Alan Doyle And TBG On George Street In 2016…

“I always go for one thing and one thing only, to give people the best night of their lives every night.”... Alan Doyle in the Newfoundland Herald, July 2016.

I love this poster and a newspaper cover from the Newfoundland Herald advertising the George Street Festival in St. John's, Newfoundland for 2016. 

The images were circulated on social media. No copyright infringement intended.

Alan Doyle And TBG At Jackson Triggs in July 2016...

Alan Doyle @alanthomasdoyle Stoked for this weekend with The Beautiful Gypsies. Two Sold Out shows @Jackson_Triggs and for a big night in Mattawa @Voyageurdays. Yes B’y. July 20 2016

Alan Doyle @alanthomasdoyle Thank u @Jackson_Triggs for two of the best nights ever. July 24 2016

The fans came from across Canada and America to see Alan Doyle and The Beautiful Gypsies at Jackson Trigg at Niagara. As a consequence there was a large range of wonderful words, totally gorgeous photographs and even a couple of bootlegs shared on social media.

While I don’t normally watch or circulate bootleg videos however, one of these bootlegs ‘The Rules Will All Be Broken’ by Bill Steeves is so beautiful, it just blew me away. The recording captures Alan Doyle singing lead vocals, supported by his band mates Kendel Carson and Todd Lumley and special guest Miranda Mulholland from Kendel’s other band Belle Starr playing fiddle.

Four songs were recorded by Barry Steeves of Alan Doyle and The Beautiful Gypsies. A couple of these like Testify don’t have particularly good sound, however I absolutely love the inclusiveness of all the band members and imagery of these recordings. They made me feel like I was right there in the front row experiencing Alan Doyle and The Beautiful Gypsies in all their glory. There are also two bootlegs of their special guests The Abrams.

I have circulated two bootlegs on my Google + page and provided direct links here for those interested. They are from the YouTube account of Bill Steeves. Many thanks for sharing.

Alan Doyle & Beautiful Gypsies July 22 2016 Rules Will All Be Broken https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJJ-xPG1q7k

Alan Doyle & The Beautiful Gypsies July 22 2016 Testify https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX93L1ZoAP4

There were lots of excellent photos taken by fans. However, I really like these two which were circulated on social media. The first one is from the official Twitter accounts of The Abrams and the second one from Barry Canning. Many thanks for sharing and no copyright infringement intended.

Alan Doyle And The Beautiful Gypsies At The Winnipeg Folk Festival 2016...

Last weekend Alan Doyle and The Beautiful Gypsies performed at The Winnipeg Folk Festival.

I have circulated two newspaper reviews on my Google + page for those interested.

The interesting thing about this festival was the large amount of material about the fans who went, rather than the artists and musicians who performed there generated by the local traditional  press.

As a consequence I decided to keep a copy of these fabulous photographs shared by Alan Doyle on his official Twitter and Instagram accounts of himself and The Beautiful Gypsies.

Many thanks to the photographers who took them and to Alan for sharing. As always no copyright infringement intended.

Alan Doyle And The Canadian Red Cross Humanitarian Award For NL 2016…

Congratulations to Alan Doyle for being nominated for the Canadian Red Cross Humanitarian Award for Newfoundland and Labrador in 2016.

While Alan has volunteered and contributed too many great causes, I think it is also worth noting that he has done hundreds of free meet and greets for fans after concerts. There is no doubt that a brief hello from a favourite musician and a signed pieced of merchandise can have a great impact on the well being of a fan. It is often at these meet and greets where fans share their love of music with each other and they become friends.

I have included a copy of a screen shot of the Red Cross announcement and Alan’s response shared via his official Twitter account.

This summary of Alan’s contributions of charitable causes comes from the official Canadian Red Cross webpage. I have circulated the original on my Google + page. No copyright infringement intended.

“…Alan Doyle has made countless contributions of time and talent to charitable causes.

Doyle serves on the fundraising board that raised more than $7 million for Daffodil Place, a 24-room facility operated by the provincial division of the Canadian Cancer Society for patients and caregivers who must travel to St. John’s for treatment. He has performed concerts, hosted events and been an advocate for Team Broken Earth, whose Canadian volunteer doctors, nurses, and physiotherapists work to improve healthcare in Haiti.

Doyle’s commitments to children and youth have included performances for the Children’s Wish Foundation and Vanier Elementary School in St. John’s. In 2012, he was named a champion mentor for DAREarts, a national charity that empowers at-risk Canadian youth to ignite positive change in their lives and communities through arts and literacy programs.

