Magic Torch 2016 Review

22 Pages Exhibition Artwork - Mhairi M Robertson

2016 was, lets be fair, a pretty rubbish year on many levels. However, in between the moments of inescapable darkness, teetering over chasms of endless despair, Magic Torch did have great fun with our projects.

There was our awesome 22 Pages exhibition at Paisley Museum - which reinterpreted key Scottish events and characters as comic book covers. Hopefully, more folk will get a chance to see the exhibition again next year.

22 Pages Exhibition Artwork - Andy Lee

Our First World War graphic novel Achi Baba - Gallipoli 1915, won a national award for innovation from the Community Archives and Heritage Group. You can still read Achi Baba for free online.

We were supported by Heritage Lottery Fund Scotland and Inverclyde Place Partnership to reinvigorate the tradition of performing a Galoshans play at Halloween. We created a new version of the play, which you can read and download for free, and film-maker David Newbigging filmed the projects workshops in schools and also a performance of the play by our new Galoshans Troop volunteers.






We published our first adventure of the Rowan Tree Legion - The Skeleton Key - a Dad's Army with witches romp, inspired by local legends and featuring a few local landmarks. Skeleton Key is available from the Magic Torch Comics shop.

Rowan Tree Legion - The Skeleton Key by Paul Bristow and Mhairi M Robertson

And of course, more than anything else, we made lots of comics this year, with Magic Torch Comics getting support from Firstport to develop into a separate educational social enterprise. We created comics with Whinhill Primary, Gourock Primary, Newark Primary and Ardgowan Primary. All this years comics, with schools and for various events, can be read for free on our Magic Torch Comics ISSUU page or below.

2017 is the Scottish Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology - and we have a few projects lined up already. Comic wise we have our adaptation of John Donald's The Stowaways created with Ardgowan Primary for the Heritage Inverclyde project. And we will finally be publishing our Captain Kidd graphic novel in May.

We'll also be working on a new comics project with Notre Dame High School. And hopefully, we'll be delivering on our new interactive fictions project IF / Then - with all sorts of unusual creative outputs. Fingers crossed.

For now, be merry, be safe, share stories and hugs with your nearest and dearest.

See you in 2017.

The Stowaways created by Magic Torch Comics and Ardowan Primary School for Heritage Inverclyde

Pirates Vs Witches

I Thought I was Undone artwork by Andy Lee

We've just about wrapped up all our funded programmes for this year, and are busy organising next year - hopefully some new comics in education projects on the go. Meantime, here's a few wee preview details from our current projects.

I Thought I Was Undone explores the facts and fantasy of the life of Scottish pirate Captain William Kidd - a favourite topic of Magic Torch. Artwork is by Andy Lee. Following the recent rediscovery of Kidd's "treasure", we were pleased to see many press reporting him as being originally from Greenock...not because we think that's 100% accurate, but just because it's cool to have a world famous pirate associated with your home town...

Our other book, The Skeleton Key is an all ages comic which follows the heroic efforts of a local coven during the Second World War. Sort of "Dad's Army with witches". Artwork for The Skeleton Key is by Mhairi Robertson, who has worked with us previously on Wee Nasties. Mhairi is also going to be working on the historical graphic novel The Stowaways, which will be out early in 2017.

You can find out more about Magic Torch's comic projects on our Magic Torch Comics website.

Balwearie Hall approach by Mhairi Robertson

Balwearie visit lineart by Mhairi Robertson

13 Commonwealth Tales - Free Download

You can now read/download our collection from last year online here on Scribd.

Or read it right now below...

Thirteen Commonwealth Tales

13 Commonwealth Tales - Cover Reveal

With props to our artist Mhairi and our mysterious designer Black Cassidy, here's the rather sumptuous cover for our new 64 page book 13 Commonwealth Tales, supported by the Celebrate Fund.

Packed full of monsters, fair folk, superstitions and even a limerick, there's something for everyone in this journey around Commonwealth folklore, undertaken by our own questionable folk hero, Captain Kidd.

