Céad Míle Fáilte (“One Hundred Thousand Welcomes”)
Description
Céad Míle Fáilte — A Hundred Thousand Welcomes
The Winchelsea Music Season warmly welcomes Celts of the Colony to the historic Globe Theatre for an afternoon of Irish and Scottish Gaelic music, storytelling and tradition.
Local to Winchelsea and Western Victoria, Celts of the Colony are an emerging Celtic folk ensemble devoted to the beauty and preservation of the Gaelic languages through song. Ceilidh Mckinna-Robertson brings Celtic flute, vocals and percussion; Micháel O’Dhonnabháin plays guitar, mandolin, banjo, bouzouki, percussion and sings; and Oliver Macpherson joins on fiddle, accordion and vocals. Their music is shaped by traditional sean-nós singing, rich vocal harmonies and the sounds of the Irish and Scottish folk traditions.
Their programme, Céad Míle Fáilte — One Hundred Thousand Welcomes, takes us on a remarkable journey through Gaelic culture and history. From the ancient Irish hymn Deus Meus and the traditional Brian Boru’s March, through the haunting Scottish Gaelic Fear a’ Bhàta and Chì Mi na Mòrbheanna, to songs of Irish identity, memory and belonging such as Mná na hÉireann, Óró, Sé Do Bheatha ’Bhaile and Mo Ghile Mear, the programme reveals the extraordinary breadth of this living musical tradition.
There will be moments of contemplation, longing, dancing, storytelling and plenty of warmth — culminating in An Gloine Slán, a Gaelic version of The Parting Glass, with its beautiful farewell: good night and joy be to you all.
This is precisely what the Winchelsea Music Season is about: bringing exceptional artists and distinctive musical experiences into the heart of our community, while celebrating the character and history of our regional places. The Season seeks to activate heritage spaces, support artists and create welcoming opportunities for audiences to experience music in an intimate and meaningful setting.
And there could be no more fitting setting than the Globe, now in its centenary year.
So come along, bring a friend, settle into the warmth of this beautiful old theatre and let Celts of the Colony take you somewhere far beyond the ordinary.
Céad Míle Fáilte - One Hundred Thousand Welcomes!
Description
Scottish Country Dance Workshop
Step into the spirit of the Celtic ceilidh!
Join Ceilidh, Ollie and Mícheál for a lively and welcoming introduction to Scottish country dancing, accompanied by traditional Celtic music.
You’ll learn the steps and movements of a traditional dance before putting them together as a group — no previous experience or dancing partner required. Come along, have a laugh, meet some fellow Celtic music lovers and discover the joy of dancing together.
The workshop is followed by the Celts of the Colony concert at the Globe Theatre, making this a wonderful way to experience the music, movement and traditions of the Celtic world.
Workshop begins at 4pm at the Globe Theatre. Places are strictly limited to 10 participants.
Lineup
Celts of the Colony
Celts of The Colony are an up-and-coming Celtic folk act local to Winchelsea, and Western Victoria, focusing on music in the Irish (Gaelic) language built around multi-part vocal harmonies and traditional instruments. We consist of Ceilidh Mckinna-Robertson on Celtic flute, vocals and percussion, Micháel O’Dhonnabháin on guitar, mandolin, banjo, bouzouki, percussion and vocals and Oliver Macpherson on fiddle, accordion and vocals. Celts of the colony are passionate about the traditional Sean Nos singing of Ireland and Scotland preserving the use of the languages of Irish (Gaeilge) and Scottish Gaelic, through music and song. We are influenced by Clannad, Altan, Anuna, ye vagabonds, Caladh Nua, Niamh Parsons, Capercaillie, etc. Ceilidh and Micháel first met at Federation University, while Micháel was lecturing in World History and Anthropology, of which Ceilidh was a student. They met again through the Irish and Celtic Folk Sessions in Ballarat, and recognising each-other’s talents, resolved to start their own band. They formed in Early 2024 when Micháel was commissioned by the City of Ballarat to play an outdoor gig. Micháel had performed a series of online lectures for the ‘Love Ballarat’ event during the covid lockdowns featuring histories of Celts in the colony and featuring colonial Celtic and rebel songs. The City asked him to return in May 2024 to perform live to a public Audience, so Micháel contacted Ceilidh to bring her flute and voice to the ensemble. Together they played a mix of colonial folk, drinking and folk songs and tunes, such as 10,000 miles away and Black Velvet Band and other traditional session favourites. Micheál had always admired Ceilidh’s music as one of the few people in the area who sings in the Gaelic languages. From there they pooled together all the Irish Language songs that they already knew and performed and developed a folio of Gaeilge/Gaelic music. Micháel is trying hard to learn to speak the Irish language through online resources and personal contacts and Ceilidh has undertaken classes in both Irish and Scottish Gaelic. For the first time at the Winchelsea Music Season, we welcome our official third member, Oliver MacPherson. Micháel knew Oliver through Medieval re-enactment communities while Ceilidh met him at the local Ballarat sessions. Ceilidh and Oliver are also in another band together called The Starry Plough. Oliver’s extensive knowledge of music theory and technology coupled with his passion for Celtic music brings a new dimension of depth into the Celts of the Colony sound. Life weaved us into a band like the chords of a Celtic knot. We hope you enjoy, Celts of the Colony.
Agenda
- 4:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Scottish Country Dance Workshop
- 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Céad Míle Fáilte concert
Gallery
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