Gaelic Residential Events
At our Gaelic residential events young people get the chance to take part in a variety of workshops including Gaelic song, music, drama and group-work, as well as cooking and outdoor activities. The next weekend is Friday 21st November to Sunday 23rd November 2025 and booking is now open.
This Gaelic Residential Weekend, at The Old Brewery in Cromarty, is a great opportunity for young people to spend the weekend with other young Gaelic speakers, participating in a range of workshops, sessions and activities, all through the medium of Gaelic.
Open to Gaelic speakers in S1- S4, the weekend will consist of an array of activities, all through the medium of Gaelic, and led by a fantastic team of experienced tutors and supervisors; including Arthur Donald, Allan Henderson, Ingrid Henderson and Morag MacDonald. Participants will have a choice of workshops, including Gaelic song, group-work, cooking, drama, games and team-building as well as free time and evening social activities.
The weekend will run from 5pm on Friday 21st November until 4pm on Sunday 23rd November 2025. It is a fantastic opportunity for young people to spend a weekend immersed in Gaelic, with the chance to make new friends as well as learn new skills.
We are grateful to Bòrd na Gàidhlig for support towards this event.
“The Hendersons of Lochaber are custodians of a musical lineage stretching back several centuries. Originally pipers to the MacDonald’s of Glencoe (Clann Iain Abrach), the present generation of ‘Clan Eunraig Mòr nam Feadan’ have become widely known as fine instrumentalists and singers.”
Allan Henderson
Originally from Mallaig, but now living in South Uist, Allan Henderson has been a well-kent face on the traditional music scene for many years. A multi-instrumentalist and composer, he was a founder member of Blazin’ Fiddles and toured extensively with them for fifteen years. He is also a former Musician in Residence at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig and is constantly in demand as a performer, teacher, composer, producer and broadcaster. Allan has been a music lecturer for in 2019, and has
Since 2019, Allan has been teaching music at the University of the Highlands and Islands, on the HNC Music course and on the Music and the Applied Music (BA) degree.
Ingrid Henderson
Ingrid Henderson is a Lochaber-born harpist, pianist and composer regarded as a “musician of quite outstanding calibre, a virtuoso in terms of sensibility” She first made her mark by winning the BBC Radio 2 Young Tradition Award at just 13. Since then she’s become a fixture in Scotland’s traditional music scene—performing with ensembles such as Cliar, the Glenfinnan Ceilidh Band, and as a duo partner with Margaret Stewart and husband Iain MacFarlane. Ingrid’s recent solo work includes Message in a Bottle, an immersive audio-visual project inspired by Scotland’s coasts and commissioned by NatureScot.
A respected educator, Ingrid taught on the Gaelic & Music BA programme at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig and currently serves as principal harp tutor at the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music in Plockton. She’s also an experienced musical director and presenter on BBC Alba, leading shows like Cèilidh na Bliadhn’ Ùire. Co- owner of Old Laundry Productions, she continues to record, perform, teach, and inspire across the Highlands and beyond.
Artair Donald
Artair Donald was brought up on the Isle of Tiree and has been acting professionally for over 30 years. He has performed on radio, stage, television and film. He is known for his regular appearances on the Gaelic TV soap Machair (STV) and appearing on Rab C. Nesbitt and Eilbheas (BBC Scotland). Recent credits include Outlander and Mary Queen of Scots. In addition to broadcast, he has also been working in theatre particularly Gaelic theatre development for many years, including with Cartoon Theatre. Artair regularly leads drama workshops with Secondary and Primary schools culminating in public performances and over several years he was the Artistic Director of the Gaelic Drama Summer School run by Fèisean nan Gàidheal. Recently he has returned to making puppet videos for young people as resource material and entertainment.
We are grateful for the financial support from Bòrd na Gàidhlig which allows us to make this event ‘Pay what you can’, meaning families are able to pay what they can afford.
On the booking site, you will see four payment options, starting with “I can’t pay anything and would like to get a free place.” If you can pay more, then you have options to pay £25, £50, £75, £100 or £125.
£125 represents the cost of accommodation and food (excluding workshops and evening activities). We want every child to be able to take advantage of this opportunity, so please choose the payment option that suits you. The weekend can also be paid for in instalments. If you would like to pay this way, please contact Lorraine.
Essential items are as follows:
• Any medication you need – this may be handed over to your supervisor for safekeeping. (Please notify your supervisor on arrival at your accommodation of any medication you are required to take)
• Re-usable water bottle
• Waterproof jacket
• Shoes for walking
• Enough changes of clothing for the weekend, pyjamas, slippers and a dressing gown or onesie
• Toiletries
• Hairdryer
• Towel
• Voices for singing
• Apron or a spare shirt if you will be cooking
• Your instrument(s) – labelled
• A folder for keeping music sheets tidy
• A notebook and pen or pencil
• Please bring a music stand if you prefer to read music rather than learn by ear.
• If you have spare strings for your guitar/fiddle etc., please take them with you
Please make sure all of personal belongings are clearly labelled with participant’s name.
For any further queries about the weekend, please contact: sophie.stephenson@feisrois.org