The book will be launched on Thursday September 11. If you would like to come along to the book launch on Thursday evening to hear some of the stories and enjoy a few refreshments, we have some tickets spare, simply email us with the answer to the following question...

What is the name of the spider god and King of Stories we have recently featured on our blog?

Answers to aulddunrod@gmail,com

However, don't worry, for if you miss out on Thursday, further FREE copies will be available exclusively from the Dutch Gable House during Doors Open Days on September 13th / 14th. Our two previous FREE books have been snapped up quickly and our now only available as downloads. So don't miss out!

actual photograph of Captain Kidd's famous logbook. kind of.

13 Commonwealth Tales...Soon...

what secrets are hidden in Kidd's mysterious journal...

Tomorrow we will reveal the cover for our new book 13 Commonwealth Tales, and let you know how to get your hands on a copy before anyone else.

Be sure to check in with us on Wednesday...

Fifteen

Fifteen...men on a dead man's chest? Fifteen...minutes of fame?

No...fifteen years since we started doing things as Magic Torch.
That's AGES. It doesn't feel like ages obviously, it feels much longer than that.

And so, a big thank you and a tip of the birthday hat to anyone who has helped us out over the years with our plans and schemes in our 100% voluntary efforts to have fun with local culture and heritage.

Here are five favourite bits of our story...

The handcarved cover to our first project - an illuminated manuscript
telling the story of Inverclyde for the Tall Ships 1999

From the days before we had photoshop, which would have made this picture much cheaper to produce...one of the massive posters from our billboard heritage project... (2004)

Neil sits ready to pass judgement at the retrial of Captain "Ray" Kidd in Greenock Court (2001)

Balloons from our hugely popular / unpopular Greenock Sugar Sheds Campaign (2011)

The formal introduction of our hero, Sir Glen Douglas Rhodes,
ushering in a bold new era of Magic Torch comics (2013)

Now seems as good a time as any to also remind ye about some of our publications from down the years...free and otherwise...

Wee Nasties free online via Scribd

Captain Kidd Comic and many more are available in our Olde Online Shoppe

Tales of the Oak folktale collection on amazon

Tales of the Oak Comic on comixology

Tales of the Oak Comic - Mr Cube Strikes

Local Heritage, Local People - Heritage as a Community Asset


We've so much cool stuff getting organised just now for release throughout August / September / October. We cannae wait to share it.

Finally, if ye want to write for the blog, or get involved with what we do, whatever that happens to be this month, just drop us a wee email.

Treasure Hunters

Caribbean Treasure Hunters (audio transcript, 1981)

Well this all took place some time in the fifties. Fifty five maybe? I was 8 or 9 at the time. At that time we were living not too far out of Salem, Massachusetts. And I guess you know that whole area has a sort of association with witches and the like - lot of nonsense obviously, just some poor women all in the wrong place at the wrong time. Anyway, the other thing that whole area has, Boston in particular, is a history with pirates. It was a major trading port y'see, so a natural place for all sorts of interesting characters and ne'er do wells to turn up. And ever since I was little, you would hear this old one and that old one talking about where they'd heard buried treasure was and how to find it. From Misery Island off Salem up to Long Island itself that whole coastline was a pirates paradise. So they said. I was never really one for pirates, Cowboys were more my thing, but my dad, he'd been obsessed since he was a boy himself. My grandfather had dazzled him with all sorts of tall tales when he was little, Henry Morgan, Edward Teach, Anne Bonny, all the greats. Well when something catches a real hold of you that young, sometimes it holds on forever. That's how it was with my dad. He learned to sail, spent weeks on end looking over old maps and sea lanes. In fact, he even proposed to my mom in the Captain Kidd restaurant on Redondo Beach. I know, how romantic?

