A Scottish Ceilidh Night
Time to don your tartan and pop on your dancing shoes this weekend – Cargo Collective are hosting their first Ceilidh. The evening of Scottish entertainment promises to be a unique and enjoyable experience for all – expect single-malt whiskies, traditional haggis and of course, plenty of dancing!
Tāhuna and Aotearoa have a rich Scottish history. Back in 1853, Nathan Chalmers, a Scottish-born settler, became the first Pākehā to lay eyes on Lake Wakatipu. He was guided by Reko, a Māori chief from Tuturau, in exchange for a three-legged pot. Chalmers became sick on the expedition and a flax raft had to be made for him to travel the rivers and return home safely. Although he didn’t visit again, his stories inspired other settlers to head down these ways.
Today, we can still see the Scottish influence throughout the country - from Dunedin, which is named for the Gaelic Dùn Èideann after Edinburgh (meaning castle on the rock) to street names around NZ, and the various tartan and highland festivities throughout the regions. So, it makes sense to be having a Ceilidh here.
Malcom Blakey is the owner of Cargo Collective and hails from Edinburgh originally. He’s excited to put on the Ceilidh and has been waiting to have the right space to pull it together. Cargo Collective’s new brew hall has only recently opened, so he’s also looking forward to welcoming people to the space and putting on more events each month.
“I just felt that the venue is perfect for that kind of event,” Blakey says. “With my roots from Scotland, we thought we’d use that for one of our first events because a lot of people haven’t seen the space yet – we only opened it up last month and this new event space is perfect for local gatherings and parties like this.”
Brad and Chrissie MacClure make up the band Little Green Men, who will be heading up from Invercargill to play the tunes. They’re used to playing to all different crowds at various events and Brad explains that these nights are always a highlight for those in attendance. They’ll be performing classics including Strip The Willow, Dashing White Sergeant and The Gay Gordons, as well as less formal songs for everyone to dance to.
“We’ve got a caller coming with us,” MacClure says. “He will teach the dances to people. It’s always a tremendous amount of fun – people who haven’t done it before are always blown away by how much fun it is – you don’t realise until you have a go. In this part of the world, there are still quite a few people who’ve never done it before.”
The all-around Scottish night welcomes and encourages everyone to pop along, no matter your background or abilities. Blakey says it’ll be on the more casual side of Ceilidhs – attendees can get involved as little or as much as they’d like. In addition to the dancing, he’s chosen a whisky from each of the five whisky regions in Scotland as well as some Scottish gins, which will be available on the night. There’ll be an address to the haggis, too, where it will be piped into the room and a Robert Burns poem will be recited before the dish is cut open. If haggis isn’t your thing, there will also be other Scottish food available.
“It’s a really unique experience to be a part of and even if you haven’t been to one before or you’re a bit nervous about the dancing part of it, you don’t need to be because we have someone who leads the way for the dancing and shows us how it’s done. If people don’t want to get involved with the dancing, there are still other things to do – try some whisky or haggis, and just relax with your friends and enjoy the environment,” Blakey says.
Cargo Collective’s Whisky Waltz: A Ceilidh Affair will take place on Saturday 31 August. Doors open from 4pm with dancing starting at 6pm. Tickets and more information can be found at thecargocollective.co.nz/twilighttales
