Scottish Gaidhlig singer Kathleen MacInnes from South Uist in the outer Hebrides and Laoise regularly gig together.
Laoise features on 2 tracks on Kathleen’s fab new album Cille Bhríde (Kilbride).
The first track ‘Teanga Binn Mo Mhàthair’ is a Gaidhlig version of a Gaelic song from Achill, Co.Mayo, written by Séamas Ó Maoildhia (1881-1928) in praise of Gaeilg’ Acla. The original air was lost and local hero of culture, múinteoir ceol and revivalist of Scoil Acla John ‘twin’ McNamara gave it a new air which Kathleen liked the sound of when she heard Laoise play it. Kathleen’s collaborator Seonag Monk made the gaidhlig version. Listen to an excerpt here and recommend you buy from here.
Kathleen and Laoise were the subject of RTÉ’s “The Full Set” tv programme . . .
In 2010 Laoise and Kathleen did a live BBC Scotland broadcast . . .
The Festival on the Island of Colonsay in September was another quiet affair . . . this time all was forgiven and we weren’t barred from the hotel….It has now become tradition that we hold up the ferry at Oban….The daring Séamas O’Kane from Derry joined ‘The Sisters Lilly’ on bodhrán!! oh and by the way ‘The Sisters Lilly’ are the very bould Sineag MacIntyre & laoise. Sineag, as does Kathleen, likes to rehearse alot before gigs and go to bed early.
Kathleen and Laoise recently enjoyed the Cape Breton Celtic Colours Festival in Canada. The first concert was in the fortress of Louisburg which is just one of the most special gigs ever; an acoustic, candle-lit church and all in the company of some great musicians. Then it was the turn of the floating church! Only in Cape Breton are the people crazy enough to move a whole building, the Malagawatch church from one community to another, about 20km away, put it on a barge thing and float it down river, or sea, as it’s an inland sea, and then haul it up the hill to the highland village in Iona! Anyway, twas a gorgeous gig lit with oil lamps and packed to capacity. The old dusty organ in the corner got an old go for one song! Nothing like a bit of spontaneity!
The highlight of Celtic Colours was crashing the ‘Island Women’ gig and getting to hear and play with the fantabulous Cathy Ann MacPhee!
At Celtic Connections, Glasgow 2011 with Iain MacDonald, Iain MacFarlane & Ross Martin