The dust has only just settled on another exciting Skye Festival and already its organisers, SEALL arts in south Skye, has launched its Autumn programme with three nights of exciting shows. “It’s a bit like buses – we had a whole month with nothing and then three come along at once,” said Duncan MacInnes of SEALL. “Alongside our own programme we happily work with others who are promoting quality events.  We are very pleased to welcome first Theatre Hebrides and then a major poetry event from the Edinburgh Festival, organised through Angus Peter Campbell and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. We then could not turn down the chance to receive a visit of the five-star ‘Peacefire’.

‘Metagama’ is the story of emigration from the Western isles, in the 1920s, portrayed through theatre, traditional music and multimedia. It was written by the celebrated author Dermot Healy and explores the history, humanity, emotions and politics of that last great wave of emigration from the Western Isles. Theatre Hebrides is bringing it to Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on Tuesday 31 August, as part of tour which includes other venues on Skye and the west coast.

In his first visit to Scotland, Skye is proud and privileged to host Professor Elmar Schenkel from Leipzig, one of the leading modern poets of Eastern Europe. Professor Schenkel is Professor of English Literature at the University of Leipzig and a highly-regarded translator of poetry, having translated some of the poems of our own Iain Crichton Smith into German.

His most memorable poem, which he will perform on 1 September is Schule des Vergessens (The School of Forgetting) which is a very witty poem about the state's need to make us consciously forget events, and languages, which are not useful to it. "It is often easier" he writes, "to magic away what is distant and heavy than what is near and light"

Joining Elmar Schenkel for the evening will be the great tradition-bearer from South Uist, Rona Lightfoot. A singer, story-teller and piper she is unique in her knowledge and performance. The evening will be completed by Tessa Ransford, who has translated Schenkel's poetry into English and a guest appearance from the young Campbell sisters of Sleat who play just about everything from the cello to the computer

The third night of this three-day event is a return visit from Macdara Vallely. He wowed audiences in last year’s Skye Festival with his solo show based on the stories of Cuchullin. He visits Skye on Thursday 2 September with a far more modern and upbeat 70-minute solo show called ‘Peacefire’. A teenage boy comes of age in working-class Northern Ireland: drinking with his mates; stealing the odd motor; arranging a wee appointment with the IRA to have his kneecaps blown off – a “rattling good yarn” with an original hip-hop sound-track. In Edinburgh ‘Peacefire’ received 5-star reviews and has been labelled “possibly the most powerful piece you will see this year.”

Tickets for all events can be booked through 01471 844207 or on feis@cali.co.uk. Spare tickets will be on sale at the door.