Ceòlas are pleased to host a workshop weekend in conjunction with Colaisde Beinn na Faoghla from the 10th to the 12th December. Classes will be held in fiddle, accordion, piping and Gaelic singing, with tuition from Gabe McVarish, Dougie Hunter, Angus MacKenzie and Rona Lightfoot, and will take place from 1 till 5 on Friday, and 10 till 5 Saturday and Sunday. There will also be a ceilidh dance on Friday night with Six Foot Ginger. For more information and to register, contact the Ceòlas office on 01878 700 154 or info@ceolas.co.uk.

Dougie Hunter:
Originally from Musselburgh, Dougie has become an established musician on the West coast of Scotland where he currently lives and works (looking after some little fish). An expert box player, he is known as a performer, composer and teacher of music at Fèisean. Dougie has played with The Goat Island Ceilidh Band and has recorded some fantastic albums the world-famous Hoogie!

Angus MacKenzie:
Angus grew-up playing the pipes and speaking Gaelic in Mabou, Cape Breton Island. Coming from such a musically rich area it's no surprise that he went on to win many of the most prestigious competitions in North America, both as a solo piper and as Pipe Major of the St. Anne's Gaelic College Pipe Band. Having moved on from competition piping, Angus' unique style has been attracting attention from all areas of the musical world as he is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the finest pipers to be heard.

Gabe McVarish:
Californian born Gabe McVarish was twice winner of the All American junior fiddle championship before returning back to his ancestral homeland of Mòrar in the West Highlands. He has earned the reputation of being one of the hottest tickets in the fiddling world. Having completed a degree in traditional music at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Gabe has played with Daimh, Dibidil and Phamie Gow and is much sought after for playing for dances on the west coast and the islands.

Rona Lightfoot:
Rona was born and raised in South Uist amidst a wealth of Gaelic music and culture. She learned piping at an early age from her father whilst at the same time absorbing traditional Gaelic songs from her mother (Bean Eardsaidh Raghnaill) who has been recognised as a fountain of knowledge and a gifted exponent of Gaelic music in the oral tradition. Rona is a fine performer and teacher of song and piping and also performs canntaireachd, the syllabic technique of teaching piping orally which enables the learner to acquire the fingering on the chanter as well as the tune.