The Neil Munro Society was founded in 1996 to encourage interest in the works of Neil Munro (1863-1930). It organises an annual programme of talks and other events in Munro's home town of Inveraray and in Glasgow and attracts leading authorities on Scottish literature and history to address its meetings.
A growing membership in Britain and overseas testifies to the revival of interest in Munro and his work as a novelist, short story-writer, journalist, critic and poet.
A Munro Archive is being created to assist with research into Munro's life and work. Children's writing competitions are organised and a twice-yearly magazine ParaGraphs, with texts of lectures, articles, and other material of Munro interest is published. Members can also buy copies of all Munro titles currently in print at discounted prices.
On this page:Winter Meeting, AGM, Letter to Members, Minutes,Membership, Society News,
A Memorial Service for Brian Osborne was held on Saturday 14th June in St Columba's Church in Kirkintilloch. Tributes were paid by Michael Taylor, Alan Reid and Ronnie Renton.
Obituaries were published in 'The Scotsman' on 26th June and in 'The Herald' on 25th June 2008.
Brian was building up the following weblog during the weeks prior to his death. To view please click on the following link: http://www.briandosborne.wordpress.com/
In the meantime if you wish to contact the society please write to the chairman, Ronnie Renton, at:
4, Randolph Road
GLASGOW
G11 7LGAlternatively Ronnie can be contacted by e-mail: ronnierenton@googlemail.com
12th AGM and Conference will take place in May 2009. Details to follow.
Minutes of Recent Society AGMs can now be viewed on a separate page - Click on Minutes
Dear Friends,
On behalf of the committee of The Neil Munro Society I wish you a very happy and healthy 2008. Once again I am very pleased to report that the Society continues to flourish and has had another successful year with some very enjoyable activities – thanks to your unfailing support and friendship! We would also like to thank you for your very helpful suggestions for talks, projects, publications, visits etc. Could I urge you to keep these coming in. They are very important to us when we plan the year’s programme. We are very anxious that it should reflect the wishes of the whole membership.
Our Winter Meeting in February, 2007 took place as usual in the congenial surroundings of The Glasgow Art Club. We had a splendid talk from our secretary, Brian Osborne, on the illustrative paintings by Mary Y. and J.Young Hunter in Neil Munro’s lively travelogue Clyde: River and Firth. Then in March about thirty of us made our way to Abbotsford, the Borders home of Sir Walter Scott, where we were given an excellent tour by Roderick, the official guide. This was followed by a most interesting lecture by Professor Douglas Gifford who is also Abbotsford’s official librarian. In May our AGM Meeting began at the monument in Glen Aray where we celebrated the opening of the new path with a “re-enactment” of the ceremony which inaugurated the monument in 1935. This was followed by talks on the Munro “originals” and Scottish Romanticism by Lesley Lendrum and Professor Alan Riach. In the evening we moved to Inveraray Castle where, in magnificent surroundings, Dorothy McMillan spoke to us on Susan Ferrier’s novel Marriage and Beth Dickson on Neil Munro’s Fancy Farm. We concluded our year’s activities in September with a sail on Loch Katrine aboard the steamship “Sir Walter Scott”, thus complementing our trip to Abbotsford in the spring.
By now you will all have received your copy of Paragraphs 22 and I am sure you will agree with me that it is excellent. For this and for the preceding eleven numbers – to say nothing of the Paragraphs index on the Society website – we are very much in debt to our editor Dr Moira Burgess. Unfortunately pressure of other academic commitments has now necessitated that she demit office. On all our behalves I would like to thank her for a job very well done. Paragraphs has indeed flourished under her skilful hand. Although she has now chosen to step down from the committee, we look forward to continue meeting her at Society events throughout the year. I am delighted to tell you, however, that Finella Wilson has bravely agreed to take on the job of editor and we are very grateful to her indeed!
And now to 2008. Our Winter Meeting will take place once again in The Glasgow Art Club on Friday 8th February, 2008. There will be two lectures focussing on journalism: David Hutchison will speak to us on The Glasgow Press in the Time of Neil Munro and Brian Osborne will deliver a short paper entitled Neil Munro, War Correspondent. Our AGM and Annual Conference will take place in The Argyll Hotel in Inveraray on Saturday, 10th May. In the morning we will visit the village of Kenmore. In the afternoon there will be a reading of a Munro short story and a lecture on Jacobitism in Argyll. The evening lecture will explore Munro’s novel The Shoes of Fortune. Finally, we hope to conclude our activities for the year 2008 with a visit to Tarbert in September where we will examine the setting and text of George MacDougall Hay’s famous novel Gillespie which was, of course, dedicated by its author to Neil Munro.
