Fire Show at Knockengorroch Festival 2014

Knockengorroch is a world music

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...

held annually among the Carsphairn hills in

Kirkcudbrightshire Kirkcudbrightshire ( ), or the County of Kirkcudbright or the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Kirkcudbrightshire was an administrative county ...

Scotland. Originally there were two festivals held each year - the World Ceilidh, usually held around the end of May, and The Hairth, held in mid September. As of 2010, Knockengorroch ceased hosting two festivals each year and instead focused its attention on the Knockengorroch World Ceilidh festival. The festival started in 1998 and has licensing for around 3000 fans.

The early years

In mid-summer 1998 a 'rainbow gathering' was held on the Knockengorroch Farm in

Galloway Galloway ( ; sco, Gallowa; la, Gallovidia) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway. A native or i ...

with the agreement of Simon and Liz Holmes. The festival is now an established event in the region. It has grown since its beginnings while still remaining an intimate and hospitable experience, welcoming people from all over Scotland, the UK and beyond for a relaxed, inspiring and riotous four days. The festival has grown from an audience of 300 locals to 2700, including international visitors. The origin of the festival's name is unclear, but in Gaelic ‘knock’ (Cnoc) means a hill and ‘gorroch’ has a variety of meanings. The featured artists originate from Celtic, world and roots music genre and the festival has been held in various other locations as the

Forest of Ae The Forest of Ae is located between Nithsdale and Annandale in Dumfries and Galloway in south-west Scotland. The forest was first planted in the 1920s, primarily with Sitka spruce. It has the designation of a 'Priority Forest' for Red Squirr ...

near

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...

, and Talnotry near

Newton Stewart Newton Stewart ( Gd: ''Baile Ùr nan Stiùbhartach'') is a former burgh town in the historical county of Wigtownshire in Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland. The town is on the River Cree with most of the town to the west of the river, and ...

Knockengorroch today

The festival now takes place in the Dumfries and Galloway hills, in a natural greenfield amphitheatre. The festival features outdoor and covered stages, a dance marquee, a recreated Iron Age Longhouse venue, a Ceilidh, a children’s marquee and procession, puppet shows, cabaret, fire shows, open mic, workshops, camping, real ale, food and shopping stalls. There is an emphasis on as much environmentally sound practice as possible, with a rigorous recycling policy, use of biodegradable products and alternative sources of power wherever possible, and both green and heritage workshops are available to participate in during the day. The object of Knockengorroch artistic direction is to establish progressive linkage between the celebration of the natural amphitheatre of its venues and the now far-flung Celtic diaspora, once rooted in such homely places. It is Knockengorroch’s remit not only to celebrate ethnic diversity and fusion, but to make the music home in its natural home. On the still wider contemporary seas of world-music the aim is primarily to promote multi-cultural forms and musical genres, highlighting the connection between roots music and the land that gave birth to that music and its people. Music from all continents is therefore booked alongside the best in Scottish, and European, talent to showcase Celtic and World music in both traditional and contemporary fields. In 2015, Knockengorroch was one of 12 events to be recommended to be funded by Dumfries and Galloway Council's Major Events Strategic Fund. Others on the list included the

Eden Festival Eden Festival is a Scottish music festival held in Raehills Meadows near Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway. As of 2017 it has a capacity of 9000, and was shortlisted for the Best Family Festival award in the UK Festival Awards in 2014. ...

and the Lockerbie Jazz Festival.

Past line-ups

2015 line up *

Young Fathers Young Fathers are a Scottish band based in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 2014, they won the Mercury Prize for their album ''Dead''. History Formed in Edinburgh in 2008 by Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole and Graham 'G' Hastings, the group starte ...

Aziza Brahim Aziza Brahim ( ar, عزيزة ابراهيم, born June 9, 1976) is a Sahrawi singer and actress. Biography Life She was born in 1976 in the Sahrawi refugee camps, in the Tindouf region of Algeria where her mother had settled in late 1975, fle ...

* B & the Roots Ragga Band *

Peatbog Faeries The Peatbog Faeries are a largely instrumental Celtic fusion band. Formed in 1991, they are based in Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Their music embodies many styles and influences, including folk, electronica, African pop, rock and ...

Shooglenifty Shooglenifty are a Scottish, Edinburgh-based six-piece Celtic fusion band that tours internationally. The band blends Scottish traditional music with influences ranging from electronica to alternative rock. They contributed to Afro Celt Sound Sy ...

