s a magical land. From the immortal words of Robert Burns to famous songs and lesser-known melodies, I hope the music in ‘A Red, Red Rose’ brings you closer to the places and memories that I treasure- as I hope you will too." - James Wallace

Enjoy sound clips/view "A Red, Red Rose" here.



Perhaps you are interested in your own journey or a reminder of your own experiences. What follows are references to be shared that helped shape the recordings and creation of the CD, "A Red, Red Rose"

 

Books, wonderful books:

Seamus Heaney: Seeing Things
James Joyce: Ulysses
Robert Burns: Selected Poems
Thomas Cahill: How the Irish Saved Civilization
Nigel Pennick: The Sacred World of the Celts
Anna Wilkes: Ireland: Ur of the Chaldees
Marion Zimmer Bradley: The Mists of Avalon
Howard Pyle: Story of King Arthur and his Knights
Declan Kiberd: Irish Classics
Edinburgh University Press: Early Celtic Art
Bob Dylan: Chronicles I
Links to share:

scotland.org
visitscotland.com
robertburns.org
ceolas.org
BBC Radio Scotland's 'Robert Burns'
edinburgh.org
bbc.co.uk/scotland
scotlandspast.org
npr.org
electricscotland.com/history
heartoscotland.com