Gaelic stories and songs from the sea
with Margaret Bennett
Workshop | 2:30pm | St Cecilia’s Hall

Join Margaret in songs including iorram (boat songs) intended to make the job of rowing lighter. No musical experience is needed—these songs were traditionally sung by entire communities, making them accessible to all.
We welcome you to experience this living tradition with Margaret, in Scotland’s oldest purpose-built concert hall.
Margaret Bennett grew up in a family of Gaelic and Scots singers and musicians and has had a lifelong interest in traditional folk culture. As a post-graduate, she studied Folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland, has a PhD in Ethnology from Edinburgh University, and from 1984–96 lectured at the School of Scottish Studies. Since 1996, she has been on the part-time staff of the RCS Traditional Music Department. A prize-winning author, singer, and recipient of many awards on both sides of the Atlantic, Margaret has contributed to many projects in the arts, including collaborations with her son Martyn Bennett. Though she is said to ‘wear her scholarship lightly’ she is regarded as ‘Scotland’s foremost folklorist’. Margaret is a Professor of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Honorary Research and teaching-fellow of the University of St Andrews, and Honorary Professor of the Royal Scottish Academy.
Image: George Washington Wilson (1823 – 1893), ‘Castlebay, Barra’. National Galleries of Scotland, the MacKinnon Collection. Acquired jointly with the National Library of Scotland with assistance from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Scottish Government and Art Fund.