Bo'ness Rebels Literary Society

The earliest record of the society is recorded on the 30 January 1948 in the Bo’ness Journal, which details “Visitors from as far away as Scalpay off Harris, Lochinver and Dornoch were present at the first social function by the newly formed ‘rebels’ Literary club in Bo’ness - a burns supper in the coffee house (a restaurant in the town).

Mr. Clancy, Headmaster at Armadale Academy stated that he had come in loyalty to the Scottish National Party, and had been overwhelmed and delighted with the musical and cultural fare provided.

According to Bo'ness SNP councillor Harry Constable in Ewan Macvicor's 'The Eskimo Republic' "It wasn't a concert ceilidh, it was almost like a debating society.

On page 30 of 'The rebels Ceilidh Song Book' there is an advertisement for Willie Ross Jewellers on north street.

On page one of said book, there is an 'Obtainable from' heading, which mentions all the places the book can be bought from, including the Learig, William Kellock of Bo'ness, Glasgow Song Guild, Angus Mcgillvery of the SNPs publications department, but also the SNP's headquarters on 59 Elmbank Street Glasgow.

Simon Mckerrel of Newcastle University argues that Bo'ness is one of the key sites in the history of the folk revival in Scotland.

He makes the point that this growth in the 1950s and 1960s may have been instrumental in the upsurge of Scottish nationalism during this time which ultimately led to the 1979 referendum.

On 17 February 2011, the ‘Lets Get Lyrical’ festival in Edinburgh, featured a show called ‘Rebel Shenanigans’, which was an event which would “re-create the sounds of the Bo’ness Rebels Ceilidhs of the 1950s, a movement in favour of a Scottish Republic.” In 2016, a show called “From Thurso to Berwick” celebrating the songs and poetry of Morris Blythman (aka Thurso Berwick) who wrote many of the songs in the Ceilidh Songbooks was put on at the Scottish Storytelling centre in .

Alastair McDonald was the main musician involved in this show and in the subsequent year of 2017 released a CD with nineteen of Blythman's tracks on it.

In 2017, Alastair McDonald released the album "The Rebels Ceilidh" which features a nineteen songs which were in the Songbooks, mostly ones contributed by Morris Blythman.