Unique Opportunity in Pacific Northwest to Study With Celebrated Gaels
SEATTLE - Registration is now open for a rare opportunity to study with leading Scottish Gaelic tradition bearers – harpers, fiddlers, bagpipers, dancers, singers and language teachers - at Féis Shiàtail (pronounced: FAYSH hee-AT-ill) from June 13 to 18 at Fort Worden, Port Townsend, Washington.
Produced by Slighe nan Gaidheal (pronounced: SLEE-uh nun GAY-ull), Seattle’s Gaelic language and cultural society, this festival brings world famous talents to the Pacific Northwest: fiddler, Wendy MacIsaac; singer, Cathy-Ann MacPhee; bagpiper, Allan MacDonald; harper, Mary MacMaster of Sileas; and language experts; Catriona Parsons, Muriel Fisher and Alec MacDonald.
MacIsaac, MacPhee, and Parsons are Canadian-based. MacMaster, and the two MacDonalds will fly in from Scotland while Fisher is due to arrive from the American West.
This festival brings experts such as these together only every two years, providing students of Gaelic and traditional Celtic instruments the chance to study with them and see them perform much closer to home – and at a fraction of the cost.
The festival features four days of classes and workshops, with traditional céilidhs (gatherings at which participants play music, tell stories, etc) in the evenings.
The tradition bearers will present a concert on June 16 at Fort Worden’s historic theater. This part of the festival introduces members of the public to the broad appeal of the songs and stories of the Gaelic culture.
The Pacific Northwest is an ideal place to hold this festival because, among the cultural diversity of the area, many residents are descendants of Scottish settlers. Although Scottish Gaelic, once the dominant language of Scotland’s Highlands and Islands, is spoken by only 60,000 on its home ground, there have been Gaelic language societies in Seattle, Tacoma, and British Columbia for over a century.
Attendance at Highland Games and Robert Burns Suppers in the area is also testimony to the importance of Scottish culture to its descendants as well as to enthusiasts from diverse backgrounds.
This year’s Féis Shiàtail marks the first time Slighe nan Gaidheal is offering a literature course taught in Gaelic for fluent learners, complementing the regular offerings of Gaelic language courses as part of the organization’s “Zero to Gaelic” program.
For additional information and to register for classes, contact: Slighe nan Gaidheal, Féis Shiàtail 2006 Committee, P.O. Box 31834, Seattle, WA 98103, (206) 903-9452, feis@slighe.com, or visit www.slighe.com.
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