New Year, new start and some brand new events to look forward to!
February begins with the increasingly popular Jam Bus. Led by young Gaelic speakers, the meet up takes place at An Crùbh on 2 Feb and is free and open to everyone. These sessions celebrate Gaelic and Scottish music and we encourage singers and musicians to come along and join in, making each session unique. We also very much welcome visitors and friends with little or no experience in Gaelic to listen, join in or just find out more. It’s a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon. New friends, great music and the celebration of our language!
Seachdain na Gàidhlig or World Gaelic Week or is the first official nationwide language and culture week to be held in Scotland Mon 24 Feb – Sun 2 Mar. The 2025 theme is ‘Building Connections’. On the lead up to this week SEALL presents Guir Gaelic Arts Showcase at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on 17 Feb – bringing to you new works in gaelic from this year’s participating artists Babs NicGriogair, Josie Duncan, Cashlin NicCoinnich and Màiri Nicillemhaoil. You can read more about their performances on seall.co.uk
For more Highland tunes and Gaelic songs and stories SEALL Presents Gary Innes and Ewen Henderson with special guest Rory Matheson on Sat 22 Feb at LAS Port Righ. Both co-founders of the band Mànran they are no strangers to performing across the world and this is sure to be a great night out!
Opening March is Fàilte Gu BSL, a show by Evie Waddell exploring experiences of creative and political connection across isolation – as communities, as individuals and as diverse cultural Scots. As a Gaelic speaker, d/Deaf and a musician, Evie Waddell and her cast use traditional songs/stories, sign and traditional and contemporary dance to explore opportunities for d/Deaf people to own Scottish culture, and the relationships between Gaelic and BSL, using collaborative performance to amplify the importance of each unique ‘cultural voice’. The show is suitable for d/Deaf and hearing audiences and for Gaelic speaking or non-Gaelic speaking audiences and Evie will also run a workshop the same day presented in BSL and spoken English for all ages and abilities, hearing or d/Deaf. You are most welcome to come along to Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on 1 March and immerse yourself in Scottish traditions through dance, song and languages.
Our final winter Jam Bus completes Seachdain na Gàidhlig on Sunday 2 March so let’s all head to An Crùbh and make it a good one!
Skipping back to Fri 21 February, Breakish Hall is the venue for Skye’s debut of Ryley Walker who took his place within Chicago’s independent scene and whose most recent album, Course in Fable, was released on his own Husky Pants Recordings label in 2021. Walker’s music is undeniably his and here is a great opportunity to experience it live.
The following Friday 28 Feb it’s Mardi Gras week and we are encouraging you to dress up and get ready to party! Brizzle will be with us at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig to share their love of Brazilian Forro music! Forro (pronounced Fo’Ho) combines tight percussion grooves with accordion, fiddle and call and answer vocals, a mixture of Samba, Cajun, and Scottish influences to produce an uplifting live show with dancing encouraged! The brilliant Skye Wind Band will support.
Wed 5 – Sun 9 March at An Crùbh we are treated to The Fantastic Life of Minnie Rubinksi. Brought to you by award winning and ground breaking Scottish Puppet and visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, the Fantastic Life of Minnie Rubinski is an installation theatre piece. Enter a giant brain, hear Minnie’s fragmented thoughts and follow pulsing synapses to where her memories are stored. Audiences are admitted in small groups every 30 minutes and are invited to experience the work at their own pace as you piece together Minnie’s remarkable life story.
Our last March event takes place Thur 20 at An Crùbh and stars innovator, award winning, multi-instrumentalist Malin Lewis who melds Scottish West coast tradition with a newly invented, self-made bagpipe alongside stars Sally Simpson (Fiddle) and Ali Hutton (Guitar). Recently Malin has been recording music for The Outrun starring Saoirse Ronan, composing for contemporary dance and theatre and has been learning the tradition of the extinct Finnish Bagpipes. Expect something brilliant!
A real treat for theatre lovers as we bring National Theatre of Scotland’s Through The Shortbread Tin to both LAS Port Righ (17 Apr) and Dornie Hall (18 Apr). This is a brand-new show, performed in Scots with Gaelic songs, which explores Scottish culture, myths, history and identity. Join Martin and Macpherson on an oral odyssey spanning centuries of Scottish history, exploring the myths we tell each other and the stories we tell ourselves. Written and performed by Martin O’Connor it tells the story of the greatest literary hoax of all time!
Staying at LAS Port Righ the following Friday (25 Apr) one of Scotland’s most celebrated folk singer-songwriters, Siobhan Miller embarks upon an intimate trio tour joined by two of Scotland’s finest musicians, Innes White on guitar and Charlie Stewart on fiddle. This acoustic setting is the perfect opportunity to see The Siobhan Miller Trio and experience Siobhan’s richly celebrated Scottish folk songs up close and personal.
We have one last event to tell you about for now – SEALL Presents Duncan Chisholm and Hamish Napier on Sat 14 Jun at An Crùbh. This event combining Duncan’s accolade of being one of Scotland’s most recognised and accomplished fiddle players and composers and the evocative and distinctive sound of Scottish folk multi-instrumentalist Hamish Napier is likely to be a sell out so don’t hang around in securing your tickets!
For more information on all events head to www.seall.co.uk