THE cultural links between Scotland and Ireland are to be celebrated at this year’s Findhorn Bay Arts festival.
Already crowned the best large festival in the 2025 Scottish Events Award, organisers are aiming to make this edition “the biggest and best” yet.
They have joined forces with Culture Ireland to bring over acclaimed Irish artists to Moray for the festival, including folk luminaries Zoë Conway, Éamon Doorley and John McIntyre, who will join Scottish national treasure Julie Fowlis to present Allt, a collection of songs and tunes inspired by Irish and Scottish Gaelic traditions.
Sharon Barry, director of Culture Ireland, said the organisation was proud to help bring Irish artists to the festival.
“Ireland’s cultural relationship with Scotland has always been strong, and we are delighted to further deepen this with these wonderful artists,” she said.
“Our aim is to expand the reach and impact of Irish arts and culture across the world at signature events and festivals big and small.”
The festival will also feature the Esposito Quintet, who will perform their own set before joining the quartet for Allt. Based in Dublin, the ensemble brings together renowned musicians and orchestral leaders.
Contemporary folk will take centre stage in a special double bill featuring Rachel Sermanni, inset, and Joshua Burnside.
The Carrbridge singer-songwriter is celebrated for her distinctive songwriting, while Northern Ireland’s Burnside combines folk, electronica and Irish traditional influences to create a sound entirely his own.
Widely regarded as one of the most exciting voices on the contemporary folk scene, Burnside’s album Teeth of Time was named one of BBC Radio 6 Music’s Albums of the Year and has received multiple award nominations across the UK and Ireland.
Jazz enthusiasts will be equally well served, with Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year 2025 Colin Steele bringing not one but two concerts to the festival.
His quintet will celebrate what would have been jazz legend Miles Davis’s 100th birthday, featuring an all-star line-up including Konrad Wiszniewski, Pete Johnstone, Roy Percy and Jim Drummond.
The festival will also welcome back award-winning writer and performer Alan Bissett with When Billy Met Alasdair, a major success at the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
In this one-man show, Bissett plays both Billy Connolly and Alasdair Gray, imagining what might have happened when Connolly attended the launch of Gray’s landmark novel Lanark in 1981. The play explores the lives, challenges and achievements of two of Glasgow’s most influential cultural figures.
As part of its 40th anniversary tour, Scottish Dance Theatre will bring its double bill, Ray and Little Ray, to the festival. Created by Brussels-based choreographer Meytal Blanaru, the performances celebrate the power of movement and human connection. Little Ray has been specially created for children aged three to five.
Continuing the festival’s celebration of Scottish-Irish connections will be Miss Mary by Kristyn Fontanella, an outdoor dance performance inspired by Ireland’s travelling dance masters. Combining Irish step dance with contemporary movement, the work explores heritage, memory and community.
Festival director Kresanna Aigner said she was very grateful to Culture Ireland for helping to bring Irish artists to Moray.
“The strong creative connections between Scotland and Ireland showcase the richness of our shared Celtic cultures,” she said.
Tickets for the festival, which will run from September 24 until October 4, will go on sale on July 22. To be among the first to receive updates and ticket information, sign up for at www.findhornbayarts.com/newsletter-sign-up/
