There are few bands in the world with the ability to represent their country’s history – hundreds of years of language, culture, music, song and storytelling – so powerfully. Cliar, a six-piece band based in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, captures the essence of Scotland’s Gaelic history and presents it on stage and on their albums in a way which leaves no doubt about their place at the leading edge of traditional Scottish music.

"Anyone looking for a definitive example of acoustic music in the Highlands need look no further. This band has it all."

Photographs by Donald Macleod and Nick Turner

Gaelic version