Scratch Perverts The Scratch Perverts are a collective of turntablist DJs from London, formed in 1996 by Tony Vegas, Prime Cuts and DJ Renegade. World DMC team champions in both 1999 and 2001. Additionally Prime Cuts won 2 consecutive ITF World Scratching tit ...

Ferocious Dog Ferocious Dog are an English folk punk band from Warsop, Nottinghamshire, England. The band has headlined tours of the UK and Europe, performed in Dubai, festivals such as Bearded Theory, Alchemy, Deerstock, Farmer Phil's Festival, Splendour an ...

Mungo's Hi Fi Mungo's Hi Fi is a sound system based in Glasgow, Scotland, which follows the original Jamaican sound system tradition. After working together previously, Tom Tattersall and Doug Paine founded the group in 2000, writing, recording, producing an ...

Soundsystem ft Solo Banton * Awry * Gnawa Blues All Stars *

Stanley Odd Stanley Odd is an alternative hip-hop group based in Scotland combining live instrumentation with samples and loops. Formed in 2009, the band have supported acts such as Arrested Development, Sage Francis and The View, and played at major Scotti ...

* Age of Glass * John Langan Band * DJ Format * Bella Hardy and Big Band * The Girobabies * Rob Heron & the Teapad Orchestra * Samedia Shebeen * The Amphetameanies * Big Swing Soundsystem * London Afrobeat Collective * Blackbeard’s Tea Party * Bunty Looping * Jenova Collective * Samson Sounds * No Go Stop * Colonel Mustard & The Dijon 5 * Fitty Gomash * The Navigantes * After Hours Quintet * Ed Cox * Frogpocket * Jemima Thewes *

Ewan McLennan Ewan McLennan is a Scottish folk musician and singer-songwriter. Although born in London, McLennan grew up in Edinburgh, and studied classical music on the piano. Later, he took up the guitar and as he had developed a strong interest in folk m ...

* Kate in the Kettle * Jeremy Mage & the Magi * DJ Dolphin Boy * The Badwills * Skayaman * Sticks and Stones * The Razorbills * The Chicken Brothers (TCB) * Griogair * Tam Tam 2000 * PyroCeltica * Ross Ainslie * Stivs * Chapel Perilous Art System * Mayawaska * Breezak * PJ Coyle * Xymox * DJ Brainstorm * Easy Skankin Crew * Andy Mac * Ben-Jamin * Papa Shanti * Neil Templar * Key Lo * Kala Ushka * DJ Nem * Bit Monkey * Tom Tom the Piper’s Son * Mischief La-Bas * Voice Box Theatre * Teatro Magnetico * BassTonik * Swing and Shout * Cosmic * BBL vs Triple Drop * Wobbley Social * ETC * The Too Much Fun Club presents Sketch the Rhyme 2009 (September) Knockengorroch Doonhaime Hairth Line-up *

3 Daft Monkeys 3 Daft Monkeys are a world music-influenced acoustic band from Cornwall, UK, consisting of Tim Ashton, Athene Roberts, Rich Mulryne, and Jamie Graham. The instrumentation consists of vocals, fiddle, twelve-string guitar, bass guitar and percuss ...

Tiger Style Tiger Style is an American independent video game studio. The studio was founded by industry veterans Randy Smith and David Kalina in 2008. Their first title '' Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor'', was released in August 2009, followed by ''Wak ...

* Tofu Love Frogs * Latin Dub Sound System * Glasgow Soundhaus * Mungo’s Hi Fi * Bombskare * Sambayabamba * Warblefly * Ed Cox * DJ Hobbes

rouble The ruble (American English) or rouble (Commonwealth English) (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is the currency unit of Belarus and Russia. Historically, it was the currency of the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union. , currencies named ''rub ...

* Black Diamond Express * Frogpocket * Punch & The Apostles * Missing Cat * Haight Ashbury * Banana Sessions * Kuch Ke * Ruby & the Emeralds * Paddy & the Waggoneers * Mandalyn May 2009 World Ceilidh Line-up *

The Orb The Orb are an English electronic music group founded in 1988 by Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty. Known for their psychedelic sound, the Orb developed a cult following among clubbers "coming down" from drug-induced highs. Their influential 19 ...

Roni Size Ryan Owen Granville Williams (born 29 October 1969), better known by his stage name Roni Size, is an English DJ and record producer. He came to prominence in 1997 as the founder and frontman of Roni Size & Reprazent, a drum and bass collective. ...

with MC Jakes * Orkestra Del Sol * Errol Lintons Blues Vibe * Terrafolk * Mungo's Hi-Fi *

Skerryvore Skerryvore (from the Gaelic ''An Sgeir Mhòr'' meaning "The Great Skerry") is a remote island that lies off the west coast of Scotland, southwest of Tiree. Skerryvore Lighthouse is located on these rocks, built with some difficulty between 18 ...

