A Celtic paradise

There’s so much that ties Scotland to the sun-soaked Caribbean island of Barbados and the annual Celtic Festival celebrates exactly that

At first glance Scotland and Barbados appear to be two very different countries with little in common. Barbados enjoys year-round sunshine and temperatures of around 28 oC while Scotland enjoys a year-round game of ‘guess the weather’. However, what might surprise many people is how closely linked the two places actually are. Various events in history – including Oliver Cromwell’s victory and the Jacobite rebellion in the 17th century – either encouraged or forced Scots to Barbados where they would work on the growing number of sugar plantations as indentured servants or seek out their own land.

It is why Barbados even has its own Scotland District and why so many Bajan’s have surnames like MacDonald and Grant. There is one event in particular which celebrates the long-standing ties between the two countries; The Barbados Celtic Festival.

It began back in 1996 when a Welsh woman invited her father’s male voice choir to Barbados to perform. The performance in the Frank Collymore Hall in Bridgetown is remembered fondly by many locals and ex-pats. In subsequent years, pipers joined in along with bands and musicians from Scotland, Ireland and Wales. As the festival expands - with events taking place all across the island - it now includes an annual street parade where all visiting pipers and drummers can take part, individually joining the ‘big band’, or with their own full pipe bands.

Last year even saw students from Strathallan school in Perthshire travel out to join the Barbados Celtic Festival Pipe Band. The main music concert will be held on the Friday evening at Harbour Lights – with performances from some outstanding musicians from Scotland and Ireland – folk, rock and soul music from Caledonian Soul.

While the music brings together visiting musicians with locals, there’s also a blending of Caribbean and Caledonian influences when it comes to the food, and as no Celtic festival this side of the North Atlantic would be complete without our

national dish, Edinburgh chef Paul Wedgwood created the first Bajan haggis using the local black belly sheep in 2011.

‘Local chefs do their research and they come up with Scottish dishes and there’s things like Irish stew and Guinness chocolate cake,’ says Festival Director Carol Anderson. ‘Everything is tied to the Celtic theme but they use West Indian ingredients. We once had a Caribbean cranachan made with mango, coconut and rum instead of whisky and oats and raspberries.’

Local schools are introduced to Scottish, Irish and Welsh Gaelic culture through song and dance. It also includes a performance at the SOL Motor Rally ‘Show’, where rally drivers and their teams from the Caribbean and the Celtic countries gather, and have their vehicles on show ahead of two big races – King of the Hill, during the Celtic Festival, and the SOL Rally the following weekend. The festival pipers are one of the highlights of the Rally show, which is organised by an ex-pat Scot.

Running from Tuesday 19 May until Sunday 24 May, the festival also offers visitors the chance to venture out on the crystal clear waters surrounding the island. You can take a trip out on the Caribbean Sea on a luxury 60ft catamaran with Cool

Runnings – set sail up the west coast of Barbados and enjoy a delicious lunch buffet on board, drinks and snorkelling with the sea turtles.

For anyone hoping to enjoy the local tipple there are also rum distillery excursions for visitors. You can uncover the history of the famous drink which was founded in Barbados, along with the grapefruit and ginger beer.

There are also plenty of opportunities to brush up on your Gay Gordons with a Saturday morning ceilidh for parents and young children at the Flower Forest Botanical Gardens and another on the Sunday at a different venue.

Beyond the festival there’s an abundance of things to see and do in Barbados whether you want to relax under a palm tree, watch a spot of polo or dive in to a day of scuba diving.

With all of this on offer, it’s easy to see why so many people choose to return to Barbados again and again.

Barbados is easy to get to from the UK with daily flights from London Gatwick with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

For more information on either attending or taking part in the festival visit www.barbadoscelticfestival.com or email info@barbadoscelticfestival.com. For further information about Barbados go to www.visitbarbados.org