Martin S. Laird

Artist | film-maker | animator

Tag: St Magnus

  • Orcadian Stories – Norman Rushbrook: The Men In Black

    Orcadian Stories – Norman Rushbrook: The Men In Black Norman Rushbrook was lighting manager of the St. Magnus Festival from its inception. In this short film, called The Men In Black after the unobtrusive clothes that stage crew wear, Norman tells some stories of his time with the Festival. This is the second of three…

    Written by

    Martin Laird
    Norman Rushbrook, portrait by Martin Laird of Norman wearing his St Magnus Festival stage crew uniform, taken in St. Magnus Cathedral. Black and white.

  • Orcadian Stories – George Rendall: The Rive Gauche

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    The second film in the Orcadian Stories interview series is now available to watch on YouTube via The Orkney News Channel – George Rendall: The Rive Gauche. In this film, former Secretary and Chairman of the St. Magnus Festival, George Rendall, tells some stories of his time with the Festival. George also reflects upon how…

    Written by

    Martin Laird
    Portrait of George Rendall, black and white with a sepia tinge. Taken in the Daniell Room of the Orkney Club in Kirkwall.

  • Rebel Orkney Fair Saturday exhibition

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    Rebel Orkney, St. Andrews Fair Saturday exhibition at Northlight Gallery, Stromness. For the past few years Fiona Grahame (editor of The Orkney News), Cary Welling (curator of Northlight Gallery) and I have held events in association with St. Andrews Fair Saturday, which exists as an antidote to the rampant consumerism of Black Friday. For 2021…

    Written by

    Martin Laird
    Rebel Orkney, St. Andrews Fair Saturday 2021 exhibition at Northlight Gallery, Stromness, from 27th November to 9th December 10am-4pm daily except Sunday. Poster shows Alexander Graham, Janet Fea and Peter Maxwell Davies.

  • Rebel Orkney – meet the authors

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    Rebel Orkney – meet the authors at J. Gow Rum The writer Fiona Grahame and I will be on hand at the J. Gow Rum and Orkney Wine Company shop on Lamb Holm, Orkney, this Saturday, 16th of October 2021, from 2-4pm. If you would like to talk to us about our book Rebel Orkney,…

    Written by

    Martin Laird
    Rebel Orkney book signing at J. Gow Rum, Lamb Holm, Saturday 16th October from 2-4pm 2021. Promotional poster.

  • Rebel Orkney book launch

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    Rebel Orkney – book launch at Bragi’s Open Circle Fiona Grahame and I are proud to announce the publication of Rebel Orkney, an illustrated history book published by Orkney News Ltd. and distributed by Ingram. Subtitled “tales of insurrection from Orcadian history”, Rebel Orkney tells the story of some of those who dared to stand…

    Written by

    Martin Laird
    Fiona Grahame & Martin Laird at Bragi's Open Circle, with standing stones at the Kristin Linklater voice centre, Orkney.

  • The New Adventures of St Magnus

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    The New Adventures of Saint Magnus in the 22nd Century Magnus Erlendsson was beatified as a Saint due to his pacifism in life, and death by martyrdom. During the Battle of Menai Straits, which was a Viking raid on Wales, Magnus had refused to fight, staying aboard ship to pray instead. He was eventually murdered…

    Written by

    Martin Laird
    The New Adventures of Saint Magnus in the 22nd Century. "I now appear in these degenerate days, when virtue's fled and vice triumphant sways." Words attributed to St. Magnus by an anonymous poet, 1773. In post-apocalyptic Orkney Saint Magnus roams the land slaying the cannibal humans.