He has contributed to benefit concerts and is the artist representative on the board of the Radio Starmaker Fund, which provides emerging Canadian recording artists with financial support for activities such as marketing, promotion and touring.

In his home province, Doyle is on the advisory committee of the Smiling Lands Foundation, which celebrates East Coast culture and spirit through its annual Rockin’ Big Give fundraiser from which proceeds support a different local charity each year.

Doyle previously volunteered and worked at the Newfoundland Museum and now is on the board of The Rooms museum and gallery’s fundraising campaign called “Where Once They Stood” to raise $15 million for permanent exhibits, school programs and a walking trail honoring the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and the epic First World War battle at Beaumont-Hamel, France, where 710 of its 778 soldiers were killed or wounded.

Other groups and organizations whose work Doyle has supported include the Canadian Cancer Society, Ronald McDonald House, Kids Eat Smart Foundation, Stella’s Circle, Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Care Foundation, Shorefast Foundation, Boys and Girls Club of Canada, Dr. Jack Hand Legacy Foundation, the Gathering Place, Gold Medal Plates and The Company Theatre. Most recently he has helped organize and perform at benefit concerts supporting evacuees of the May 2016 forest fire evacuation of Fort McMurray, Alberta”.

Alan Doyle and #fireaid4ymm (2016)…

Recently Alan Doyle and The Beautiful Gypsies were part of a collection of Canadian artists and musicians (including Dean Brody, Blue Rodeo and Nickleback) that came together with music fans, volunteers, organisers and sponsors to help raise money for the victims of the Fort McMurray fires in Alberta, Canada. Together Canadians and their friends have raised over an amazing $2 million for those in need.

I was researching the fire aid event under the Twitter hashtag #fireaid4ymm and I found some fabulous newspaper articles about the event, supported by amazing collections of photographs of the artists, musicians and fans who attended.

I am just going to mention a couple. The first article “Fire Aid concert rocks Commonwealth” contains an article describing the event and a fabulous collection of over 75 brilliant professional photographs taken of all the artists, musicians and fans. This was published on the Edmonton Oilers national league hockey team official team page at oilers.nhl.com. The collection included some wonderful photographs of Alan Doyle and The Beautiful Gypsies including Cory Tetford and Kendel Carson doing their stuff in the sunshine. I have circulated a copy of this article on my Google + page. Just follow the links to the gallery.

The second article was from CBC Edmonton titled “Fort Murray Fire Aid Currently Hits 2M Goal” by Zoe Todd and published on 30 June, 2016. This article also contains a fabulous collection of professionally taken photographs including a couple of Alan Doyle. I have circulated a copy that article on my Google + page for those interested.

Alan Doyle who co-hosted the event and also played for 15 minutes with The Beautiful Gypsies took photographs and tweeted fans from his unique position on the stage of all the acts and fans in the audience. This was really appreciated by those of us who couldn’t be there. I have included a copy of a couple of his tweets and photographs from his official Twitter site and official Instagram site because I love them and the story they tell. Many thanks for sharing.

Thanks to all the artists, musicians, fans and paid professionals who shared their fabulous stories and images via social media. There was a great collection of fan stuff including selfies, photographs, short videos and reflections for the events and concert. I really enjoyed looking at these too.

Alan Doyle and Reflections on Childhood in the National Post…

Happy Canada Day or Memorial Day in Newfoundland to all the people who visit my blog.

To celebrate all things Canadian including childhood, the National Post online newspaper published a wonderful collection of short stories from forty famous Canadians about their childhood experiences supplemented with some wonderful family photographs.

I hope you enjoy reading stories from those born in Canada and those who arrived there when really young who quickly learned to make it home as much as I did. The article was circulated on social media. The full article has been shared on my Google + page.

Included in the collection was Alan Doyle. I decided to post a copy of his story here for this blog.

I have copied a photograph here that Alan shared on his official Alanthomasdoyle Instagram account. No copyright infringement intended.

“Alan Doyle… Musician and Author.

Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, is only a short drive from St. John’s, but for a 12 year old in a family with no car in the early 1980’s, the steep hills and narrow harbour of the tiny fishing village I called home might as well have been a million miles from everywhere. We had very little, but made a lot of it. I suppose, in retrospect, we had too. The first day of summer holidays was always my favourite day as we got to head directly to the wharf and start working with local fishermen in the all-consuming inshore cod fishery.

The boys’ jobs were quite simple but very important. We helped unload the day’s catch and keep the splitting tables filled and the boats’ holds clean. In exchange for our services, the fishermen let us cut out and sell the cod’s tongues, which were in high demand for local supermarkets, St. John’s restaurants and tourists alike. After a long school year with empty pockets, it felt so great to walk home with 20 or 30 or 40 bucks in your gurry stained pants. I’d tell Mom I made half of what I did and put some money away for hockey as she wished, and sneak off with 10-15 dollars to spend on whatever mischief I could get up to.

