BBC - Scotland on Film

Stan Gilmore from Largs. Posted 7 May 2004.
In 1938 the Empire Exhibition was held in Bellahouston Park, Glasgow. At primary school one of the mail teachers used to conduct junior gaelic choirs. As the school was invited to send a chaoir and to perform at the Palace of Art Pavillion, the teacher thought it was a good idea to form a school choir and to take part in a concert at the exhibition. He selected pupils form his own clas and arranged the first rehearsal after school.
Althought i was not in his class, i decided to stay behind and to slip in at the back of the choir. After all, a free visit to the exhibition was not to be sneered at. We began to sing Mairi's wedding and halfway through the first few lines an irate teacher suddenly shouted "Stop singing. we have a droner in the choir" and proceeded to ask each pupil to sing the first line of the song. When it came to my turn, i nervously sang the first line. There was a silence and the teacher whose face had turned a fiery red looked at me and in a voice heavy with disgust and horror snarled "Get out Gilmore". And so i ended my musical career and my hopes for a free visit to the Empire Exhibition.

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