Sharing Songs

A seaside bar, open music sessions and the nuances of a community

Abstract

The open live music session is the essense of Dalriada. Aiming to explore and analyse how a niche societal group (or groups, as will be shown) has been formed and evolved throughout the years in this specific locality, this essay investigates how communities emerge and relationships flourish within wider urban landscapes, as a result of cultural exchange and symbolic rituals within intimate shared spaces. This examination emphasises on the commonalities, contradictions and conflicts that are inherent in the process of community-building, evolution and preservation, based on the authors' perspectives illuminated by the lived experiences and testimonies of interlocutors.