{"id":11520,"date":"2026-11-02T12:01:35","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T12:01:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotstradmusicawards\/?p=11520"},"modified":"2026-11-02T12:19:25","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T12:19:25","slug":"mg-alba-scots-trad-music-awards-2026-claire-frances-macneil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotstradmusicawards\/mg-alba-scots-trad-music-awards-2026-claire-frances-macneil\/","title":{"rendered":"MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2026: Claire Frances MacNeil"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Congratulations to Claire Frances MacNeil<\/strong> who has \/ have been nominated in Gaelic Singer of the Year sponsored by Highland Society of London in the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2026. Vote for Claire Frances MacNeil now!<\/a><\/strong> It’s going to be another great night at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards on Saturday 5th December in Paisley Arena, Lagoon Centre. Why not join us for a brilliant night of music and awards. Buy a ticket here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

We asked Claire Frances of Claire Frances MacNeil<\/strong> the following questions.<\/p>\n

Tell us about yourself<\/strong>
\nClaire Frances MacNeil is a Gaelic singer, researcher and educator from the Isle of Barra, brought up between the island and mainland Lochaber. Growing up immersed in Gaelic language and musical landscapes has shaped much of her work and her relationship with this rich song tradition.<\/p>\n

Alongside her solo work, Claire Frances performs with TEUD: The Hebridean Fiddle Project and has developed a growing range of collaborations, commissions and appearances at festivals and concerts both at home and internationally. Her work has also extended into screen and theatre, including singing in Outlander: Blood of My Blood, BBC ALBA productions and the National Theatre of Scotland's Through the Shortbread Tin (2025).<\/p>\n

Her approach to performance is informed by research, community knowledge and archival recordings, with a particular interest in lesser-heard Gaelic repertoire and the histories and people behind the songs. This has included exploring the songs of Barra bard D\u00f2mhnall Iain N\u00ecll E\u00f2in and others, working with archival collections and contributing to projects celebrating Gaelic cultural heritage.<\/p>\n

Alongside performing, Claire Frances has taught through F\u00e8isean across the country. Following her graduation from the University of Glasgow in 2022, she worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and later as a Visiting Lecturer in Gaelic language, poetry and song, completing this role earlier in 2026. She continues to teach Gaelic song at Bun Sgoil Taobh na P\u00e0irce in Edinburgh and has more recently taken up a role as a Principal Study tutor in Gaelic Song at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.<\/p>\n

Any particular career highlights?<\/strong>
\nWinning the Ladies' Traditional Gold Medal at the Royal National M\u00f2d in 2024 was a particularly special moment, as was becoming the first person to graduate with a Masters in Gaelic Song from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2025. Being selected as a semi-finalist for BBC Radio Scotland's Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2026 was another lovely opportunity and moment of recognition.<\/p>\n

I've been fortunate to perform alongside musicians whose work I've long admired, including Maggie MacInnes, Rory Matheson and P\u00e0druig Morrison. Particular highlights include performing at Celtic Connections, the Canna House commission for the National Trust for Scotland and performing a live film score for FAODAIL.<\/p>\n

Opportunities to bring Gaelic song into different settings have also led to some unexpected experiences, including performing with pipe bands in Germany, at an event for Harris Gin in Paris and as part of a collaboration with fashion brand AllSaints.<\/p>\n

More recently, recording my debut solo album has been a huge milestone. Bringing together a wonderful ensemble of musicians to record songs that have, in many cases, never received a professional studio recording has been both a challenge and a privilege. It's been particularly rewarding to see years of research, learning and musical exploration come together in a project that feels so personal to me.<\/p>\n

What are your plans for the future?<\/strong>
\nMy immediate focus is the release of my debut solo album in early 2027. Produced by my friend and collaborator Rory Matheson, the album brings together a collection of lesser-heard Gaelic songs, many receiving their first professional studio recordings, with arrangements that explore new possibilities while keeping the language, storytelling and traditional singing at their heart.<\/p>\n

Following the album's launch in January, I'm looking forward to sharing this music through live performances, festivals and touring throughout 2027, reconnecting this repertoire with audiences at home and further afield. I'm particularly keen to build on this opportunity to develop my work as a solo performing artist, with more regular performances in new places and for new audiences.<\/p>\n

Beyond the album, I'd love to continue developing collaborative projects and exploring new musical possibilities, alongside projects that bring together performance and archival research. I'm keen to work with more musicians and continue developing my own artistic voice.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, I hope to keep finding ways to celebrate the richness of Gaelic song, making space for both the preservation of tradition and its continued growth and creativity.<\/p>\n

Claire Frances MacNeil Social Media<\/strong>
\nWebsite: http:\/\/clairefrancesmacneil.com<\/a>
\nFacebook: https:\/\/@https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61591562818043
\nInstagram: https:\/\/@https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/claire.frances.ceol\/
\nYouTube: https:\/\/@https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@ClaireFrancesMacNeil
\nTikTok: https:\/\/@https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@clairefrancesmacneil<\/p>\n

Listen to music: http:\/\/https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/album\/5pxg4V8sQNoR4fLHAq2gSa?si=i2yWRK6-QXy6YFpKDa1zFA<\/a><\/p>\n

The 2026 MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards are on the 5th December 2026 in Paisley Arena, Lagoon Centre! You will be able to watch it live in person (buy a ticket here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Hosted by Scottish personalities Alistair Heather and Mary Ann Kennedy, the night will welcome live performances from some of the brightest lights on the thriving trad scene today including Valtos, Gnoss, Sian, F\u00e8is Ph\u00e0islig, Spodo Komodo and BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Rachel Groves and many more!<\/p>\n

If you would like to support Hands Up for Trad in their work with Scottish trad music and musicians why not become a friend of Hands Up for Trad<\/a><\/strong>. In addition to our high profile events like the Scots Trad Music Awards, we also deliver a less well known, education programme for young people from 8yrs right through to young adults at the start of their careers. Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Congratulations to Claire Frances MacNeil who has \/ have been nominated in Gaelic Singer of the Year sponsored by Highland Society of London in the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2026. Vote for Claire Frances MacNeil now! It’s going to be another great night at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards on Saturday […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11521,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nominee-2026","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotstradmusicawards\/files\/2026\/11\/DSC04424-lower-res-scaled.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotstradmusicawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotstradmusicawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotstradmusicawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotstradmusicawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotstradmusicawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11520"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotstradmusicawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11520\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11522,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotstradmusicawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11520\/revisions\/11522"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotstradmusicawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotstradmusicawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotstradmusicawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotstradmusicawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}