TICKETS have gone on sale for this year's Yn Chruinnaght inter-Celtic festival.
The festival, which brings together a mix of Celtic music and dance from all six Celtic countries, will take place between July 18 and 24.
Organisers say one of the highlights of this year's festival is the dynamic Scottish group Capercaillie.
Presented in conjunction with the Department of Community, Culture and Leisure the gig will showcase a group which has been performing for over 25 years. The group achieved the first ever Top 40 hit for a Gaelic song with the track Coisich A' Ruin.
Capercaillie will perform at the Villa Marina in Douglas on Monday, July 18. Tickets cost £16 and can be purchased from the Villa Marina Box Office on 01624 600555 or online at www.villagaiety.com.
There will also be a Breton dance night at Ramsey Masonic Hall on Wednesday, July 20 and a giant ceili at Douglas Masonic Hall on Saturday, July 23. Both nights start at 8pm. Tickets for the Breton dance night cost £5 or £3 for concessions. Tickets for the ceili cost £6 or £4 for concessions.
Irish-Breton band Guidewires will play on Friday, July 22 and Scottish Gaelic singing sensation Maeve MacKinnon on Sunday, July24. Both concerts will take place at the Centenary Centre in Peel. Tickets cost £12.50 or £7.50 for concessions. If you buy tickets for both there is a special discounted price of £22 or £14 for concessions.
Manx Telecom is sponsoring three days of the festival (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) and will supply organisers with mobile broadband and its online SMS service which allows text messages to be sent in bulk.
Voirrey Barron, Manx Telecom's marketing communications manager, said: "In addition to providing sponsorship and the SMS service we also promote Yn Chruinnaght on the internet, in our shops and with newspaper adverts. Yn Chruinnaght is one of the highlights of the Manx cultural calendar and Manx Telecom is very proud to support an event with such a rich heritage."
Yn Chruinnaght is supported by the Manx Heritage Foundation and the Isle Of Man Arts Council. The festival committee will have a stand on Tynwald Day for anyone who wants more information on the festival.
Tickets are available from Shakti Man (Ramsey), Celtic Gold (Peel), Thompson Travel (Port Erin), and Peter Norris Music and Mostly Manx (Douglas). Alternatively you can e-mail ynchruinnaght@manx.net or text 07624 425957.
