Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has announced a new investment package into the development of the Fèisean movement in the Highlands and Islands.

HIE's investment will focus on creating benefits for the creative industries, cultural tourism initiatives and skills development amongst young people. HIE has awarded £632,000 over the next three years to Fèisean nan Gàidheal - the independent national association of Gaelic arts tuition festivals (fèisean) - to help them expand, improve and build on the success the movement has enjoyed over the last 25 years.

Fèisean nan Gàidheal will also receive funding from the Scottish Arts Council, Highland Council and Bòrd na Gàidhlig. As well as supporting Fèisean nan Gàidheal and local Fèisean, HIE investment will be targeted towards some key projects and developments. These include expanding the Fèis Cèilidh Trails, allowing young people the opportunity to tour and perform at local venues.

A Ceòl nam Fèis (music of the Fèisean) tour is planned, showcasing the talents emerging from the Fèis movement as part of the Scottish Year of Highland Culture in 2007. The Gaelic drama sector will be developed as well as a Fèis training programme and smaller-scale seedbed funding will be made available for developing new and innovative projects.

HIE recently commissioned a study into the Fèisean movement and its influence over a number of issues. Results showed that 61 per cent of respondents reported that the Fèisean had a positive influence on their decision to return to the Highlands and Islands.

Alasdair MacLeòid, HIE Gaelic policy manager said: "HIE supports Fèisean nan Gàidheal as the umbrella organisation providing access to resources that will allow the local fèisean to grow and flourish. The growth of the feis movement since the first event in 1981 has been quite phenomenal.

"There is no doubt that the Fèisean have made a tangible and long-lasting impact on the cultural vibrancy and sense of pride in our native music and language across the Gàidhealtachd over the last 20 to 25 years. The Fèisean provide a real opportunity for us to build on our cultural heritage and create real and tangible benefits for the cultural, creative and tourism sectors."

The original Fèis Bharraigh was held on the island of Barra in 1981 when a group of parents and other individuals became concerned that local traditions were dying out and that island children were not being taught traditional music in the context of formal education. Inspired by the success of this first Fèis, many other communities throughout the Highlands and Islands, and beyond, have established similar events. These individual Fèisean are now corporate members of Fèisean nan Gàidheal, the national development and support agency for Fèisean.

Fèisean nan Gàidheal estimates that more than 11,000 young people currently participate in the work of the 43 Fèisean that take place each year and around 60 FTE jobs are created as a result of its activities.

Culture Minister Patricia Ferguson MSP, welcomed HIE's funding announcement. She said: "Fèisean nan Gàidheal is an established and valued part of Scottish cultural life and we should all be proud of its success. It has made an immense contribution to the lives of many young people and has strengthened both traditional music and the Gaelic language throughout Scotland.

"From modest origins Feisean nan Gaidheal has experienced sustained growth, it has expanded into many areas of Scotland and its commitment to Gaelic remains undiminished.

"It is initiatives such as this that are needed to give Gaelic speakers the confidence to use and pass on their language and thus create a sustainable future for Gaelic in Scotland."

Arthur Cormack chief executive of Fèisean nan Gàidheal, said: "We are delighted that HIE is providing this three year funding package. The contribution the Fèisean have made to sustaining the Gaelic language and the local communities where they take place, and building the confidence of the young participants, is a story that we see repeated in so much of our cultural activities.

"Only a small proportion will go on to become professional musicians or to perform in public, but so many people learn an instrument or sing just for fun, and that's great.

"The skills taught at Fèisean are a highly-valued aspect of the informal education of young people. Most importantly, the Fèis experience is valued by the young participants themselves, and they seem to use the skills learned in a practical way, and I am also encouraged by the large numbers who seem moved to progress to learning Gaelic. The Fèisean are considered by many as one of the most successful arts initiatives in Scotland."

The Fèis movement was awarded the Community Project of the Year at the 2006 Scots Traditional Music Awards and have recently published a substantial book charting the history and progress of the movement over the first 25 years.