Galashiels

Galashiels is a small, quiet town in the Scottish borders, the area whose bloody history produced Scotland's classic folk ballads. These include "The Dowie Dens O' Yarrow", recorded by many folk singers and done on a Peel session by the JSD BandIn his book White Bicycles, Joe Boyd recounted how, passing through Galashiels on his first visit to Scotland, he "made a song-inspired detour" (p.80) to visit the village of Yarrow where the events narrated in the ballad had taken place.. 
The town is the home of Dawn Of The Replicants, who recorded three Peel sessions. 03 June 2004. Members of the band also founded the 90s music magazine SunZoomSpark.
A few miles away is Innerleithen, where Peel favourites The Incredible String Band lived from 1969 to 1974 - in a row of farm cottages on an estate owned by the eccentric aristocrat (and friend of Princess Margaret) Colin Tennant, later Lord Glenconner.
Peel was fond of mentioning the place after announcing details of forthcoming gigs and events in London, commenting, for example, "and that will be immensely interesting to those of you living in Galashiels". 
He gave this explanation on the programme on 30 June 1987:
:While that was going on I spoke to Ron Ballantyne of Galashiels who phoned up to ask why it is that I always refer to Galashiels when I'm trying to refer to places that are at some remove from London. I'm not quite sure why. Actually, I do know exactly why; because I just like the sound of Galashiels. I've driven through there a couple of times, I think stopped for petrol once and there's just something - perhaps you don't do this, perhaps it's a sign of some kind of deterioration in my emotional condition - but there are certain words which I quite like kind of muttering to myself. I know I shall probably end up sitting on Tube trains and things, sitting talking to myself and saying 'Galashiels' over and over and over again. But Galashiels is one of those words which as I say, I like the feel of it in my mouth (laughs).
== Shows Mentioned ==
*17 October 1977
*24 July 1979
*08 April 1980
*30 June 1987
*09 February 1992
*13 May 1994
*02 July 1994
*01 June 1999
*10 February 2004
*16 March 2004
(Please fill in if spotted)
== Other ==
*Peel on Local Radio, 1994 (column from Radio Times)
== Links ==
*Wikipedia: Galashiels
;Footnotes
Category:Places
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