The 149th annual gathering was held in the Glasgow University Union on Saturday 5th March 2011. It was an excellent occasion, well attended by many Ileachs and friends including our Honorary President, Lord Robertson of Port Ellen. The evening commenced with the Ceilidh introduced by our new President, Malcolm Campbell, who welcomed the chairman for the evening - John Carmichael. John was an excellent chairman who kept the evening flowing with a rich collection of anecdotes and very good humour – we now know why he is a sought after radio presenter!
The first attraction of the evening was The Islay Pipers – Lindsey MacArthur and Sandy McLellan who played a rousing selection. This was followed by the singers; Ian Carmichael, Jennifer Campbell, Iain MacLean and Jane MacQueen, superbly accompanied on the keyboard by Norma McDougall. There was a wide ranging selection of well known songs which had the audience joining in, especially with the vigor and enthusiasm displayed by the ‘young’ Ian Carmichael! The Ballochmyle band also gave a selection during the concert, encouraging all to get dancing later.
Robert McLellan gave the vote of thanks for the evening before the finale of ‘Oidhche mhath Leibh’
After the concert, the Ballochmyle band kept the evening going with a swing where everyone danced until the ‘wee sma’ hours of the morning. The Committee look forward to seeing you all again next year for the 150th Gathering – it promises to be an equally good, if not better, event!!