First stop would be a local swimming hole where all the guys and gals from as young as 10 to as old as late teens would gather to strip off and usher in the summer in the water. I’d do my best dives, tell my best jokes, and maybe even sing a song to try and impress the older girls there, and if the stars aligned, a fella might be lucky enough to sneak a smooch on the way home as the sun gave way to the stars.

The first day of summer in Petty Harbour was probably not much like it was in a big city like Toronto or in the mountains of Alberta or the Prairies of Saskatchewan. In Petty Harbour, the first day of summer meant for me and my friends, that we could be both adults and kids at the same time. We could work like a grown-up, but party like an adolescent. The best of both worlds in one day ".

On the Trail of the Caribou…The making of a documentary on social media..(repost)

Please note... Allan Hawco was kind enough to acknowledge me on Twitter even though I deleted the tweets raising some of the issues below. He stated no disrespect was intended towards the Allies at Gallipoli and this story was primarily about the Newfoundland Regiment. I appreciated his response.

Due to the popularity of the post I published on the making of On The Trail Of The Caribou documentary I have decided to repost it. I have also written a brief review of my interpretation of the Gallipoli segment for the first 20 minutes. I have not watched the Beaumont-Hamel section.

I would like to thank CBC Canada for placing this documentary on YouTube, allowing viewers from around the world to see this well made, yet extremely biased and non-inclusive history documentary.

While I recognise this documentary is about Newfoundland and Newfoundlanders during World War 1, they were part of Allied Forces and as a consequence the story of the Allied Forces should have been really included. Providing an inclusive history of the Allied Force's role at Gallipoli, would not have taken away from the contribution and sacrifice made by Newfoundland and provided useful background knowledge viewers may not be familiar with the history and significance of Gallipoli.

Allan Hawco (or the editors and researchers) failed to mention many facts about Gallipoli for example, the landing date. The landing at Gallipoli had begun 5 months prior the arrival of the Newfoundlanders in September 1915, on the 25 April, 1915. He also failed to mention who the Allied Forces included Great Britain and Ireland, France, India, Australia and New Zealand.

Allan Hawco (or the editors and researchers) mentioned the Newfoundlanders joined the British forces and in particular the 29 th Division in September, 1915. Research from Canadian official war history pages state the Australians were there as well and were instrumental in preparing the Newfoundlanders for the battle at Gallipoli.

Allan Hawco states that “when the Allied Forces had to evacuate the Newfoundland Regiment was the last to leave this beach.” After checking resources, the Newfoundland Regiment was in fact part of a collection of Allied Forces who were the last to leave.   

Only the 12 Newfoundlanders buried at one of the cemeteries in Turkey were mentioned by country of origin. Over 11 000 of our boys (Australians and New Zealanders) died on the Gallipoli campaign. Australians and New Zealanders remember their fallen and others who fought in other’s wars on the 25 April or ANZAC Day every year. Representatives from Newfoundland are included in that recognition and march with Australians and others on April 25 every year.  

As an Australian I was pretty gutted not to have our boys recognised in this story of Gallipoli as it is a significant and celebrated event in our history and that of New Zealand or the ANZACs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps).

On The Trail Of The Caribou…The making of a documentary on social media published on 2 July, 2015.

Allan Hawco@allanhawco Today is Canada Day for most but July 1^st is a day of Remembrance at home. Dates back to the Dominion of Newfoundland days. #trailofthecaribou

As Allan Hawco fans know, he and fellow Newfoundlander comedian Mark Critch have been making a documentary called the ‘Trail of the Caribou’ following in the footsteps of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and their campaigns throughout Europe during World War 1. Next year, 2016 will the 100 th anniversary of those campaigns (I circulated an article from CBC Canada about the making of the documentary and interviews with Allan Hawco and Mark Critch on my Google + page). Recently they were joined by their friend and fellow Newfoundlander Alan Doyle for part of the tour.

Allan, Mark and Alan have been recording their amazing journey for fans by generously sharing their thoughts, photos and selfies of significant events on social media. These events have inspired me to find out more about the role of Newfoundlanders and the bravery and sacrifices of their young men during the various campaigns. While I don’t think this blog is an appropriate place to discuss these events, I just wanted to briefly mention their importance in relationship to the events posted on social media and the making of this documentary.

