SWFPA chief shares stage with Skipinnish band
24th July 2024
The Scottish folk group Skipinnish, which won several awards for its iconic song ‘The Clearances Again’, a heartfelt protest against the proposals for huge HPMAs in Scottish inshore waters, featured the song in a sold-out 25th anniversary concert at Edinburgh Castle last week.
Rather than simply including the song in its set, the group invited Mike Park, chief executive of the Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association, onstage to introduce it.
Mike Park introducing ‘The Clearances Again’.
Receiving a cheer for every mention of Scottish fishermen and women or Scottish fishing in a short but perfectly pitched introduction, Mike Park made the telling remark that the vital part that DF MacNeil and Skippinish played in the successful campaign meant that ‘Donald Francis is still fishing, and can’t be with us tonight’.
Angus MacPhail of Skipinnish said afterwards: “We asked Mike to introduce the song to give its message more strength, and to give it context for those in the audience who may not have been aware of the issues and the threat to coastal communities still posed.
“Mike spoke very well, and actually had to pause a number of times because of the huge cheering from the crowd.”
This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For more up-to-date and in-depth reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.30 here.
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