Ceilidh kids keep traditional music alive as tour hits town

This year’s Fèis Fhoirt Cèilidh Trail will pass through Falkirk, Stenhousemuir and Grangemouth in the coming weeks, stopping off at bandstands, sheltered housing and folk clubs to give people the chance to hear some authentic Scottish music played with passion and precision.

The Ceilidh Trail project gives young traditional musicians the opportunity to tour their local area throughout the summer period as part of the Fèis movement, which aims to teach children throughout Scotland about Gaelic music, language and culture.

Translated as Festival of the Forth, Fèis Fhoirt also runs a festival in Falkirk in September which includes music classes for beginners.

Excelling on fiddle, clarsach, piano, guitar and mandolin – as well as that most versatile of all instruments, the human voice – the stars of 2016 Ceilidh Trail are Andrew Herrington (Erskine), Selina Ross (Kippen), Orla Stevens (Dunblane), Rhona Stevens (Dunblane), Evie Waddel (Stirling) and Fergus Walker (Callander).

After an audition process of young hopefuls, the chosen few received a week’s specialist training at the Plockton School of Excellence in Traditional Music before hitting the road on the Killin Community Bus, kindly driven by local volunteers.

Here are the dates, times and locations of the group’s upcoming performances in the Falkirk area: Tuesday, July 19 – The Falkirk Wheel (1.30pm); Monday, July 25 – Grangemouth Bandstand (12.30pm), Robertson Court, Stenhousemuir (3pm) and Forward Shop, Stenhousemuir (7.30pm); Thursday, July 28 – Falkirk Bandstand (12.30pm), Dean Court Sheltered Housing (3.30pm) and Falkirk Folk Club (8pm); Wednesday, August 3 – The Kelpies (1.30pm)

Visit www.feisfhoirt.org.uk for a full list of tour dates and more information on the organisation.