Rushen Silver Band performed to 150,000 people and appeared on French television when it took part in the Festival Interceltique de Lorient in France last month as part of the island delegation.

The festival, founded in 1971, features participants from all the world’s Celtic nations, and attracts nearly one million spectators over 10 days each August.

RSB performed as part of the interceltic nights in the town’s main stadium. These showpiece events take place on five days, featuring acts from multiple nations, and attract an audience of around 10,000 people each night.

It also took part in the Grand Parade, with more than 70 acts parading through the town with an estimated 80,000-strong crowd.

The band also took to the water for the maritime parade - performing on a traditional fishing vessel as it joined over 50 other boats in a trip in to Lorient’s central harbour and performed Harvest of the Sea, Ellan Vannin and the Manx national anthem as the vessel sailed in to port.There were also other parades through the town, and concerts at the 2,500-seater Espace Marine at a local residential home and outside the Manx pavilion.

Tom Sinden, band chairman thanked the festival and Culture Vannin for the invitation and their assistance with the event. ’The festival is a great platform for the Isle of Man to perform to people from all over the world.’