Shoogle ma' doughle
(the folk connection)

There are always some individuals within traditional music circles who want to break away from that traditional element, from the sound of the pipes and drums, in search for the wider Celtic folk sound. The Williamwood Pipe Band was no different. Five members, following some impromptu busking on our first Spanish festival excursion, decided that the alternative Celtic route would add even more diversity to the band whilst travelling.

The original line-up had the five pipe band members playing Lowland Small-pipes, Whistles, Guitar, Bodhran and Bongos. This would soon to be supplemented by the arrival of a fiddler to the group. This addition provided an extra depth that had been lacking slightly until that point. The fiddler was the only folk group member that was not a pipe band member, but the sound more than made up for that. The set-up has slowly been altering and expanding since then with the introduction of keyboards and the possibility of using both bass guitar and Highland Bagpipes.

The folk group produced their first CD, with an extremely large amount of help from the Williamwood Pipe Band. The CD was called 'The Hungover Haggis'. Compared to the hours that were spent creating the 22-track pipe band CD, this shorter 10-track CD was simplicity itself. Many of the tracks were able to be recorded from the first 'take', which cut down both time and the possibility of a tense atmosphere. Many of the first purchases of this CD occurred in Chicago during our March 2001 trip and it is hoped that the sales can continue to do well both domestically and internationally. There are no current plans to produce a second CD, although the group continues to develop new material to existing repertoire. The group hopes that this new and existing material will provide them with the required platform to perform more regularly over the coming years. One possible performance area that has been discussed is for ceilidhs, which would be useful within the pipe band set-up as well.

Dave is actively involved with Shoogle Maí Doughle, as one of the founding members.

Web Contact : tba