It was a Kirkwall summer night in 1991…

It’s 30 years since the band Runrig, then at the very peak of their powers, played an open-air gig outside the Pickaquoy Centre in Kirkwall, Orkney. Thousands attended from throughout the isles, and the concert has become legendary, both for its musical quality and…for the fact that nine months later there was a major leap in the Orkney birthrate. Twenty-eight babies were born within a few weeks.

According to the Daily Record:

“It came exactly nine months after Gaelic rockers Runrig had played to 5000 fans in a one-night concert.”

This year, Orkney newspaper The Orcadian celebrated the event – or events – with a double-page spread. The singer-songwriter Gill Bowman told me she had thought of writing a song about the whole affair, but hadn’t got round to it. I decided to try and help. The lyrics follow but you can hear a recording of the song for free on Soundcloud here.

The Ballad of Runrig at Pickaquoy

I said I didn’t like them and I wouldn’t go

She said she had always fancied Donnie Munro

She told me if I loved her then I would surely be

Wearing her Heartland T-shirt, standing by the Peedie Sea

I had a Mohican and some piercings at the time

I liked the Ramones, the UK Subs Sham 69

I wore that T shirt but my badge said A for anarchy

Then we ordered Tennent’s lager in the rugby club marquee

Oh Iain, Donnie and Calum

Peter, Rory and Malcolm

30 years, six bairns six bundles of joy

All thanks to Runrig at Pickaquoy

We dreamed of going to Skye, we took a Rocket to the Moon

I hummed along to several other unknown Gaelic tunes

During Loch Lomond we embraced each other tight

And for the first time later on together spent the night

Nine months later he arrived

He wasn’t very bonnie

Despite the name thank God he didn’t look a bit like Donnie

Now we’ve been married 30 years

Six bairns our pride and glory

Donnie, Iain, Calum, Malcolm, Peter and peedie Rory

Oh Iain, Donnie and Calum

Peter, Rory and Malcolm

30 years, six bairns six bundles of joy

All thanks to Runrig at Pickaquoy

It was the only time we’d heard a word of Gaelic spoken

But in the Balfour nine months on my wife’s waters had broken

The language of the Gaels seemed to cast a secret spell

The county birthrate soared, and sales of stonewashed jeans as well.

Truthfully I thought support act Rock the Tribe were stars

But punk rock can’t compete with anthemic bagpipe guitars

I took out my piercings, sold my Doc Marten 10 eyelet boots

And happily got married in a Freeman’s club book suit

Oh Iain, Donnie and Calum

Peter, Rory and Malcolm

30 years, six bairns six bundles of joy

All thanks to Runrig at Pickaquoy

More about Runrig in Orkney here