Flora MacNeil MBE (1928-2015) from the island of Barra in the Western Isles of Scotland took the traditional Gaelic songs she learned orally from her mother, grandmother, aunt, uncle and others on the island as she was growing up, to stages around the world.
As well as recording three commercial albums she recorded for The School of Scottish Studies, The Irish Folklore Commission, Alan Lomax the collector from the USA, The Smithsonian Institute and the BBC. During the period from 1955 to 1961 she recorded some songs for Australian born, Dr James Kalokerinos, who was a keen folklorist and lover of Celtic music. These recordings were originally made on Reel-to-Reel tape at home and are not concert performances. They include many songs which Flora was well-known for singing and other equally beautiful songs which are seldom, if ever, heard sung today.
Flora’s daughter, the singer and harp player, Maggie MacInnes, felt that the world should hear these recordings alongside some information about the songs, the tradition bearers who came before Flora and, where appropriate, links to any commercially available recordings of the songs by Flora and Maggie. Now, with support from Creative Scotland, Maggie has arranged for the recordings to be digitised and shared with you all here so that Flora’s legacy will continue for future generations.
“Unanimously ranked among the finest singers ever to emerge from Scotland, Flora MacNeil MBE has been a vital force throughout the revival of Gaelic music that began after World War II, and continues to thrive today. Heiress to a vast treasure-trove of ancient ballads and work-songs preserved through generations of her family, she spearheaded the rescue of Gaelic singing from the Victorianised, pseudo-classical straitjacket that was threatening to strangle it, and brought it to the world in all its original, unadorned glory. ”
(Hands Up for Trad Scottish Music Hall of Fame)
Acknowledgements
Maggie would like to express her sincere thanks to the various organisations and individuals who have helped with her research both into the songs themselves and into the background of the tradition bearers who passed the songs on to Flora when she was growing up in Barra. In particular, she would like to thank and acknowledge the following;-
1. Creative Scotland for the funding given to assist with the digitisation of the recordings, Maggie’s research into the songs themselves, the creation of this website, the development of Maggie’s show, The Kalokerinos Tapes, and the release of her new album with songs from the archive and the show, Uiseagan Bharraigh (Barra Skylarks) MARCD07.
2. The team at Tobar an Dualchais for their support and the invaluable resource available at tobarandualchais.co.uk which assisted greatly in the research of the songs.
3. All the publications referred to in the “Sources” sections but in particular, the following publications;- “Songs of Gaelic Scotland” by Anne Lorne Gillies (first published in 2005 by Birlinn Ltd), Hebridean Folksongs in 3 Volumes by JL Campbell and Francis Collinson (1981 edition),The MacDonald Collection of Gaelic Poetry (1911) by Reverends A MacDonald, Folksongs of Britain and Ireland by Peter Kennedy (1975).
4. The National Trust for Scotland, The Canna Collection and The School of Scottish Studies in Edinburgh.
5. Everyone at “Dualchas”, The Barra Heritage & Cultural Centre and especially to Calum MacNeil, their resident historian and his wife Rhoda.
6. The following residents of Barra;- the late Nanny Kearney, Mary Sinclair, Chrissie MacDonald (Chrissie Denny), Morag Robertson and the late Mary MacLean.
7. Chris Waite of Gran’s House Studio, Biggar, for carrying out the digitisation of the recordings.
8. Ross Barber-Smith of Electric Kiwi for his work in setting up this website.
