By David Francis Gary West’s new book is a welcome attempt to place the traditional arts in Scotland in the context of what some see as a ‘post-traditional’ world, where localised cultural traditions are increasingly negated by the effects of globalisation and the ever-changing processes of what sociologist Zygmunt Bauman has termed ‘the liquid society’.

This question isn’t really as simple to answer as it sounds, since the whole concept means different things to different people. As an exercise, I asked the participants of the Edinburgh Youth Gaitherin Archive Project to write down what the term means to them. We’d like to include a page on the TMF website asking … Continued

Our guest speaker at the AGM was Sam Eccles of PAN (Promoters Arts Network) who gave a fascinating insight into PAN’s coming digital development and its implications for networks in general. Most exciting, to start with, was what Sam described as a ‘Facebook for touring’ – a central database for touring and promotion. This will … Continued

By David Francis There is every indication that our world is in a state of profound crisis. Everyone can compile their own list of symptoms. To respond to the crisis we need, among other things, flourishing communities, characterised by their members’ sense of well-being, good health, civic engagement (social capital); a sense of place; respectful … Continued

Guest blog: Ceitidh Smith Ceitidh Smith has competed in local and National Mods since the age of 5 and is assistant secretary of the Inverness Local Mod, a member of Meur Inbhir Nis, vice-president of Inverness Gaelic Choir and has been involved in the Royal National Mod 2014 committee.

With the Forum’s third AGM coming up next month (November 3) these are among the things that keep me awake at night. Could our collective wisdom help me get a decent night’s sleep?

Guest Blog by Suzanne Houston Suzanne Houston attended the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music (aka Plockton Music School) during her high school years. In 2011 she was heavily involved in a National campaign to save the centre from closure. Now, as well as doing trad music professionally, she is the coordinator for Friends … Continued

Guest blog by Angharad Jenkins Angharad Jenkins is a musician, and Project Officer of Trac, the Welsh traditional music development agency. This article first appeared in ‘On-Trac’, the agency’s quarterly magazine.

A friend of the TMF wrote this review after attending the much-anticipated premier. “Brave” opens in Scotland on 3rd August, and goes on general release in the UK on 13th August. It features some of Scotland’s finest traditional musicians and Alex Salmond says it will give a massive boost to the Scottish tourist industry, but … Continued

Guest blog by Stuart Eydmann Music researcher and fiddler Stuart Eydmann travelled to the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention in Derry/Donegal in late June 2012 and here records some impressions from the trip.