Daliburgh, South Uist, 6-11 July 2008

Cathy Ann MacPhee © Cailean MacLean

CEÒLAS is an annual week-long tuition-based festival of Gaelic Song, Hebridean Music and Dance based on the island of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides. It attracts participants from all over the world and gives them the chance to experience aspects of the Gaelic Culture, situated within the traditional Gaelic Community.

Running parallel to the syllabus of tuition classes runs a programme of events taking place at various venues in the vicinity of Daliburgh, where the Festival is based. This programme includes talks, walks, workshops and evening concerts and cèilidhs.

‘Oidhche nan Oran’ was a concert with a difference to most of the other events for 2008. This ‘Night of the songs’ was in memoriam for the late Simon Mackenzie who died earlier this year. Simon was a Gaelic actor and broadcaster and tutored at Ceolas last year, and it was felt that a night of song dedicated to his memory was the best way of marking his contribution to the School.

The evening was compered by the inimitable songstress Cathy Ann Macphee, from Barra, now exiled in Canada and Rona Lightfoot, piper and singer, from South Uist, now living in Inverness. They kept the evening flowing in a light-hearted manner which might have been difficult at times given the emotional setting of the evening.

All the singers preceded their performances with reminiscences of Sim and stories of frozen dead hamsters, bandages, gold horseshoes, 7:84 theatre company, petrol prices and Can Seo abounded. Cathy Ann herself sang the poignant South Uist favourite ‘O Mo Dhùthaich’ – O My Country.

Whilst Sim Mackenzie was Harris born, he maintained very close connections with South Uist and would have approved of Cathy Ann’s totally natural and heartfelt sentiments in the song. Rona presented her marathon ‘Nighean Cruinn Donn’, a luadh (waulking song) lasting almost ten minutes.

South Uist audiences can be relied upon to join in with songs, and it is apparent that they appreciate whole heartedly the opportunity to join in with some of their songs which do not get widespread exposure elsewhere. The set list also included performances from some of the best known names in the world of Gaelic song, including Donnie M Macleod, Kathleen Macinnes and Mairi Macinnes.

Judith Cummings (formerly Peacock, of Whistlebinkie renown) gave for me what was one of the highlights of the night with her rendition of the lovely ‘Mi’m onar air tulaich bhòidheach’, and German Gaelic singer Michael Klevenhaus joined Allan Macdonald in a poignant vocal and pipes duet on the Ross-shire song ‘Thèid mi dhachaidh’ – I will go home.

Griogair Lawrie, of Na Seòid, sang one of Sim’s favourite songs, ‘Sporan Dhòmhnaill’, and one of his own self penned songs, ‘Oran nan Ola’. The evening’s performance concluded with the Harris anthem, for Sim, ‘Chi mi’n Tìr’- ‘I will see The Land’. A fitting evening, filled with the songs and stories that Simon Mackenzie would have thoroughly applauded.

Eriskay Community Hall was the setting for a completely different evening – a presentation of the songs of the Bard Bhaile (the town bard) Micheal Ruaidh, or Michael Macpherson. Presented by broadcaster Angela Mackinnon, a native of Eriskay, this was a real snapshot of village and island life.

Michael Ruadh’s songs are unpretentious representations of the lives of the people around him as he wrote in the 60’s and 70’s and it was obvious from the warm reception to the singers that his work is something which is still very close to the hearts of the community.

The singers included internationally known performers such as Cathy Ann Macphee, Paul McCallum, Kathleen Macinnes and Mairi MacInnes, but also singers more used to singing these songs in the setting they were intended to be sung – at home, in the pub or at a taigh chèilidh – Peggy Campbell, Dan Smith, Donald A Campbell and Donald R Campbell.

Recent RSAMD graduate and tradition bearer of the future, Sineag Macintyre of Kilphedar, gave a lovely, warm and natural performance of the ‘Domhnall Ailean Iain Ruaraidh’. This was an evening which had a very deep and true meaning to the local community, and showed very clearly how important the ‘sung’ tradition is to the community, all the songs being presented totally a capella, with the stories behind them.

The final concert of Ceòlas Week was advertised as the ‘Ceilidh Mor’ and it was certainly that – a Big Ceilidh, lasting almost 4 hours. When Ceòlas first began 13 years ago, the final concert was a showcase for the participants and tutors of the music and dance studied during the week. It has now moved away from that to be a showcase purely of the tutors work – it might have been nice for the wider audience to see exactly what the participants had learned through the week.

The concert was presented bi-lingually, by Seonag Monk and Kathleen Macinnes, who kept the audience amused in between artists with their Hebridean banter. Had it not been for their stories and jokes whilst the artists were setting up, it might have been a very long four hours. As it was, it proved very difficult for most of the audience to actually see any of the artists as the stage provided was far too low, and once musicians were seated, were totally invisible to all but the front three rows.

The set featured a strong song element again, and featured most of the singers who appeared at the other concerts during the week – Griogair Lawrie, Sineag Macintyre with ‘Comunn Uibhist is Bharraigh’, Donnie M. and the stunning ‘Garadh nan Ròsan’, Cathy Ann Macphee, who sang the very poignant Calum Kennedy classic ‘Mo Mhàthair’ accompanied by Iain Macdonald, and Kathleen MacInnes.

Fiddler Ewan Henderson of Fort William and piper Angus Nicholson gave a lively set of tunes to break up the songs and Ewan’s brother Allan accompanied fiddle supremo Angus Grant on piano in ‘Òganaich an Oir Fhuilt Bhuidhe’. It was not until Anna Wendy Stevenson and Will Lamb played a set of tunes for step dancer Katie Shaw that the organisers decided to use the video camera and screen provided, so that the audience could see her feet.

Swedish dancer Mats Melin also headed up a lively quadrille to the sound of Na Deasaiche. Shame the organisers did not leave the camera on for the rest of the first half so the audience could see the artists. The evening was a good, if overly long, showcase for the impressive line up of international and home produced singers and musicians and was enjoyed by the largely local audience.

Ceòlas is an initiative which has been truly taken to the heart of the community and the local volunteers are to be heartily congratulated on the amount of work which goes into the week. It is a true opportunity to experience the best of Hebridean Song and Music in the setting it was originally intended to be heard.

© Fiona MacKenzie, 2008

Links

• Ceòlas
• Fiona MacKenzie