Seumas Gagné — tha mo ghaol air aird a chuain

The 2021 Samhain Celtic New Year Festival welcomes Seumas Gagné.

“Gaelic song explores the human experience in an intimate way that anyone can understand and appreciate with a little help from a knowledgeable guide.” – Seumas Gagné

Seumas Gagné has been playing the music of the Scottish and Irish Gaels on the harp for more than thirty years. After finishing his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Music at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, his attention returned to his first love, the traditional music of Scotland and Ireland. This music led him deeper into the world of the Gael until learning the Gaelic language became the natural next step. He began studying with Richard Hill in Seattle and along with his classmates helped found Slighe nan Gaidheal (say: SLEE-uh nun GAY-ull), Washington’s Gaelic language and cultural
society.

Seumas was one of the founding members of the band Wicked Celts and recorded one CD with them, Prophecy and Blessing in 1997. That same year, Seumas and friends from Slighe nan Gaidheal journeyed to the Royal
National Mòd (a Gaelic music competition) in Inverness, Scotland where he won the Elspeth Hyllestad Trophy for solo clàrsach performance.

In 2001, he returned to the Mòd in Scotland with a team of five friends and together they won the first-ever waulking song competition, sponsored by the Harris Tweed Authority.

Seumas’ first solo CD, Baile Àrd, was released in February 2012. It includes a mix of traditional and original songs in Scottish Gaelic, as well as traditional dance music. Lyrics, translations, and instructional videos for the choruses of the songs on the CD are available at his web site, http://www.seumasgagne.com/

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This video is part of the 2021 Samhain Celtic New Year Festival. Find more Celtic entertainment at https://celticfestival.info/