CELTIC REVIEW & PHOTOS 2026

 

Fiona Hunter and the Scottish Symphony orchestra

Record breaking Celtic Connections delivers message of hope and unity to the world

Its usually hard to decide, as there are so meny concerts on over the festivals weekends, which concerts to attend. The opening night this year celebrated the over 200 artists from Europe and worldwide who will perform at Celtic Connections. Through diverse, contemporary  traditional, electic, national and roots music. The festival brings people together people from different places, cultures, backgrounds, traditional – to explore and expand our musical horizons. 

This year I decided to attend Friday’s concert which brought together the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and outstanding singers with new orchestral commissions for a celebration of Scots traditional ballads, brought to a deeper resonance. singers of traditional ballads were acclaimed Scots folk singers - Karine Polwart, Kris Drever, Lori Watson, Janice Burns with Jon Doran, Emily Smith, Fiona Hunter.  

 

Celtic Connections is Europe’s leading winter and roots music festival, it certainly chases away those winter blues! I was thrilled to attend several high quality and wonderful concerts this year. There are many concerts I might wish to have attended – Mother Tongue, Celebration of Gaelic song, Capercaillie, Jacob Jolliff, and many more. 

Scots legend Dick Gaughan Celebrated!

**The highlight for me at CC this year was the celebration of Scots folk legend Dick Gaughan. He is a voice of deep humanity in our present dark world. This was the most emotional Celtic concert I have been to, over my twenty years attending and doing photos! Testament to Dick’s fame and widespread appeal among legends of the folk music scene, several had travelled far and wide to perform tonight from Ireland, England and Scotland, to perform Gaughan’s well loved songs. Many has also sent messages. 

 

I first heard Dick Gaughan in the 70s at the Police folk club Edinburgh. A musician friend raved about how incredible and distinctive his guitar playing was. Many years later (after being in America for nearly ten years) I heard Gaughan again at Milngavie Folk club in 2007. This was an intimate gig where his chat and stories between songs while he tuned his guitar, was worth going for alone. In his own distinctive voice, Gaughan hammers and speaks with his acoustic guitar.

Gaughan brought many of the traditional Irish and Scots Celtic songs to new life. I’d never heard Robert Burns Westlin Winds before Gaugan introduced this as one of the best songs ever written. He searched through the Scottish national archives for the best traditional ballads. Like Burns and Dylan before him Gaughan has been a genius song collector and remaker of the old songs. He drew on his Scots and Irish traditions to develop his song craft and performance. 

Julie Fowlis and SCO

Another highlight was the excellent Irish Scots folk trad music at the concert with Julie Fowlis with SCO at Celtic Connections 2026 – with their well-crafted songs. Julie has a clear musicality, along with her husband Irish bouzouki (Greek mandolin) player Emanon Doorley and now partnered with Irish fiddler and Gaelic singer Zoe Conway and Irish musician John McIntyre.    The quartet’s 2024 ALLT albums captures their authentic traditional music with that impactful live vibe and a cohesive sound: with soaring pipes, fiddles, melodies, dynamic rhythm guitar, the emotional solo voice, and the collective and caressing soothing vocal harmonies. They played the range and depth of traditional music – and the long roots between Irish and Scottish music. Both intimate and powerful. All performers were clearly thrilled to have the impact and range of the SCO behind them, to enrich their music with strings, percussions, wind instruments. Creatively conducted by David Brophy.

Karen Matheson

The Celtic roots celebration returned for its 31^st year at Celtic Connections music festival. Transatlantic Sessions is one of the highlights of Celtic Connections music festival, with both the familiar tunes and the new. TS brings together the deep connections between Irish, Scots and American music. Its a special blend of the churning rhythms of bluegrass, country, the fine Scots melodies, jigs and reels and the haunting Irish Gaelic song. This year we were treated to a quality range of performers – from America, Kathy Mattea, and Darrell Scott: from Scotland Karine Polwart and from Ireland Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh. 

Like a musical river from Tennessee to Nashville to west Kerry, than to Shetland and to Pathhead Midlothian. As Mattea described, the colourful, one off collaborating at Celtic Connections lead to arteries “like the roots of a tree that lead to different accents – and make the collaborating more sweet.” Like a fascinating patchwork quilt with the variety and range of musical styles and genres that challenge and add musical colour to our lives.

This has been another hugely successful festival to chase away the winter blues.

