European folk music takes centre stage at Skye

Traditional music by top Scottish and Spanish musicians features in this week’s Skye Festival programme.

The annual two-month festival is celebration of performing arts and island culture and takes place this year until Tuesday August 28.

Orcadian duo Saltfish Forty have won a devoted following throughout the UK and beyond, successfully transcending the duo format’s conventional confines.

They come to An Talla Mhòr on Friday August 17.

Tuesday August 21 brings an evening of exciting, passionate and powerful music from northwest Spain when multi-award-winning maestro of the Galician gaita Anxo Lorenzo performs a concert with his band in TDC main hall.

Anxo is renowned for his high octane, mesmerising performances and is a pioneer of the gaita pipe in a wide array of musical genres. Prepare to be spellbound.

Highland fiddle player Adam Sutherland is the recent MG Alba Scots Trad awards composer of the year.

The outstanding musicians in his band – Marc Clement on guitar, Angus Lyon on accordion, Hamish Napier on keys, Iain Copeland on drums and John Paul Spiers on bass - include members of Sesssion A9, Blazin’ Fiddles, Sketch, Nae Plans and Hue and Cry. They will perform the hits from Adam’s first record Squall as well as material from his new solo album Some Other Land. The concert takes place in TDC main hall on Wednesday August 22.

For something completely different, three of Scotland’s most popular crime writers came to Armadale Castle, Gardens and Museum of the Isles on Sunday.

Michael J Malone, Caro Ramsay and Douglas Skelton held afternoon workshops for writers of any discipline and a meet the authors talk in the evening for readers, writers and lovers of crime fiction.