Earlier this month a 50-strong delegation from the Isle of Man showcased the island’s culture in Europe.

Musicians, artists and performers took part in the Festival Interceltique de Lorient in Brittany, performing and exhibiting alongside thousands of artists at one of the world’s largest Celtic cultural gatherings.

The annual festival, which attracts close to one million visitors, featured over 5,000 performers from across the Celtic nations and beyond.

The Manx contribution included musicians, dancers, visual artists, and volunteers, with island acts such as Isla Callister, Skeealyn Vannin, Smooinaght Mie, DJ Çheumooie, Jamie Smith and Frank Joughin, Elizabeth Davidson-Blyth and Daniel Quayle.

Visual artist Rosie Watson also participated in the EuroCeltic exhibition during the week, which ran from August 1 to August 10.

Among the standout moments, performance group Skeealyn Vannin delivered five stadium shows to more than 30,000 attendees.

The Grand Parade of Celtic Nations drew crowds of around 90,000, with a national audience tuning in via the television channel ‘France 3’.

Folk ensemble Smooinaght Mie reached the final four of 15 entries in the Loïc Raison Trophée, and band member Jack McLean secured third place in the accordion competition.

Manx fiddler Isla Callister performed as part of Celtic Odyssee #4, a headline show featuring top artists from across the Celtic world, presenting a suite of Manx music.

DJ Çheumooie’s sets at Le Kleub included electronic remixes layered with archival recordings of the last native Manx speakers.

Meanwhile, Culture Vannin’s short film ‘Teeval’ was screened as part of CinéFIL, marking the first time all Celtic nations were represented in the festival’s film programme.

The Festival Interceltique de Lorient will take place next year from July 31 to August 9 2026.

If you’d like to be involved or find out more about it, you can email the festival delegates at [email protected]

Below are nine pictures which capture the vibrancy and scale of the huge festival.