Lots of folks believed Kidd had buried his treasure elsewhere though, there were all sorts of stories about the Oak Island Gold...the money pit? No? It's an island off Nova Scotia. The buried treasure is apparently down at the bottom of a sinkhole protected by all these traps. The stories go way back centuries. Plenty of people had been looking, most of the island was like swiss cheese all the holes that had been dug over the years. But my dad reckoned he had a lead no one else had explored. Sure.

These treasure hunters, there's a whole network of them, it's like a club or something, all of them sending one another clues and information on the promise of being cut into the deal whenever something gets found. Lots of fakers and conmen in amongst that, and I daresay my dad must have fallen foul of some of these people over the years. We had so many treasure maps in our house I used to wonder why we didn't live in a palace. Anyway, he'd taken up with some English guy, and they had ben writing letters to one another, he would read bits of the English guys letters out at the dinner table in a sort of Lavender Hill Mob voice. This guy claimed he had a machine that would be able to get safely down into the money pit and check if there was really any treasure there at all. Well my mom was near at the end of her rope with dad's treasure hunting and how much it was costing us, and she warned him that if he went after this, if he spent money on some crazy machine, that she and I would be out the door for good.

The next day, it was he and I that were out the door, really early before mom woke. I was real upset at first, worried I wouldn't see her again, worried we'd get lost. I think I was happy he took me along, I just didn't want to stay away for ever. And even at that age, I knew my dad wasn't as reliable as my mom. I probably had more sense than he did. Well I mean, clearly I did, he'd just kidnapped me to go looking for treasure. He kept telling me we'd be going back, he really believed we were heading off to get rich and that when we went back home to mom with all this treasure, everything would be forgiven.

We met the guy somewhere before the Canadian border, he had sailed over from England with this massive crate. I think the deal was that dad had the location and the English guy had the machine, so a sort of fifty fifty thing? Anyway, while he and dad went out to discuss the specifics, I was left in a motel with the crate. Any kid would have looked. Any kid. So I did, I pulled at the front of the crate until there was enough of a gap. I think I was expecting it would be some sort of digger, but it wasn't, it was a robot. I know how that sounds. But that's what I saw. And what's more, it saw me. It's eyes lit up in the dark of the crate and then, it started talking. It had a funny voice, kind of rusty sounding? It asked me to let it out. I said I couldn't or I'd get into trouble. It asked me where it was, and I told it that it was heading for Canada to look for pirate treasure...that sounds weird when you say it out loud...anyway, it asked if it was Kidd's treasure. When I said yes, it started trying to get out of the crate, saying that we shouldn't disturb what Kidd had hidden, that it wasn't treasure at all. I was starting to get real scared, and that's when my dad and the other guy came back. They were in a real hurry, and ran out to the guys truck with the crate, with the robot still trying to get out. My dad didn't even look back when they drove off. The police turned up right after that, my mom had them tailing us. Didn't take too long to get back home to her, she just hugged me for hours. We never saw dad again. I hope he found what he was looking for, and that it was as dangerous as the robot said it was.

A wee fictional diversion from my kids book, Tin Jimmy, set in and around Inverclyde and involving lost of different local myths, legends and monsters, including Captain Kidd, you can read more of Tin Jimmy on the Stramashed blog

The Pirates of Execution Dock

From the always wonderful Spooky Isles site, enjoy The Pirates of Execution Dock...

Anne Bonny

Captain Kidd has had many comic adventures, he even had his own Pirate showcase title, which told "true pirate action stories". You can read the full adventure of Anne Bonny Sorceress of the Briny Deep, over on Heroines in Fiction

Captain Kidd Month 2014

We are taking a short break from Commonwealth fun this month, because as ever in May, we are focussing on our favourite misunderstood miscreant - Captain Kidd. And this year, given our current comic projects, we are going to share a few related four colour adventures from across the years. We'll also have a few new videos a short story or two, maybe some preview illustrations from our latest Kidd adventure and (all being well...) some information on our first crowdfunding campaign.

