Awarded 'Gaelic Singer of the Year, 2008', during a glittering televised ceremony in Glasgow in December, 2008. Thank you for all those who voted for me, wherever you are and whoever you may be.
'Whatever he studies, the future observer of St Kilda will be haunted the rest of his life by the place, and tantalised by the impossibility of trying to describe it, to those who have not seen it.'
St Kilda, where I spent time in my youth. I've climbed the mountains, scaled the cliffs, walked the glens, taken a breeches buoy accross the 'gap' from the main island to An Dùn, traversed miles and miles around every part of the island, held puffins and fulmars in my hands, been attacked by skuas, felt the wind rush onto my face as I lay on top of the great cliffs behind Conchair and Oiseval.......... It is a time I will never forget, and I often wish I could return there again. Here are a few photographs of that wonderful archipelago, which is now abandoned, save for the St Kildan sheep and the thousands of birds, which the islanders relied on for their food, fuel and economy before evacuation of the remaining population of 36, in 1930.
The archipelago, which we Gaels call 'Hiort', is the remains of a tertiary volcano, about 60 million years old, and lies approximately 65 miles west of the Outer Hebrides. The island group is renowned for its outstanding scenery, huge bird colonies, its history and abandoned village, its unique species of sheep, mouse and wren.
Influences
Our traditional music and songs are more than just a musical heritage, they are a way of life ! As was the old way, I learnt from an oral tradition and then took the songs straight to my heart. I learnt this singing style while I was growing up in the small community of Upper Coll on the Isle-of-Lewis and although I never set out to become a professional singer; it all just seemed to happen at a particular time in my life, I am now very proud that I retained the old ornamental singing style, and fortunate indeed that I have many opportunities to perform these songs around the world. It is a style of singing which has been passed down to us for many generations, but sadly, it is a dying art, and rarely heard nowadays.
Morag MacLeod of Scalpay (former lecturer in Gaelic song at the School of Scottish Studies), has been a great influence on my understanding of Gaelic Song in general, and through her encouragement I continue to research and collect songs from all areas of Gaelic Scotland.
My family, and in particular my grandfather, was a huge influence on my life - he lived with us until he died at the age of 94. He had been a crofter/fisherman for most of his life and was a perfectionist in everything that he did. I followed in his footsteps for much of my formative years and unconciously soaked up many of the old stories, songs, crofting, fishing and cultural traditions of my home island of Lewis.
My greatest musical influence, in the early years, growing up in Lewis was, without a doubt, the highly ornamental Psalm singing which I heard in the home each morning and evening, during worship, and in church each Sunday. I was also exposed to the traditional and melismatic singing style of Lewis singers at house ceilidhs (gatherings), weddings and social occassions. This kind of singing was never part of our musical education at school and was ignored throughout my education (as was my native language). Much has been done to ensure that children are given the opportunity to be educated in Gaelic at many schools throughout Scotland now, but traditional Gaelic singing and poetry is still suffering a decline and given very little attention within the education system.
I travelled a lot after leaving Lewis and I was exposed to many different kinds of music. My years living in Venezuela had a huge effect on me with regard to music, dance, language, cuisine and many other things too numerous to mention. I am touched by all kinds of music and have a particular love of stringed instruments - lute, mandolin, various guitar styles, fiddle, harp, harpsichord etc.
The music of the Great Highland bagpipe holds a particular fascination for me and I have gathered many songs relating to the ancient Pibroch music (the so-called 'classical' music of the pipes). Although I sing many of these songs I never try to emulate the sound of the pipes.
I hesitate to name individual influences with regard to Gaelic song and singing, as much of it was subliminally acquired while growing up, although I do have recollections of many old folk and singers which I admired. Many of my strongest influences are, sadly, no longer with us but they are very much part of my life in song. In adulthood I continue to study archive recordings of Gaelic singers which were recorded from the approximately 1951 onwards, and some of the material I have recently recorded has been influenced by this material.
This year, 2008, I was offered the dream job of being one of two Gaelic Song specialists employed to catalogue all the Gaelic song archives at the School of Scottish Studies for the Tobar an Dualchais project http://www.tobarandualchais.com. I am living a charmed life, am I not?
SPECIAL TOO ARE THE FOLLOWING:- - my husband and our darling daughter, my parents, my brothers and their lovely families, the Isle-of-Lewis, Scotland, the Gaelic language and my culture, Ireland and my great friends there, Milltown Malbay and Willie Clancy Week, Skippinish (can't stop myself from dancing when they play), the sea, the old folks, the ceilidh house (now gone forever), my good and faithful friends, the old story tellers, travel, my life in South America, my group of old pals in the West End Hotel on Thursday nights, Nairn, my dear neighbours Gordon and Muriel MacIntyre, Iain MacDonald and family, Ian Hardie and Viv, my new friends Maggie and Ken, my pal Christine Primrose, my loyal and giften musicians friends, my garden, lilies, Islay Malt, orchids - oooh I LOVE orchids ..............
This summer I decided to accept an invitation to teach at the Ceòlas Summer School in South Uist in place of my usual trip to the Willie Clancy Week. I missed going to Ireland, to see old friends and familiar places and to hear, once again, the best of Ireland's traditional music and song, but I had not been to Ceòlas for over 7 years and I also wanted to go to Lewis for a Graham family reunion (Graham being my mother's maiden name). I had a fantastic time in South Uist; great classes and some excellent students, superb evening concerts, gorgeous weather and mighty, mighty craic with such friends as Alec Valtos, Alasdair a Bhocsair, Iain Glenuig, Angus Nicolson, Angus Grant, Ewen Henderson, Mairi MacInnes, Rona Lightfoot etc, as well as two wonderful friends from Brittany, who shared the house in Smerclete with me.
