| GLOBAL: Oral History by Billy Kay |
| Written by Billy Kay | ||||||
| Saturday, 24 November 2007 | ||||||
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For
a quarter of a century Billy Kay has collected oral history, which has
been edited into more than two hundred radio documentaries and
published in his Odyssey books and elsewhere.
For
a quarter of a century Billy Kay has collected oral history, which has
been edited into more than two hundred radio documentaries and
published in his Odyssey books and elsewhere. His work in this field
acted as a catalyst for interest in the whole area of Scottish oral
history, particularly working class oral history.
Billy Kay and Oral History
Odyssey: Voices From Scotland´s Recent Past (ed.) Polygon Books 1980. Odyssey: The Second Collection (ed.) Polygon Books 1982 The Complete Odyssey (ed.) Polygon Books 1996
"[Oral
history] allows you to explore history from the undergrowth, if you
like, whereas until recently the history of the mass of the population
didn´t really find its way into official archival material. The other
advantage, I have found, particularly with the use I made of it in The
Scottish Nation, is that it provides a degree of vital human insight.
After all, history is not just about economies and governments, it´s
about human beings, and Billy Kay should be congratulated because,
almost single–handedly, he has developed interest in this in Scotland
and scholars owe him a due" Critical response to the Odyssey series and books: "It is an incredibly ambitious project that harks back to the great days of radio features....The Donegal and Kintyre programmes are radio classics…
Extraordinary
aspects of the history of the past century are being reclaimed from
ordinary people… The attraction of these programmes is their
authenticity. This, and there is no doubt about it, is how it was. That
they happen to be beautifully produced is a bonus"
Kay
uses sound with a quite magical subtlety… This is an unforgettable
programme. Each time I listen to it I am struck by the things in life
we take too readily for granted, without reflecting on the diligence…
our ancestors displayed in making Western society a tolerable place to
live… In Scotland today the past is often advanced as a much better
place to live in that the present. It was not. Billy Kay has
demonstrated this conclusively, but in doing so, he has enhanced the
dignity of our forebears.
The
best book of the year is just out, the written version of BBC
Scotland’s memorable radio series Odyssey…It is a wonderful compilation
of photographs, songs and oral history.
In
producing ODYSSEY, book and programme, Mr Kay has pronounced on the
power and passion of man´s evidence and has found him triumphantly
innocent of killing off the past. It´s a verdict that all historians
would do well to ponder on.
The
distinction of the series and the book however… is in its vision. Every
event is seen from the inside. It is social history from the lips of
those who made that history, and for this reason alone, despite the
absence of the element of sound – the very being of radio, the words
come off the page of the book breathing, alive. Book and programmes
witness to the producer´s appreciation of the importance of the cause
which he serves, and the threat to an individual response to life by
the requirement to a centralised uniformity… ODYSSEY has contributed,
and contributes, to the recognition of our larger and deeper selves.
LIST OF ODYSSEY PROGRAMMES The ground breaking Odyssey Series was produced for Radio Scotland and Radio 4 in the early 1980´s. The following is a list of the programmes broadcast in the series. Series 1. 1980 From the Gorbals to Gweedore – the story of the Glasgow Irish Fergusson´s Auld Reikie – the poetry of Robert Fergusson and the traditional music of 18th century Edinburgh Gallant Sportsmen All – contrasting attitudes toward fox hunting in the Borders Fishermen of Kintyre – the history of ring–net fishing Five Denials on Merlin´s Grave – Robin Williamson´s celebration of ancient Welsh culture in Scotland The Lanarkshire Lithuanians – the history of the Scottish – Lithuanian community in Scotland Fife´s Got Everything – a humorous look at the Kingdom by John Watt Mountain Men – the first working class mountaineers A Weel Plou´d Rig – the working horses on the farms of the North East St. Kilda – the life and death of St Kilda through the islanders reminiscencies audio Series II 1981 Da Merry Boys – Shetlanders at the whaling The Seven Men of Knoydart – the last Highland land raid Neil Gow – a portrait of the great 18th c composer and fiddler Glengarnock Steel – the story of the steel industry in North Ayrshire Will Ye Gang wi me Lassie – wedding traditions throughout Scotland Poets and Pioneers – Tiree emigrants in Canada They Fairly Mak Ye Work – Dundee and the jute industry The Pearl Fishers – pearl fishing in the Tay The Clydebank Blitz – the German bombing of 1941 Off the Isle of May – the fishing traditions of the Forth explored by Archie Fisher Italiani in Scozzia – the story of Scots Italians On the Road – a tour of Switzerland with the folk band Ossian Series III 1982 Gallipoli – the victims of Churchhill´s campaign recall the carnage audio Mungo Mackay & the Green Table – the dictatorship in the Lothian Coal Company Clan Neil of Barra – the oral tradition of a clan Whisky´s Awa – the story of the Temperance movement Poacher´s Nicht – Border poachers tell their stories and hide their identities Glasgow Jewry – the story of the community The Fisher Lassies – fisher queans away from home at the herring gutting The ´26 – the miners lockout in Fife The Bothy Lads – the days of the farm bothies in Angus Up the Valley – Ayrshire´s lace weaving industry Series IV 1984 The Booth Boxers – fairground boxers tell their story Patagonia – Caithness migration to South America The Clyde Rent War – the Clydebank rent strike of the 1920´s Conchies – conscientious objectors in World War 1 Quariies and Crofts – the flagstone industry in Caithness The transcripts of much of the oral history collected for the programmes are included in the book The Complete Odyssey CLICK TO HEAR AN EXTRACT FROM THE ODYSSEY PROGRAMME ST KILDA. Copies of The Complete Odyssey are still available – contact Billy at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Further information: Images courtesy of Billy Kay.
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