But if your after more instant Pirate Action...here's a look at Black Sails, described (by the folk who want you to watch it) as Game of Thrones with Pirates. There will be booty. (that's an actual promotional slogan from the show by the way, not a derogatory remark...)

Uncommon Tales

what horrors has Sir Glen unleashed this time?

As we've mentioned, Magic Torch are sharing Commonwealth folktales as part of the 2014 Commonwealth Games celebrations. We have Captain Kidd chasing treasure around the commonwealth for younger readers, collected, curated and retold by the Torch team and illustrated by Mhairi, and an all new Sir Glen Douglas Rhodes comic adventure looking at some darker commonwealth tales with artwork by Andy. The project is supported by the Big Lottery Celebrate fund. Both books will launch in late summer.

In addition to publishing a book and comic, which retell some commonwealth tales, we are also sharing traditional tales on our blog, starting in April. In most cases, we are presenting the stories exactly as collected, without editing or rewriting. Some of the tales have been recorded recently, others, many years ago in traditional forms, sometimes using dialects and local mannerisms - the "voice" of the people telling the tales, other times, reinterpreted by Victorian collectors. For the stories we're sharing on the blog, we have opted not to change the tale whatever the format.

If you have your own particular tale you'd like to share, please contact aulddunrod.

The heritage and history of what we call the Commonwealth can be a cause for controversy as well as celebration. However throughout 2014, many folk are taking the opportunity to shine a light on some of the more uncomfortable histories of the Commonwealth and also to address real issues which exist across the world today. The Herald and Sunday Herald Children of the Commonwealth series will run over the coming months as the Queen's Baton travels the world on its way to Scotland. As well as bringing readers inspiring stories from key locations on the baton route, it is also raising money for UNICEF, an official charity partner of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

There are a number of different ways to donate: you can call 0800 044 5777; or you can click on unicef.org.uk/herald; or you can text 'CHILD' to 70111 to donate £3. UNICEF is the world's leading children's organisation, working to save and change children's lives.

For now, here is an Anansi tale, the first of many...

Local Heroes Assemble!

In a brief break from our regularly scheduled Christmas programming, and to try and make up a wee bit for the Big Comic Book Bash postponement last month, just had to share this preview panel for a short strip Andy and I are doing. Behold, Inverclyde's first superhero team! It was a sort of an in joke initially, inspired by the very cool Absent Voices project, but Andy did such a bang up job here that I'm thinking the guys need their own adventure. Or at the very least a teeshirt or line of 3D printed toys (assuming someone wants to buy me a 3D printer).

So from left to right we have -

Tin Jimmy - James Watt's steam powered robot, reactivated in the 21st century
Catman - Not the hero Greenock needs, but the one it deserves
Mr Cube - Tough talking hard nosed sugar cube emblem often used by Tate and Lyle
Egeria - The living statue, having adventures when not hanging around West Blackhall Street
Captain Kidd - The super pirate. Somehow.
Mary Lamont - Teenage witch, back from the dead for revenge. And perhaps dancing.

The short and sweet Mr Cube Strikes! strip will appear early next year. The first issue of our Local Heroes comic will be out...uhm...well whenever we get around to it probably. Someday maybe. Who knows? Certainly we've a couple of new comics coming out next year...

Meantime, if local heroes and mysterious steampunk robots are your thing, you may enjoy the very similar themes of my other project, kids fiction, Tin Jimmy.

Coming up next in our Ghost Story selection, it's Cantus Arcticus from Mark Jones, a terrifying tale in five parts. (Mark has put the rest of us to shame this year)

Captain Kidd in Salem

The Trustees of Misery Island

It had been a bad business in Salem right enough. Kidd was not long married at the time, enjoying a spell on land in Boston. All summer, it was all anyone could talk about, by the autumn, it was done. Kidd was no stranger to witchcraft, most of the sailors he knew were as superstitious as they were drunk, so he knew the difference between magic and mischief making. It was not so very long ago that Kidd had sailed with the old Sea Witch herself - there was a real terror; these poor women though, Kidd doubted more than one or two of them had the gift. Or curse, depending on how you looked at it. But it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good, and if there's one thing witch trials were good for, it was scaring folks - and scared folks with witches on their mind were apt not to notice a spot of pirating, and even less likely to go snooping about places they believed were unnatural.

