Hebridean Celtic Festival opens

Hebridean Celtic Festival opens 7/7/14

The main events at the Hebridean Celtic Festival opens today despite rain hampering efforts to set up stages and equipment at the festival site in the Lews Castle grounds.

But volunteers laboured on in a race against time to get the two large marquees ready for the first main performers of the summer tonight (Thurs) which include Big Country and the Levellers amongst 40 different acts.

Festival founder Murdo Maclennan said: “The rain on Tuesday held us back. But crews worked late into the night to catch up.”

Continuing showers and drizzle yesterday (Wed) “didn’t help as it not easy moving things about when its wet underfoot,“ he explained.

Everything is now ready for the next three days of Celtic music performances.

The weather certainly didn’t dampen the spirits at the launch concert with the reformed Lochies Gaelic supergroup playing to a packed hall at An Lanntair arts centre in Stornoway, last night (wed).

Tickets sold-out “immediately” for the band who are a big hit with their traditional Gaelic songs say organisers.

Lewis pipeband is due to march from the town centre, into the big marquee, to commence tonight’s event headlined by ex-Runrig frontman Donnie Munro.

Also on the bill is the UK premier of Boomerang - an international artistic spectacle which celebrates the historical links between Scottish, Aboriginal and Maori cultures.

Their musical performance is being staged at the festival tonight, ahead of a major concert in Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games.

Boomerang is described as a cultural version of a baton relay, thrown from Scotland and returning to its origins via Australia and New Zealand.

It explores cultural links through language, music and dance, including ancient bagpipe tunes and Gaelic waulking songs, a newly-written Haka pride chant and pieces for the didgeridoo.

Other musicians at the festival which runs until Saturday include Rachel Sermanni, Cara Dillon, Duncan Chisholm, Cajun band Magnolia Sisters, from the US, and Canadian outfit Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys.