City’s Gaelic trail fine tuned
A SONG trail is set to be staged in Glasgow in a bid to revitalise the city’s rich Gaelic history.
Starting at George Square with a near-forgotten song about the famous sculptures occupying the public space, the new trail will make its way through some of the city’s best known streets - ending at the banks of the Clyde.
Curated by acclaimed Gaelic musician Mary Ann Kennedy the singer /songwriter leads the tour which is part of the Merchant City Festival. Kennedy will perform an array of songs, in- cluding some from her new album, An Dàn, to give a contemporary view of Glasgow’s history of multicultural communities.
Bailie Philip Braat, the Depute Lord Provost and the chairman of the Merchant City Festival steering group, said: “As part of the Merchant City Festival’s richly diverse programme of the very best of Scottish and international art, the Gaelic Song Trail explores an important aspect of the city’s history in a fresh and fascinating way, and brings the story up to date with contemporary musical observations for what promises to be a very enjoyable event.”
The Gaelic Song Trail is the first engagement event for a wider three-year project called ‘Glaschu Gàidhlig’ being developed by Glasgow Life with Glasgow University and Dress for the Weather.
The project aims to increase the visibility and deepening the awareness of the cultural, linguistic and historical connection Gaelic has with the city.
The Merchant City Festival kicked off on Saturday with a carnival celebrating Glasgow’s history, heritage and archaeology.
The carnival parade featured groups from across the city, as well as national and international performers, including the mesmeric stilt performers Carpetbag Brigade from the USA. The festival will continue through to Sunday with several more events on the cards.