Darrell Scott

Kathy Mattea

Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh

 16^th  Friday -  BBC Orchestra, Beyond the Tradition

 

17^th Saturday -  Celebration of Gaelic song

 

18^th Sunday –  True and Bold:  A Night for Dick Gaughan

 

21^st Wednesday  - Julie Fowlis & Scottish Chamber orchestra

 

23^rd Friday – Capercaillie 

 

23^rd Friday - Jacob Jolliff

 

29^th Thursday  -  Shooglenifty

 

1^st February – Transatlantic Sessions

Kris Drever

Record breaking Celtic Connections delivers message of hope and unity to the world =  Celtic Connections music festival 2026 celebrated several sell out live performances, record-breaking ticket sales and unique events, sending a message of hope and unity around the world about the power of music, cultural identity and collaboration.

More than 1,600 artists over 300 events at 25 venues across in Glasgow - Scotland’s largest live music city. This year’s event recorded over 200 sell outs, compared to 125 in 2025. With attendances of 114,000 across 18 days - with the highest ever number of tickets sold in the event’s 33-year history - cementing its place as the biggest winter festival of traditional, roots and world music on the planet.  Artists from 35 countries, included Palestine, Iraq, Ukraine, Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, Gambia, Mali, Senegal, Sweden, Norway, Ireland and the United States.

 

Ceilidhs and family events proved popular, with 637 participants taking part in music and song workshops. Four free concerts welcomed 7,000 children and young people from across Scotland to the Glasgow Concert Hall. With performances from Sian, DLÙ, Celtic Fandango and Ímar. Since 1999, more than 300,000 children and young people have benefited from the festival’s learning programme.

  

The last night’s programme, included the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year final, the Danny Kyle Open Stage, Transatlantic Sessions and a performance from three-time Grammy winner Lucinda Williams, concluded the first major event in a busy year for Glasgow in 2026. 

 

Showcase Scotland shone a light on participants from Quebec, along with a wealth of homegrown talent, With international delegates attending from 24 nations for five days of top performances and networking opportunities.

 

The festival is delivered by Glasgow Life in partnership with Innis & Gunn. Celtic Connections is supported by the Scottish Government’s Festivals EXPO Fund and Creative Scotland.

Glasgow will also host WOMAD for the first time in July, the 2026 Commonwealth Games and the Royal National Mòd in October.

 

Alan Morrison, Head of Music at Creative Scotland said: “Scotland’s trad and folk artists were at full strength every single day during Celtic Connections 2026. Tradition bearers were honoured, new stars were born, and Scotland’s music proved yet again that it contains the very best the world has to offer. This was a particularly strong year for international artists too, as the festival celebrated different global cultures, bringing voices together in harmony, not discord, and creating music without borders.”

 

Celtic Connections Creative Director Donald Shaw said: “Such a unique coming together of performers as a global family sends a powerful message about the strength of music, cultural identity and collaboration, especially at a time when the world can feel more fragmented than ever."

“From the Drygate to Donbas, Byres Road to Baghdad, Candleriggs to Palestine, these past incredible days have been forged in friendship, fortitude and the freedom to express ourselves through song, dance and performance, filled with hope, inspiration and togetherness.  “From unforgettable headline moments to seeing artists step onto a Celtic Connections stage for the very first time, we have been united by the music and that is a legacy that will thrive long after the lights have dimmed. With the extraordinary support of our funders and partners, colleagues, venues, audiences and incredible volunteers, this is a festival built by passion and people, celebrating a rich cultural tapestry, musical pioneers and songwriting greats."

 

“To see audiences turn out in such record numbers through a cold and wet winter month is the most fitting tribute we could hope for, and I would like to thank everyone involved for making our 33rd edition so memorable, as we already begin the exciting work of looking ahead to what comes next.” 

Photography & Writing 2026

*BIO photography

Music is our first and last memory. It’s the most interconnected and emotional of all the arts. I came across the strong impact of live music on the folk scene in Scotland and Edinburgh, with those soaring fiddles, strumming guitars and banjos, the beats and rhythms of the bohran. The immediate energy, the collective voice and instinctive collaborations. The power of the moving ballad, sung by a plaintive female singer or the emotion and memories of a traditional ballad. The impact, depth and hinterland of the traditional song. 

 

Many of the greatest songwriters start of by singing the history and past times of the traditional folk ballads and tunes –notably Bob Dylan and Robert Burns being two.

 

I’ve long held a passion for the visual image. I enjoyed sketching with those varying thickness of pencils: from the softest 5B to the hard edges of 5H pencils, or with charcoal or water paints and ink. I took art at school. I explored portraits, still life and the sense of lost horizons. I play piano too, and through musicals, my national song books and Mozart, I explored my passion for music.

 

II

I began shooting music photography in 2007. I discovered that a good image is mostly about having a good eye, while good technique and equipment helps. I shot mostly at small venues and festivals, and received good feedback and commissions. 