So it was that Kidd had travelled up to Salem not too long after the last of the ladies were hanged at Gallows Hill. Knowing the hanged  would not have been buried in the churchyard, Kidd simply looked to the ditches and fields on the outskirts of town, to those places where the bodies of the women unclaimed by families were likely to have found rest. Digging up a body is little different from digging up treasure, and by this time, Kidd had a little practice at both. He knew exactly what he was looking for, any coins or stones still stuck in the throat would do - there's no guardian better for treasure than a damned soul. And here in Salem, most of the work had been done for him.

Not all his treasure had spectral guardians - magic could sometimes cost more than the gold; the Chinese horde had an ingenious device of clockwork and gunpowder, the French haul was protected by the strange blue lights which confounded compasses and closer to home, the cherry trees hid a particularly nasty surprise. But for this loot, in this place, a little witchcraft seemed appropriate. His macabre booty gathered in, he strolled away from Salem town and back to his boat.

Misery Island was well named. The broken rocks tore out from the shoreline like the teeth of some unseen beast, smashing apart the boats foolish enough to venture near. It was a small island, dark and quiet, but with enough of a tree line to hide his activities if he were still here by daybreak. Last time he had buried treasure, he'd taken a few of the men with him. It always seemed like such a waste. He'd lost a good Cabin Boy on that trip. But you could never be sure when your luck would change. Just one shovel tonight.

Kidd dug long and hard, not too deep to be lost, not too shallow to be found. He would place the stone near the top. A well travelled sailor would recognise a witch stone immediately, a superstitious one would flee. Thereafter, the soul would wander near the treasure, keeping all but the stone's owner at bay.

Kidd's shovel hit the island bedrock much sooner than he thought he would, the clash and chime of steel on stone broke the silence. Kidd knew immediately that something was wrong. Looking down to shore he saw the fogbank rolling slowly in, gasping between the rocks. And something else, a humming. There was something older, something darker than the damned souls of Salem on Misery Island, and it wasn't something Kidd had brought ashore. The edge of the pit Kidd had dug began to crumble, the small wooden casket tumbling in.

'This island already has a guardian.' Kidd cursed, the chest was too far down to be taken back easily, and the trees now shook and shuddered in the quickening breeze. The ground continued to give way beneath him, and as he scrambled towards shore, roots and branches twisted and grasped in his wake.

The island. The island was the guardian. Sleeping, silently waiting, awakened now by the evil which had swept through the little town nearby. The ground spat out the bones of the lost, long gone sailors who had fallen beneath the waves and under the dark spell of the island. The ragged fingers of those who were ripped apart on the rocks scratched at his heels as he ran. He could hear the stone beneath him as it screamed and sang. There were treasures worth being damned for. This was not one of them.

Not once looking back, Kidd sailed into the black, away from the fog and the strange howling of the rocks.

Salem was a dark place to be sure. And for all the wrong reasons.

Kidd in Salem, and a few other tales featuring the dreadful pirate are featured in our new ebook A Nip In The Air, via amazon.

Happy Halloween folks. Don't be forgetting you can have fun staging your own witch trial later this evening...

And if a free download of the Tales of the Oak comic hasn't quenched your thirst for blood, you must also check out Hallowcream 2013...96 pages of nightmares.

Doors Open Weekend - Dutch Gable House Sale!

In addition to your FREE copies of Wee Nasties and the Tales of the Oak comic this weekend, there's also the chance to grab other Magic Torch books at bargain prices...

Our folktale collections Tales of the Oak and Downriver are half price at £5, our reprint of the Thriller Picture Library Captain Kidd comic is £2 and....while recently clearing out the boiler room we call our office, we discovered two whole boxes of our reprint of Views and Reminiscences of Old Greenock.

