# General Mandolin Topics > General Mandolin Discussions >  Mandolins on the island at the edge of the world...

## almeriastrings

Pretty interesting story, and a fascinating picture in this BBC feature on one of the more remote Shetland Islands.

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/2016...e-of-the-world

I see an F and an A-model there, Cafe members, I wonder?

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bbcee, 

Bertram Henze, 

Bob Clark, 

Charlieshafer, 

Denman John, 

jmkatcher, 

Mark Wilson, 

oliverkollar, 

Upis Land

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## UsuallyPickin

An Artist model Flatiron F5 maybe ? R/

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## Denman John

As an islander, some things mentioned are close to home on our island as well.

Gotta love the island life!

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## Mark Gunter

Wow, excellent photography in that piece, and yes, interesting read. For those who  are loathe to follow links, here's the shot with musical instruments:

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## Ron McMillan

I spent some time on Foula when I was researching my Shetland Islands travel book. It is a fantastic place.

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## Ron McMillan

One of Shetland's best-known folk groups, Hom Bru, sing a song about Foula. Davie Henry on vocals and mandolin is a Foula native.

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## Ivan Kelsall

Here's what i get - see pic. However,since it's launch,the BBC _'as an entity'_ has been funded by the licence fee. So, we have a broadcasting Co.(BBC) funded by licence holders telling _me_ (in the UK) that this prog. ISN'T funded by the licence fee,so i can't view it. I think that there's something wrong there !. The WHOLE of the BBC wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for the licence fee !.
_"Since its launch,the BBC has been funded by licence fees ..."_. I'm a tad PO'd !!! :Mad: 
                                                                                              Ivan

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derbex, 

Gelsenbury, 

Paul Statman

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## Dagger Gordon

There are a lot of mandolins in Shetland!

https://www.facebook.com/shetlandmandolinband/

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Charlieshafer

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## Ron McMillan

> There are a lot of mandolins in Shetland!
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/shetlandmandolinband/


And that in an island group with a total population of about 23,000  :Smile:

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## Bertram Henze

Should you choose to visit the place (or anywhere in Shetland) it may come in handy to learn the language first...  :Wink: 



I recommend the site of Roseanne Watt for getting an artistic feeling of all things Shetland.

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Charlieshafer, 

soliver

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## Ron McMillan

> I recommend the site of Roseanne Watt for getting an artistic feeling of all things Shetland.


Great site. Thanks for the link.

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Charlieshafer

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## Ray(T)

> Here's what i get - see pic. However,since it's launch,the BBC _'as an entity'_ has been funded by the licence fee. So, we have a broadcasting Co.(BBC) funded by licence holders telling _me_ (in the UK) that this prog. ISN'T funded by the licence fee,so i can't view it. I think that there's something wrong there !. The WHOLE of the BBC wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for the licence fee !.
> _"Since its launch,the BBC has been funded by licence fees ..."_. I'm a tad PO'd !!!
>                                                                                               Ivan


That's why some people refer to it as the "British Broadcorping Castration". It can't be that good in Shetland - according to Mark Gunter's photo, they're drinking canned beer!

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## Charlieshafer

> That's why some people refer to it as the "British Broadcorping Castration". It can't be that good in Shetland - according to Mark Gunter's photo, they're drinking canned beer!


What a fascinating culture you have! :Wink:  Here, our best beers are in cans (well, supposedly the best). Go to a nice restaurant in Burlington, vermnst, and they serve you Heady Topper in the can, because it clearly says on the can that you need to drink it out of the can. Craft beer snobs, what can I say.

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## Bertram Henze

> It can't be that good in Shetland - according to Mark Gunter's photo, they're drinking canned beer!


The website says there's no pubs on the small island. Without kegs and taps, I guess you make do with what you can carry on a small plane.

P.S. for our British license fee payers, here is the webpage as PDF.
(I guess the BBC must have had a TV broadcast of that and expect their licensees to actually turn on the TV for their money... :Confused: )

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greenwdse

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## Ray(T)

If beer was meant to come in cans, the can would have been invented first!