 

Some highlight concerts: Michael Marra Mugdock theatre: Elton John SECC; Van Morrison Concert hall; Fleetwood Mac SECC; Bob Dylan Braehead arena; Paul Simon Clyde Auditorium; Del Amitri Hydro; Paul McCartney Hampden; Nicola Benedetti Concert hall; Snow Patrol Bellahouston; Nile Rodgers at Edinburgh book festival Unbound; 

 

At Milngavie Folk Club: (2012 – 2018) Dick Gaughan, Dougie MacLean, Rab Noakes, Barbara Dickson, Cara Dillon, Kris Drever,

 

At Celtic Connections festival (2008 – 2026) Transatlantic Sessions, Grit orchestra, Capercaillie, Richard Thompson, the Chieftains, Punch Brothers, Julie Fowlis, Eddi Reader, Aly Bain, Jerry Douglas, Kris Drver, Karine Polwart, Tim O’Brien, Martin Carthy, Russ Barenberg; Blazin Fiddles, Lau, Rosanne Cash, Ross Wilson.

 

I’ve also taken images at Edinburgh international Book festival from 2010 – 2025. This festival is the first and biggest book festival begun in 1983. 

 

Many famous faces, authors, artists, scientists, musicians, politicians attend – Seamus Heaney, Neil Gaiman, Edna O’Brien, Alexander MacColl Smith, Carol Joyce Oats, Ruth Rendall, Alan Cumming, Brian Cox, John Byrne, Alex Salomd, Ian Rankin and many more.

 

Writing 

I have been rediscovering and reframing the genius Scots poet Robert Burns, after hearing his songs sung again at Celtic Connections music festival. I discovered there are so many myths surrounding him. I wanted to find the real authentic poet behind the many myths. 

 

I write on music, arts, poetry and history – mostly on all things Scotia. Since 2015 I have been exploring the life and times of our great Scots bard Robert Burns and how he became the genius songwriter. I have visited Burns country in Ayrshire. Burns was also about the whole of Scotland – from his Scotia travels and his time in Edinburgh. 

 

I have a large archive of images on my photo website - https://pkimage.co.uk

  

Irish musician Mairtin O’Connor with SCO

 

Julie Fowlis was very well supported by renowned Irish accordion player Mairtin O’Connor, also backed by the orchestra on some powerful tunes. O’Connor has performed with Boys of the Lough and Riverdance. 

Tonight at Celtic Connections music festival 2026, we were treated to two celebrated musicians and composers – Julie Fowlis and Mairtin O’Connor, both brilliantly backed by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. O’Connor performed his composition The Mighty Ocean: a musical dialogue between mankind and the sea, with his band, Cathal Hayden (fiddle), Seamie O’Dowd (guitar), Matthew Berrill (clarinet), Jimmy Higgins (percussion), Ciara O’Connor (cello), Sinead O’Connor (fiddle). 

He has composed music for TV and theatrical productions. In 2013 he was commissioned to compose a suite of music for the European Conference on Dolphins and Whales held in Galway. This resulted in “The Mighty Ocean”, a musical dialogue between mankind and the sea. 

As a studio session musician he’s contributed to many recordings for artists including The Chieftains, The Dubliners, Liam Clancy, Christy Moore, Luka Bloom, Moya Brennan, Mark Knopfler, Elvis Costello, Rod Stewart, Tim & Neil Finn, Tanita Tikaram and many more.

 

Julie Fowlis with SCO at Celtic Connections 2026

 

The touching, mystical and lyrical beauty of these well-crafted Gaelic songs surrounded by live trad folk music  Julie Fowlis with the Scottish Chamber orchestra - Celtic Scots and Irish traditional folk voices enhanced by the depth of sound of the classical orchestra. As well as her crystal clear voice – Julie has a clear, deeply felt, musicality, along with her husband Irish bouzouki (Greek mandolin) player Eamon Doorley and now partnered with Irish fiddler and Gaelic singer Zoe Conway and Irish musician John McIntyre. 

 

The quartet’s 2024 ALLT albums captures their authentic traditional music with that impactful live vibe and cohesive sound: with soaring pipes, fiddles, melodies, dynamic rhythm guitar, the emotional solo voice, and the collective and caressing soothing vocal harmonies. 

They played the range and depth of traditional music – and the long roots between Irish and Scottish music. Both intimate and powerful. All performers were clearly thrilled to have the impact and range of the SCO behind them, to enrich their music with strings, percussions, wind instruments. Creatively conducted by David Brophy.

