Clàr Ùr! Sgàth Fhras (New album!) le Anna-Wendy Stevenson, Muriel Urquhart, Simon Thoumire agus Tom Bancroft.

Filed Under: News

Chaidh mi a dh’Uibhist a Dheas airson a’ chiad turas anns a’ Mhàrt 2025. Bha mi air airgead fhaighinn bho Creative Scotland (mòran taing!) airson ceòl ùr a sgrìobhadh agus bha mi a’ coimhead air beachdan. Bha mi nam shuidhe anns an taigh aig Scott agus Jessica (Bornais) agus cha robh beachdan sam bith agamsa. An uair sin thug Màiri NicAonghais dhomh an leabhar ‘Folksongs and Folklore of South Uist’ le Margaret Fay Shaw (1955). ‘S e leabhar sgionneil a th’ ann! Chosg mi an uairsin làithean leis an leabhar agus ag èisteachd ris na h-òrain air website Tobar an Dualchais. Lorg mi òrain gu leòr agus thog mi dealbhan de na fuinn air am fòn agam agus chlàr mi fuaimean air an computer agam. Abair seachdain a bh’ agam! Fhuair mi puirt gu leòr airson an ceòl ùr agam agus an clàr seo!

Seo clàr ‘improvised’. Thug sinn sùil air na seann òrain seo agus an uair sin dhùin sinn a-rithist ar sùilean! Tha e cudromach gu bheil cuimhne againn gur e seann òrain a th’ annta ach tha iad beò fhathast agus feumaidh an t-saoghal a chluinntinn. airson a’ chiad turas anns a’ Mhàrt 2025. Bha mi air fhaighinn airgead bho Chreative Scotland (mòran taing!) airson ceòl ùr a sgrìobhadh agus bha mi a’ coimhead air beachdan. Bha mi nam shuidhe anns an taigh aig Scott agus Jessica (Bornais) agus cha robh beachdan sam bith agamsa. An uair sin ghabh Màiri NicAonghais dhomh an leabhar ‘Folksongs and Folklore of South Uist’ le Margaret Fay Shaw (1955). ‘S e leabhar sgionneil a th’ ann! Chosg mi an ath làithean leis an leabhar agus èisteachd ris an òrain air website Tobar an Dualchais. Lorg mi òrain gu leòr air an do thog mi dealbhan air an fòn agam agus chlàr mi fuaimean air an computer agam. Abair seachdain a bh’ agam! Fhuair mi puirt gu leòr airson an ceòl ùr agam agus an clàr seo!

Seo clàr ‘improvised’. Thug sinn sùil air na seann òrain seo agus an uair sin dhùin sinn a-rithist ar sùilean! Tha e cudromach gu bheil cuimhne againn gur e seann òrain a th’ annta ach tha iad beò fhathast agus feumaidh an saoghal (mòr) an cluinntinn.

1 Gur tu mo nighean donn bhòidheach 7:21 GXA8R 25 00001
2 Màiri NicAonghais, Banrigh Bhornais 5:09 GXA8R 25 00002
3 A’ ghaoil, lig dhachaigh gu m’ mhàthair mì 3:10 GXA8R 25 00003
4 Till an crodh, faigh an crodh 2:39 GXA8R 25 00004
5 Cholla, mo rùin 8:52 GXA8R 25 00006

This is a new album of improvised music based on the songs collected in Margaret Fay Shaw’s 1955 book ‘The Folksongs and Folklore of South Uist.’ The improvisation and harmony work is rooted within the language of Scottish traditional music. Available in both Gaelic and English, this groundbreaking release marks the first free improvised album of Scottish Gaelic music.” Sgàth Fhras is a Gaelic phrase meaning small rain showers – the kind of light shower that doesn’t soak you too much! The initial idea behind the album was small vignettes of impro of Gaelic songs just like a short rain shower. 

