Celtic Connections 2027 announced

 

Transatlantic Sessions

GRIT orchestra

From 14 – 31 January 2027, world renowned Celtic Connections will inspire in 2027, with 18 days of unique events, special collaborations, world premieres, and intimate shows, all celebrating music’s power to transcend borders, cultures, generations and genres.

  - of folk, traditional, roots, world, jazz, orchestral, electronic, Americana and indie music will welcome musicians from 20 countries, across Scotland, Ireland, the US, Canada, Spain, Senegal, Australia, Pakistan, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Norway,  France, Sudan, India and Portugal, for its 34th edition. This forward-thinking festival, embraces tradition as constantly evolving. 

With 300 events across 25 venues.

The festival returns to venues O2 Academy, Glasgow International Arena – formerly the Emirates Arena – best loved venues Old Fruitmarket, SWG3 and Saint Luke’s.

From emerging talent to world-class acts, highlights of the 2027 programme include:

      Scotland's GRIT Orchestra: World Premiere – Celtic Connections’ famed Opening Concert will welcome Scottish traditional music in an orchestral setting,  a homage to Martyn Bennet. This acclaimed ensemble, conducted by Greg Lawson, will perform brand new arrangements of some of the greatest melodies in the folk repertoire, bringing both ancient and contemporary tunes into a symphony setting.

Headliners at Glasgow International Arena – The festival will take over Glasgow International Arena. Friday night, Irish folk-rock giants The Saw Doctors take on one of their biggest headline gigs in the city to date, Saturday night will welcome Indian composer AR Rahman for a spectacular orchestral collaboration, Rangreza with British talents Rushil Ranjan and Abi Sampa. the first time the show that bridges the gap between Western and Indian classical music has been performed in the UK outside of London’s Royal Albert Hall.

One of the most widely regarded live performers in contemporary music, José González, will play Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. The international star is best-known for his cover of Heartbeats, which has earned him over 1 billion streams to date. Irish accordionist Sharon Shannon will play the O2 Academy with her Big Band and some very special guests including Bob Geldof.

Orchestral twist – Celtic Connections will pair folk music with Scotland’s national orchestras. This year Irish collective Ye Vagabonds backed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. King Creosote will partner with Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and experimental small- piper Brìghde Chaimbeul teams up with the Scottish Ensemble.

Tribute to Scottish folk legend Archie Fisher at City Halls; Tribute to songwriting of Joni Mitchell at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum; Fifty years on from his passing, Glasgow’s legendary folk singer Matt McGinn will be honoured at the Tron Theatre; Georgia Rose Lucas presents a special 80th anniversary tribute to her mum, British folk-rock pioneer Sandy Denny.

Trad mad – giants of Scotland and Ireland’s flourishing folk and trad scenes will put on shows across the festival’s three weeks. West coast party starters Trail West, Highland heroes Elephant Sessions, Scots singers Siobhan Miller and Kris Drever, Gaelic artists Julie Fowlis, Breabach, Kim Carnie and Irish trad stars Beoga all have headline slots.

Amazing Americana – A wealth of Americana, country and folk talent will cross the Atlantic for Celtic Connections, with chart-topping bluegrass star Sierra Hull, Seattle’s The Brudi Brothers, LA duo Milk Carton Kids, Grammy award-winning Punch Brothers.

Global beats – Sudanese singer, oud player Sulaf makes her Scottish debut Òran Mór, blending her soaring voice with electronics. Raghu Dixit, one of India's most inventive and charismatic artists brings his trio to the Drygate on the festival’s final night. Mauritanian singer, songwriter griot Noura Mint Seymali will share her exciting trance blue, star of a new generation of West African musicians Momi Maiga performs as part of World Connections at the Tramway.

Platforming new voices – This year’s three exciting young artists commissioned to create an entirely new suite of music through the New Voices initiative 2027 are small pipes player Fionnlagh Mac A' Phiocair, accordionist  Andrew Waite, and fiddle player Madeleine Stewart.

