Leader staff

They began playing together at a pub session in Paisley, Scotland, in 1968, and now, the Celtic band known as the Tannahill Weavers has come to Port Townsend.

The band named themselves for the town of Paisley’s historic weaving industry, as well as for its local poet laureate, Robert Tannahill.

Since then, the Tannahill Weavers have sought to blend what they find beautiful about traditional melodies with what they find powerful about modern rhythms. They’ve been praised as successful in that aim by the New York Times, which deemed them “an especially eloquent mixture of the old and the new.”

The Winnipeg Free Press likewise wrote that “the music may be pure old time Celtic, but the drive and enthusiasm are akin to straight ahead rock and roll.” In 2018, Glasgow Celtic Connections declared the Tannahill Weavers to be “seminal trailblazers” who “rank as national treasures.”

The band has performed around the world with what they describe as “fire-driven” instrumentals, topical songs, original ballads and lullabies, and humorous tales of life in Scotland.

In 2021, the Tannahill Weavers’ blend of old and new became reflected in the band’s lineup, which was joined by piper and fiddle player Iain MacGillivray, who is also Scotland's youngest leader.

A fluent Gaelic speaker, MacGillivray has worked on productions such as the seven-season “Outlander” TV series.

What to know:

Rainshadow Recording and Concerts will be showcasing the Tannahill Weavers at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13, at the Palindrome at the Eaglemount Winery and Cidery, at 1893 S. Jacob Miller Road in Port Townsend.

Tickets are available at rainshadowtickets.com online, or for cash or check at the door.