Meanwhile, our daughter Eilidh was in Romania, working in an orphanage for a few weeks. She returned for five days and then flew to Helsinki to board the school yacht and join the Tall Ships Race in Turku, for Leg 2 of the race from Turku to Klaipeda in Lithuania. What a summer she's having.
Here is a short video of the festivities in Turku and if you look hard enough you will see the Gordonstoun ketch in a couple of shots.
Another video - this time its of the Parade of Sail, as the ships leave Turku. Ocean Spirit, with the piper and its mostly all-girl crew can be seen around the middle of the video. Good shots of our Eilidh and Anna Stewart from Elgin.
A short video of Ocean Spirit of Moray leaving Turku, with one of the crew playing the pipes on deck. Nice one !
Photos from last summer's trip (2008) to Tory Island:-
MY BLURB
Margaret Stewart was born and brought up on the Island of Lewis, which is part of the Outer Hebrides (a string of islands on the west coast of Scotland), in a community where Gaelic was the universal language, save for the schoolroom.
She has sung all her life, having been surrounded by music and song during her formative years, and singing has always been a passion and a pastime. Margaret's singing is rooted in the traditional, melismatic style of her home island, and in the seventeen years since she entered the world of professional singing, her reputation as an exponent of sean nòs (the traditional Gaelic singing style) has grown apace. She has spent the past fifteen years performing, researching and teaching Gaelic song, and shares this knowledge with many current singers and with students of Gaelic song at Ceolas in South Uist; Sabhal Mor Ostaig, (the Gaelic College on the Isle of Skye); Feis nan Oran (Gaelic song festivals which have taken place in Lewis and in Skye), the Willie Clancy Summer School in Ireland, and the School of Excellence in Traditional Music in Plockton, Ross-shire
She is also employed by the Tobar An Dualchais project, as one of two specialists cataloguing Gaelic Song from the sound archives of various institutions such as the School of Scottish Studies at Edinburgh University and the BBC, but she also manges to fit in lectures on Gaelic song to students on the Traditional Music Degree Course at the RSAMD in Glasgow.
She has released two albums with piper Allan MacDonald, 'Fhuair Mi Pog' and 'Colla Mo Run'. In February of 2008 she released her debut solo album, Togaidh mì mo Sheòlta; a big project which includes tri-lingual translations of all the songs, photographs of her homeland by John MacLean, detailed notes and comments on the songs and some of the finest musicians in Gaelic Scotland and Ireland: Iain MacDonald, Iain MacFarlane, Ingrid Henderson, Allan Henderson, Ian Hardie, Griogair Labhruidh, D James Ross, Mick O'Brien, Mark Kelly, Peadar O'Ceannabhain and Kathleen MacInnes. All three albums were produced by her great friend, the esteemed producer of Gaelic music, Iain MacDonald.
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Apart from her singer profile - Margaret is married to Tim, and they have a teenage daughter, Eilidh. Due to Tim's work, they lived in Venezuela for six extremely interesting and exciting years, and they still continue to work and travel in some interesting locations. Their main family home is now in Nairn, a pretty seaside town on the shores of the Moray Firth, near Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland.
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I am interested in many musical genres, I do, at times, find special friends in this big MySpace forest but please don't be offended if I don't reply to every friend request. Time, time, time.
In the magicalities of a could, Between the probabilities of a would, Beyond the trivialities of a should, In these ungraspable mysticalities There lies a secret a passage… To this extraordinary wood.
But for you, it unfolds easily and true And the only thing you have to do Is press play, and you’ll have a view.
After you've finished here, you may like to hear this poem sung on myspace...
Poem 162 of 230, WalkaboutsVerse (please see my blog): TEES TO TYNE: FIRST IMPRESSIONS - SUMMER 2001
Where traditions are not so rare; Sea, country and works scent the air; A multitude of monuments, Planted tubs and patterned pavements.
The longish pedestrian malls; The remnants of defensive walls; Historic buildings are a gauge Of the respect for heritage.
Wheat, rape and pines in the fields; Estuaries guarded by shields; Long sandy beaches and wide scenes; Romantic-ruin go-betweens.
Rivers in parts licked by trees, Or fringed by boat clubs, wharfs, gantries, And crossed by practical delights - Varied spans, forming pleasing sights.
Fine churches headed at Durham; Football kits ad infinitum; Kept castles - one for study; Masonry behind masonry.
And, with moulding-works out that way, It’s somewhere for a longer stay..?
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After you've finished here, you may like to hear this poem sung on myspace...
Poem 2 of 230, WalkaboutsVerse (please see my blog): WALKABOUT WITH MY PEN
Once drove an old sedan, up north, From a place in Sydney to Cairns; Then to Kuranda I went forth, By train, to look without set plans.
I browsed through the trendy market, With fresh fruits of tropical kind; Walked to the creek through lush thicket - Nature’s hand giving peace of mind.
I dined in a scenic cafe; Then, outside, as I wrote for yen, Some passing Kooris called-out: “Hey, You go walkabout with your pen.”
Request or question, I don’t know - Assured voices, elderly men. That’s now several years ago, And I’ve seen the world - with my pen.
Hats off to everyone who sings in other languages that these multi-nationals. And there is such a quality and beauty in what you are doing... the beauty of your language gives me courage to stick to mine.
Hello Maragaret... More new photos of the studio uploaded. If you're a Facebook or Twitter addict we've just set up pages for that as well. Cheers from the Watercolour Team!
