Kathleen MacInnes

By thatch • Aug 13th, 2008 • Category: Acoustic, Folk, Music

Kathleen MacInnes has asuch an intimate style, her voice seems to conjour shared secrets and you will swear that out of the whole world you and she are the only ones who are party to these performances.
Kathleen MacInnes sings in Gaelic and her repertoire includes traditional songs from South Uist (head to Oban and catch a ferry… now that wasn’t hard? Was It?)

Here is the hype from her site…

Kathleen MacInnes was born and brought up on South Uist, Western Isles, in a Gaelic-speaking home, and has enjoyed a career in television and the theatre as an actress, presenter and singer.

This is her debut album and also features some wonderful session musicians, including Ross Martin (guitar), Iain MacDonald (whistles and pipes), Marc Duff (bouzouki), Donald Shaw (keyboards and accordion), James MacKintosh (percussion), Neil Johnstone (cello) and John McCusker (fiddle). Additional vocals are provided by Cathy-Ann MacPhee, Julie Fowlis and Karen Matheson.

All that doesn’t really matter because what you really want to do is hear her sing and you will be hooked. It doesn’t really matter that you cant understand a word she says (Gaelic speakers not withstanding) what matters is that her performance will just grab you and not let go.

Here is video of her from YouTube…


Highly Recommended

Website at http://www.myspace.com/kathleenmacinnesgaelicsong

thatch is fascinated by guitars, music, guitars, production, silly noises, guitars and used to be a musician. Did I mention the thing about the guitars?
Email this author | All posts by thatch |

2 Responses »

  1. Michelle on February 14th, 2009 at 10:20 pm:

    Good song. Here’s some of the lyrics translated:

    http://www.celticlyricscorner.net/macneil/gaol.htm

  2. Michelle on February 14th, 2009 at 10:36 pm:

    Ach wait, there’s more! I love these communal songs. From the youtube comments:

    Gaol ise gaol? I (she’s my love)
    Gaol air Anna ni’n Nill (love for Anna, Neil’s daughter)
    Mi torrach mi trom (I am heavey with child)
    Chan ann le balach mo throm (No ordinary lad is my child)
    Ach leis an lasgaire dhonn (by the dark haired hero)
    Mac fir Bhaile nan Long (Son of the Laird of the ships)
    Leis an eireadh na suinn (With whom warriors would rise)

    Mi dualach mi donn (my hair, curly and brown)
    Mi gu biorshuileach binn ( keen my eyes, sweet my voice)
    Mi ma smeorach an craoibh ( the thrush on a tree)
    Mi mar chuthaig an coil’ ( the cuckoo in the wood)
    Mi cuimir ‘s mi cruinn (I am bonny, I am plump)
    Gaol ise? Gaol I (she’s my love)
    Gaol air Anna ni’n Nill (love for Anna, Neil’s daughter)

    This is one of several “waulking” songs to grace the Highland Sessions. These are generally call and response songs used as a rhythmic co-ordination which groups of women would sing as they pounded the tweed cloth using their feed and hands against a “waulking board”.

Disagree? Leave a comment