Gordon Hay has been a tireless stalwart for the Doric language for decades.
Anybody who watched the recent tribute to the late Robbie Shepherd will have heard him as he celebrated the memory of one of his much-loved comrades.
Mr Hay, a founding member of the Doric Board has been recognised for his tireless work to promote the language and culture of the north east by being made an MBE.
It’s a fitting accolade for somebody who has spent his life immersed in history and heritage and translated everything from the Bible to Dickens into Doric.
At various stages of his life, the former lawyer has fulfilled a wide variety of roles.
He was president of the Buchan Field Club, musical director of the Peterhead Burns Club, and chairman of the Charles Murray Memorial Fund prior to it becoming part of the Elphinstone Institute.
He’s also an accomplished musician
He has also been a singer with Ugie Voices for 45 years and uses his skills as an accomplished pianist to accompany it and other local choirs.
As a church organist for more than half a century, Gordon played for over 75 funerals throughout the region in 2024 and still manages to find time to play piano and accordion with the fundraising Longside Ceilidh Band.
A keen gardener, Gordon regularly opens his four-acre garden to visiting groups.
Mr Hay has published five Doric books, including translations of the New Testament and the Old Testament and a 640-page history of Longside parish.
His 2022 book Doric Nursery Rhymes for Loons & Quines won the Scots Language Awards’ Bairns’ Book of the Year, and his most recent publication is a collection of short stories, mainly in Doric, entitled: “Green Corn i the Breer.”
Gordon is also a regular contributor to the P&J’s Doric Corner, carrying on the good work done by the late Robbie Shepherd.
Not just the bible…
He has worked on a plethora of projects including translating the likes of Handel’s Messiah, Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and work by Charles Dickens into Doric.
He also translated A Song of Thanksgiving and Dedication, which was performed in Doric during a service at which King Charles III was presented with the Honours of Scotland at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh.
A modest individual, he was clearly delighted with the news about the MBE, but preferred to talk about the collective efforts of his colleagues.
He said: “Such an award comes as a great honour and, to some extent, must be shared with so many who have supported me in my projects over the years.
‘We are all proud of him’
Doric Board chairwoman Frieda Morrison said: “As one of the founding members of the board, we are incredibly proud of all that Gordon continues to achieve.
“And we are honoured that the board benefits from his experience and insight.”
Conversation