When I (Simon Thoumire) received funding from Creative Scotland to write new music for a show at Celtic Connections festival (Dol Fodha Na Grèine) I came to South Uist to find inspiration. It wasn’t happening through until Màiri MacInnes brought her copy of Margaret Fay Shaw’s 1955 book ‘Folk Songs and Folklore of South Uist. I knew of the book but had never read it before. I started going through it and at the same I looked the songs up on the Tobar an Dualchais website. I took photos of the songs and recorded the audio from the website so I could reference it. I got so much material that as well as the Celtic Connections piece I had enough left over for this album and more!

This is an improvised album. We listened to the original recordings and then turned the sheet music over to create something new in the moment. The arrangements were not thought about beforehand and happened spontaneously during the recording session. It was fun! I think it is important to remember that these songs maybe old but they are just as important nowadays in a complicated world. They remind us that preserving our traditional culture and languages is just as vital as embracing new ideas and welcoming new voices. These songs aren’t just echoes of the past – they’re living bridges between generations.

I hope you enjoy this album. It’s been a lot of fun to make and to create new versions of these beautiful songs.

Fiddle: Anna-Wendy Stevenson, concertina: Simon Thoumire, vocals: Muriel Urquhart, drums: Tom Bancroft 

1. Gur tu mo nighean donn bhòidheach
Anns an òran luaidh seo tha am bàrd ag innse mar a bha e ag èisteachd ris na diùcan a’ moladh tè bhòidheach, agus na h-iarlan a tha ag iarraidh a pòsadh. Bidh e muladach mura faigh e i. Rachadh e an ear agus an iar leatha. Rachadh e tro Chaol Ìle agus tro Chaol Mhuile, agus gu Glaschu far am bi na fasanan. Às a sin, bheireadh e i do dh’Uibhist far am buidhicheadh an t-eòrna.

2. Màiri NicAonghais, Banrigh Bhornais
Tha Màiri NicAonghais air a bhith gu math coimhneil Shìm a h-uile turas a dh’fhuiricheas e ann an Uibhist a Deas. Leugh Sìm leabhar a bha a-staigh aice le Mairead Fay Shaw air an robh ‘Folksong and Folklore of South Uist’ bhon leabhar seo fhuair e greim air fuinn a chòrd ris agus rinn e ath-sgrìobhadh dhen na puirt seo airson ceòl ùr air a bheil: ‘Dol Fodha Na Grèine’. Chaidh am fonn seo a sgrìobhadh le Alana NicAonghais agus Sìm Thoumire.

3. A’ ghaoil, lig dhachaigh gu m’ mhàthair mì
‘S e còmhradh a th’ anns an òran seo eadar nighean agus each-uisge. Tha an nighean ag iarraidh tilleadh gu a màthair, ach chan eil an t-each-uisge deònach a leigeil air falbh. Tha e follaiseach on rann mu dheireadh gun do rinn i an gnothach air teicheadh.

4. Till an crodh, faigh an crodh
‘S e òran bleoghain, aig a bheil ceangal ri pìobaireachd, a th’ anns an òran seo. Tha e ag ràdh:

“Till an crodh, faigh an crodh,
Gheibh thu a’ bhean bheadarrach.
Till an crodh, faigh an crodh,
Gheibh thu a’ bhean bhòidheach.”

5. Cholla, mo rùin
‘S e òran pìobaireachd a tha seo anns a bheil pìobaire ag iarraidh air Colla an caisteal a sheachnadh. Tha e ag innse gun deach e fhèin a ghlacadh.

Dol Fodha Na Grèine – The notes!

Filed Under: News

A’ Charaidean, Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the premier of Dol Fodha Na Grèine (Gaelic for Sunset), a piece of music I brought together to celebrate 30 years of Aly Bain’s monumental album Follow The Moonstone. My name is Simon Thoumire and I always loved that album and when I found out that 2025 was its 30th anniversary I hatched a plan to make this new piece of music. With thanks to Creative Scotland, Celtic Connections, Vaughan Williams Foundation and the Hope Scott Trust we are here tonight!

