The sound of artillery was swapped for the sound of fiddle music at the Army Reserve Centre in Lerwick, Shetland, for a concert by Island musicians Hjaltibonhoga.
The group, which has been a fixture at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo since 2014, had requested use of the centre – usually occupied by G Troop of 212 (Highland) Battery of 105 Royal Artillery – for a pre-Tattoo concert on 19 July.
The charity event was held in aid of Malawi Orphans and Cancer Research and was one of the group’s best-attended concerts, with almost 200 people in the audience.
The evening also provided an opportunity for Hjaltibonhoga to unveil the Viking longship they will take through the gates of Edinburgh Castle during the Tattoo.
The impressive Mirrie Dancer – called after the Shetland name for the Aurora Borealis – took around 12 weeks to build.
Hjaltibonhoga will perform every evening at the tattoo, which begins on 4 August. Their performance will commemorate the impact of the Vikings who first arrived in Shetland around 800AD. A dozen family members playing the part of Vikings will join the group’s 48 fiddlers.
Hjaltibonhoga musical director Margaret Robertson passed on a big thank to HRFCA for providing use of the hall.
Hjaltibonhoga on stage at the Army Reserve Centre in Lerwick.
Hjaltibonhoga founder and Musical Director Margaret Robertson onboard the Mirrie Dancer.
