Metagama: An Atlantic Odyssey

Step aboard the SS Metagama, a journey that will take you from the Butt to Barra and on to the lakes and plains of Canada, to 1920s Detroit and Prohibition, through the ebb and flow of fortunes on both sides of the Atlantic, with this ensemble of acclaimed musicians and singers.

Writer and poet Donald S Murray, pianist/songwriter Liza Mulholland, Gaelic actor and 7:84 Theatre Company co-founding performer Dolina MacLennan, fiddler Charlie Mackerron of Capercaillie and Session A9, singer-songwriter Willie Campbell, and Canadian cellist Christine Hanson, present this stunning show commemorating the lives of young emigrants in the mass emigration from the Hebrides to Canada in 1923/24.

From the heartache of homesickness and separation to the lively fun of cèilidh tunes on the dance floors of North America, the show gives voice to the experiences of the emigrants and those left behind, telling the story of an important period in Hebridean history, the impact of which is still felt in the islands today.

Sell-out shows in a Creative Scotland-supported tour of the Highlands and Islands in 2023 and at Celtic Connections in 2024, were followed by recording an album of the show’s music and song, launched at HebCelt Festival in July 2025.

Metagama: An Atlantic Odyssey is part of the Traverse's £1 Ticket Project.

Image: Stornoway Historical Society

The Traverse is funded by Creative Scotland and The City of Edinburgh Council.

If you have access requirements, please contact our Sales and Welcome Team on boxoffice@traverse.co.uk or 0131 228 1404 so we can arrange reserved seating for you and discuss how else we can best support your visit.