The book was originally published to raise funds for Ardgowan Hospice in 2001, and sold out very quickly. So this is probably your last chance ever to nab a copy of this version of the classic work, a fascinating time capsule of Greenock at a period of significant change. The very limited stock of Views will be available at the Newark Enterprise Shop in The Dutch Gable House exclusively September 14th and 15th, priced £5.

All profits from book sales are reinvested in local social enterprise and heritage projects, including The Dutch Gable House itself.

You also have an exclusive opportunity to purchase Limited Edition prints from Wee Nasties as produced by Mhairi Robertson and an additional print of Granny Kempock..

Oh, and there should even be some exclusively designed Tales of the Oak mugs by Andy Lee, and lots of new traditional hand finished gifts from Newark Products. So it's all go eh?

Tales of the Oak - Comic Making

With Tales of the Oak, we are trying to interest different audiences in local folklore. Unlike Wee Nasties, or our other books, here we have specifically concentrated on the slightly darker stories, so if it were a film, I think the comic would be rated 12A for "scenes of terror and fantasy violence". The original Tales from the Crypt comics we have based the project on were of course banned altogether, so we were careful not to go too far...

A page from one of the original EC horror comics,
we have tried to use a similar style for Tales of the Oak

The process for us, was to research some local folk tales and then turn them into comic stories. People script comics in all sorts of different ways, this is a page of one of our scripts...

The scripts were then passed to Andy Lee, who worked in two different styles - the pages were either pencilled, inked, scanned in and then coloured...

Or created from scratch digitally

Then evil genius Pete typeset, designed, swore at, reset and generally magicked the pages into the finished article. (which by the way is available exclusively at The Dutch Gable House this weekend for FREE)

A few pages we tried in different ways, so to go with the "silent movie" theme of Night of the Comet, Andy tried colouring the pages. It was really cool, but somehow the blood seemed a bit...bloodier. So we opted for eerie unearthly green instead.

Months and months of time and effort has gone into producing the publication, including lots of time from volunteers, and for Andy in particular it has been something he has worked on almost every day since last October. We hope you'll enjoy it.

We've shared this vid before, but it really is a tremendous overview of the history of the EC Comics...

Tales of the Oak Launch - Doors Open Day

We've been working on our Tales of the Oak comic for almost a year now, and we're really pleased to say it's finally away to the printers and will be available exclusively at the Dutch Gable House on Doors Open Weekend, 14th and 15th September. 64 fully illustrated pages of local terror featuring shambling tunnel dwellers, cursed hiflats, ghost pirates, zombies and evil cultists. Oh, did we mention that it's FREE.

Tales of the Oak is funded by Heritage Lottery Scotland, like our storytelling project and our childrens book Wee Nasties. We'll also have our last remaining copies of Wee Nasties available on the day, along with an exhibition of some of Mhairi and Andy's original artwork and sketches from the book and comic.

And that's not all you'll be able to enjoy. We've now moved lots of Sir Glen Douglas Rhodes furniture and curios out of storage and into his replica study in the Dutch Gable where you will be able to experience his life and times, the wonderful Newark Products shop will be open, selling a wide range of bespoke and handcrafted gifts, plus there will be folk music in the Back House and films in the Secret Cinema. It's all good.

We'll be along from 10 - 4 on both days, hopefully see you then.

And I don't want to panic ye or anything, but the last time there was a local heritage graphic novel, Identity The Archivist's Treasure, there were 4000 copies and they were all gone in quicksharp time. That's why you can only get it online now. There's only 1000 Tales of the Oak. So get em while they are hot...

Enjoy our trailer for the comic below...

Tales of the Oak - Digital Art

That's all the pages scripted for our Tales of the Oak comic, and Andy's working away so we can hit our deadline - we'll be launching the comic in September on Inverclyde's Doors Open Day this year.

