Along The Miners’ Rows

Along The Miners’ Rows - Bill Adair with the Bridgend Sessions Band: ‘Along The Miners’ Rows’, was written and released to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Auchengeich Mining Disaster, when, on the 18th of September 1959, smoke and fumes from an underground fire at Auchengeich Colliery in the small North Lanarkshire mining community of Bridgend caused 47 miners to lose their lives in what was the worst mining accident in Scotland in the 20th century.

The CD features a range of new songs written by Bill including ‘Along The Miners’ Rows’ and ‘The Day That All The Lights Went Out’, as well as to two fiddle tunes, ‘Jean Murray Ballantyne’, a slow air written by Bill, and a guitar arrangement of the beautiful O’Carrolan tune ‘Blind Mary’.  Apart from Bill on guitar and vocals, the album also features Tim Binney (fiddle and vocals), Barbara Burns (piano), Ian Cleland (bass), Avril Cleland (whistle) and Delia O’Hagan (vocals).

The money Bill Adair raises from the sale of the CD will benefit Glenmanor Primary and St Michael’s Primary, both in Moodiesburn, and will help to create an outdoor classroom/commemorative garden area in each school.  The fund will also support an annual endeavour prize and, depending on the total raised, help to purchase a piece of equipment for each school. The aim is to create a living memorial within both primary schools, to reward outstanding effort and to stimulate an interest in local heritage. This is a project that will not only benefit the schools, but will also keep alive the memory of Auchengeich Colliery in the hearts and minds of people in the wider community.