Scotland’s Islands, in the midst of a year-long celebration of all that is special about them, are at the heart of this year’s Blas festival giving the audience a flavour of island culture – Blas nan Eilean.   Additional funding of £30,000 has enabled Blas organisers to include a number of prestigious events which would not otherwise have been possible.

Murdo Mackay of the Scotland’s Islands initiative said: “We are excited to include Blas 2011 as a flagship event in the Year of Scotland’s Islands, and look forward to this year’s enhanced programme including the new strand focusing on island culture. The festival is set to be a real draw for visitors to Skye as well as the island community.”

The highlight of the unique collaboration between the two events is a special commission led by one of the UK’s top musicians Julie Fowlis.  Combining newly composed and traditional material influenced by the uninhabited island of Heisgeir (often referred to as The Monach Isles) and building on her own family connections to the island, Julie has taken her inspiration from its geography, history and legends. Using lyrical, film, narrative and musical devices to bring different aspects of the work to life, ‘Heisgeir’ will feature acclaimed musicians Éamon Doorley and Duncan Chisholm.

‘Heisgeir’ will open the Blas Festival on Friday September 9 at Phipps Hall in Beauly. A week later, in the year marking the centenary of Raasay’s Sorley MacLean, Blas 2011 will reprise Hallaig, which was commissioned from Highland composer Stuart MacRae (whose parents are from Skye) by Urras Shomhairle, the Sorley MacLean Trust, for Celtic Connections 2009.

Inverness Cathedral will be the venue for this unique musical celebration of the poetry of Sorley MacLean on 16 September with musical director Kenneth Thomson featuring compositions by Stuart MacRae, Mary Ann Kennedy, Eilidh Mackenzie, Marie-Louise Napier, Allan Macdonald, Blair Douglas, Donald Shaw, Allan Henderson and Kenneth Thomson. Hallaig will also be performed in Skye at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on Friday, September 16.

In a culmination of a very special synthesis, Blas 2011 celebrates the Year of Scotland’s Islands with a series of “Island Cèilidhs” showcasing some of the best known Gaelic singers from the islands along with great traditional accompaniment. The line-up includes John (Seonaidh Beag) MacMillan, Mary Smith, Chrissie MacVicar, Paul MacCallum, Mary Catherine MacNeill, Iain MacKay and Ian and Murdo Cameron.

In the style of the wandering minstrels of bygone generations, the Blas islanders are about to take the Highlands by storm and will give everyone a taste of what it’s like to be at an island cèilidh. The venues for the cèilidhs are Glendale in Skye, Glenelg Village Hall, Eigg, Mallaig, Raasay and Strathy.

Arthur Cormack of Fèisean nan Gàidheal, the organisation contracted by the Highland Council to run Blas said:  “We are very grateful to the Scotland’s Islands initiative for additional funding which has allowed us to programme unique elements of island culture into the 2011 Blas Festival but, more importantly, it allows us to take high quality events to communities in some of Scotland’s islands including Skye, Raasay and Eigg.  We wanted to celebrate island culture in the islands as well as bringing island culture to mainland venues and working with Scotland’s Islands is allowing us to do so.”

Le taic a bharrachd bho Iomairt Eileanan na h-Alba bidh Fèis Blas na bliadhna seo a’ comharrachadh agus a’ foillseachadh na tha sònraichte mu chuid de na làraich is suidheachaidhean eireachdail a tha mu chladaichean iomallach na Gàidhealtachd – a’ toirt Blas nan Eilean dhan luchd-tadhail.

Tha an iomairt shònraichte eileanach air taic luach £30,000 a thoirt do stiùirichean Blas a tha gan saoradh airson grunn thachartasan a bhios fìor tharraingeach a chur air adhart, nach robh e comasach dhaibh a lìbhrigeadh as aonais.

Thuirt Murchadh MacAoidh bho iomairt Eileanan na h-Alba: “Tha sinn fìor thoilichte gu bheil Blas 2011 againn anns a’ chlàr mar phrìomh thachartas agus tha fiughar againn ri na tha a’ tachairt agus an leasachadh air a’ phrògram a’ snìomh diofar cur is dlùth bho eileanan na dùthcha. Bidh an Fhèis fìor tharraingeach do luchd-tadhail air an Eilean Sgitheanach a bharrachd air a bhith na thlachd do mhuinntir na coimhearsnachd fhèin.”

