A well-known island band is to headline the popular Hebridean Celtic music festival.
Skipinnish, formed in Tiree in 1999, will return to HebCelt in July for their third time in just six years to headline the main stage on Thursday, July 19.
The band previously played the popular event in 2012 and 2016, becoming a particular favourite for the group.
Accordionist and founder of the group Angus MacPhail said: “Of all the festivals we have ever played at, HebCelt is consistently the best organised and easiest to perform at.
“We are so grateful to our fans who have shown such strong support and the numbers keep growing all the time. For whatever reason, people seem to be really enjoying what we are doing and we hope that will continue.
“There is no better feeling that playing a gig and people leave on a euphoric music and song-fuelled high. But I don’t think you can create that consciously. We just have to do what we do and hope for the best.”
In the wake of the Manchester bombing last year, Mr MacPhail wrote the song ‘Wishing Well’ as a tribute to 14 year-old Eilidh MacLeod, one of 22 victims of the tragic event on May 22 last year.
The single peaked at Number 24 in the UK charts, with all proceeds from the single going to the Team Eilidh fundraising group which hopes to raise £5,000 to support the funding of a permanent memorial to the young teenager.
He added: “Performing the song in Stornoway will feel particularly powerful as Hebrideans as a people are a very close community. The loss of Eilidh MacLeod was felt sorely far and wide but nowhere more so than in the Western Isles.”
