Tha tiogaidean fhathast air fhàgail son a’ Chuirm Bhliadhnail ‘Fàilt’ air an Dùthaich’ cola deug bhon diugh (Dihaoine 4mh Cèitean. 7.30f) aig Eden Court – £12 / £10 – air (01463) 234234 no www.eden-court.co.uk.

Tickets are still available for the Annual Gaelic Showcase ‘Fàilt air an Dùthaich (Homeland Salute)’ which is a fortnight from tonight (Friday 4th May, 7.30pm) at Eden Court.

To buy tickets – £12 / £10 – call the Box Office on (01463) 234234 or see www.eden-court.co.uk.

Tha tiogaidean fhathast air fhàgail son a’ Chuirm Bhliadhnail ‘Guth na h-Òige’ an ath h-oidhch’ aig Eden Court – £12 / £10 – air (01463) 234234 no www.eden-court.co.uk. Faodaidh sibh cuideachd tiogaidean fhaighinn aig an dorus – bidh an consairt a’ tòiseachadh aig 7.30f.

Tickets are still available for the Annual Gaelic Showcase ‘Guth na h-Òige’ which is tomorrow (Friday) at Eden Court.

To buy tickets – £12 / £10 – call the Box Office on (01463) 234234 or see www.eden-court.co.uk. If you haven’t yet got plans, you can buy your tickets at the last minute at the door! The concert will start at 7.30pm.

Mar is dual bidh cuid de phrìomh luchd-ciùil na Gàidhlig air àrd-ùrlar, agus am measg na chluinnear an turas seo bidh: Jenna Chuimeanach, Kirsteen NicDhòmhnaill, Darren MacIlleathain agus Steven MacÌomhar, agus Canntaireachd a’ seinn, an Còmhlan Cèilidh Monach Isle, agus am pìobaire òg Brìghde Chaimbeul.

Tha sinn air leth toilichte gu bheil Ellen NicDhòmhnaill à Canntaireachd gu bhith na bean an taighe son na h-oidhche, còmhla ri Ailean Caimbeul a bhios na fhear an taighe. ’S ann an Gàidhlig a bhios an consairt ach le eadar-theangachadh agus dealbhan bho Chailean MacIlleathain. Tiogaidean bho Eden Court, £12/£10, 01463 234234 no www.eden-court.co.uk

Language and culture exist only where people sustain them, and the survival of any language requires young people to use and celebrate it. A week tonight, on Friday 18th March, in a concert entitled Guth na h-Òige (Voice of Youth), the Gaelic Society of Inverness will reflect some of the confidence which Scotland’s Gaelic community has in the future of its language.

Featuring leading Gaelic performers, and with a focus on youth, these themed concerts have become increasingly popular Gaelic showcase events. The 2011 programme will include singers Jenna Cumming, Kirsteen MacDonald, Darren MacLean and Steven MacIver (all four of them are Mòd Gold Medallists); Canntaireachd (youth singing group led by Eilidh Mackenzie); the Monach Isle Cèilidh Band, and young prize-winning piper Brìghde Chaimbeul.

In keeping with the theme of “Youth”, we are delighted that for the first time, the event will be co-hosted by Ellen MacDonald of Canntaireachd and our own Chairperson, Allan Campbell. The concert will be presented, as usual, in Gaelic. There will be a simultaneous translation to English by Powerpoint presentation and illustrated with beautiful photography by Cailean MacLean. Tickets from Eden Court, £12 / £10, 01463 234234 or www.eden-court.co.uk

Centre coordinator Fiona Mackenzie, said:

“We are absolutely delighted and extremely honoured to have Margaret  coming to visit us here in Evanton. She is one of the world’s most respected Scottish folklorists and is full of stories and songs of our forefathers, from all parts of Scotland. To entice her to come so far North is a great achievement in itself.  Her presentation is sure to keep us enthralled as well as prove immensely educational and interesting.”

The evening will include audio and visual clips gathered by Margaret from various parts of the world, of the people who have left Scotland for shores overseas and showing their importance to us today.

Margaret explained the motivation behind the creation of her presentation by saying:

“I’d like to use the example of emigrants who left the Isle of Canna and Moidart in particular,  in the early 1800s — some are related to the famous Glenuig pipers, Allan, Ian and Angus.

“I’ve got recordings of four generations of the one family (the fourth being and example of what happens if you don’t keep the language going) I’ll  be playing selections to illustrate their ‘story of emigration’ Those interested in the songs in particular will also have the opportunity to learn some of them.”

Ms Bennett’s presentation will be held at An t-Oisean Gaelic Community Centre (Cornerstone), in Evanton, on Friday March 11th at 7pm.  For more information, telephone 01349 864156, or visit the An t-Oisean Gaelic Community Centre website.