There's a broad range of stories in there, from adaptations of some classic tales and ballads, to stories inspired by more recent and urban folklore.

You've already had previews of our Slenderman and Green Oak Trees strips, but there's 64 pages of terrifying action. Meantime, here's some more of what Andy's been up to...

Inverclyde Festival of Heritage

A new Inverclyde Festival of Heritage is being introduced in May by tourism group Discover Inverclyde, the Inverclyde Community Development Trust, the Inverclyde Tourist Group and other local groups to help highlight Inverclyde’s history, some of its heroes and its industrial and maritime heritage.

The Festival, which runs from Monday 13^th to Sunday 19^th May makes use of a number of venues including an exhibition unit in the Oak Mall shopping centre, the Dutch Gable House in William Street, the Waterfront cinema, the Beacon Arts Centre and the McLean Museum, as well as potentially the area alongside the Egeria statue at the west end of West Blackhall Street and Ginger the Horse at the entrance to Cathcart Street, weather permitting.

As well of being of considerable interest to the local community, the Festival of Heritage is timed to appeal to thousands of cruise line passengers and crew arriving in Greenock that week on the Queen Mary 2 (Wednesday 15^th May), the SS Mein Schiff Ein  (Thursday 16^th May) and the Caribbean Princess on Sunday 19^th May.

Activities on offer will include an exhibition all week long in the Oak Mall unit, drawing from the Community Development Trust’s Identity project, funded by Heritage Lottery Fund Scotland, which is a time lined story of the history of Inverclyde dating back to the earliest recorded period and following through to major developments in Inverclyde’s industrial and social past.

New film from Inverclyde Old and New Project

The Waterfront cinema will be showing a compilation of films and animations covering topics including the ‘Identity’ project film,  St Patrick school’s animated film and song The Shipyards, St John’s animated film The Comet, plus films from Aileymill Primary School, Glenburn School and the St Andrews documentary style film on the history of Larkfield and Schools Past and Present. There will also be also the ‘River of Steel’ film highlighting the history of the local shipyards, and ‘Into the Past’, a 20 minute film showing the changing landscape of the towns of Inverclyde.

A number of major Scottish characters will come to life during the exhibition including Robert Burns, Highland Mary and James Watt with storytelling of Burns’ life and his poetry. On the upper floor of the Beacon Arts Centre on Wednesday 15^th May there will be a performance of the drama ‘Guerra, Guerra’, written and presented by young people from St Columba’s High School on the impact of Italy joining Germany in the early part of the second world war and how this developed into a harrowing journey for the Italian community living in Scotland and the Inverclyde area.

Identity

Two new books will be launched as part of the Festival. On Monday May 13^th in the Dutch Gable House a new book entitled ‘Kith & Kin’ and telling the tales of local people’s roots and how their families came to be in Inverclyde will be launched and on Thursday 16^th  Magic Torch will be launching their new children’s book Wee Nasties also in The Dutch Gable House.  Wee Nasties is beautifully illustrated by local artist Mhairi Robertson and introduces younger readers to the myths and legends of Inverclyde. Free copies will be available throughout the day, with a storyteller in attendance, sharing local stories in the afternoon and a display of the original sketches and artwork from the book.

There will also be a small exhibition featuring local pirate Captain William Kidd, with an exclusive free exhibition booklet, while a comic featuring the exploits of Captain Kidd will be available for purchase from the Dutch Gable shop.

There will be no cost to attend any and all of these activities. In addition, throughout the Festival a number of pubs and clubs will be offering live music with an accent on music concentrating on the past.

Chris Jewell of Discover Inverclyde said, ‘We are excited to be able to introduce this new Inverclyde Festival of Heritage with the Inverclyde Community Development Trust and the tourist and other groups, and the Festival is something we intend will develop into an annual event with an ever increasing number of elements to it. We anticipate that a number of other events will be added to this year’s Festival and a leaflet detailing all that is going on is being produced and will be distributed shortly, as well as appearing on the Discover Inverclyde website www.discoverinverclyde.com and the Inverclyde Festival of Heritage Facebook page at www.facebook.com/InverclydeFestivalOfHeritage’.

