Séamus Ó Baoighill & Kenny Rankin have reached the finals of Battle of The Folk Bands 2020. The competition will be held at Celtic Connections on January 25th in the Drygate Brewery at 1pm. Why not come along and join in the fun? You can buy tickets here.
We asked Séamus of Séamus Ó Baoighill & Kenny Rankin a few questions about the band.
Tell us about your band
It is approaching 20 years since Séamus Ó Baoighill of Skye and Lochalsh native Kenny Rankin first met as bright-eyed youths in the playground of Plockton Primary School. Since those halcyon days, their musical paths have crossed many times. As they grew older, Gaelic-singing sessions in school gave way to local piping competition rivalry and later concurrently developing their skills at Sgoil Chiùil na Gàidhealtachd. Both were heavily influenced by West Coast tradition bearers, and both maintain a great love of the music and culture of their upbringing.
In 2019 they came together again for their debut duo performance, suitably delivered just down the road from Séamus’ family home, at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. This is cask-strength music drawn from the rich Gaelic traditions of the West Coast.
Who are the band members
Séamus Ó Baoighill – Fiddle & Pipes
Kenny Rankin – Guitar & Song
What are you hopes and aspirations for the band?
We hope to spend the following months honing our sound and developing a longer setlist. Spending time exploring the repertoire of our home area and the wider Gaelic tradition would be the basis for this. We’d like to look at incorporating our other instruments into the duo, while maintaining the core of guitar & fiddle. Séamus is a piper and Kenny also sings in Gaelic.
The product of this period of gestation would be our performing the material more widely and to bigger audiences.
Check out the band’s website.
Battle of The Folk Bands is a Hands Up for Trad project. Read about the organisation and join our weekly Scottish music information email here.