Hey guys!

This is my first time trying this longer form blog post malarkey. Please let me know if this is something you would like to see more of throughout the year. We will aim to send out regular updates on all things Ceòl and Colonsay related. Maybe even some artist interviews in the future. Who knows.

For now, let’s look back on what was a fantastic 2025 festival.

First of all, I would like to thank every single person who came over to our wee rock in the Atlantic and made this year’s festival one of the most amazing weekends I have had as an organiser!

After an eventful week of crying and getting stressed out about the weather, it was finally time to welcome everyone to Ceòl Cholasa 2025!

We started on Thursday afternoon with a tremendous showcase of local musicians. This has become such a special part of the weekend for us, as it gives us a chance to shine some light on the wealth of talent this island has to offer. It is truly lovely to see so many generations of islanders getting up and performing.

The next few hours were spent frantically setting up the hall for the evening while constantly refreshing the MarineTraffic app to ensure the ferry would arrive, and thankfully, it did. After a short break for soundcheck, we welcomed Hannah Rarity to the Ceòl Cholasa stage for the first time, joined by Rory Matheson on Piano and Sorren Maclean on Guitar. Hannah’s flawless vocals, supported by delicate accompaniment, were one of the finest open concerts we have ever had. Some personal highlights were her cover of Tom Waits and her spellbinding rendition of the Davey Steele hit “Scotland Yet”.

Next up, we had TRIP. Since taking over the running of Ceòl Cholasa in 2022, TRIP have been at the top of my list of acts I wanted to bring to Colonsay. Having seen them many times throughout the last few years, I knew they would be a perfect fit for us. They did not disappoint! Electric tune sets and beautifully arranged songs capped off a perfect day 1 of the event. Highlights for me were “The 50 Reels” and Ali’s brilliant cover of “Blessed Are The Meek” by Status Quo.

It was also time for a Ceòl first as Hannah made her way back onto the stage. This time, clutching a Colin the Caterpillar cake for the busiest man of the night, Rory, who was celebrating his birthday at midnight!

We then headed up to the Colonsay Hotel for more tunes and craic. It is a great chance for us all to catch up with friends and family who have made the trip over. Partying into the wee hours… some later than they probably should have been *cough* Liam *cough*…

After a short sleep, we headed back to the hotel for our first Open Mic of the weekend. It’s amazing to see how talented our audience is, never mind our artists!

Then, once the hair of the dog had been polished off, it was down to the hall for our ‘Scalasaig Session’. This was a new event we put on this year to give everyone a big space to play some tunes, have a dance and just enjoy the craic. From young locals playing the fiddle, to Pirates one pipes and whistle, it was quite the experience!

It was then time to once again cross all fingers and toes as we waited to see if the ferry would make it to the pier. The weather was worse than expected, but once again CalMac came in clutch (not something we have said particularly often this year), and our final acts were here!

After another incredibly efficient turnaround from Mr Ross Cathcart on sound, it was time to welcome the first act of day 2, Fell Line. The trio of Chloë Bryce, Megan MacDonald and Callum McIlroy treated us to a beautiful set despite the lingering sea sickness from the choppy journey over. I saw these guys last year in Glasgow and knew we had to get them over. I imagine it won’t be the last we see of them on the Ceòl stage.

 

Up next, we had the fabulous Will Pound and Jenn Butterworth. Will was making his Ceòl Cholasa debut, while Jenn must be close to becoming a hall of famer here. They took to the stage and immediately took off into an unbelievable set of tunes. A truly astounding set from them both resulted in a rapturous standing ovation after only the first set. The rest of their set carried on in the same vein, with some beautiful songs from Jenn sprinkled in. A tremendous set all round left us all very excited for their second performance on Sunday.

Our final act for day 2 was a returning Colonsay favourite, The Poozies. Recently going back on tour with their new line-up, it was an absolute must to bring them back to Colonsay. They brought great tunes, songs and craic along with an abundance of sparkles and sequins. The energy they gave on stage was matched by the crowd, and together they created a brilliant atmosphere in the hall. Having last graced our stage in 2019, it was an absolute pleasure to have them back over to the island and the perfect way to bring day 2 to a close in the hall.