We do not have a lot of time so talking will be kept to a minimum so I wanted to tell you that this suite is in 3 sections – Alba / Scotland, Uibhist a Deas / South Uist and ceòl ùr / contemporary. Each section has between 4 or 5 pieces of music in it. When bringing this together I was very aware of the male dominance of composers in our tradition over the last few hundred years so I have tried hard to balance this out and you will hear a selection of new and old pieces written by men and women. It has been great fun bringing it all together and I would like you to give your thanks to the musicians who will perform it for you tonight. On piano Dave Milligan, on pipes and flute Alana NicAonghais, V3rsus String quintet featuring Seonaid Aitken, Patsy Reid, Kristan Harvey, Alice Allen and David Bowden.

ALBA

Strong Tea by Angus Fitchet

A strathspey that I found written by one of the most celebrated Scottish country dance musicians in the country, Dundee-born fiddler, bandleader Angus Fitchet (1910-1998). Read about him here https://projects.handsupfortrad.scot/hall-of-fame/angus-fitchet-1910-1998/

Carnegie Halls / Miss Clara Griffin’s

Carnegie Halls was written by piper and artist Mairearad Green as part of her Passing Places composition and Miss Clara Griffin’s was written by Alana NicAonghais.

Cluny Castle

Cluny Castle was composed by Alexander Troup of Crathie and Ballater, born at Dalbadgie, in the vicinity of Ballater, in September, 1835. It first appears in Scottish fiddler-composer James Scott Skinner (1843-1927) collection Harp and Claymore which was published in 1904. The soloist on this piece is Patsy Reid and she first performed CLUNY CASTLE as part of my fiddle concerto back in 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsNnrP_ni7U

Miss Farquharson of Invercauld’s Reel / Miss Jessy Dalrymple’s Reel

Robert “MackIntosh “Red Rob” was born in Tulliemet, Perthshire c.1745 and has long been recognised as one of our foremost composers of Scottish dance music.These are two tunes I found in the Highland Music Trust’s The Mackintosh Collections. Robert must have been an amazing fiddler to get his fingers around these tunes!

UIBHIST A DHEAS

Gille beag ò, leanabh lag ò

I was very lucky to get access to a first edition of Margaret Fay Shaw’s Folksongs and Folklore of South Uist and I spent a very happy week in South Uist pouring over the many amazing songs in the book. I discovered this short lullaby where mention is made of a small, weak boy who was working with sheep. It’s a cheery little song and I think shows the love a mother has for her wee baby or young child. Listen to the original recording https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/42313?l=en 

Mrs Catriona MacRury’s

This beautiful air was written by Alana NicAonghais and features Alana on pipes playing alongside the strings.

M’iteagan Is M’eoin Is M’uighean

The text of this little song begins: “My little feathers, my birds, and my eggs / My breeding cattle beside my house.” I love the fun in this original recording with Peggy MacIsaac from Eriskay singing and her friends all laughing. I’ve tried to emulate this in our performance tonight. Listen to the original recording https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/26780?l=en

Mo Ghaol an Tè Nach Dìobair Mi

This is a beautiful love song where the bard promises to support the girl he loves and clear her name. Listen to this brilliant recording from Mary MacRae https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/26789?l=gd

South Uist Golf Club / Alana’s Waltz

This is one of the most famous tunes mentioning the name South Uist. This famous strathspey was written by Lachlan Bàn MacCormick (1859–1951), a native of Creagorry, Benbecula. The golf club it refers to is Askernish Golf Course. The second tune you will hear is Alana’s Waltz written by Simon Thoumire. 

CEÒL ÙR

Insanity Train

Insanity train was written by Dave Milligan and is for his daughter Ella’s Polar Academy training journey over the last year. 

Designation Pending

This tune was written by Simon for a large piece based on the reel The Merry Lads of Ayr written for McFall’s Chamber and performed at Distil Showcase in Stirling.

Mouse in the Mandolin

Mouse in the mandolin was written by Dave Milligan for a mouse he literally found hiding in his mandolin… 

Ian on the left, Simon on the right

This tune was written by Simon Thoumire and Alana MacInnes. The Ian is one of the world’s best guitarists Ian Carr and Simon named it so they could remember where they sit on stage!

All tunes arranged by Simon Thoumire apart from Insanity Train and Mouse in the Mandolin. All strings arranged by Seonaid Aitken apart from Cluny Castle and Designation Pending which are arranged by Simon Thoumire and Seonaid Aitken.