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Programme for May’s Spirit of the West Festival almost complete
Spirit of the West – Scotland’s first whisky culture festival – to be hosted at Inveraray Castle in May, now has most of its programme tied up.
Run in conjunction with Whisky Coast and part of the programme of Homecoming Scotland 2009 events, the event brings together Scotland’s – mainly Argyll’s – west coast whiskies with the best of local food producers’ delicacies, crafts, cookery demos from the whisky coast’s top chefs and a raft of entertainments.
Bagrock wow band, the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, pipes & drums tribal group Clann an Drumma, folk singer/songwriter Robin Laing, the Argyll Homecoming Gaelic Choir, and the silken voice of Islay’s Norma Munro are the latest acts to be announced.
The Red Hot Chilli Pipers – voted ‘Live Act of the Year 2007’ at the Scots Traditional Music Awards – will blast the event into life on 16th May.
The programme has added some family-oriented open air activities including crowd pleaser Big Rory, Ochi & The Giant Seagulls and sheepdog & duck display team, Drakes of Hazzard, as seen on Blue Peter.
There will be an Arts & Crafts marquee with craftsmen demonstrating their skills, fabulous gifts and crafts to shop for and advice on tracing your family tree.
Moving to the food elements – you can wait a little longer for the news on the whisky content – celebrity chef Nick Nairn joins the event on Sunday 17th May, cooking up for Argyll along with other well known west coast chefs. Across the weekend over 20 top local food producers will serve delicious dishes from stovies to venison stews.
16 world famous whisky distillers – 13 of which are from Argyll – including Springbank & Glengyle from Campbeltown, Isle of Arran, all eight distilleries from the Isle of Islay including Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman, Lagavulin and Laphroaig, Isle of Jura, Oban, Tobermory from the Isle of Mull, Ben Nevis from Fort William and Talisker from the Isle of Skye will join the Dram Room. This is of course the star attraction.
Then the Whisky Theatre will hold 12 whisky masterclasses with key industry figures and feature whisky bards and industry celebrities in their own right, including Charles Maclean.
An evening ceilidh on Saturday 16th May will be hosted by Len Murray, one of the foremost speakers on Rabbie Burns. From 7pm till midnight on the Saturday night, the event will celebrate the Spirit of the West with a five star, five course Rabbie Burns supper, charity auction, after dinner entertainment including music from Ceilidh Minogue and inescapable volumes of traditional mad ceilidh dancing.
Spirit of the West tickets are now available to buy online.
- Standard adult ticket prices for the day time event are £14.50 per day or £22 for the weekend.
- Family, concession and children tickets are also available.
- Whisky masterclass tickets cost an extra £10 per class and will be available for purchase on the day, based on a first come first served basis.
- Ceilidh tickets cost £65 per person, for over 18s only, with a percentage of the proceeds going to a chosen charity.
For details on how to book tickets for the Whisky Coast Ceilidh please email your interest to info@spiritofthewest.co.uk and check out the event’s website for more information.
Photograph of Inveraray Castle above is reproduced with permission and is by John Patrick.
Bluebell Festival, Inveraray
Inveraray’s first Bluebell Festival runs from 1st-31st May with a programmen of cultural events in venues in the area, featuring theatre and storytelling, the Spirit of the West Festival – and a revival of a traditional run up the hill to the folly at Dun na Quaich above Inveraray Castle.
This event is part of Argyl’s programme for Homecoming Scotland 2009.
Spirit of the West Festival, Inveraray Castle
16th and 17th May at Inveraray Castle sees the Spirit of the West Festival run in association with Whisky Coast. The innovative festival blends (oh yes) a range of arts and culture happenings with – you got it – the spirit of the west: whisky. You may not rememebr you’ve been there but you’ll enjoy it at the time. The event is part of Argyll’s programme for Homecoming Scotland 2009.
Footnote: in adding the link to this piece, For Argyll discovered a different Spirit of the West Festival – in Sioux Falls. What about twinning the two festivals for next year – with some great rodeo stuff at Inveraray Castle and Islay malts in Sioux Falls?
Video news: launch of May 2009 Bluebell Festival at Inveraray
Click on the headline to see the viewing screen.
Launch of May 2009 Bluebell Festival in Inveraray – Homecoming Scotland 2009 event
Not a man to mind getting his hands dirty, His Grace the Duke of Argyll, with his sons Archie and Rory, led a party planting 2,000 native bluebells along the margins of the road into Inveraray. The party included children from Inveraray Primary School whose massed planting forks looked like an attempt to recreate some legendary defence of Inveraray Castle. The children were productively supported by members of the local community included business people and regular visitors who felt like lending a hand – or a foot.
The event was the launch, this morning (18th December 2008) of the May 2009 Bluebell Festival – in a miraculously dry, bright hour against a frightful weather forecast which shortly did its worst,
Inveraray Castle and the Inveraray area are already home to a superb collection of woodland bluebell glades. These are now under threat due to cross pollination with the Spanish Bluebell. The new bulbs planted today are designed to greet visitors on their entrance to the town every May.
The Bluebell Festival has a pretty intensive programme of its own. It aims to provide a range of active experiences for people of all ages and degrees of fitness, family entertainments, talks, music and some events unique to this festival.