* Michael Marra 2007 Festival Line-upLine-ups and rumours - search results
/ref> *

Transglobal Underground Transglobal Underground (sometimes written as Trans-Global Underground) is an English electro-world music group, specializing in a fusion of western, Asian and African music styles (sometimes labelled world fusion and ethno techno). Their f ...

Natacha Atlas Natacha Atlas ( ar, نتاشا أطلس}; born 20 March 1964) is an Egyptian-Belgian singer known for her fusion of Arabic and Western music, particularly hip-hop. She once termed her music "'' cha'abi moderne''" (modern popular music). Her mu ...

Kíla Kíla is a 1987 Irish folk music/world music group from the Gaelscoil, Irish language secondary school, Coláiste Eoin, Coláiste Eóin in County Dublin. Band History Kíla began in 1987 in the secondary in Coláiste Eoin, in the first year they ...

* Go Lem System *

Mr Scruff Andrew Carthy (born 10 February 1972), better known by his stage name Mr. Scruff, is an English record producer and DJ. He lives in Stretford, Greater Manchester and studied fine art at the Psalter Lane campus of Sheffield Hallam University. B ...

Zion Train Zion Train are a British dub ensemble that formed in Oxford, 1988. They have consistently released music and toured from 1992 to present day. Their mix of reggae and dance music was a notable innovation in the early 1990s. History Co-founder ...

* Fantazia * Tannahill Weavers * The Mordekkers * Voces del Sur * Mambo Jambo * Kampec Dolores * Albaroot * Talking Drum * The Belle Star Band * Swing Guitars * Jacob's Pillow * Bombskare * Cello Man * Sun Honey * Big Hand 2006 festival Line-upLine-ups and rumours - search results
/ref> *

Bellowhead Bellowhead is an English contemporary folk band, active from 2004 to 2016, reforming in 2020. The eleven-piece act played traditional dance tunes, folk songs and shanties, with arrangements drawing inspiration from a wide range of musical style ...

* Eliza Carthy & the Ratcatchers *

Huun Huur Tu Huun-Huur-Tu ( tyv, Хүн Хүртү, Hün Hürtü, ; rus, Хуун-Хуур-Ту, ) are a music group from Tuva, a Russian federative republic situated on the Mongolia–Russia border. Their music includes throat singing, in which the singer ...

Old Blind Dogs Old Blind Dogs is a Scottish musical group which plays traditional Scottish folk music and Celtic music, with influences from rock, reggae, jazz, blues, and Middle Eastern music rhythms. Background The three founding members of the band (Ian F ...

* Kangaroo Moon *

* The Baghdaddies * Big Hand * Paddyrastas *

Pendulums A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced sideways from its resting, equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the ...

* Jacob's Pillow 2005 festival Line-up *

* Babylon Arab Band * Bebe Ouali *

Desmond Dekker & the Aces Desmond Dekker (16 July 1941 – 25 May 2006) was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer-songwriter and musician. Together with his backing group The Aces (consisting of Wilson James and Easton Barrington Howard), he had one of the earlie ...

* Elephant Talk 2 * Errol Linton's Blues Vibe *

John McSherry John Patrick McSherry (September 11, 1944April 1, 1996) was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1971 until his death. McSherry wore uniform number 9 when he entered the National League, then wore num ...

* Le Cod Afrique * Matt Seattle with the Eildon Strings * Michael McGoldrick Band * Mystery Juice * Planet Woman * Sheelanagig *

Tarantism Tarantism is a form of hysteric behaviour originating in Southern Italy, popularly believed to result from the bite of the wolf spider ''Lycosa tarantula'' (distinct from the broad class of spiders also called tarantulas). A better candidate ca ...

* The Assassenachs * The Ruffness * Virginia MacNaughton * Wuyan Mei & Co

Primary Ticket Outlets

Skiddle ''Skiddle'' is a primary ticket outlet and online events guide based in the UK, with offices in Manchester, Liverpool, London and Preston dealing with event bookings, registrations, promotion and online ticket sales. It concentrates its core busi ...

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References

{{reflist

External links

Knockengorroch official site

Knockengorroch Past Line-ups
Recurring events established in 1998 Music festivals in Scotland