Meet the ceilidh band

Alistair McCulloch

Alistair McCulloch

Alistair McCulloch is one of the most respected fiddlers in Scotland today and is well known as a performer, composer and educator. He is a long standing fiddle tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and has tutored many of the talented new generation of Scottish fiddlers. Alistair is regularly asked to perform and direct fiddle courses both at home and abroad. He has become a regular visitor to the USA and in recent years has also toured in New Zealand, Australia, China and Europe.
Along with Willie, Alistair is a founder member of Coila and over the past 30 years has played well in excess of 1,800 gigs with the band. Highlights have included appearances at many of the major Scottish festivals, together with the many Coila trips abroad, particularly to Shanghai, Dubai, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Nigeria and Greece.
Alistair is honoured to be the only fiddler allowed to play the iconic ‘Gregg fiddle’ (a museum piece at the Robert Burns birthplace in Alloway) This is the instrument which Robert Burns heard, learned to dance to and almost certainly played. In partnership with the National Trust for Scotland Alistair performs on the instruments at special events.
Alistair also performs with his own trio featuring Aaron Jones (Kate Rusby Band & Old Blind Dogs) and Marc Duff (formerly of Capercaillie). His annual summer tour of Scotland has become an institution! Past projects for Alistair have included being a soloist with the renowned Scottish Fiddle Orchestra, with which he performed in some of the UK’s major concert halls, including the Royal Albert Hall in London. He is also past musical director of the Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra.
Alistair has toured and recorded with various other bands and artists including Canterach, the John Carmichael Band, Anne Lorne Gillies and the Iain Cathcart Dance Band. Alistair regularly broadcasts for the BBC. He is also renowned as the fiddler on the soundtrack of the children’s TV programme, Balamory!
As a composer, Alistair has published two books of his own music. Past commissions have included the ‘Cabrach Suite’ written for William Grant & Sons, ‘A Hamnavoe Man’ a tribute to the famous Orkney poet George Mackay Brown and the ‘Olympic Torch Air’ commissioned by South Ayrshire Council. For further information and merchandise visit www.alistairmcculloch.com.

Gavin Welsh

Gavin Welsh

Gavin Welsh is a popular and busy percussionist. He is a full-time percussion teacher based in South Ayrshire and is the founder and musical director of the South Ayrshire Percussion Ensemble. In recognition of his teaching role, he has been awarded the Yamaha Instrumental Teacher of the Year award for his region.

Over the years Gavin has been involved in various musicals such as ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Fame’, ‘Les Misérables’, ‘Hot Mikado’ and numerous others. He has recorded albums with a variety of bands and orchestras and has enjoyed various tours to America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. This has given Gavin the opportunity to perform in fantastic concert halls throughout the world but none better than the Sydney Opera House.

Willie Weir

Willie Weir

Ayrshire born, Willie Weir is an accomplished accordionist who has over thirty five years of experience performing traditional music. Together with Alistair, Willie is a founding member of Coila, the band forming in 1989 following a European Tour with the Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra.

For fifteen years, Willie  played at concerts across the country and abroad with the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra and has toured with the orchestra in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. As well as playing in Coila, Willie has  travelled internationally to perform solo ceilidh gigs. This has included engagements in Kuwait, Qatar and China, performing at St Andrew’s and Burns’ night celebrations for Caledonian Societies.