MAGGIE MACINNES

Paying Tribute to Tradition Bearers

Gill Sherry

If you’re a fan of Gaelic or Celtic music, chances are you will have heard of Maggie MacInnes. Born in Glasgow but now based in Ayr, Maggie has performed at many Ayrshire venues, most recently at Girvan Folk Festival and Irvine’s Harbour Arts Centre.

“My parents were from Barra, and my mother, Flora MacNeil, was a traditional Gaelic singer. She made a bit of a name for herself in the Gaelic and wider folk music world. We would have musicians back at the house a lot. I’m one of five and she encouraged all of us to learn instruments. Music was always important and always around us.”

All five siblings began by learning the piano, but Maggie then turned her attention to the harp.

“My mother was doing a concert in Glasgow… and there was another special guest in the concert called Alison Kinnaird. She was playing her Celtic harp. She brought it back to the house and I was just mesmerised by it.”

So much so, she pestered her parents who eventually hired a harp for a year, after which they bought Maggie her own.

“The harp is an ancient Celtic instrument and it fits with the music I love. I also use it a lot for accompanying song.”

She sings mostly in Scottish Gaelic and Scots and in June this year released her seventh solo album, Uiseagan Bharraigh (Barra Skylarks).

“The album is part of a larger project. I had recordings of my mother singing in the 1950s and early 1960s, all of which had never been released. They were by an Australian doctor, James Kalokerinos, who fell in love with my mother’s singing. He was an amateur folklorist and very passionate about Gaelic music. They became friends and he persuaded her to record for him.”

The original recordings were made using a reel-to-reel recorder which were later transferred to cassettes. Maggie, though, was afraid to play them for fear of causing damage.

“I applied to Creative Scotland and got funding to digitise the recordings and do my own new arrangements of some of the songs, and produce a show, which I have done.”

The show was first performed at Celtic Connections in Glasgow in January, and the songs appear on her album, Uiseagan Bharraigh.

“It’s to pay tribute, not just to my mother and her songs, but also the other tradition bearers that went before her. Many are from my own family, but also others from the Isle of Barra. It’s been a great joy researching the songs and speaking to folk on the island that remember my mother and the other singers.”

I would imagine it’s also been quite an emotional project.

“Very, because my mother and I were very close and often performed together in the past. She passed away in 2015 so to be able to still learn from her is wonderful. We incorporate small bits of her voice in the show as well.”

Surprisingly, Maggie didn’t actually study music after leaving school but opted for a career in law instead.

“When I finished school I was involved in music, but I wasn’t particularly thinking of it as a career. My father was a lawyer, so he was quite pleased when I decided to follow in his footsteps.”

Only after having her two sons did she give up law altogether and concentrate on music, first of all part-time and then full-time when the boys were older.

“I was thrilled when I won the Gaelic Singer of the Year Award in 2004. It gives you confidence and help going forward.”

That confidence led to many more musical highlights for Maggie, including performing in Canada with her mother and working with some amazing musicians. She goes on to name the musicians she performs with on her new album.

“Dan Brown, the piano player, is a very sensitive player. He’s been a wonderful person to work with and brings lovely textures using electronics. The percussion player, Alex Palmer, is also very exciting to work with. He is extremely versatile and has his own unique style. Wendy Wetherby, a beautiful cello player, is somebody I’ve worked with many times over many years. Ailis Sutherland is very much a rising star in the folk music scene, playing flute, pipes and whistle. And Robyn Gray is a lovely fiddle player and singer from Ayrshire. Robyn is getting married to my son, Ruaraidh this summer.”

Maggie’s other son, Callum Park, also features strongly on the album playing guitar, fiddle and singing, so it’s very much a family affair.

“I’m working with some great musicians,” she repeats. “And the most special thing is that I will be returning to Barra with the show in July, bringing the songs back to the island. I’m also pleased to say that Creative Scotland has assisted me in making the whole archive available to the public on a new dedicated website,

www.floramacneil.com.”
If you missed Maggie at the Harbour Arts Centre in June, you can catch her show, The Kalokerinos Tapes, at the National Piping Centre in Glasgow on September 17th or the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh on September 18th. Her new album, Uiseagan Bharraigh, is also now available at the usual outlets and at www.maggiemacinnes.co.uk.

As if 2026 hasn’t been exciting enough for Maggie, she’s been invited to sing in Sau Paulo later this year in a project which brings Scottish and Brazilian musicians together.
All aboard the skylark!