Blas Festival picks up national award

The annual Blas Festival has been honoured at the Scottish Gaelic Awards ceremony, held in Glasgow recently, after receiving the Bòrd na Gàidhlig “Event Award”.  

Now in its third year, the awards aim to celebrate the endeavours made by people and organisations in the development of the Gaelic language.  The ceremony, run by the Daily Record and sponsored by Bòrd na Gàidhlig, saw an array of organisations and people recognised for their contributions towards the Gaelic language, with ten award categories celebrating the efforts made throughout the year. The nominees were also treated to entertainment, with music from Fiddler, Duncan Chisholm, Gaelic trio, Marloch and Gaelic singer, Arthur Cormack.    

Bòrd na Gàidhlig interim CEO, Joe Moore said: "Bòrd na Gàidhlig congratulates Fèis Bhlas on their recent win at the Scottish Gaelic Awards 2015.  The event has grown from strength to strength since its inception and is a great example of how the language walks hand-in-hand with the culture."  

Now in its eleventh year the Blas Festival, which is run by Fèisean nan Gàidheal, has enjoyed year-on-year success, with an ever-growing audience, attracted by the festival’s varied and exciting, international line-up of traditional musicians.  With Gaelic language and culture at the heart of Blas, the award is recognition for the efforts each year to ensure the successful delivery of the expanding festival in collaboration with a wide range of bodies, voluntary and paid.  

Fèisean nan Gàidheal CEO, Arthur Cormack, said:  “Fèisean nan Gàidheal was delighted to have been shortlisted in four categories at the Gaelic Awards.  We have been working in partnership with the Highland Council for over a decade to develop Blas and stage the festival each year.  We are very happy to have received this award and would like to thank all the bodies who fund us, the local organisations that promote events in their own localities, High Life Highland who organise the education programme and, especially, Donna Macrae who is contracted to do the vast majority of preparatory work for the festival each year.”  

Blas Festival 2016 will take place from the 2nd -10th September.