●      Óle for Asturias – the festival welcomes Spanish principality Asturias as its international partner, showcasing music from the rich folk music heritage of the region.

●      Fun for all ages – from dementia-friendly shows and school concerts to late-night, spontaneous sessions at the Festival Club and Late-Night Sessions at Drygate, the usual dynamic mix of events and experiences will be on offer.

Breabach

Julie Fowlis

General tickets go on sale Thursday 8 October at celticconnections.com for the first shows confirmed for 2027, with new gigs on sale each Thursday in October. 

Delivered by Glasgow Life – the charity that leads culture, events and active living in Glasgow – the multi-award-winning festival reflects the UNESCO City of Music itself: international, creative, welcoming, packed with personality and proud of its identity. For 2027, Celtic Connections is embracing its role both as the ultimate winter blues buster. The roll out of New Roots – a £1 membership scheme for under 26s – will allow students and young music lovers to get up to 50% off tickets for selected shows.

Duncan Chisholm

Celtic Connections Creative Director Donald Shaw, who will mark 21 years at the helm of the festival, said: “January is all about embracing musical exploration, uncovering something new that takes you by surprise, and getting out and about regardless of the dark nights. This festival believes in great music, excellent company and the power of connection. That spirit of discovery and optimism runs right through the 2027 programme, with artists people will know and love, new names, unique collaborations and shows that simply won’t happen anywhere else. For 18 days, Celtic Connections will be a meeting place for cultures, ideas and a sprinkling of intangible magic, so come and get curious, we promise you won’t regret it.”

 

Bailie Annette Christie, Chair of Glasgow Life and Convenor for Culture, Sport and International Relations for Glasgow City Council, said: “Celtic Connections is one of Scotland’s most popular festivals and a shining example of the strength, diversity and global appeal of Glasgow’s iconic music scene. It’s a source of great pride for Glasgow that thousands of visitors make their way to our UNESCO City of Music each year to experience the thrilling sights and sounds of Celtic Connections and be part of the festival’s legendary audiences. We’re looking forward to welcoming new and returning festivalgoers to another spectacular celebration of folk, roots and world music in 2027.”

Celtic Connections is supported by the Scottish Government’s Expanded Festivals Fund and Creative Scotland, and CalMac.

 

Alan Riach discussed the Scottish Renaissance Montrose at EIBF 2026

 

Professor Alan Riach

This event was chaired by Linden Bicket. along with authors Kirsty Gunn and James Robertson: In a lively panel chat. 

They discussed the Scotland of 1926  - A hundred years ago, Scottish literature was crackling with new energy. The authors revisited the Scottish Renaissance through landmark works including Hugh MacDiarmid’s A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle, the early work of Neil M Gunn (newly reissued this year), and other under-sung voices including Willa Muir and Helen Cruickshank. 

The authors pursued their deep dive into a remarkable literary moment and the writers who helped reshape Scotland’s imaginative life. 

Alan Riach said that back in the1930s, Montrose was the Paris of the north.

Alan Riach is a Scottish poet and academic. He taught at the University of Waikato in New Zealand from 1986 until 2001. He is currently the Professor of Scottish Literature at the University of Glasgow. Riach was President of the association for Scottish literary Studies from 2006 to 2010 and is a regular contributor to The National. 

Kirsty Gunn

Riach writes, “Irish reunification will come. Scotland’s independence will come. The political system and its media only exist for self perpetuation. 

 

This too is ours to resist. These things will not prevail. The only reliable truths come through the arts and they remain accessible to people, discoverable, no matter how much our enemies have tried to obscure them or deny them their value and place. 

 

What gives us the hope and the drive, the sense of necessary purpose. Music, stories, poems and plays: paintings, sculpture, colour and form, our languages, all that art can do. 

 

How do we move forward. “It come with understanding, then knowledge, and then wisdom. 

In the absence of this, Imagination must be served, or it feeds on itself; then superstitions come creeping in. 

Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia at EIBF 2026

 

Jimmy Wales chatted with Heather Pony at the Edinburgh book festival 2026.. Wales is one of the top 250 leaders who shape our world. He said he started with Newpedia, which didn’t succeed.

Then the idea for a free encyclopaedia that people could trust, and that people can edit. Wikipedia was set up in 2001, as a charity when there was the hopeful world of the internet. Wikipedia now has 700 employees, and is based in San Francisco.

 

He spoke of his Triangle of Trust – empathy, authenticity, logic. “We don’t use algorithms.”   

The Five Rules of Wikipedia – the wiki foundation and the identification of best practice. 

Plus Quality, reliable source, Neutrality, Transparency, We always could do better. We must offer the best arguments, analyse things.

 

He spoke of the attacks from the Far Right. Elon Musk set up Rockopedia which failed – and which encourages extremes. 

 

Wales was asked could AI write Wikipedia? No not good enough yet and can make things up. AI is deeply flawed. AI can be useful for references. AI agents editing. CHATGpt and AI can help with coding. AI is not edited and Google AI is wrong 28% of the time. Google is a monopoly.

 

Wiki Traffic has had a 8% drop, with a 7% drop in revenue. Many now want quick answers. Plus a decline in first time editors. Wales spoke of Wiki’s Long form traffic. 

Wikipedia depends on donations, and has no Ads. Wiki is like a life raft, of trust and Wales said they work to make it better. He said that Disinformation is a problem and requires content and government regulation.

 

Wikipedia is banned in China, And in Turkey Wiki fought in the courts and won. In the Western world its important to have free dialogue – with diverse, open, free discourse in society. Wales spoke of the ownership of the media by Big tech. Jeff Bezo bought the Washington Post. Rupert Murdoch bought the Wall Street Journal. Newspapers endorse a candidate. 

 

Myths and Tales of Ossian: The Shortbread Tin

 

Images of Ossian

Myths and Tales of Ossian

There is strong evidence that the tales of the Odyssey, are based on Greek myths and legends passed down the centuries. But was Homer ever a real person? And rather part of the oral tradition. 

The tales and myths of Ossian by James Macpherson – were collated from many ancient Gaelic legends and stories.  But there are disputes over whether Ossian was ever a real person. 

At a time in the highlands when, after Culloden, the young Macpherson saw the outlawing of Scots language, music, dress and culture. These tales became popular with American presidents and European rulers and inspired the Romantic movement – he was the first Scotch Bard.

The Shortboard Tin - Is a new theatre production for the National Theatre of Scotland and explores the story of James MacPherson, who in 1750, introduced Scotland and the world to Ossian, a third century bard. He collected all the old Gaelic stories, but it was later disputed who the Ossian bard really was. 

There are many other tales, legends and myths. The tale of King Arther or Robin Hood – were they authentic or real? There’s much dispute over where king Arthur actually lived – or who Robin Hood actually was – did he rob the rich to ever give to the poor.

King Arthur is a legendary king of England from medieval stories and folklore. He is known as a brave leader who fought enemies, gathered loyal heroes at the Round Table, and ruled from the magical court of Camelot.

The Legend

• The Sword: Arthur pulled the magic sword Excalibur from a stone to prove he was the true king.
• The Wizard: He was guided by the wise and powerful wizard Merlin.
• The Queen: He married Queen Guinevere.
• The Knights: His brave fighters sat at a Round Table so no single knight was higher than the others.
• The Quest: His knights searched far and wide for the Holy Grail. 

 

 

Is He Real?   Historians cannot prove that King Arthur was a real person. Experts think the stories might come from an early 6th-century Celtic warrior who defended England against invaders, but the tales grew much larger over hundreds of years through poems and books. 

 

• Excalibur and the Lady of the Lake
• Sir Lancelot and the fall of Camelot
• Real places in Britain linked to the Arthurian legend

Also - Robin Hood is a legendary outlaw of English folklore. He was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. He may have fought in the crusades. His lands may have been taken by the evil Sheriff of Nottingham, who assists King John.. He may have robbed the rich to give to the poor. His lover maid Marion,