Border Telegraph | News

Monday, 13th October, 2008

Published: Wednesday, 4th January, 2006 09:58

Hogg revival

By Border Telegraph Newsroom

ONE of the Borders’ most famous writers is to undergo a revival.

James Hogg, universally known as the Ettrick Shepherd, is best remembered for his 1824 masterpiece, ‘The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner.’

But now a £157,000 grant will allow three leading academics to delve deeper into his literary canon.

The three-year project aims to push Hogg’s songs into the public consciousness, giving them a “lasting impact on our Scottish literary heritage.”

The money for the study has been awarded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council to Douglas Mack, emeritus professor at Stirling University, Dr Kirsteen McCue, of Glasgow University, and Dr Janette Currie at Stirling.

Dr McCue believes Hogg’s songs should be as highly regarded as those of Robert Burns and Walter Scott.

She said: “There are a huge number of songs we have ignored because we don’t see past Burns.

“Hogg’s very valuable contribution to the Scottish song tradition remains under-researched and undervalued.”

But local Hogg expert, Judy Steel, believes it is only in other parts of the country where the Ettrick Shepherd’s songs do not receive the recognition they deserve.

She said: “They should come down to the Borders, where the songs are sung a lot.

“They have never really gone out of fashion here, but in recent years there has been a lot of setting these songs to new music.

She added: “The academics are all respected people in their own fields, and Douglas Mack has been the leader of the revival of interest in Hogg’s writings.

“Certainly it is in very good hands, but I wouldn’t say that the songs have been neglected in his homeland.

“There has been a lot of work done here over the past 20 years, without any grants.”

The three academics have begun bringing together texts and music for Hogg’s songs to be sung in a new way.

But Selkirk Hogg enthusiast, John Nicol, says this has been happening in the Borders for years.

He said: “We have taken Hogg songs that previously hadn’t been heard, and put original music to them.

“Recently I collaborated with Lori Watson and her brother Innes. We were commissioned to do a show about James Hogg for the Both Sides of the Tweed festival in October.

“Lori put some James Hogg songs to music that she had made up herself, and we tried to tell his life story. We also did something on New Year’s Day.”

He added: “There are other people doing the same thing, and Hilary Bell has probably got more Hogg songs than anyone else.

“It has been going on for quite a while, but it is very nice that someone has funding to take it even further.

“There are some songs that have never been heard since his death. They are cracking songs, and they should be heard.”

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