I began with an excellent book I bought when I was in Newfoundland called “A Short History of Newfoundland and Labrador” compiled by The Newfoundland Historical Society. In a chapter called ‘The Twentieth Century’ the authors provide a brief overview of the significance of the events and in particular the campaign at Beaumont Hamel for Newfoundlanders. The Newfoundland Regiment was the only North American regiment to fight along aside the British and ANZACS (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) at Gallipoli in 1915.

“The Newfoundland Regiment fought with distinction at Gallipoli before being transferred to France. Its sacrifice in the Battle of the Somme stood out in particular.  Near the village of Beaumont Hamel, on 1 July 1916 , 753 men marched into the German machine gun fire, leaving only sixty-eight able to answer roll call the next day. About one-third of the Regiment had been held in reserve in Great Britain, and, once reinforced with more recruits, it went on to fight in several more significant battles including Monchy-le-Preaux, Ypres and Cambri. In recognition of its role in these later two battles, the Regiment was awarded the title “Royal” the only regiment given this honor during the First World War.”

There are many other online sites where those interested can find out information about these events. The Rooms in St. John’s, Newfoundland have a wonderful online site containing information and videos about Newfoundland’s roll in World War 1 and The Veterans Canada page has wonderful information about the role Newfoundland soldiers played at all the sites visited by this documentary team.

I have included a couple of comments and photos circulated on Twitter about the significance of some places and events and the filming of the documentary for future references. Those thoughts, photos and selfies, and the thoughts and photos of others can be found on the official social media accounts of Allan, Mark and Alan and by searching the associated hashtags. There is a wonderful collection of photos and selfies on their official Instagram accounts.

(NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED)

Singing the Ode on Memorial Day in Beaumont Hamel…

Allan Hawco…(from the official accounts on Twitter and Instagram)

Allan Hawco @allanhawco #lastpostandchorus #trailofthecaribou #beaumonthamel 1 July 2015 (posted on Instagram a short video and circulated via Twitter)

Allan Hawco @allanhawco Wow. I got to sing the Ode to Newfoundland with @markcritch @alanthomasdoyle at #BeaumontHamel today. WHAT AN HONOUR 1 July 2015 (photo on Twitter)

Allan Hawco @allanhawco Preparing for the #beaumonthamel #trailofthecaribou Pass it on (four beautiful photos on Instagram) 1 July 2015

Allan Hawco@allanhawco Today is Canada Day for most but July 1^st is a day of Remembrance at home. Dates back to the Dominion of Newfoundland days. #trailofthecaribou 1 July 2015

Mark Critch…(from the official account on Twitter)

Mark Critch @markcritch Beaumont Hamel #trailofthecaribou #BeaumontHamel 1 July 2015 (one photo on Twitter)

Mark Critch @markcritch NL Regiment tie, Poppy and Forget Me Not. All ready to pay tribute at Beaumont Hamel #trailorthecarbou 1 July 2015 (one photo from Twitter)

Alan Doyle...(from the official accounts on Twitter and Instagram)

Alan Doyle @alanthomasdoyle Been quite a July 1 for me as a Newfoundlander. Very grateful for it all. Would love to say good night with a Happy Canada Day to all. 1 July 2015

Darin King@king_darin Spectacular job by @alanthomasdoyle @allanhawco and @markcrtich on Ode to NL. Tks for being here @LegionNLCA @GovNL 1 July 2015 (photo on Twitter) (retweeted on Twitter by @allanhawco and @markcrtich)

Reply from Alan Doyle Thanks to @allanhawco and @markcritch for the help. 1 July 2015

Alan Doyle@alanthomasdoyle Honoured to be in Beaumont Hamel on this day. Singing the Ode at the Memorial Day Service on the very site where so many gave so much. 1 July 2015

Alan Doyle@alanthomasdoyle Lest We Forget 1 July 2015 (one photo on Twitter)

Tommy Rickets memorial in Belgium…

Alan Doyle...(from the official accounts on Twitter and Instagram)

Alan Doyle@alanthomasdoyle At the Tommy Rickets monument on the very farm in Rural Belgium where his bravery would later earn the Victoria Cross. 30 June 2015 (one photo on Twitter)

Mark Critch…(from the official account on Twitter )

Mark Critch@markcritch This Belgium family put up a monument to Tommy Rickets in thanks to NL Regiment. @alanthomasdoyle sings for them 30 June 2015 (three photos on Twitter)

At the Somme…

Alan Doyle...(from the official accounts on Twitter and Instagram)

Alan Doyle@alanthomasdoyle Sunrise on the Somme. @allanhawco @markcritch 29 June 2015 (photo on Twitter) (retweeted by Allan Hawco and Mark Critch on Twitter)

