NTS curates first fèis on isle of Canna

AN ISLAND with a treasure trove of Gaelic folklore is to hold its first ever fèis next month.

Five venues on Canna will host events as part of the traditional Gaelic festival on 1 October.

The fèis movement began in Barra in 1981 and there are now more than 40 events held across Scotland.

Canna was gifted to the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) in 1981 by Gaelic scholar John Lorne Campbell who collected Gaelic songs, poems and music. The island is home to one of the largest private collections of Celtic literature and an archive of national importance.

Canna property manager Stewart Connor said: “Canna has been a centre for the study of Gaelic culture for a long time. We are very pleased to be hosting this fèis which celebrates the language and music of this beautiful part of the world.”

The event, being held by the NTS and the Canna Community Association, is part of Scotland’s Islands, a year-long celebration of Hebridean life and culture.

One of the venues used is Canna House which was the home of John Lorne Campbell and Margaret Faye Shaw between 1938 and 1981.

Mr Campbell died in 1996 and Ms Shaw continued to live on Canna until her death in 2004 at the age of 101.

The trust has preserved the building’s interior and exterior and in March this year opened the two front rooms and the front hall for viewing.