Songs of the People's Summer of Freedoms began with the first ECHR75 commemorative performance of Dreams of Peace & Freedom of the year - in Dornoch in the north of Scotland where David Maxwell Fyfe's story begins.

Sutherland is the place to be just before the longest day of the year - the light remains in the sky late into the evening, and in this beautiful corner of Scotland the natural world is alive with birds swooping and calling. Dornoch, his mother Isabel’s childhood home, is the source of David's mythical Stream of Natural Law,. If his education in Edinburgh equipped him for his work in Nuremberg and Stasbourg  it was in Dornoch that inspired him. The latest blog on our Songs of the People site explores his belief in natural law, which began in Scotland and shaped his life.

David was made a Freeman of Dornoch 70 years ago this year, and just as he was piped into Cathedral Square at the start of that ceremony, young local piper Logan Mackay piped a new generation of his family into the 13th century cathedral church of St Mary (Kilmuir in Gaelic) to perform. Kilmuir was the name David took when he was ennobled.  Watch our film to see, and hear him, in full regalia and discover more about our magical Dornoch evening, which raised over seven hundred pounds for the cathedral.

On the day of the performance English Cabaret were delighted to hear that their work and production had received a name-check in the House of Commons. Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West Christine Jardine had successfully tabled an Early Day Motion commending the work of David Maxwell Fyfe, and applauding 'the work of Songs of the People, a project by English Cabaret which educates people on the evolution of modern human rights' and 'Dreams of Peace & Freedom which commemorates David's journey from Nuremberg to Strasbourg through his own words, archive film, original music and live performance.'

English Cabaret spent a week in Dornoch before the performance, and reached out into the community to perform for residents of Meadows Care Home and  history pupils at Dornoch Academy, who were spellbound by the story of a man with such a special connection to their hometown venturing out into the world to make his mark on history.