After a short debrief with the team over a few “Poozies Passion Martinis” courtesy of the Sunday Sessions bar, it was time to head to the pub for more tunes and craic. Once again, we made sure to get the appropriate amount of rest…

We kicked off day 3 with a slow session run by co-organiser and fabulous fiddle player Jen MacNeill. A fantastic opportunity for those who may not be able to join in with the late-night sessions to get their instruments out and play some great tunes. From there, we went straight into our themed Open Mic. The theme this year was Musicals, with the highlight absolutely being Colonsay Legend Pedie being joined by Eilidh and Sarah from The Poozies for a few ABBA classics! Check social media for the videos. They’re class.

A quick sprint down to the hall for Pedie as he got the afternoon underway with yet another fantastic collection of songs. Guaranteed to bring a tear to the eye one way or another. A great concert despite the glaring omission of “bumcheeks” from the setlist!

Our second concert of the afternoon was another Colonsay native and fellow co-organiser, Caitlin McNeill. Joined by Aoife Smyth on Uilleann Pipes and Alana MacInnes on Small Pipes and Whistle. A magnificent combo of Scottish and Irish styles, interspersed with songs from Caitlin. The three part harmonies on the song ‘Heave Ya Ho’ were a treat for the ears.

A short break to refuel, and it was time to get into the evening concerts. We started with the fantastic Arthur Coates and Kerran Cotterell. They brought joy to the Ceòl stage with their Quebec style fiddle accompanied by tremendously arranged guitar and brilliant songs. It was a truly magical concert. They very quickly became fan favourites and we cannot wait to welcome them back to Colonsay in the future!

Next to the stage was Ciorstaidh Beaton and her band of Heather Cartwright, Josie Duncan and Chloë Bryce. The band may not have a name, but they certainly have a way of captivating an audience. We even got a guest appearance from Eryn Rae on fiddle. Between their beautifully arranged tunes and gorgeous 4 part Gaelic harmonies, this was a set that will live long in the memory for those of us in attendance.

Our final act of day 3 was the absolutely electric Astro Bloc. I first saw these guys as a scratch band at the Celtic Connections festival club in 2024. I was blown away by how good they were. I sat patiently waiting to see if they were going to tour as a band. When I saw the Instagram profile pop up, I immediately sent them a message to get the ball rolling. They put on a fantastic show, and their joy and love for what they do spread into the audience. I walked into the hall and saw everyone smiling and up dancing. That’s when you realise why you put in all the effort throughout the year. For the joy it brings everyone!

We then headed up to the hotel for our final festival club of the year. It was so lovely to just float about and speak to everyone. We got so much positive feedback from both the audience and the artists, and it’s so nice to know that we are continuing to grow and be successful.

 

Time for the final day. We once again started up in the hotel for a ‘Story of the Song’ workshop. Donald (Pedie), Hughie, and Seumas talked us through their songwriting inspirations and even gave us a few songs. 3 Colonsay legends providing a wonderful start to Sunday.

We kicked things off in the hall with another mind-blowing set from Will Pound and Jenn Butterworth. More tunes. More energy. The perfect way to blow away any lingering hangovers from the night before.

The energy kept coming as we moved into another tremendous set from Astro Bloc. Some more mighty tunes from this quartet. With their debut album just around the corner, we are very excited to see what comes next for these guys.

The final act on our stage for 2025 was The Poozies. This time, they were not only decked out in sparkles, but also some of the most colourful wigs I have ever seen. 41 in total, I believe. After a bouncing set from the band, they brought up all of the other artists for a Grande Finale set like no other. Sequin and wigs galore, all of our wonderful artists burst into a tradified cover of ‘Groove is in the heart’ then seamlessly into a stomping set of tunes. Big shout-out to The Poozies for pulling this all together unprompted. It was a truly unforgettable way to end our 2025 event.

With that, 2025 came to an end. There are a million people the whole ceòl team would like to thank. Our amazing volunteers who were working the door, selling merch and selling more raffle tickets than I thought was humanly possible. Gavin and his team at the pantry for their catering all weekend. Helen, Chris and Trini in the bar kept us all tremendously well watered all weekend.

We hope to see you all again next year!

Liam