Margaret and Fiona are both members of the Gaelic Society of Inverness and would be delighted to see some other members in Evanton tomorrow night.

Mairi Campbell is a Scottish singer and musician, born and raised in Edinburgh. Mairi is involved in several musical projects and has been much praised for her singing voice and musical skills. She was named Scots singer of the year at the Scots Trad Music Awards in 2007, and in 2008 she won the Live Ireland Music Award for Best Female Musician of the year, as well as the award for best composition of the year.

Mairi will present an evening of song and talk of her life in music, looking at the bigger picture of the growth in interest in traditional music in the last twenty years in Scotland, with songs and tunes to accompany.

“Leis na cuirmean seo a’ tàladh luchd-èisteachd far feadh Alba ’s fhiach tiogaidean a chur air dòigh cho luath ’s a ghabhas”, arsa Cathraiche a’ Chomuinn, Ailean Caimbeul.

“Seasons and moods”, the 2010 theme for the Gaelic Society of Inverness concert at Eden Court’s Empire Theatre on Friday 12 March 2010, will present a Gaelic music and song perspective of the seasons.

Featuring leading Gaelic performers, and with a focus on youth, these themed events have become increasingly popular Gaelic celebrations with simultaneous interpretive Power Point presentation. The 2010 programme will include Kathleen MacInnes; Arthur Cormack; Maggie MacDonald; Paul MacCallum; Canntaireachd; and the Monach Isles Ceilidh Band.

“ ‘Book early to avoid disappointment’ may be a cliché, but with this kind of line-up we expect a full-house!” says Society Chairman Allan Campbell.

Fiona J. Mackenzine — “A Good Suit of Clothes”

As part of this year’s Highland Homecoming, Fiona Mackenzie will be holding a recital of emigrant songs that chronicle the tales — both happy and sad — of the thousands of Gaels who left for the New World over the last few centuries. The songs are taken from Fiona’s recent album A Good Suit of Clothes, and she will also be telling the stories that inspired the album. Accompanying her on grand piano is Scottish Musical Director Kennedy Aitchison, and contemporary dancer Gemma Giubarelli will be providing a unique interpretation of the music. Also on display will be photographs and artwork by local school pupils that illustrate the songs.

The concert is being held in the drawing room of Brodie Castle just outside Nairn on Sunday 25th October at 8pm. Tickets are £20 (£10 for under-16s), and bubbly and canapés will be served afterwards. Tickets are extremely limited , so you are advised to book early to ensure you don’t miss this very special event.

For further information, and to purchase you tickets, you can contact Fiona by email at fiona@fionamackenzie.org, phone on 07818 630 616, or alternatively buy direct from Brodie Castle by calling 0844 4932156.

A Little Bit More on Fiona J. Mackenzie

Fiona, a native of Morayshire, has lived in Dingwall for the last 20 years and after working in Gaelic Medium Education for 5 years, worked as the Màiri Mhòr Gaelic Song Fellow for Highland Council between 2002-09.

Although she was brought up in the Scots Folk Tradition (her artist father Duncan Macpherson, was a well known Scots folkie in Morayshire) and still sings in the Scots tongue also, particularly with the Songs of Robert Burns. She won the premier prize for Gaelic Learners at the National Mod in 1996, the Silver Pendant and subsequently won many other major prizes at National Mods and other singing competitions. She won the Premier award for Gaelic Singing in Scotland, the Ladies Gold Medal, for Fluent speakers, at the Royal National Mod in Stornoway in 2005.

In 2004 she won the coveted BBC Scotland Traditional Music Personality of the Year Award at the Scots Trad Music Awards. She has also been nominated as Gaelic Singer of the year in both 2005 and 2006.

Her work in the Fellowship took her abroad to teach, lecture and perform, to Cape Breton, Germany, Estonia, Brittany, Holland, Seattle, New York, Washington DC, North Carolina, Virginia, Ireland and Wales.

She continues to manage a vocal harmony group for young people called Fionnar who have performed in Wales at the International Eisteddfod where they took the Pavilion by storm with their traditional ‘waulking’ and also in Ireland where they won the premier group prize at The Pan Celtic Festival in April 2006. They also released an EP (June 2009) on Fiona’s own label, MacDug Music, entitled “Sgoil Roc”. (Reproduced from the biography page on Fiona’s website.)

Fiona also has a MySpace page where you can listen to some of her music, and tweets frequently as Gaelicsinger.

Concert — “Margaret Stewart & Co.”: Featuring Margaret Stewart, Ingrid Henderson, Iain MacFarlane, Iain MacDonald (Glenuig) and Griogair Labhruidh.

Vocals and music will be accompanied by back screen images and interpretations to enhance the experience for Gaelic learners / non Gaelic speakers.

Part of the Nairn Book & Arts Festival.

Tickets are £10, available at the door or by phone from the Community Centre on 01667 453476.