Thanks for the PDF link - incidentally, the "castle", partially visible in the photo on page 9/11, was built in the 1930s.

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Charlieshafer

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## Bertram Henze

> ...incidentally, the "castle", partially visible in the photo on page 9/11, was built in the 1930s.


Looks like Eilean Donan (13th century)?

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## derbex

> - according to Mark Gunter's photo, they're drinking canned beer!


Worse than that it's Tartan! The only craft involved in that is the accountant's.

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## Bertram Henze

Right, let's agree that, when attending a session there, it's better to bring your own drink  :Cool:

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Charlieshafer

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## Dagger Gordon

> The website says there's no pubs on the small island. Without kegs and taps, I guess you make do with what you can carry on a small plane.
> 
> P.S. for our British license fee payers, here is the webpage as PDF.
> (I guess the BBC must have had a TV broadcast of that and expect their licensees to actually turn on the TV for their money...)


Thanks for that link to the PDF webpage, Bertram. I hadn't Foula realised (groan) that it was specifically about the island of Foula. 

I have a good friend who lived on Fair Isle for a bit. She loved it. It's definitely not for everybody though.

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## Dagger Gordon

Merry Christmas!

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...=facebook-post

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## Ray(T)

Bertram - sorry, missed your post re. Eilien Donan. It may have been founded centuries ago but what you see today was built, as the wiki article says, in the 20th Century. We pass the place every year and it's usually crawling with tourists on the way to/from tye Isle of Skye which, itself, isn't the same since they built the bridge.

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## Bertram Henze

> Bertram - sorry, missed your post re. Eilien Donan. It may have been founded centuries ago but what you see today was built, as the wiki article says, in the 20th Century. We pass the place every year and it's usually crawling with tourists on the way to/from tye Isle of Skye which, itself, isn't the same since they built the bridge.


Reminds me of recent discussions on Stradivarius violins. The old things are always subject to recent changes, so nothing is really old, it seems.

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## Mandolin Cafe

> I spent some time on Foula when I was researching my Shetland Islands travel book. It is a fantastic place.


I did not know about this book. That one-click amazon link didn't take long to purchase it.

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Ron McMillan

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## Ray(T)

> Reminds me of recent discussions on Stradivarius violins. The old things are always subject to recent changes, so nothing is really old, it seems.


It appears that it was occupied by Spanish troops in 1719, destroyed when it was shelled by three Royal Navy frigates in May of that year and subsequently rebuilt between 1919 and 1932. It is unlikely that what is there today represents what was there in the 18C.

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## Ron McMillan

> I did not know about this book. That one-click amazon link didn't take long to purchase it.


Thank you Scott. I hope you enjoy it.

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## Ivan Kelsall

There's one Stelling ''Bellflower'' banjo up on Burra Isle as well, belonging to a Banjo Hangout contact of mine,
                                                                                                                                                 Ivan

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## Uncle Choppy

All this talk of canned beer has got me to thinkin'. 

There's nothing wrong with a can of Tartan (on Shetland I guess they would be liberally chased with something a wee bit stronger) but in these "craft" ale days we have so much more to choose from, even on this side of the pond. 

Anyway, maybe we should start a 'cafe microbrewery? You could theme the brews around the sounds - "Oval Teens" could be a malty, full-bodied ale or bock, "CBOM" might be a rich plummy stout and I guess that leaves the popular hoppy tasting one for the obvious....

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Charlieshafer, 

Ivan Kelsall, 

JH Murray, 

JSanta

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## Ivan Kelsall

It wouldn't take long for one of those to 'open up' !!. Nice work on the beer can,
                                                                                                    Ivan  :Grin:

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Bertram Henze, 

Uncle Choppy

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## Ray(T)

I still don't like canned beer!

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## Charlieshafer

> I still don't like canned beer!


Well, you'll just have to work on that through desensitization.

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## Bertram Henze

> I still don't like canned beer!


How about beer in
- plastic cups?
- coffee mugs?
- marmelade jars?
- pewter pots?
 :Grin:

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