Alan Doyle @alanthomasdoyle Very Early Rise to shoot with @allanhawco and @markcritch on the Somme. 29 June 2015

Beaumont Hamel…

Alan Doyle...(from the official accounts on Twitter and Instagram)

Alan Doyle @alanthomasdoyle With allanhawco and markcritch at Beaumont Hamel. Singing the Ode here July 1^st, 2015. 99 years (photo on Instagram)

Alan Doyle @alanthomasdoyle With two of Newfoundland’s Finest @allanhawco @markcritch telling a story that has to be told from Beaumont Hamel. 29 June 2015 (photo on Twitter) (Retweeted on Twitter by Allan Hawco and Mark Critch)

Alan Doyle @alanthomasdoyle The Gents @allanhawco and @markcritch at Beaumont Hamel. 29 June 2015 (photo on Twitter)

Mark Critch...(from the official accounts on Twitter )

Mark Critch @markcritch In the trenches of Beaumont Hamel with @alanthomasdoyle #trailofthecaribou 29 June 2015

Alan Doyle arrives in France…

Alan Doyle...(from the official accounts on Twitter and Instagram)

Alan Doyle @alanthomasdoyle Early rise here in France. Off filming with @allanhawco and @markcritch following the path of NL’s WW1 Soldiers. So grateful for this chance 28 June 2015

Monchy-le-Preaux

Allan Hawco...(from the official accounts on Twitter and Instagram)

Allan Hawco @allanhawco #Monchylepreaux #trailofthecaribou 28 June 2015 (four beautiful photos on Instagram circulated on Twitter)

Mark Critch...(from the official accounts on Twitter)

Mark Critch @markcritch Monchy le Preaux – 9 Newfoundland soldiers held off 300 Germans here #trailofthecaribou 28 June 2015 (one photo on Twitter)

Kortrijk

Allan Hawco...(from the official accounts on Twitter and Instagram)

Allan Hawco@allanhawco #Kortrijk or as it was once known as #courtrai. My first time at this one. Beautiful 30 June 2015 (Four beautiful photos on Instagram circulated on Twitter)

Gueudecourt

Allan Hawco...(from the official accounts on Twitter and Instagram)

Allan Hawco @allanhawco #Gueudecourt 27 June 2015 (One photo on Instagram circulated on Twitter)

Allan Hawco @allanhawco #trailofthecaribou 27 June 2015 Gueudecourt Caribou Memorial in France. Breathtaking. (four photos on Instagram circulated on Twitter)

Mark Critch...(from the official account on Twitter)

Mark Critch @markcritch Gueudecort, France – memorial to the NL Regiment #trailofthecaribou 27 June 2015 (one photo on Twitter)

Turkey

Allan Hawco...(from the official accounts on Twitter and Instagram)

Allan Hawco@allanhawco Good bye Turkey, thank you for the beautiful hospitality. Such an enlightening experience tracking the steps of our NFLD Regiment took in WW1 26 June 2015.

Allan Hawco@allanhawco What all the fuss was about #Dananelles #trailofthecaribou 24 June 2015 (one photo on Instagram circulated on Twitter)

Allan Hawco @allanhawco Caribou Hill in Gallipoli, Turkey. The farthest the Allied Forces advance in Turkey during WW1. Named after the Newfoundland Regiment. It was a brutal campaign. 24 June 2015 (one photo on Instagram circulated on Twitter)

Allan Hawco @allanhawco Good times being had as well on this solum pilgrimage. #trailofthecaribou (one photo on Instagram with Mark Critch and circulated on Twitter)

Allan Hawco @allanhawco Kangaroo Beach – where the NFLD regiment saw it’s first action in WW1 1915 #trailofthecaribou 22 June 2015 (one photo on Instagram and circulated on Twitter)

Mark Critch...(from the official account on Twitter)

Rod Etheridge @rodethridge @allanhawco @markcritch at beach NLers evacuated when Allies left Gallipoli Peninsula @CBCNL #trailofthecarbou 23 June 2015 (one photo retweeted by Mark Critch on Twitter)

Rod Etheridge @rodethridge @allanhawco @markcritch @CBNL #trailof thecaribou 23 June 2015 (one photo retweeted by Mark Critch on Twitter)

Mark Critch @markcritch Mayo Lind wrote home to Newfoundland from these fields #trailofthecarbou 23 June 2015 (one photo on Twitter)

Rod Etheridge @rodethridge Caribou Hill in Gallipoli w/ @allanhawco @markcritch #trailof thecaribou @CBNL 23 June 2015 (one photo retweeted by Mark Critch on Twitter)