Manx musician and Gaelic speaker Isla Callister is a fiddle player from the Isle of Man. Raised on the rich culture and music from the island, her music reflects a strong connection to her native language, music and home. She blends this with influences from the prominent Irish session scene on the island and her new home of Scotland.
Cathal Ó Curráin is a multi-instrumentalist from Gaoth Dobhair, Donegal, who specialises in Irish Traditional and Folk Music on fiddle, banjo, bouzouki and song. From an early age Cathal was immersed in music from attending regular sessions in Teach Hiúdaí Beag with the likes of Mairéad and Ciarán Ó Maonaigh. Hailing from a family that are best known for their singing Cathal learned his songs from his aunties Caitlín and Bríd Joe Jack.
Suzanne and Jeri launch their duo at the Niel Gow Festival 2025.
Suzanne Fivey is a multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Glasgow. Her roots are in Scottish traditional music and she is in most familiar territory at a piano alongside any fiddle player who is in the mood to keep up! She is currently channeling her skills in harmony and accompaniment into writing projects for theatre and screen.
Jeri Foreman is a fiddle player and tune writer from Australia, living in Scotland and working as a traditional musician. She has studied several fiddle styles in depth and holds a degree in classical violin. Genres of specialty include Scottish, Irish, Bluegrass, Old Time and Australian Celtic fiddle, with areas of interest in Old Time accompaniment, Americana, Scandinavian, Quebecois and Asturian music. Her own projects currently include The Fountaineers (bluegrass band), Swamp Chicken (old time string band), The Household Names (modern trad band), Nice Like That (vintage bluegrass/country duo), Jeri Foreman & Ruth Eliza (old time duo), The Crossbow Trio (multi genre fiddle music) and Point Five Ceilidh Band (Scottish trad). Jeri also performs as a session musician with acts as diverse as traditional Scots singers, Americana bands, prog rock singers, jazz guitarists, country singers and many ceilidh bands. She has also won a whole bunch of awards.
One of the most influential musicians of his generation, Bruce MacGregor has been a massive driving force in the revitalisation of Scottish folk music. Founding the phenomenally successful Blazin Fiddles in 1998, his driving yet lyrical style of playing alongside his passion for the history and culture of the Highlands, has helped inspire a new generation of musicians and lovers of traditional music across the world.Bruce will be joined by Ali Duncan.
We are delighted to welcome Elizabeth & Daniel back to the Niel Gow Festival after their debut here in 2023 really impressed audiences.
Combining the rich traditions of the Isle of Man with the varied sounds of synth pop and Eurofolk, Elizabeth Davidson-Blythe & Daniel Quayle have forged a sound that is both dramatic and compelling.
Since the release of their debut album, The Coast Road, in 2022, the duo has been invigorating audiences, bringing their distinctive sound to festivals across Europe and picking up new influences along the way.Whether they’re burning through reels, or setting the scene for a meditative air, audiences are enraptured by their fresh new take on a musical tradition like no other.
Elizabeth has also written a tune, ‘The Birnam Oak’, for the Niel Gow Festival Tunebook, the tune has also featured in some of the festival’s promotion videos.
“Dunkeld Strath & Reel"has been an important part of Dunkeld's lively traditional music scene for the past 90 years, has been closely associated with the Niel Gow Festival and, under its music director Pete Clark, is delighted to bring you a programme of great music from the 20th to the 21st centuries, much of it composed locally.