Even at this stage of planning the following events are already confirmed:
- Sat 2 May – A light hearted look at women in words and music from the Walking Theatre Company. Inveraray Castle. Ticketing Information: Inveraray website
- Sat 9th May – Neil Munro Society Lecture. Argyll Hotel. Ticketing Information: Inveraray website
- Sun 10th May – Clan Campbell History Story (Historic Scotland). Inveraray Castle. Ticketing Information: Inveraray website
- Sat 16th Sun 17th May – Spirit of the West: Food & Drink Festival. Inveraray Castle. Ticketing Information: http://www.spiritofthewest.co.uk
- Sat 16th May – Burns Ceilidh Dinner. Inveraray Castle. Ticketing Information: http://www.spiritofthewest.co.uk/
- Sun 17th May – Hamish McHaggis visits Inveraray (Children’s Book Character). Author Linda Strachan will be signing books. Inveraray Jail. Ticketing Information: Inveraray website
- Sat 23rd May – Crarae Gardens Murder Mystery. Crarae Gardens. Ticketing Information: Inveraray website
- Sat 23rd May- Murder Mystery Trial (Play). Inveraray Jail. Ticketing Information: Inveraray website
- Sat 30th May- Dunnaquaich Fun Run. Inveraray Castle. This is a reintroduction of a contest that was once a traditional event in the Inveraray Highland Games. The ascent is no light matter and the view is stupendous. Ticketing Information: Inveraray website
- Sun 31st May – Neil Wilson Classical Guitar Recital. Inveraray Castle. Ticketing Information: Inveraray website
Throughout May there will also be:
- story tellers, day and night, every weekend in different venues throughout the town and in nearby venues like the Auchindrain Township Museum
- official Bluebell walks and horse rides every day throughout the month
- traditional folk music every weekend in May during the evenings in the hotel bars
Further events will continue to be added to this programme. Keep up with developments at the Inveraray website.
Further information is also available at any time from:
- John Patrick (Argyll Adventure) 01499 302611
- Jane Young (Inveraray Castle) 01499 302551
Group photograph copyright John Patrick. Other photographs copyright Rebecca Martin.
Cowal’s Walking Theatre Company to feature in two of the four nationally promoted events in 2009 Highland Year of Homecoming
The Walking Theatre Company specialises in creating interactive plays inspired by community stories and historical events. This places the company squarely in the midst of the objectives of 2009 Highland Year of Homecoming.
The seven strong company is fresh from working with the Lismore Youth Theatre Company, writing and performing ‘Coming Home Again’, a play seen through the eyes of locals during the Armistice celebrations. Sadie Dixon-Spain, the co-founder of the group says: ‘The youth group become paid apprentices, and are very much part of the team.
There are four main 2009 Homecoming events that are being promoted nationally. The Walking Theatre Company is at the heart of two of these.
One sees the company working with the MacDougal Trust in Oban on a theatre event: ‘The Hidden Jewel’ about Robert the Bruce’s links with the MacDougal family and the mystery of the family legacy of the ‘Broach of Lorn’, considered one of our national treasures. A theatre walk will incorporate the old castle and Dunollie House. The event, as well as being exciting and informative, is designed to help raise the profile of the site and help the Trust’s aim to open is as a heritage site and visitor attraction.
The second big 2009 Homecoming event involving The Walking Theatre Company is the Spirit of the West Festival at Inveraray Castle in May. Audiences will be regaled with the story of whisky and the tax laws, a 150 year battle – even sometimes a bloody one – between Scotland and England after the Act of Union. It’s something of a tale of doughty highland smuggling. The performance should be an unusual digestif in what promises to be a large, innovative and pace-setting food and drink festival celebrating the west of Scotland – and Argyll.
This company works all over Scotland. On one occasion it recruited the First Minister to play Banquo. It has just come back from a nomination for a major award in Nairn where, although it didn’t win this year, it has left its calling card for next year. One to watch and a good one for Argyll.
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Argyll’s Spirit of the West event gets a spirited launch for Homecoming 2009
May 2009 is Whisky Month in the Homecoming Scotland 2009 programme. Over two days – Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th May – 6,000 people are expected at the Spirit of the West event, showcasing Scotland’s west coast culture, whisky and food.
Celebrity chef Nick Nairn, Scottish band Ceilidh Minogue, Food from Argyll – and all 16 distilleries on the west coast, are already confirmed for the event. The audience will be packed with culture vultures, whisky lovers, foodies, family tree explorers, tartan fashion followers and Scottish music fans – or those who simply love Scotland.
The Duke of Argyll hosted the Press launch at his family home, Inveraray Castle, which will be the venue. He was joined by local people from various industries and together they raised a glass to invite Scots and would-be Scots from all over the world to join the celebration next year.
The Whisky Coast, the team behind Spirit of the West, plan six themed marquees for the event: Whisky, Hospitality, Food & Drink, Music & Fashion, History & Heritage and a Crafts Village. Open air activities including golf and historical trails with Cowal’s innovative Walking Theatre are also lined up for the big weekend. The first night, Saturday 16th, will see – or hear – a grand Whisky Coast Ceilidh, from 7.00pm till the witching hour. This will celebrate the well known spirit of the west with a Rabbie Burns Supper, charity auction, after dinner music from Ceilidh Minogue and traditional ceilidh dancing.
The Whisky Coast Marquee, is hosting the over 18s Whisky Theatre; the Spirit of Dram(a) marquee, hosting art, fashion and music; The Taste of the West marquee on Sunday 17th May, with celebrity chef Nick Nairn showcasing west coast food and drink; The Play, Stay & Enjoy marquees headlining Scotland’s hospitality industry; The Spirits of the Past Marquee will bring the history, heritage and genealogy of the west coast; and The Crafts Village Marquee will feature arts and crafts of all kinds, unique to the west coast of Scotland,
Spirit of the West tickets are now available to buy via See Tickets or Homecoming Scotland 2009. Standard adult ticket prices are £14 per day or £22 for the weekend. Family, concession and children tickets are also available. Whisky masterclasses cost an extra £10 per class. Ceilidh tickets cost £65 per person. Both must be booked in advance.
The photograph above, which we have permission to use, shows the Duke of Argyll at Inveraray Castle with some of the food, drink, hospitality and entertainment specialists in the programme for the event.