Roleystone’s beloved local band the Jarrah Celts have followed up their performance at Armadale History House with Celtic Songlines II – Return to the Hills.
Running from July 24-26, the performance followed the success of the band’s 2025 Celtic Songlines show, and invited fans of traditional Celtic-style music to a night of exceptional, catchy tunes, supplemented by a cast of actors bringing to life the song lyrics.
The performance saw the band as much in their element as ever, with their unpretentious folkish style fostering a direct feeling with the audience, who were regularly encouraged to participate in the show.
The event’s first act saw several brave audience members step up and partake in the dramatic reenactment of a pirate story, providing many laughs and a few rewards in the form of merchandise for the participants.
The band would go on to play a set of familiar songs and some new ones, with popular classics like The Busy Gardener and The Black Leg Miner making a return.
The song selection remained loyal to the band’s Celtic roots but managed to weave a distinctive West Australian flavour into the tunes. Indeed, every song felt steeped in Celtic, and Australian, history and culture.
The band drew, in its storytelling, on the shared rebellious, larrikin spirit common to both the Celtic societies and Australia, which mesh in great harmony.
Very touchingly, band lead Chris Horgan referenced his late father’s acclaimed wine making in one of the newer songs.
They were as strong as ever in their performance, maintaining the distinctive synergy between their members, but the initiative to have actors bring the scenes to life was what made the event truly relatable, and deserves particular praise.
While at their History House performance, Music in the Museum, they used the old instruments housed there, this time, the band was free to use instruments in line with their own specialisations.
They did not shy away from some naughty references and suggestive themes in their lyrics but kept things appropriate for most age groups.
Overall, the Jarrah Celts uphold their remarkable ability to bring the Celtic spirit to life and are a must-see for all fans of folk music.
