His Worship the Mayor Councillor John Skinner JP welcomed visitors from New South Wales Jan and Steve Toms, together with their travelling companion Margaret Sharpe and their host, Alistair Kneale, to the parlour  on Wednesday July 6.

Jan Toms is chairman of the Guardians of Australian Standing Stones and Steve Toms is a former mayor of Glen Innes, while Margaret Sharpe is convenor of the Celtic Council of Australia and vice-president of the New South Wales Manx Society. 

The Mayor and Mayoress with Robert Miller, Judith Toms, Margaret Sharpe. Steve Toms, Christine Collister and Alastair Kneale

They were accompanied by local singer songwriter Christine Collister, who performed at the Glen Innes Celtic Festival this April, which celebrated the Isle of Man, and her husband, Robert Miller.

The festival attracts clans, cultural groups, dancers and performers from around the world. Visitors experience Celtic music and dance at four stages at the festival’s main venue, the Australian Standing Stones, an array of granite monoliths.

The four-day festival features entertainment that includes a street parade, massed pipe bands, strong-man events, yard dog trials, children’s activities, a fun run, dancing, flag-raising ceremonies, poet breakfasts, market stalls and Celtic foods.