NA SALM: Gaelic Psalm Singing – Morag Macleod
Isle of Harris: Robert Adam 1937
Morag Macleod
A native of Scalpay, Harris, Morag MacLeod is one of the greatest authorities on Gaelic song and folklore of her time. She worked for the School of Scottish Studies at Edinburgh University for some 37 years as a transcriber and latterly as senior lecturer and editor of the magazine ‘Tocher’ and was involved in the preparation of the Gaelic recordings in the ‘Scottish Tradition’ series of CDs released by Greentrax.As a fieldworker and transcriber, she recorded some of the most important sources of Gaelic songs and folklore of the 20th century, including Ciorstaidh Shaw, Alasdair Boyd, Lexy Campbell, Kate Buchanan, Flora Boyd, Kate MacDonald (Bean Eardsaidh Raghnaill) and Calum Johnstone, ensuring that their songs and stories would be preserved for future generations. Over the years, Morag has served as a member of An Comunn Gàidhealach and been instrumental in helping to choose and in some cases re-notate many prescribed songs for the national Mod.Most recently she has been involved with the Tobair an Dualchais project which will make the archives of the School of Scottish Studies, the BBC and John Lorne Campbell’s Canna Collection available to all. She was the recipient of the Hamish Henderson Award for Services to Traditional Music and inducted into the Scottish Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
Salm 77 Psalm 77, V19
Do cheuma ‘san doimhneachd mhoir
Do shlighe tha’s a chuan
Ach luirg do chois chan aithnich sinn,
Tha sud an folach uain
Text from the Iolaire memorial at Holm Point at the entrance to Stornoway Harbour where 205 sailors, returning from The Great War, lost their lives on 1st January 1919
‘Thy way is in the sea,
and thy path is in the great waters
and thy footsteps are not known’
Note: This event will be in English but will feature Gaelic Psalm recordings