My thoughts and prayers go out to Adele and Willie's kin.

I first met Willie in 1998 in his shop Blackfriars Music and after we all went for a beer, and that was the friendship cemented. Willie helped many people over the years and for me, I will always be grateful that in 1999 he gave me a part time job working on the internet version of his very popular publication The Scottish Folk Directory. That mighty wee booklet's content that he created spawned a fantastic website and that in turn launched me in to a whole new career as a web designer.

Myself, Neil Palmer and many folks had fun working on an array of projects over the years that came from a mind that was continually bursting with ideas, the big one, of course, being his dream of having an Irish festival in Edinburgh which finally got of the ground in 2011 with the establishment of the Edinburgh's Festival of Ireland. The festival has been Willie's great achievement and long may it continue.

When we get back to whatever normal will be, the Friday teatime wind down will not be the same in Sandy Bell's without his company, the craic with friends and putting the world to rights through shared politics and culture.... but not football ;-) will not be the same. 
Willie was a brilliant concertina player and we will all miss him firing up in the sessions in Bell's, I know it brought him a lot of joy and it was great to hear him lift the music above the hub bub of the pub.
That will be the memory I will hold on to when I think about him. In his element.

Thanks, Willie.

A friends eye is a good mirror.