Page 8 - ZettaIntro

In 1995, I made a six-part radio series for the BBC called Tatties and Herrin in which

I told through word and song the story of the Scottish North East fishing and farming industries.

My mother’s songs, written from her own experience in the fishing community, made a

particularly valuable contribution. The script was written by Ian Olson, the Scottish historian,
poet and ethnologist, who described my mother’s work in the following passage:

“winning hearts with her thoughtful, moving creations, often in her native Scots, and

based on her own experience of an often difficult life. Her natural ability with words and

a deep understanding of her own community were allied to a constant search for truth

and understanding of the human condition to produce compassionate poetry and song,

both universal and personal”.

My mother died in 1995. Regrettably, it was before she could hear me perform one of

her most powerful songs, Dunkirk, at The Royal Albert Hall, London, to commemorate the
sixtieth anniversary of that famous evacuation.
In the course of collating, researching and recording my mother’s work and life I have

come to a much clearer understanding and admiration of her character, resilience and talent.

I speak for both Zetta and myself in the hope that her songs will continue to be enjoyed and

sung in the spirit they were created.

Copyright Isla St Clair, 2021.