Gary's Hoolie in the Hydro
Taynuilt’s Gary Innes hopes to be organising the world’s biggest cèilidh this December.
A member of super-group Mànran, Gary says Hoolie in Glasgow’s Ovo Hydro on Saturday December 17 has the potential to be the biggest night of traditional music to ever have taken place.
Some of the top musicians on the Scottish and Irish scene will be taking to the stage, including famed Caledonia singer Dougie Maclean, Celticrock sensations Mànran, Ireland’s Sharon Shannon Band, award-winning Scottish outfit Skerryvore and festival favourites Trail West.
An all-star cèilidh band will open the night and an unforgettable encore will welcome a host of special guests to the stage to finish this legendary night in extraordinary style.
This will be the first time an arena has been hired by an individual in the UK to showcase a night completely dedicated to traditional music and Gary hopes it will be the start of something special.
Gary, who is also a BBC radio host, said: ‘I appreciate that putting on a show of this size and scale during the current times is a bold move, but I also genuinely believe that traditional music has a place on the country’s biggest stages.
‘Someone always has to go first and my hope is that Hoolie in the Hydro will pave the way for other traditional musicians to take the gamble and start booking shows on a similar scale. Once the door is opened and people see that it can be done, I don’t see any reason why traditional music can’t be showcased throughout the year on stages like The Ovo Hydro.
‘This world-first event is set to be the biggest night of traditional music that Scotland has ever seen. I can’t wait to have thousands of people join us for what’s sure to be a serious party and a history-making moment.’
The idea first hatched in January 2020 after Gary reached 20,000 likes on his Facebook Page. To celebrate, he put out a slightly tongue-incheek post which said if half of the people who had ‘liked’ his page bought a ticket for the Hydro, they could have the world’s biggest cèilidh. The likes, shares and support for the idea started flooding in, so he decided to follow it up and in early March 2020, Gary went ahead and booked Scotland’s largest indoor venue.
Tickets for Hoolie in the Hydro went on sale in December 2021 and thousands snapped them up before a lineup was even announced.
Martin Gillespie, of
Skerryvore, said: ‘This is going to be an incredible night - it will be amazing to perform on the Hydro stage and it will be a pinnacle moment for the trad music scene as we take the country’s biggest arena by storm. I don’t think they’ll have ever seen a party like it and I can’t wait to be a part of that.’
And Oban’s Kim Carnie and Mànran singer said: ‘This night will mark the culmination of years of hard work and dedication from the bands who have come before us and inspired us to do what we do, as well as the work of those who promote and have promoted our culture, music and languages. It really shows how much traditional music has grown in popularity over the last three decades. It is certainly an exciting night to be a part of.’
Tickets for Hoolie in the Hydro are on sale now at: www.sec.co.uk/events/detail/ hoolie-in-the-hydro.