John Dean – Crime Writer

One of the most striking characteristics of the programme for the forthcoming Kirkcudbright Book Festival is the way it explores Scottish culture. Two talks by authors on the third day of the festival,, Saturday March 7, illustrate the point. One follows the other, and they are being held at the same venue, for people who wish to attend both events

The first talk in the Kirkcudbright Pipe Band Hall in Daar Road, at 5pm, will explain the impact on world culture of the bagpipes and be delivered by Richard McLaughlan, an author and piper who has written The Bagpipes – A Cultural History, In the talk, he willinvestigates how a ‘national instrument’ can shift its meaning and identity from inspiring terror on battlefields to enriching cultures worldwide. The author of Serious Minds, and John Campbell’s collaborator on Haldae, both published by Hurst, Richard also co-founded the educational charity Light Up Learning.

His talk will be followed at 7pm by historian Brian Groom, pictured at the top of this article,
who will tell his audience about the intertwined histories of Scotland and the other nations of Britain and Ireland. Based on his new book, These Isles: A People’s History of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, he reveals a colourful and often-contested story of the Celts, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Normans and others who have occupied these islands, along with their culture, languages and passions. He will explore the role of religion and the British Empire, international diasporas and internal migration, gender relations and war.

Brian is a journalist, author and former editor of the Scotland on Sunday newspaper. His book Northerners: A History, from the Ice Age to the Present Day (2022), became a national bestseller. He is also author of Made in Manchester: A People’s History of the City That Shaped the Modern World (2024) His latest work. These Isles: A People’s History of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales is scheduledto be published by HarperNorth in February 2026

Full details of both festival events, including how to book your tickets, can be found on the festival website at www.kbtbookfestival.org