GUESTS 2014: Altan, Arthur Johnstone and The Stars Band, Robyn Stapleton Trio, Fiona Hunter Band, Ellen and Kevin Mitchell, Chris Miles, Billy Henderson, May Mayberry, Heather Heywood, Mike Hancock (children’s entertainer), Colin McAllister and Frances Logan (storytellers), Tattiehowkers Ceilidh Band
The souvenir programme for the 40th Festival is available to download as a PDF using this link. Girvan Folk Festival, 2014 Souvenir Programme
2014 marks the 40th Anniversary of the Girvan Folk Festival. The Festival started in 1974, a time when folk music in Scotland was increasingly exploring its own roots. The music of Ireland had a big influence in the early years of the folk revival in Scotland but by the mid seventies bands like the Boys of the Lough, Ossian and Battlefield Band were ready to take Scottish folk music to an international audience. Girvan is also known as a singers’ festival.
Girvan’s geographic position helped it become a meeting point for musicians. Many artists from Ireland made their debut Scottish appearance at Girvan among them Mary Black, the early incarnations of Altan, Niamh Parsons, Arcady, Deanta and Dervish. Girvan had particularly strong links with folk musicians in Glasgow and the West of Scotland through groups like Kentigern, Setanta and the early line ups of The Battlefield Band. The World Premier of The Singing Kettle as a stage show was at Girvan.
‘… It was a time of creativity in all areas of music but was a particularly key period for folk music in Scotland.’
To mark this anniversary we are presented an exhibition at The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall during the Celtic Connections festival in January 2014. The core of the photographic exhibition catches many people at an interesting stage of their musical journeys. They had been around long enough to have established their identity but with long roads ahead of them. For many people this period is seen as a golden age. It was a time of creativity in all areas of music but was a particularly key period for folk music in Scotland.