 

They began with tunes with Fowlis on small pipes. As well as their toe-tapping, uplifting tunes, there were several stand out ballads, namely the memorable Puthrag Nom Puth’r (Sister o sister, about love and loss), the haunting Cuimhne, the melodic Caim chaluim chille chaoimh specially commissioned for Ireland. And the expressive Theid Mi Do Loch Alainn. 

 

The live trad folk music worked so well along side the live orchestra settings, perfectly back by Doorley’s counter-melodies on bouzouki and withMcIntyre’s dramatic melodic and rhythmic guitar, floated over with the perfect calming Gaelic voices. This was a quality collaboration of kindred musical voices, with Fowlis and Conway’s interwoven harmonies. These Gaelic songs were given heart-stirring, joyful, lyrical and uplifting musical settings. 

 

Their song Faoiseamh was dedicated to the people of Ukraine. Conway spoke of how their music and songs were based on their personal inspirations of Gaelic poems, both old and new. Songs of the natural world, homelands: open hearted story-telling, with songs of place and time, love and loss. 

 

They finished their set with speys and reels and a couple of Polka tunes. For their encore they performed beautiful harmony singing on La Rouil. Followed by lively tunes, when they were joined on stage by Mairtin O’Connor on accordion. 

 

Fowlis’s voice is a delight and her performances always have her audiences entranced. Her music expresses her Hebridean Uist roots, with her intimate and pure voice. Perfectly matched by the Irish voices of Conway and McIntyre’s counterbalancing Gaelic harmonies. A high quality, sublime, engrossing and enriching concert. 

 

*Fowlis was very well supported by renowned Irish accordion player and composer Mairtin O’Connor, also backed by the orchestra on some powerful tunes. O’Connor has performed with Boys of the Lough and Riverdance. 

 

I’m personally a massive fan of the live album and I highly recommend both volumes of ALLT. Fowlis plays the Scottish small pipes, oboe, bagpipes  and a melodeon shruti box, which provided a graceful surround to her voice. Mairttn O’Connor, as a session musician has played with the Chieftains, Dubliners, Moga Brennan, Christy Moore, Mark Knopler, Rad Stewart, Elvis Costello, Tim and Neil Finn more. 

 

** Julie Fowlis is an acclaimed Scots Gaelic singer and is well known for her vocals on films – recently on Outlander’s Blood of my Blood and on Disney’s Brave film. She has performed with James Taylor, KT Tunstall, Chris Thile, Graham Coxon (Blur), Nicola Benedetti, Le Vent du Nord, Carlos Nuñez and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Plus a TV and radio presenter (BBC, SKY ARTS, TG4), a voice artist, for The Lost Spells, and on the worldwide best-selling video game Assassins Creed Valhalla, with renowned Norwegian composer Einar Selvik.

 

REVIEW AND PHOTOS PAULINE KEIGHTLEY – www.pkimage.co.uk

 

**ALLT album is a beautiful collection of newly crafted songs and tunes by Julie Fowlis, Éamon Doorley, Zoë Conway and John Mc Intyre.   Recorded live in the round, ‘Allt’ is the culmination of a composition project inspired by old and new Gaelic poetry from Scotland and Ireland. Emotive and powerful melodies coupled with thoughtful and understanding accompaniment, this album captures the spirit and the energy of a live performance.  ‘Allt’ is a truly collaborative venture which artfully and sensitively threads together words and music from their home countries, and reaffirms the ancient musical connection between Ireland and Scotland.  

 Irish musician Mairtin O’Connor

Fowlis was very well supported by renowned Irish accordion player Mairtin O’Connor, also backed by the orchestra on some powerful tunes. O’Connor has performed with Boys of the Lough and Riverdance. 

Tonight we were treated to two celebrated musicians and composers – Julie Fowlis and Mairtin O’Connor, both brilliantly backed by the SCO. O’Connor performed his composition The Mighty Ocean: a musical dialogue between mankind and the sea, with his band, Cathal Hayden (fiddle), Seamie O’Dowd (guitar), Matthew Berrill (clarinet), Jimmy Higgins (percussion), Ciara O’Connor (cello), Sinead O’Connor (fiddle). 

 

Celtic Connections 2026 kicks off!

Celtic Connections 2026 kicks off next week - Thursday, 15 January - and is set to attracts thousands of music lovers  across the world to Glasgow for the premier winter music festival of its kind. Famed for its adventurous spirit, the festival will stage more than 300 events across 25 venues and spanning more than 10 genres across 18 days.