A’ fosgladh na Fèise am bliadhna anns a’ Mhanachainn bidh tè de shàr luchd-ciùil na dùthcha Julie Fowlis a chaidh a fastadh airson cuirm shònraichte a dhealbh stèidhichte air Eilean. Chan eil e na iongnadh seach gu bheil dlùth cheangal aice ri Eilean Heisgeir gun d’fhuair i a misneachd agus a togail ann an eachdraidh, àrainneachd agus dualchas an eilein, far nach eil duine beò an diugh, cleas iomadh eilean Gàidhealach eile.

Tha Julie air innleachdan ùra agus cleachdaidhean ciùil fìor àraid a thoinneamh agus a shnìomh airson “Heisgeir” a thoirt gu buil agus thèid a lìbhirgeadh le taic bho dithis shàr neach-ciùil eile Éamon Doorley agus Dunnchadh Siosal.

Fosglaidh cuirm “Heisgeir” Blas 2011 ann an Talla Phipps anns a’ Mhanachain air Dihaoine 9 Sultain. Seachdain an dèidh sin (16mh), tha cothrom às-ùr oidhche a’ comharrachadh bàrdachd Shomhairle MhicGill-Eain tro cheòl fhaicinn ann an suidheachadh air leth, Cathair-Eaglais an Naoimh Anndra ann an Inbhir Nis.

Tha 2011 a’ comharrachadh ceud bliadhna bhon rugadh Somhairle MacGill-Eain agus chaidh an oidhche ciùil a lìbhrigeadh bho thùs aig Fèis Cheilteach Ghlaschu ann an 2009. Tha an oidhche, a chaidh a dhealbh leis an neach-ciùil ainmeil Stiùbhart MacRath, aig a bheil dlùth cheangal ris an Eilean Sgitheanach, ga chur air adhart an co-bhuinn ri Urras Shomhairle agus tha e stèidhichte air “Hallaig”.  Bidh an gnothach air a stiùireadh le Coinneach MacThòmais, agus bidh pìosan ciùil a chaidh a sgrìobhadh le Màiri Anna NicUalraig, Eilidh NicChoinnich, Marie-Louise Napier, Ailean Dòmhnallach, Blair Dùbhghlas, Dòmhnall Seathach agus Ailean MacEanruig stèidhichte air bàrdachd Shomhairle.  Mur an urrainn dhuibh a bhith an làthair ann an Inbhir Nis tha cothrom eile ann Hallaig fhaicinn aig Sabhal Mòr Ostaig air an 16mh dhen t-Sultain.

A bharrachd air na tha sin, tha Blas gu bhith a’ cur air adhart sreath de chèilidhean eileanach mar chomharradh air a bhliadhna iomraiteach seo is cliù nan Eilean fhèin ga sgaoileadh fad is farsainn.

Agus ’s e fìor chèilidhean a bhios ann cuideachd le leithid Seonaidh Beag MacMhaoilein, Màiri Nic a’ Ghobhainn, Pòl MacCaluim, Iain MacAoidh agus Iain is Murchadh Camshron a-measg an fheadhainn a bhios a’ gabhail pàirt.

Cleas mar bha tachairt aig àm eile, nuair bha a’ chliar sheanchaidh ma sgaoil, bidh an luchd-ciùil a’ cur na Gaidhealtachd is nan Eilean fo ’n casan aig na cèilidhean eadar Gleanndail anns an Eilean Sgitheanach, Glenn Eilge an talla na coimhearsnachd, Eige, Malaig, Ratharsair agus Strathaidh mu thuath.

Thuirt Art MacCarmaig bho Fèisean nan Gàidheal, a tha fo chùmhnant aig Comhairle na Gàidhealtachd a’ lìbhrigeadh Blas: “Tha ar taing aig iomairt Eileanan na h-Alba a th’air ar cuideachadh mar seo agus ga dhèanamh comasach dhuinn tachartasan àraid bho chultar nan eileanan a chur dhan phrògram aig Blas. Nas cudromaiche buileach, ged-tha, tha e gar saoradh gu bhith a’ tadhal air coimhearsnachdan leithid an Eilein Sgitheanaich, Ratharsair agus Eige. Bha sinn airson cultar nan eilean a thaisbeanadh air gach àrd-ùrlar an dà chuid aig baile anns na coimhearsnachdan dam boin e, ach cuideachd a sgaoileadh gu tìr-mòr. Tha ar ceanglan le Eileanan na h-Alba a’ toirt dhuinn cothrom sin a dhèanamh ann an dòigh nach gabhadh coileanadh às aonais an cuid-taic.”

Source: Fèisean nan Gàidheal