Gallery: Tartan night brings kilts & Scottish spirit to Montville
The traditional dancing was a crowd favourite.
The sound of bagpipes, Celtic music and dancing filled Montville Memorial Hall on Saturday, May 23, as locals embraced a traditional Scottish ceilidh in support of the historic community venue.
Hosted by the Montville Village Association (MVA), the sold-out tartan-themed evening celebrated Scottish culture through music, song, dance, exceptional local whisky and a taste of haggis, with guests encouraged to join the fun.
Montville’s well-known local bagpiper Gordon Ferguson, who is originally from Scotland – and who helped organise the event with his wife Wendy – welcomed guests. Alongside MVA publicity officer Lou Tasker, the pair kept the evening rolling and the crowd entertained.
Gordon said ceilidhs remained popular in Scotland, particularly in the highlands and islands, and organisers had set out to recreate that sense of community celebration in Montville.
Local band Flashjack, with its strong Celtic influence, provided music for the night and called traditional dances, giving newcomers the confidence to take to the floor. “The band will play for the dancing and they will talk you through the dances so that everyone can get off their backsides and have a dance,” Gordon said.
The Bonnie Skye Highland Dancers from Gympie brought a further flourish of tradition to the night with a Highland dancing display.
Guests also enjoyed the piping-in of the haggis and Gordon’s theatrical recital of Scottish poet Robert Burns’ Address to a Haggis, before the dish was served with traditional tatties and neeps (potatoes and turnips).
“You probably won’t understand a word of the address to the haggis,” Gordon warned the crowd. “The recital is performed in a theatrical and flamboyant manner and was written by Burns as a piece of fun, really, not to be taken seriously.”
With prizes for the best dressed Highland laddie and lassie, tartan on show across the beautifully-dressed hall and plenty of guests joining the dancing, the Montville Ceilidh delivered an evening rich in Scottish flavour and community spirit.
Proceeds will support the ongoing preservation of Montville Community Hall.
