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Why Tiree Music Festival chief isn’t checking the weekend forecast after extreme weather cancelled 2023’s event

Tiree Music Festival co-founder Daniel Gillespie says he's looking ahead to an exciting return but not necessarily looking up after last year's unexpected forecast.

Organiser Daniel Gillespie, top left, says he's looking forward to a 'solid year' after 2023's cancellation. Images: DC Thomson/ Tiree Music Festival
Organiser Daniel Gillespie, top left, says he's looking forward to a 'solid year' after 2023's cancellation. Images: DC Thomson/ Tiree Music Festival

As co-founder and organiser of Tiree Music Festival, Daniel Gillespie is used to having a plan B.

While the stunning landscape of Tiree makes for an incredible backdrop, organising a music festival on the most westerly island in the Inner Hebrides has its challenges.

“There are so many elements of it you can’t control,” said the Skerryvore accordionist. “I think that’s the hard part.

“There’s always something.

“Whether that’s a flight not getting in, a ferry being delayed or something not getting delivered, you have to adapt.”

Daniel Gillespie
Organiser and Skerryvore’s Daniel Gillespie. Image: Tiree Music Festival

One year, he remembers a delayed ferry carrying a load of booked artists and bands prompted the creation of a makeshift band on site.

Organisers went around the festival calling on holidaying musicians to fill a space in the schedule.

Ironically, the created band adopted the name CalMac Collective for their performance in their colleagues’ honour.

Last year’s extreme weather however, was something else entirely…

Rainy festival goers enjoying a selfie
Tiree Music Festival organisers are used to thinking on their feet to keep things running smoothly. Image: Alan Peebles

Team and community shone through during last year’s cancelled event

In recent years Covid and supply issues caused their own problems, but it was last year’s more natural phenomenon which caused the biggest sting.

After high levels of wind and rain pelted the island and were due to last up to 48 hours, organisers of Tiree Music Festival (TMF) made the tough decision to cancel the event.

Daniel, 42, said they had a lot of contingencies in place, but the weather got “worse by the hour” and it got to the point where plan B – gathering people in the big top tent – was unsafe.

Tiree Music Festival
High levels of wind and rain battered the island last year. Image: Alan Peebles.

However, after cancelling the festival, Daniel and the team were encouraged by everyone’s reactions.

“The community shone through, the team shone through, and we got a lot of amazing messages back from people in terms of how we looked after them.

“And that gives you a bit of comfort when it stings quite a lot.”

Talking about this year’s festival, the 13th the team have hosted since TMF was founded in 2010, he admitted he was staying away from checking the forecast.

Crowd at Tiree Music Festival
Daniel is looking forward to getting everyone back. Image: Alan Peebles.

In the lead-up to Friday July 12, he said: “I have not looked at it at all. I think you can see even last year as an example that there wasn’t any sign of the weather being that bad.

“And then it was just getting worse by the hour.

“The main thing for this year is I would just like to have a solid year.

“We’re looking forward to having everybody back and seeing all the team again.”

People and bands excited to return to Tiree on July 12

Around 60% of the 2,500 festivalgoers are people who chose to carry their tickets over from last year’s cancelled event.

Believing for a drama-free “good fun weekend”, Daniel said while TMF cannot always compete with other festivals on a budget and line-up, Tiree offers a view and experience like no other.

“I think part of what people enjoy about coming to Tiree is the whole adventure to getting there,” he added.

Crosspol beach on Tiree
It can be quite an “adventure” getting to Tiree. Image: Alan Peebles.

“It’s not an easy thing.

“You need to get the ferry early in the morning, and it’s three and a half hours on the boat and then you get to Tiree and you need to get a bus over to the festival site.

“It’s almost like going to a boot camp or something.”

And it is not just the holidaymakers. Quite a few bands are returning, including Scottish band Tide Lines, who had their first ever live show at the festival in 2016.

Daniel also admitted he cannot wait to swap his high-vis jacket for an accordion for the usual festival staple performance with his band Skerryvore.

Here are five things for Tiree travellers to look forward to this year…

1. Nathan Carter

Nathan Carter with a crowd in the background.
Nathan Carter. Image: Tiree Music Festival

A name that many Irish country music fans in Tiree have requested for some time is making the journey to the festival.

After finishing a show in Ireland on Saturday night, Irish musician Nathan Carter is heading straight to the airport to get two flights to Tiree. Brought up in Liverpool by his Irish family, the country singer and TV host has performed for Pope Francis and has recorded six number one albums in Ireland.

2. Tide Lines

Tide Lines at Belladrum
Tide Lines at Belldrum Festival. Image: Jason Hedges/ DC Thomson.

The Highland four-piece pop/rock band Tide Lines are returning to headline the festival. Describing how they hosted their first-ever gig at TMF, Daniel added: “So to welcome them back after the rise and success they’ve had is amazing.”

3. Emerging Scottish talent

Cammy Barnes and NATI
Cammy Barnes and NATI on Crosspol beach. Image: Tiree Music Festival

As well as inviting “exciting” acts from the trad fusion scene like Project Smok, singer-songwriter Cammy Barnes and Fife TikTok star NATI, Daniel said they always like to showcase emerging Scottish talent.

Some of those featured this year include singer-songwriter from Glasgow Kirsteen Harvey, The Laurettes and Dunfermline’s Moonlight Zoo.

4. Sand art at Crossapol Bay

Crossapol beach during the annual Tiree Music Festival.
Crossapol beach during Tiree Music Festival. Image: Tiree Music Festival

With such a stunning backdrop, there are plans to put it to good use. Activities at the festival include sand art workshops at Crosspol Bay which will then be captured by drone. For those in need of some relaxing or fitness fun, yoga sessions and a fancy dress fun run will also be taking place on the picturesque sands.

5. Community

Tiree Music Festival people enjoying the festival
Daniel said firm friendships are often formed at the festival. Image: Alan Peebles.

After last year’s unexpected break, Daniel said it will be lovely to catch up with “team TMF” which includes around 100 volunteers and those who are returning to enjoy the festival. With a community that “always looks out for each other”, Daniel said many friendships for life have started at Tiree.

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