I have attended, covered and photographed at the festival since 2008, nearly twenty years now!! The lighting at concerts is now much more sophisticated. At this cold, dark time of year Celtic Connections offers some joyous warmth with the range, quality and diversity of their unique and international collaborations. Over the years I’ve been to so many memorable concerts. 

 

Everything You Need to Know About Celtic Connections 2026

 

The renowned festival every year transforms Glasgow in January into a must-visit destination for music lovers is now just over a week away.

Celtic Connections – Scotland’s premier winter festival of its kind – attracts thousands of fans and performers to the city from all corners of the world, offering unforgettable moments, groundbreaking collaborations, and a love for music that only Glasgow can provide with its many outstanding venues.

 

When is it?

The countdown is on! Celtic Connections 2026 runs from 15 January to 1 February 2026. Over 300 events at 25+ venues across the city, with audiences of more than 110,000 expected to experience Glasgow’s biggest winter celebration of music and culture.

 

Who’s performing?

With a lineup of over 1,200 artists, of global icons, homegrown heroes and breakthrough names.

Headliners 2026 include country music royalty Emmylou Harris, legendary Cuban collective Buena Vista All Stars, Americana powerhouse Lucinda Williams,Scottish folk-rock pioneers Skerryvore, Grammy-winning banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck, Senegalese orchestral sensation Baobab,

 

Québec’s vibrant music scene contributes acts like Le Vent du Nord and Bon Débarras, highlighting the festival’s commitment to international cultural exchange. indie duo Watchhouse and Mon Rovîa, who tells his refugee story through the healing sound of Afro-Appalachian folk.

Opening Concert at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, World Connections, and a range of one-off collaborations featured throughout the programme. Festival favourites return, including Roaming Roots Revue (Icons Vol. 2), Transatlantic Sessions, and the Danny Kyle Open Stage that showcases emerging talent.

 

Is it for young people?

Absolutely! Celtic Connections is dedicated to making world-class music accessible to everyone, including the next generation. The popular Under 26 Festival Pass is back, providing discounted entry for those aged 18 - 25 to a selection of events – perfect for students, young professionals, and anyone discovering new sounds.

Additionally, the acclaimed Education Programme returns, with thousands of local schoolchildren invited to special concerts and workshops, planting the seeds for a lifelong love of music.

 

What type of music can you hear?

Celtic Connections is famed for its adventurous spirit – audiences will enjoy traditional folk, roots, indie, and world music; blues, jazz, orchestral, Americana, and even electronic influences. 

Experience Gaelic song and Scottish ballads, orchestral world premieres, like The Ayoub Sisters’ Arabic Symphony, roots collaborations linking Scotland with Brazil, Mexico, and beyond, and captivating new commissions. Whether you crave the pulse of a late-night ceilidh or the intimacy of story-driven folk, the festival showcases music in all its diversity.

 

What’s new for 2026?

Once again ambitious collaborations and boundary-pushing debuts take centre stage:

•    For the first time, the Emirates Arena will host two back to back shows: an incredible farewell show from Emmylou Harris and its largest folk-rock party yet with Skerryvore

•    Citizens Theatre becomes an official festival venue for the first time, welcoming the likes of Glasgow’s own spellbinding Alice Faye and Òran Ùr, a night celebrating 25 years of new Gaelic songs

•    Cross-cultural projects bring together musicians from Scotland, Sweden, Ireland, Mexico, Brazil and Iraq

•    Innovative shows like Tràigh Mhòr will bring Brazilian and Scottish roots together, and the world premiere of Delusions blends music, spoken word and multimedia art, while the Maclean Brothers’ night will celebrate extraordinary stories of endurance and global connection

•    A new multi-year partnership with the Edinburgh International Book Festival sees groundbreaking collaborations between Scotland's celebrated writers and musicians including The Golden Road featuring William Dalrymple, India Alba and renowned artists.

 

How do I get a ticket?

Tickets for the festival are available now at www.celticconnections.com. 

 

Celtic Connections Creative Producer, Donald Shaw, said: “Celtic Connections is big, bold and inspiring – it’s a festival that isn’t afraid to take risks, champions artistic expression and believes in collaboration, and having fun. There’s a special kind of magic that fills Glasgow every January during Celtic Connections. Come and join us to experience unforgettable shows, world-class artists, and surprises around every corner. We can’t wait to share these moments with everyone who loves music as much as we do!”

 

This year’s festival, delivered by Glasgow Life in partnership with Innis & Gunn, promises inspiration, discovery and the warmest of welcomes – here’s everything you need to know.

Celtic Connections is delivered with funding from Glasgow City Council through Glasgow Life. Creative Scotland and The Scottish Government Festivals Expo Fund continue to provide invaluable support to Celtic Connections.