Catherine MacLeod (4 September 1914 – 7 May 2000), also known as Kitty MacLeod, and in Gaelic as Kitty NicLeòid, was a Scottish Gaelic singer and school teacher.

Biography

MacLeod was born to Scottish parents in Kasuali, India, 4 September 1914. Her mother, Anna MacLeod, was a school teacher, and her father, Kenneth MacLeod was a British soldier serving with the

Seaforth Highlanders The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, the Duke of Albany's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, mainly associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The regiment existed from 1881 to 1961, and saw service ...

during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. After Catherine MacLeod was born, her father went "missing in action" and Anna MacLeod moved with her daughter back to the

Isle Of Lewis The Isle of Lewis () or simply Lewis () is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago in Scotland. The two parts are frequently referred to as if they were separate islands. The t ...

in Scotland, where the young Catherine began her education at the Lionel School. Kenneth MacLeod reappeared two years afterwards, and recovered his faculties when he was brought back to Scotland and reunited with his daughter. Catherine MacLeod learnt Gaelic from her mother, but also from participating in local ceilidh gatherings in which people shared regional

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

. Her community at that time was largely monolingual. She then attended 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 ...

via a scholarship. At University she won gold medals for Celtic and Moral philosophy, as well as the Elizabeth Hamilton Prize for the best woman student in philosophy. While studying, she participated at the singing competition of the Royal National Mòd of 1936 in

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

and won the gold medal. MacLeod was a school teacher both in Scotland and England until she retired in 1974. During that time she also pursued a singing career, with early recordings with

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1923 as the Parloph ...

. She avoided the commercial industry, but continued to sing in concerts, such as the People's Festival Ceilidhs, which emerged from the

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

. She was known for her recordings of ''An Aitearachd Àrd'' ("The high swelling of the sea") and ''Òran Chaluim Sgàire'', which she also composed. She also appeared in '' The Western Isles'', the first Scottish color documentary, and with her sister in the film '' Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue''. MacLeod was married to Murdoch Dubh MacLennan and then to Ernest Renaud Lewtas Gregson.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacLeod, Catherine 1914 births 2000 deaths Scottish Gaelic singers People from the Isle of Lewis Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 20th-century Scottish women singers