A capacity crowd of over 300 attended the launch of Feis Rois’s latest CD, The Voyage of the Hector, on Saturday night in the new ferry terminal building. It was a privilege to host such an incredible and moving concert performed by 13 supremely talented musicians (6 fiddlers including the acclaimed Cape Breton fiddler Rachel Davis, 2 pipers, 2 harps/vocals, flute, guitar, piano, accordion) The scene was spectacular; as the sun set over the snow-capped mountains, the water on Loch Broom became increasingly choppy and gulls swooped in the background. It was easy to imagine a boat of emigrants leaving the very same shore in 1773 to make the perilous journey across the Atlantic in search of a new life. The music, commissioned by Feis Rois and composed by John Somerville, the world renowned accordion player, is breath-taking. To our great delight, the acoustics are excellent and the building makes a perfect performance venue – nobody could ask for a better backdrop! The roars of approval and standing ovation brought an incredible evening to a close.
Many thanks to Fiona, John, Rachel, Louise, Emily, Innes, Mike, Conal, Ali, Lynsey, Innes, Ruairidh, Rachel and Misha for providing a truly amazing and memorable experience.
Ullapool Harbour Trust was delighted to support the recording of the new CD which not only sounds superb, it’s also packaged beautifully. Feis Rois are selling the CDs at £12 each; the Harbour will also be selling copies in the office and through our website from the end of May. We heartily recommend this album for anyone’s music collection.
The story of The Hector, which carried the first significant migration of Scottish emigrants to Nova Scotia, is currently being told in an exhibition at Ullapool Museum.