Paul Bristow of the Inverclyde Community Development Trust added, ‘This brand new Festival has given us the opportunity to showcase much of the work we have undertaken as part of our major ‘Identity’ and other projects involving lots of local groups and we would encourage everyone in Inverclyde to be a part of the Festival by coming out to see all that is being displayed and portrayed. I know that we will all learn a good bit more about our history and the local population.'

Councillor Ronnie Ahlfeld, a Director at Discover Inverclyde is enthusiastic about the Festival and its interest to the local community. He said, ‘It is great to make an opportunity for Inverclyde to showcase its past and a lot of very interesting history has been unearthed as part of things. The plan is to broaden the scope of the initiative in future years to include projects in Gourock and Port Glasgow. I also would like to thank Inverclyde Community Development Trust for their outstanding contributions to this project.’

Discover Inverclyde will be introducing alongside the Festival a new Greenock Town Trail, with 21 plaques located around the central Greenock area, accompanied by a new leaflet telling much of the history of Greenock and its people. There will also be the introduction of six new double sided information panels along the route from the Ocean Terminal to Cathcart Street, providing valuable and new information about what Greenock has to offer visitors, cruise line passengers and crew, all aimed at making their visit to Greenock an increasingly interesting and memorable one.

Dunrod by Mhairi Robertson

Open All Hours - Magic Torch Shoppe

Today Magic Torch charges headlong into the late 20th Century with the launch of our new online sales facility or "wee book shop".

For now you can buy our first two books, Tales of the Oak and Downriver, as well as our new reprint of a 1950s comic Captain Kidd Buccaneer. All profits are used to help run projects which promote local heritage and folklore in Inverclyde. There's also a few links to free stuff, cos we're nice like that.

We'll be adding to the selection over the year, because as well as our Heritage Lottery supported FREE books Wee Nasties and the Tales of the Oak comic, we have a few new ebooks coming out later in the year. Anyhow, fill yer boots.

Shop Local for Christmas....

detail from Bloom by Mhairi M Robertson

If you are looking for something different for folk this Christmas, and want to support local artists and enterprise while yer doing it, here's a few suggestions...

First up, why not treat someone to a print from local artist Mhairi Robertson. Mhairi takes her inspiration from local folklore and so her striking and original artwork all has a story to tell. She is very busy just now illustrating for our childrens book next year. Visit Mhairi's gallery here and get choosing...

For a whole range of wooden gifts and goods, many with a local heritage connection, pop along to Inverclyde Community Development Trust's shop at The Dutch Gable House. You'll find traditional woodcuts of local myths and legends, historic ships and handmade Christmas decorations, rustic cheeseboards and nativity scenes all made with reclaimed and recycled wood. If you're very lucky, you might also still be able to grab a FREE copy of the Trust's Identity Graphic Novel / Greenock Morton book.

The Dutch Gable House is also one of the places you can get your hands on Scotchpotch, a miscellany created and collected by our good friends at Greenock Writers Club. All profits to charity as well!

Magic Torch will also have an EXCLUSIVE stocking filler in the shop this year, from our all new Magic Torch Comics imprint, a fully licensed replica of Thriller Picture Library - Captain Kidd Buccaneer, a tale of swashbuckling skullduggery on the high seas featuring Greenock's very own questionable pirate William Kidd. Only available at The Dutch Gable House from mid-December, and for less than half the price of a pie supper*.

There are of course lots of other local retailers and artisans you can buy from this Christmas, you'll find much more comprehensive listings than ours on MyTownHomepage and Simply Local. For example, Gourock Kempock Street Traders Christmas Shopping Night on Thursday 6th December.

Local shops, for local people. In a good way.


*correct at time of blog entry, Pie Supper prices may fluctuate rapidly rendering this comment slightly less accurate