Tales Fae the East

This episode is a brief investigation into perceptions on Gaelic in the East End of Glasgow.  Everyone who we spoke to for the podcast was asked about their perception of Gaelic in the city.  Here are some of their responses and a short piece in return from Mairi Morrison, Gaelic singer, actor and playwright who lives in Glasgow.  This episode was created as part of GUIR! from Glasgow Life.  With thanks to Rona MacDonald.  

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This episode is a conversation with Lewa Thomas. 

Lewa was born in Glasgow, where she’s lived all of her life.

I first met Lewa at Akara, the wonderful bakery and café she runs on Duke St.   

We talk about growing up as a Nigerian Scot in Glasgow, the nature of hailing from another culture and living in Scotland, her journey to opening up Akara, coming to live in the East End of the city and what the area means to her.

We finish up by contrasting her cousin’s experience of coming from another culture and living in Kent compared to Lewa’s own experience in Glasgow.   

Episode links and more can be found on our website at tales-fae-the-east.com

Thanks for listening!  

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This episode is a chat with Babs Nicgriogair.  Originally from Stornoway Babs has lived in Glasgow since the mid 80’s. 

 

Babs has worked at Green City in East End since the Millennium. Green City is a Wholesaler of ethically sourced food and drink based in the East End and is also a worker’s coop.       

We talk about Babs’ younger years in Stornoway, leaving Lewis to study in Glasgow, her time in Canada, her love of language and theatre, how she’s seen the East End change over the last 20 years and we go into the nature of Green City’s working practices and much more!

We have a Tales Fae the East Exhibition opening up at Dennistoun Library on Saturday the 2nd of April, where you will be able to see the portraits of the participants that Tim Morozzo has taken throughout the project.

Do drop in for a look around if you're about.

Links for this episode and lots more can be found on our website. 

Thank you for listening! 

This episode features a chat between Irene McInnes of Reidvale Housing Association and sociologist, historian and author Seán Damer. 

 

In each of the 15 episodes that we’ve released so far for Tale Fae the East, the notion of community, home and housing seems to be an implicit part of the picture we’re building of the East End. 

 

When we talked for episode 14 Mandy McIntosh mentioned Seán Damer's book Scheming  I read the book and was was very taken with it.  This lead me to seek Seán out to see if he'd be willing to talk with for the podcast about the nature of housing in Glasgow and the East End. 

Irene McInnes is one of the founders of Reidvale Housing Association.  Irene spoke to me for episode one of this podcast series.  Her perspective on life in the East End and her involvement in social housing and community made her the ideal person to speak with Sean and myself.

I'm incredibly grateful for the time that they gave to speak for the podcast.  They offer a series of very interesting perspectives that help to step towards a take on the East End that Tales Fae the East is looking to build over the course of its episodes.

I'm hoping to do another episode on the nature of the high flats in Sighthill with other participants soon.  More on that when it happens.

Keep an eye out for Seán's new book, too:  Those Tyrannising Landlords

For episode links and more, please visit Tales Fae the East.

Thank you so much for listening.    

In this episode I talk with Jane and James Torrens, formerly of St Rollox Church in Sighthill.

Both Jane and James have quite remarkable professional medical backgrounds.

James left medicine to enter the church as a minister.  St Rollox became his parish.

It was during their time at St Rollox that refugees came to settle in the area. 

 

We talk about both Jane and James’ lives before Sighthill, their medical practices and much more beyond, when then talk about St Rollox and the arrival of the refugees.

 

I was out and about talking to folk along Duke St one day and a contact with Nigerian roots said to Tim and I that ‘if you were to be a refugee anywhere, Glasgow would be the city you’d want to be a refugee’.  The conversation that we have in this episode is a great testimony to this.

 

Just a wee trigger warning, at a certain point in the episode we talk about diseases including leprosy.       

 

Many thanks to Elaine MacKenzie Ellis for putting us all in contact! 

Episode links and more can be found at tales-fae-the-east.com

Thanks for listening!  

In this episode I talk with the artist Mandy McIntosh.

Mandy grew up in Glasgow and in South Africa.  She has lived in different parts of the city, but in this episode we pay particular attention to her time in Sighthill.  

We talk about her life growing up both here and away and what her experience of Sighthill was.  We then talk about her studies and travels, taking in Paris, Ireland and Australia. 

Our conversation also goes into the nature of social housing and community, then we talk about Scots lingustic identity.  We also celebrate the impact that Mrs Winters, Mandy's art teacher had on her life.

For links and more, please go to our website here: Tales Fae the East

Thanks for listening!

In this episode I talk with Tommy McInnes of Dennistoun.

 

Tommy was born and has lived in the East End all of his life.

We talk about growing up in the Gallowgate, his Mum and Dad, the joy of playing football at every opportunity, the cinemas in the area, school life, working life and how he met his wife, Irene McInnes, who we spoke to in the first episode of this series.

 

This is the last episode of the current series of Tales Fae the East, so I thought it a nice way to book end things by speaking to Tommy after having spoken to Irene at the start.

 

Tales Fae the East is an artist in residence project from Glasgow Life.

 

For more info and links, please visit our site here.

Photo of Tommy by Tim Morozzo

Thank you for listening!

In this episode I talk with Sophie Kindreich of Haghill / Dennistoun.

 

Amongst a broad portfolio of skills, including DJing,  Sophie is involved with Migrant Rights issues including No Evictions, who were the group that successfully put a halt on the eviction of residents of Kenmure St earlier in the summer. 

 

We talk about Sophie’s life growing up in Alloa and how Glasgow always appealed to her first through its music and then through its politics. 

We then talk about the nature of DJing, the politics of anarchy and migrant rights and what people can do to support migrants in their communities. 

Tales Fae the East is an artist in residence project from Glasgow Life.  I share the position with Tim Morozzo who will be taking photo portraits of the participants.

 

For more info and links, please visit our site here.

Photo of Sophie by Tim Morozzo

Thank you for listening!

In this episode I talk with Mark Chambers, the radio coordinator of Bolt FM.

 

Bolt FM are based in the East End of Glasgow and make radio for young people by young people. 

They’ve been serving their community for 20 years now and making all sorts of difference to young people’s lives. 

 

Mark talks about Bolt FM’s work in the East End, and how they’ve made contact with communities in Zambia, where they have an exchange programme which takes young Scots to Zambia and young Zambians to Scotland. 

Our conversation covers loads of ground, taking in Scots linguistic identity and broadcast culture, amongst many other topics.  

Tales Fae the East is an artist in residence project from Glasgow Life.  I share the position with Tim Morozzo who will be taking photo portraits of the participants.

 

For more info and links, please visit our site here.

Photo of Mark by Tim Morozzo

Thank you for listening!

This episode is a conversation with Jackie Shearer of Dennistoun about her life and work.

 

Jackie was brought up in Glasgow and East Kilbride and has had a long and fascinating career in the arts sphere. 

 We talk about growing up in East Kilbride, the role of a good 80’s jumble sale, the thriving music scene of the 80’s, how Tom Leonard and Alasdair Gray’s work really connected with her as a young person, then how she stepped into working in the arts. 

We also talk about comparisons between the East End in the past and the present. 

Tales Fae the East is an artist in residence project from Glasgow Life.  I share the position with Tim Morozzo who will be taking photo portraits of the participants.

 

For more info and links, please visit our site here.

Thank you for listening!