In Memory of Patrick Stirling-Aird

It is no understatement to say that what later developed into the Jane Stirling Project would not have been possible if it had not been for Patrick’s support and involvement. He immediately recognised that, however beautiful that first concert was, it should not remain only a passing remembrance. He understood that Jane Stirling’s story, for too long left in the shadows of history, deserved to be retold. And over the last ten years, through concerts and many shared events, we have together helped bring it back into view.

I can only speak from my own experience through the project, but I remember — and always will — Patrick’s knowledge and hospitality. I remember how his natural reserve gradually gave way to a warmth that we came to recognise and appreciate each time we returned to Kippenross. And I remember his unobtrusive way of sharing with us the history of his family, and of letting us into a world that meant so much to him, and that matters so deeply to us.

In doing so, Patrick helped transform a family memory into a living cultural presence — one that extended beyond Kippenross and beyond Scotland, while always remaining rooted here.