St Andrews Weekend Celebrations Across Highland

15th November 2010

St Andrew's Weekend to be celebrated in traditional style across the Highlands
Traditional Family Cèilidhs as part of Scotland's Winter Festivals

The 2010 St Andrew's Weekend will be celebrated across the Highlands when Scotland's Winter Festivals teams up with The Highland Council and the hugely successful Fèis movement to organise Family Cèilidhs, making sure that the best of traditional music and song will be enjoyed alongside local food and drink. Young people from local Fèis Cèilidh Trails will appear with some very special guests in village halls in five different locations.

On Friday 26 November, Fèis Rois Cèilidh Trail will be joined in Poolewe by the "one-woman cèilidh" that is Rona Lightfoot who, just last week, won the prestigious Balvenie Medal for services to piping. She is also a fine Gaelic singer with an album entitled Eadarainn to her credit, and was inducted as a member of the Scots Trad Music Hall of Fame in November 2009.

On the same night, in Dunvegan Hall, Fèis an Earraich will be joined by another Scots Trad Music Hall of Fame inductee, Kenna Campbell, originally from theConvener of The HigNotes to Editor Skye, but resident in Glasgow. Kenna is a Mòd Gold Medallist who has released an album entitled Guth a Shnìomhas and who teaches on the RSAMD Traditional Music course. Completing the line-up in Dunvegan will be Cherry on the Cream, featuring hot young Skye piper Angus Nicolson who recently released his debut album - Lasses that baffle us - to critical acclaim.

Roybridge Village Hall is the venue for the Lochaber Cèilidh, also on 26 November. Fèis Lochabair will team up with Fèis Latharna from Oban and Gaelic singer Margaret MacLellan Ford, a double Mòd Gold Medallist from Ardnamurchan in a hall famed for its hospitality.

On Saturday 27 November, Farr Hall near Inverness will host its annual St Andrew's Night celebrations with a bonfire and fireworks from 6.30pm. After that, at 8pm, Gaelic singing group Canntaireachd from Inverness will join the Caledonian Canal Cèilidh Trail and The Broch Inspectors - Hugh Marwick, Irene Fraser and Malcolm Jones of Runrig - for some fine songs and dancing.

Completing the weekend, on Sunday 28 November, Fèis Spè will host a Cèilidh in Nethybridge Hall. Their Cèilidh Trail group will join up with young Trad in the Park musicians, well-known pianist James Ross from Wick and fiddler Sharon Hassan, rounding off the weekend of cèilidhs across the Highlands.

Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer of EventScotland, who are delivering Scotland's Winter Festivals said: "We are delighted that Fèis Cèilidh Trails are part of Scotland's Winter Festivals programme. The Cèilidh Trails are a sensational way to kick off the winter season and a fantastic example of the Highland Council's contribution to making Scotland the perfect stage for events."

Councillor Sandy Park convenor of Highland Council said: "We are delighted that EventScotland funding has enabled us to be part of this year's Scotland's Winter Festival programme. St. Andrew's night promises to be very special across the Highlands with some of our finest, established musicians cèilidhing alongside our fantastic, emerging young talent."

The Cèilidhs are being organised by Fèisean nan Gàidheal, the umbrella organisation for the Fèis movement which support tuition for over 13,000 young people annually. Fèisean nan Gàidheal's Chief Executive, Arthur Cormack, said: "We are delighted to be working again with Highland Council in organising these traditional cèilidhs as pat of the Scotland's Winter Festivals programme. We hope that these will be real family events, and we are trying to encourage families to come by making entry free to children under 12, and with special prices for families. It is important that St Andrew's celebrations include traditional Scottish music and with the young people from various Fèisean, alongside some very special guests, these should be nights to remember."

Scotland's Winter Festivals begin with St Andrew's Day on 30 November and include Scotland's Hogmanay celebrations on the 31 December and Burns Night on 25 January - the culmination of the Winter Festivals. Full event information can be found at www.scotlandswinterfestivals.com

St Andrew's Day, 30 November, is Scotland's national day. It is a time for everyone at home and friends across the globe to celebrate Scotland and its people - our history and culture but also our diverse and vibrant contemporary society. Discover more about St Andrew's Day at www.scotland.org/standrewsday, become a fan at www.facebook.com/standrewsday or follow us on www.twitter.com/standrewsday

St Andrew's Day heralds the start of the winter festival season in Scotland, inviting visitors to extend their stay in Scotland to sample the sights and sounds of a range of towns and cities. Scotland's Winter Festivals demonstrates that Scotland is open for business with lots to see and do over the winter period.

EventScotland is the national events agency and is delivering the Scottish Government's St Andrews Day and Winter Festival funding programme, in partnership with VisitScotland, the country's national tourism agency.

For further information about EventScotland, its funding programmes and latest event news visit www.EventScotland.org

Fèisean nan Gàidheal is a company limited by guarantee, registration number SC130071, recognised as a Scottish Charity and supported financially by the Scottish Arts Council, The Highland Council, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Highlands & Islands Enterprise and a number of other agencies.

Fèis means festival, with Fèisean being the plural means festivals. Please use the accents on these words.

Fèisean nan Gàidheal is the national association of Gaelic arts tuition festivals, supporting 44 fèisean across the country, offering tuition in Gaelic arts and language. The organisation also runs the Blas Festival, supports a network of Cèilidh Trails, is involved in Gaelic drama development and teaches traditional music to pupils in all Highland Council schools through the Scottish Government's Youth Music Initiative.

* Gaelic and English versions of our Annual Report are available at http://www.feisean.org/annual-reports

* Information on the Blas Festival is available at http://www.blas-festival.com/

For full information on the Fèisean nan Gàidheal Cèilidhs as part of Scotland's Winter Festivals, please visit www.feisean.org . For further information, or interviews in Gaelic or English, please contact Arthur Cormack on 01478 613355, or arthur[AT]feisean.org.

Friday 26 November
Dunvegan Hall [AT] 8pm
Kenna Campbell; Fèis an Earraich Cèilidh Trail; Cherry on the Cream

Poolewe Hall [AT] 8pm
Rona Lightfoot; Fèis Rois Cèilidh Trail

Roybridge Hall [AT] 8pm
Margaret MacLellan; Fèis Lochabair and Fèis Latharna Cèilidh Trails

Saturday 27 November
Farr Hall, by Inverness [AT] 8pm
Canntaireachd; The Broch Inspectors; Caledonian Canal Cèilidh Trail

Sunday 28 November
Nethybridge Hall [AT] 3.30pm
Fèis Spè Cèilidh Trail; Trad in the Park group; James Ross; Sharon Hassan