Once again on behalf of the whole committee can I thank you most sincerely for your enthusiastic support for the Society. Together we have achieved a great deal in securing Neil Munro’s place in the Scottish literary canon. We wish you every happiness for 2008 and we look forward to seeing you soon – hopefully at our Winter Meeting in The Glasgow Art Club on Friday, 8th February!
Yours sincerely,
Ronnie Renton (Chairman)
THE NEIL MUNRO MEDAL
The Neil Munro Society Medal which is awarded annually to the top student in Scottish Literature at the University of Glasgow was presented for the sixth time on 27th June 2008. Many congratulations to this year's winner Louise Hutcheson.
THE NEIL MUNRO SOCIETY VISIT TO TARBERT
The theme of this visit is the novel, ‘Gillespie’ by the Rev. John MacDougall Hay and dedicated by him to Neil Munro.
We will meet at Stonefield Castle Hotel(2 miles north of Tarbert) for coffee and then proceed to Tarbert where Archie Smith will conduct us on a tour of places connected with the novel in the town.
After lunch (at members’ discretion) Moira Burgess will deliver a lecture on ‘Gillespie’ in the recently refurbished Templar Arts and Leisure Centre in Harbour Street.
Tarbert, Loch Fyne is a beautiful fishing village in the north of Kintyre. It has a fascinating selection of galleries, shops and a wide variety of eating establishments.
Numbers are limited for this visit – the tour can only accommodate 25 people – so book early to avoid disappointment (by 6th September if possible please).
Because of the numbers involved we felt that it was not sensible or economic to organise a coach from Glasgow and we are suggesting that members travel in pooled cars from convenient starting places. If you indicate on your booking form whether a lift is needed or can be offered we will attempt to match everyone up.
PROGRAMME
Arrive at Stonefield Castle Hotel ..........10.30am
(Coffee and Scones)
Depart in cars for Tarbert .........................11.15 am
Assemble outside Templar centre for tour ...12.00noon
Lunch (please make your own arrangements) ...1.00pm
Lecture on John McDougall Hay’s ‘Gillespie’..2.00pm
(Moira Burgess)
Depart Tarbert .......................................3.30pm
Cost per person: £12.00.
Please make cheques payable to 'The Neil Munro Society' and send to Dorothy Paterson at the address below.
Historic Argyll
Saturday 12th April 2008
A visit to some fascinating and varied historic sites in Argyll: Ardchattan Parish Church with its 1830s interior, Ardchattan Priory, a 13th century Valliscaulian Abbey later converted to domestic use; Dunstaffnage Castle, a MacDougall stronghold seized by Bruce in 1309 and Bonawe Furnace – the most complete charcoal fired iron works in Britain.
Once again, despite a pessimistic weather forecast, the sun shone on a Neil Munro expedition. We enjoyed an interesting and informative day out with good food and the usual great company.
Some photos of the outing can be viewed on: http://www.virginmediaphotos.co.uk/album/8006974
The AGM and Annual Conference took place on Saturday 10th May.
The Minutes of the AGM can now be viewed on a separate page - Click on Minutes
Some photos of the visit to Kenmore and evening events can be viewed on: http://www.virginmediaphotos.co.uk/album/8130921
Membership is open to all individuals, organisations, and institutions. Subscriptions for 2008 are:
Ordinary Membership £13.00
Unwaged/OAP/Student Membership £10.00
Institutional Membership £16.00There is a £3.00 surcharge for subscriptions paid in non-Sterling funds.
To join the Neil Munro Society or to book an event, contact the Society Secretary at:
Dorothy Paterson
Treasurer
Sgiba
20 Relief Land
INVERARAY PA32 8SO
Tel/Fax: 0141 339 5425
e-mail: dorothy@sgiba.freeuk.comCLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE FORM TO JOIN THE SOCIETY OR BOOK AN EVENT