Highland venues and artists for Blas Gaelic showcase revealed
A nine-day festival offering a tantalising taste of Gaelic culture and music will take in venues across the Highlands.
Ceilidhs galore and a broad range of artists are lined up for Blas, an event credited with attracting over 130,000 of an audience and generating at least £8m for the Highland economy since launched in 2004.
Blas will mark its 20th anniversary with its return to the Highlands in September, featuring artists such as Julie Fowlis, Tim Edey, Ross Ainslie and Sian.
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The Blas Festival, running from September 6 to 14, showcases Gaelic culture and the thriving Scottish traditional music scene.
The festival will host around 22 concerts and cèilidhs, in venues from Staffin to Strathy. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, tickets for a selection of events are available with a 20 per cent discount until July 31 and there are also ‘pay-what-you-can’ options.
Blas, Gaelic for ‘taste’ or ‘sample’, has become a staple in the Gaelic culture calendar since Highland Council established it as a small-scale festival with three events in 2004.
Since then it has promoted 1300 events and employed 5100 musicians, generating a significant boost for the Highland economy in the process.
The festival will highlight the Highlands’ rich culture and heritage with events showcasing a mix of old and new Gaelic songs, traditional music and stories in a variety of venues from small village halls to arts centres.
Contemporary Scottish Gaelic vocal harmony group, Sian, will headline three concerts in Lochinver, Portree and Newtonmore, while Julie Fowlis, who recently performed at the D-Day commemoration in Portsmouth, Éamon Doorley, Zoë Conway and John Mc Intyre, will perform in Plockton and in Inverness Cathedral, with support from Charlie Grey and Joseph Peach.
Cèilidhs will feature the Glenfinnan Ceilidh Band, Andrew Macdonald Ceilidh Band and Robert Nairn’s Band,njoined by some of today’s leading Gaelic singers including Ruairidh Gray, Emma Macleod, Màiri Callan, Iain Cormack, Darren Maclean, Alice Macmillan and Calum MacColl.
Other highlights include dynamic duo, piper Ross Ainslie and Tim Edey, Calum McIlroy, Chloë Bryce and Megan Macdonald, Fras, and a special 70th birthday celebration for Harris-born singer, Chrissie MacVicar.
Ealasaid MacDonald, ceannard, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, called it “a wonderful event which showcases the best of Gaelic language and culture, with music at its heart.”
Arthur Cormack from Blas Festival organisers, Fèisean nan Gàidheal, said he was happy to be delivering Blas through a contract from Highland Council, “despite programming in a challenging situation of increasing costs and standstill funding support”.
The full programme of events can be found at www.blas.scot along with details of how to purchase tickets.
