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Gaelic Pure and Traditional

A personal review of Scottish folk superstar Julie Fowlis, live at St Andrew’s at the end of May 2024, by Forbes Mutch

Julie Fowlis 2022 Credit Wild

 
The anticipation is recognisable by the unprompted silence of the audience before Julie Fowlis takes the stage. She begins her set with what she describes as two ‘seal’ songs, including Òran an Ròin/The Song of the Seal. She explains that there is a musical tradition in the Scottish islands for songs about how seals can come onto the land in human form. Her opening songs are greeted by probably the loudest applause for a concert opening at any folk gig at St Andrew’s, such is the power of her strikingly pure voice. The audience is intoxicated immediately.
 
She introduces the band – her husband Éamon Doorley on guitar, who has featured on most of her solo albums, Duncan Chisholm, one of Scotland's most recognised and accomplished folk musicians and Irish fiddle player and guitarist Tony Byrne. They look, feel and sound relaxed playing with Julie. You can imagine them picking up their instruments in a bar in County Wicklow or somewhere in the Outer Hebrides.
 
Julie plays the Scottish small pipe, oboe and a melodeon shruti box, which provides a sort of soothing background melody to her songs. Into the mix of traditional Gaelic songs, jigs and reels, the band throws in a version of the Beatles’ 1968 song Blackbird, sung, of course in Gaelic. The first half ends with a rousing reel, which is picked up at the beginning of the second half. Although there are softer songs and a gracious farewell song towards the end, there’s no doubt that Julie and the band enjoy a dance jig and there’s a growing sound of clapping and tapping of feet. How we resist getting up and dancing, I don’t know.
 
After the show, I hear Hertford Folk doyen Pat Crilly saying, "That was the best folk concert at St Andrew’s yet. If you don’t know the language, you have to listen to the music." He’s right. The Gaelic lyrics may be incomprehensible to most of the audience, but the music is inspiring and there’s no getting away from the beauty of Julie Fowlis’ voice. As acclaimed nature writer Robert Macfarlane once said, "If snow could sing, it would sing like Julie Fowlis".
 
Julie Fowlis St Andrew's
Julie was happy to chat to members of the audience after the show

Forbes Mutch
PHOTO CREDIT (TOP): Wild Soul Photography


Find out more about Julie Fowlis

https://www.juliefowlis.com/

Glenys
Hello and welcome to St Andrew's. If you are new, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Planning your Visit

Banner group 1140x320A Warm Hello 

No one belongs here more than you.

We look forward to meeting you! Here's some information so that if you're planning a visit you know beforehand what to expect on a Sunday morning.  We have other pages telling you more About Us, our approach to Faith and our Online services.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details below) for our main Sunday Service starting at 10.30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you find a parking space and can settle in before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

Plan your journey:
While, unfortunately, St Andrew's does not have its own carpark, there is a council-run pay and display carpark a short distance along St Andrew Street, to the east of the church; there is a £1.50 flat-rate charge for parking in this carpark on Sundays (though half an hour or less is free).

This is a useful East Herts Council website page for full details of parking in Hertford.

There are single yellow lines outside the church with parking restrictions, but some 30-minute parking bays are situated on the opposite side of the road for short stays (longer on Sundays).

Open Google Maps

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There is a disabled toilet towards the back of the church, behind the kitchen.

Our Service

The service will usually begin promptly at 10.30am and will last between 60 and 75 minutes. We enjoy the presence of an excellent choir who help us sing hymns (modern and traditional) as well as provide anthems and special songs through the period of communion. We have a traditional organ but also benefit from music played on the piano and by our band (eg on the Second Sunday of each month when we have an All-Age Service in which our children and young people are fully involved).

Each 10.30am service includes a sermon, prayers and eucharist.

After the service, everyone is invited for coffee and conversation - some like to stay for a quick chat while others remain in the church for a longer time.

Communion

Children and Young People

Children are never too young to come to church. You and your children are very welcome at St Andrew’s. 

We really value worshipping God together as a family, so children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service before being invited to leave for the young people's activities after the first hymn. Junior Church meets in the St Andrew's Centre (our adjoining hall), accessed through the church on Sunday mornings. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy.

The children and young people then return to the main service in time to join the eucharist and, if confirmed, take Holy Communion or, if not, receive a blessing. We offer a little box of raisins to children being blessed at the altar.

There is a Children's Corner in church where you can go at any time. You will find books, toys and drawing materials there.

Toilet and baby-change facilities are located at the back of church, behind the kitchen.

There's more information here: Children and Young People at St Andrew's

Junior Church celebration

Getting Connected


Home Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week. Check out Home Groups on our website and see if there’s one that you could join. Alternatively, speak to a member of the Welcome Team who will give you the information that you need.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team. Please contact Phil in the Church Office.

Get in touch with us
If you have any questions, please do get in touch. You'll find our contact details here.

We hope that you will feel at home at our church.

Group photo at the top of the page taken by Tim Pike