Gaelic-language vocalists Brian Ó hEadhra and Fiona Mackenzie have released an outstanding album titled TUATH – Songs of the Northlands. The two artists discuss their music and their interest in the traditions of the North Atlantic.
What are your fondest musical memories?
Brian: Apart from the past few years performing with Fiona and our kids Órla and Róise, I would say touring the world with my band Anam in the 90s. We were signed with JVC Victor in Tokyo and we spent years touring Europe, North America, Japan and Australasia.
Fiona: I was brought up singing in a local Gaelic children’s choir which my dad, Rod Mackenzie, started and conducted. I have so many lovely memories of performing with the choir. Also, hogmanays (New Years) in Lochinver which is where my dad was from; we would go over on the ferry from Lewis and have really great ceilidhs with lots of singing, with various people from the village calling in at my Uncle Kenny and Auntie Marlene’s house. I just loved it.
What was the first song or melody you learned?
Brian: The first song I remember learning is the traditional Irish song from Donegal called Báidín Fheilimí. I learned it from my father and mother Aidan and Joyce O’Hara who are great singers.
Fiona: This is a hard one as I have a terrible memory! But I do remember that I learned a song to sing solo called ‘Ille Bhig’. I think I was 6 years old and sang it at the National Mod (the main Gaelic competitive festival in Scotland).
What do you consider to be the essential elements of your music?
Brian: It depends if we are performing live or if you are listening to our albums. For the live stuff, we cherish intimate spaces where we really engage with the audiences. We prefer performing acoustically and be able to give context to our songs, Gaelic language and traditions. If you are listening to our recordings then we feel that it is important to have excellent production, arrangements and choice of material. Listen to our work on a high-quality sound system or headphones, please!
How did your musical ideas evolve over the years from your first album to your most recent recording, TUATH – Songs of the Northlands?
Brian: I started recording in the early nineties with bands from Ireland. It was very acoustic and recorded on tape. We now have endless tracks and more opportunities to explore interesting sounds. We also have more access to hear music from other cultures through the internet. I have always been interested in performing quality traditional music and song alongside writing new material. It is a living tradition and this is a constant in our music. We probably take more risks these days. That comes with age and confidence in our music and culture.
Fiona: I think for me it’s definitely an awareness of what I know I like and what I want to experiment with and that is something that has come with age. I value what others think of course, but at the same time, I am not looking for approval from anyone.
How did you come up with the concept of TUATH – Songs of the Northlands?
Brian: Our first album as a duo, TÌR, looked at traditional and contemporary life in the Highlands of Scotland so the next step was to broaden this out and look to our relationship with our nearest and dearest neighbours around the North Atlantic.
TUATH – Songs of the Northlands features a mix of traditional instruments and electronics which I find mesmerizing, transfixing. What kind of technology and electronics do you use to achieve this sound? And are you planning to record more music in this direction?
Brian: This element was all done by Mike Vass who is a wizard with audio design and sound manipulation. Most of the sounds are real instruments with Mike adding effects and sounds. Our mixing engineer Iain Hutchison was also amazing at getting everything sitting right on the album. I think that we will work with Mike again but am not sure how much of the electro-acoustic sound we will use. It depends on the choice of songs and theme of the next album.
TUATH – Songs of the Northlands includes music from various countries. How did you come into contact with this diverse music?
Brian: All the musicians on the album are from Scotland apart from me from Ireland. We sang songs from artists from other countries such as Norway and Denmark. We have met with various artists over the years when we have played abroad. All of this has influenced us and help inform us for TUATH.
Were all the recording sessions in person or did you also work remotely with some of the participants?
Fiona: Brian and I provided vocal roughs to Mike who worked on them remotely. He then presented us with draft mixes which we sang to for our main vocals. The two session musicians, Innes White (our nephew) and Tom Gibbs worked mostly with Mike without us there. This is because we live in Inverness and Mike and the studio, Gloworm, are in Glasgow.
On TUATH – Songs of the Northlands you sing in Irish and Scottish Gaelic. Can people speaking these two Gaelic languages easily communicate with each or are they too different? Also, can you clarify how many forms of Gaelic exist? Is Welsh or Breton related in any way?
Brian: Irish and Scottish Gaelic are similar and you can communicate if you speak slowly with each other (a bit like Swedish and Norwegian). There are three types of Gaelic language – Irish, Scottish and Manx (Isle of Man) Gaelic. The other Celtic languages distantly related to Gaelic are Welsh, Cornish and Breton.
Irish and Scottish Gaelic is spoken in two countries where English is the dominant language. Are children studying these languages?
Fiona: Yes, there are Gaelic medium schools across Ireland and Scotland.
Brian: In Ireland, Irish Gaelic is also compulsory in all schools. Our kids, Órla and Róise both go to Gaelic medium school here in Inverness.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you in terms of work and livelihood?
Brian: I work for Bòrd na Gàidhlig, the Gaelic language board and I am busier than ever. I just now work from home. Fiona works as an Archive Assistant and has been put on leave with pay during the crisis. We have lost all of our musical work of course but we don’t rely on this for our main income so we are in a better situation compared to many of our full time musical friends.
What have been doing these days while there were orders in many countries to stay home?
Brian: We have been doing a family cèilidh (music party) every weekend on Facebook live. www.facebook.com/oheadhramackenzie/live. That has been great fun and a good way to connect to friends, family and fans around the world. I have also been doing lots of baking, gardening, DIY and reading.
Fiona: I am using this time to get our house re-painted! But I’m now at the stage where I am feeling I want more of a creative outlet so I’m hoping to try and write some new songs. We feel very lucky as we are having some really lovely family time just now with our two children. We also live in a place where we have beautiful nature walks two mins from our house. We are of course finding it hard not seeing other family members and friends but we’ve been catching up with them as much as possible through online chats and quizzes. We’re also taking the self-isolating and social distancing very seriously and glad that we have clarity from the Scottish Government through these hard times.
What do you miss the most?
Brian: I miss doing the gigs that were planned. There were lovely concerts and festivals lined up. We’ll do it all next year.
Fiona: My mum and sisters. My mum lives 16 miles away so I usually see her regularly but of course, I haven’t seen her since lockdown in March. This is especially hard as she is now on her own since my father died three years ago. However, I’m aware that this is a common hardship felt by many. I really can’t wait for a time when we can see our other family members and give them a hug but I know we have to be patient and wait until it’s safe to do so.
In what ways are you promoting your music?
Brian: Apart from our live cèilidh’s we have remained active on social media and have event performed in a few online festivals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDIjoEX61zc&t=11s
If you could invite additional musicians or bands to collaborate with, who would it be?
Brian: I love the Norwegian duo Sudan Dudan but I would also love to explore collaborations with artists from other cultures such as from the Mediterranean, central/eastern Europe and northern Africa. Would love to get some suggestions if you have them!
Fiona: As with Brian, I feel a strong sonic affinity with Scandinavia but I would also be very interested in collaborating with Mongolian musicians and singers. I’m also very drawn to music from the middle east.
Are there any additional future projects to share with us?
Brian: I am looking at exploring how singers from Northern Europe might collaborate more together. It may be a collective or festival or online network. It’s very early days. I am also interested in doing an album on music from where our own ancestors came from around Europe and North America.
Fiona: I have an idea for a concept album so for that I want to write more and explore new ways to use my voice. This might be just for my own personal amusement or it might become something else. I’ll just have to see!
Official website: www.oheadhra-mackenzie.com
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.