Tional Gaelic Music Weekend launches online! Join the virtual cèilidh!

Hands Up For Trad announce Tional, the first Gaelic Music Festival weekend, featuring a whole host of stars from Friday 18th to Sunday 20th September 2020, broadcasting online with funding support from Bòrd na Gàidhlig’s COVID-19 Support Fund.

In the latest of a series of highly successful digital events and broadcasts during Lockdown, from Tinto Music School to Stonehaven Folk Festival and Concerts, Simon Thoumire of Hands Up For Trad, organisers of the annual MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards & Scots Language Awards, is now launching Tional (pronounced Chew-nul).

Tional translates as a Gathering, act of gathering or collecting. Presented by Joy Dunlop the weekend will encourage speakers and learners to use and celebrate Gaelic language and culture.

Set to entertain new audiences via live broadcasts on Facebook and YouTube from 8pm on Friday 18th September, Tional is a fun and highly accessible experience, thanks to the innovative flexibility of online digital entertainment. It will feature workshops, cèilidhs and concerts from a host of Gaeldom’s finest, including Norrie McIver, Kathleen MacInnes, Whyte, Mary Ann Kennedy, Ingrid Henderson and Iain MacFarlane, and more.

Organising body, Hands Up for Trad funded by Creative Scotland, was formed in 2002 and exists to increase the profile and visibility of Scottish traditional music through information, advocacy and education to artists, participants and audiences. Christine Halsall, Creative Scotland confirmed: “Tional is the latest in a series of fantastic trad music events which have adapted to these challenging circumstances to bring musicians and audiences together digitally over the past months. This Gaelic Music Weekend will showcase some of Scotland’s finest Gaelic musicians to a global audience in what is set to be a vibrant and packed weekend.”

Hands Up for Trad’s Founder & Director Simon Thoumire said: “It has been an exciting challenge to take an entire live music year online, and reach our audiences, industry and even deliver education programmes, fundraising to help offer support to the industry and ensure Artists are still being paid for gigs and performances in the digital space. I’m really excited to work with Bòrd na Gàidhlig on this new Gaelic Music Weekend, which is set to be a fun, vibrant and lively evening for everyone online in 2020.”

Daibhidh Boag of Bòrd na Gàidhlig added: “We established our COVID-19 fund to support the use of Gaelic when it hasn’t been possible for people to get together as usual. We are also very aware of the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the livelihoods of musicians. We warmly welcome Tional as an opportunity to support Gaelic usage, to bring people together and to support Gaelic musicians.”

Thuirt Daibhidh Boag às leth Bhòrd na Gàidhlig: “Chuir sinn a’ mhaoin COVID-19 againn air dòigh gus taic a chumail ri cleachdadh na Gàidhlig aig an àm seo, far nach eil e comasach do dhaoine tighinn còmhla mar a b’ àbhaist. Tha sinn cuideachd gu math mothachail air a’ bhuaidh a th’ air a bhith ann do luchd-ciùil ri linn COVID-19. Tha sinn a’ cur fàilte bhlàth air Tional airson cleachdadh na Gàidhlig a chur air adhart, cothrom a thoirt do dhaoine a thighinn còmhla agus gus taic a chumail ri luchd-ciùil na Gàidhlig.”

Crowned Traditional Singer of the Year & Traditional Dance Champion at the 2015 Pan Celtic Festival, Tional’s Presenter Joy Dunlop’s singing career is the result of a life–long fascination with Scotland’s traditional music and has led her all over the world; from major Celtic festivals, to touring the UK, Europe, Canada, USA, Japan and New Zealand.

Joy said: “I’m thrilled to be curating and hosting the first virtual Gaelic music festival on behalf of Hands Up For Trad. In these uncertain times, it’s more important than ever to celebrate the language and music that unites us as Gaels and I can’t wait to join musicians from throughout the country for this virtual celebration.”

