Portpatrick Folk Festival kicks off this Friday, 31st August, with the traditional 'lone piper' playing on the Dorn Rock at 7pm. A great weekend of lively sessions and concerts is promised, and if the weather is kind, lots of outdoor fun.
Top Scottish performers ‘The Anna Massie Band’ have been signed to top the bill at this year’s festival concert on Saturday evening. Winners of the "Best Folk Band" Award at the 2006 Scots Trad Music Awards, The Anna Massie Band is a young, dynamic trio finding a very warm welcome amongst Scotland’s top bands. "Celtic culture in sparkling form" (Celtic Music Shop) …"It should be illegal to be so young and so talented" (Dirty Linen)
Featuring Anna Massie (Young Trad Musician of the Year 2003), on fiddle, mandolin, tenor banjo and flat-picking guitar, Jenn Butterworth on guitar and vocals and Mairearad Green on accordion and border pipes, the band has made a considerable impression on the international folk scene. Previous festival performances include Celtic Connections, Orkney, Shetland, HebCeltic, Tønder, Gigha, Jura, Goderich and Blas. Anna has twice soloed at Cape Breton’s Celtic Colours Festival; in 2006 the band performed at the festival’s 10th anniversary, as well as touring Denmark and Sweden and performing at the Cambridge Folk Festival and a host of other British venues.

Festival organisers are pleased to welcome talented local young singer ‘Robyn Stapleton’, fresh from her tour of Hungary with the National Youth Choir of Scotland, to act as support at the Saturday Concert. Robyn made her debut at the age of nine for the Burns Federation where she received her first local award. She was a regular winner of the Wigtownshire Festival’s Scots Song Trophy before moving on to Glasgow to study voice and piano with the Youth Academy of the RSAMD. Robyn has been singing with the National Youth Choir of Scotland for 3 years now, celebrating their 10th Aniversary in London at the Royal Albert Hall. Robyn will be accompanied by Kirsty, a fellow student at the RSAMD. Friday evening will see the Downshire Arms Hotel host an unforgettable performance from ‘Life O’ Reilly and Friends’. Life O’ Reilly continually delight audiences with their eclectic mix of the traditional and modern; from Burns to Beach Boys, from Ceilidh to Concert, from Norway to Southend. Virtuoso musicians each, the sum is greater than the parts. The band are: Mandy Green - Guitar / Bodhran / Vocals; Colin Modrate - Whistles / Pipes / Guitar / Vocals; Alan Brown - Guitar / vocals / witty comments; Matt Hose - Fiddle. Some or all of the following Friends are hoping to appear for at least part of this gig: Steve Dowling - Guitar / Bass / Vocals; Gary 'Breagle' Martin - Keyboards / Vocals; Tony Cerexhe - Guitar / vocals, & Harry Harbottle - Percussion. 'Sessions with a view across the water' are planned at the Mount Stewart Hotel on both Saturday and Sunday between 2pm & 5pm featuring exciting traditional Irish & Scottish music. A Family Music Workshop will be run by Tony Cerexhe in the Village Hall on Saturday afternoon from 2.30pm - bring an instrument, or make your own from whatever is to hand: shakers from bottles and rice or beans, bottle tops on sticks... ‘Failte’, playing a lively mix of Jigs, Reels and Songs, make a welcome comeback at the Crown Hotel on both Friday and Saturday nights, and will also lead sessions outside - weather permitting! Saturday night sees a first for the Downshire Arms Hotel with a concert performance from ‘Swaggar - unplugged’. Singer - songwriters, Gavin Sweeney (Vocals / Guitar / Banjo) and Pete Sloan (Vocals / Guitar) set aside their contemporary success for the weekend and return to their folk roots. Two good voices and some strong playing - sure to delight visitors to the Port. Sunday afternoon at 2.30pm will see an eagerly awaited workshop session from Anna Massie & band in the Downshire Arms back bar. All welcome, but please check at the Festival Office for availability. The harbourside terrace at the Harbour House Hotel is the usual gathering place for many musicians in fine weather - this year they're even going to move the furniture around inside to make more room for the number of singers and players expected. A shuttle bus has been arranged between locations around the village and local caravan and camping sites. Run by Wigtownshire Transport Co-ordination Project, it is hoped that this service will help locals and visitors safely & easily access the Festival and avoid parking problems. The Concert is from 7pm ‘til 10pm Saturday 1st September in Portpatrick village Hall. Tickets are priced at: £7 adults / £5 concessions / £3 children (under 12). Book online (see below), from Festival Office (07724 618855), or at the door. Information will be available throughout the weekend from the Festival Office, based in a traditional Gypsy caravan, which will be parked on the seafront between the Waterfront Hotel and the Putting green.