Anna "Annie" Arnott (née Mackenzie; 1887–1978) was a Scottish singer who sang in

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

in the

puirt à beul Puirt à beul (, literally "tunes from a mouth") is a traditional form of song native to Scotland (known as ''portaireacht'' in Ireland) that sets Gaelic lyrics to instrumental tune melodies. Historically, they were used to accompany dancing in the ...

style.

Biography

Arnott was born and raised in Linicro, near

Uig Uig is a placename meaning "bay" (from Norse) and may refer to: Places * Uig, Coll, a hamlet on the island of Coll, Argyll and Bute, Scotland * Uig, Duirinish, a hamlet near Totaig, on the Isle of Skye, Highland Scotland * Uig, Lewis, a civil par ...

on the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some of ...

in Scotland. She learned many songs from her mother who was descended from the MacDonald bards. She was regarded as one of the foremost exponents of traditional Gaelic song. Her singing was recorded in 1950 by

Derick Thomson Derick Smith Thomson (Scottish Gaelic: ''Ruaraidh MacThòmais''; 5 August 1921, Stornoway – 21 March 2012, Glasgow) was a Scottish poet, publisher, lexicographer, academic and writer. He was originally from Lewis, but spent much of his life ...

and later by Calum Maclean and by others from the

School of Scottish Studies A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of ...

at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

. Many of her recordings are archived on Tobar and Dualchais. The song ''Seallaibh Curaigh Eoghainn (Look at Ewen's Coracle)'' was included on a compilation of music from the

Western Isles The Outer Hebrides ( ) or Western Isles ( , or ), sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island (), is an island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. It is the longest archipelago in the British Isles. The islands form part ...

. She was a housewife,

crofter A croft is a traditional Scottish term for a fenced or enclosed area of land, usually small and arable, and usually, but not always, with a crofter's dwelling thereon. A crofter is one who has tenure and use of the land, typically as a ten ...

and also had a shop in Linicro. She lived in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

for many years, eventually returning to Skye.

References

1887 births 1978 deaths People from the Isle of Skye Scottish Gaelic singers 20th-century Scottish women singers {{Scotland-bio-stub