Through her singing, Joy showcases Gaelic music and song in a contemporary way that always remains true to its roots, and she also conducts the Alba Choir, Scotland’s first ever Eurovision entry in the 2019 Eurovision Choir of the Year finals in Gothenburg, Sweden. Nominated as Gaelic Singer of the Year 2016, 2011 & 2010, she has also won both the coveted Royal National Mòd Gold Medal and the Oban Times Gold Medal and released two highly acclaimed solo albums, Dùsgadh and Faileasan. She is also the driving force between ‘Gaelic/Gaeilge supergroup’, LAS and has released collaborative albums with Twelfth Day, Music Makes Me and Melody & Derrick Cameron, amongst others. A popular television & radio presenter, Joy presents the weather on both BBC Scotland & BBC ALBA, in addition to frequent appearances on Radio Scotland and Radio nan Gàidheal.

Visit www.TionalGaelicFestival.com for all the information.

WATCH live Friday 18th to Sunday 20th September on Facebook or YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/c/handsupfortrad
https://www.facebook.com/handsupfortrad

Hashtags: #Tional #HUFTOnline & #cleachdiaigantaigh – use it at home

Keep up to date on Twitter @handsupfortrad or Instagram @handsupfortrad

For more information on learning and speaking Gaelic please visit www.gaidhlig.scot

To follow, learn and speak more Gaelic please follow, share and like via

• Twitter – @bordnagaidhlig
• Facebook – @bordnagaidhlig
• Instagram – @bordnagaidhlig

-ENDS-

PRESS: For interviews or images please contact Chris Hunt at Genuine on chris@genuine.scot

Notes to Editors:

TIONAL
LINE-UP

Friday night
8pm – Norrie McIver in concert
9pm – Hands Up For Trad Cèilidh House, featuring Kathleen MacInnes, Ian Smith and Iain ‘Costello’ MacIver

Saturday
12pm – Covid Choral Workshop, with Joy Dunlop
1pm – Clàrsach workshop with Calum Macleod
2pm – Lunchtime concert with Rona & Marit
3pm – Pipes workshop with Alana MacInnes
4pm – Scottish Step dance workshop with Sophie Stevenson
5pm – Hands Up For Trad Cèilidh House, featuring James Graham, Christine Primrose, Pàdraig Moireasdan
7pm – Evening concert, featuring Mary Anne Kennedy, Brìghde Chaimbeul, Brian Oheadhra & Fionnghal NicChoinnich, Ciorstaidh Beaton and Seonaidh MacIntyre & John Alec Mackay
9pm – Fairich audio-visual showcase with Whyte

Sunday
1pm – Lunchtime concert with Ingrid Henderson & Iain MacFarlane
2pm – Fiddle playing for dancing workshop with Shona Masson
3pm – An audience with Arthur Cormack
4pm – Gaelic song for Learners workshop with Maeve Mackinnon
5pm – Final Hands Up For Trad Cèilidh House, featuring Misha MacPherson, Robbie Greig and Raymond Bremner

Hands Up for Trad exists to promote Scottish traditional music through information, education and advocacy to artists, participants and audiences across Scotland.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig (the Bòrd) is an executive non-departmental public body established under the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005. It is the principal body in Scotland responsible for promoting Gaelic development and providing advice to the Scottish Ministers on Gaelic matters, including education.

The Bòrd’s vision is that Gaelic is seen and heard on a daily basis across Scotland, such that it is widely recognised as an integral part of Scottish life and as a national cultural and economic asset. Much of the Bòrd’s work focuses on developing and overseeing the National Gaelic Language Plan, together with assisting the development and monitoring of Gaelic Language Plans (GLPs) by Public Authorities. Bòrd na Gàidhlig works to promote Gaelic in partnership with the Scottish Government, local authorities, public bodies, delivery partners and communities. The National Gaelic Language Plan 2018-23 has three priorities using, learning and promoting Gaelic.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig has statutory educational responsibilities under the 2005 Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act and the 2016 Education (Scotland) Act.

For more information visit www.gaidhlig.scot

Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here. We enable people and organisations to work in and experience the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland by helping others to develop great ideas and bring them to life. We distribute funding provided by the Scottish Government and the National Lottery.

For further information about Creative Scotland please visit www.creativescotland.com. Follow @creativescots and www.facebook.com/CreativeScotland

Source: RealWire