Interested in Scottish Gaelic, the ancient and revered tongue of Scotland that’s spoken and sung today? Please join us for the 16th Annual Grandfather Mountain Gaelic Song and Language Week, July 6-11, 2014, at Lees-McRae College, Banner Elk, NC.

An Comunn Gàidhealach Ameireaganach (The American Scottish Gaelic Society, ACGA) brings you three distinguished Gaelic Instructors for a week of educational and fun-filled classes at Beinn Seanair (Grandfather Mountain, in Gaelic). Christine Primrose is a Scottish Royal National Mòd gold medal winner for Gaelic song. Angus MacLeod is a revered story-teller and has worked in short Gaelic films. They will be teaching the intermediate and advanced classes. Nicholas (Neacal) Freer, a Gaelic learner and experienced teacher, will conduct the beginners’ classes.

Christine Primrose is a native of Carloway, Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides. As part of growing up in a traditional Gaelic community, she began singing at a young age. Christine is a Gold Medal winner for Gaelic singing at the Scottish Royal National Mòd for 1974 and her recent accolades include “Gaelic Singer of the Year” at the Scottish Traditional Music Awards in 2009. Her tours have taken her worldwide, including Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand, taking her distinctive voice and the Gaelic language to a wide audience. She is also in demand as a tutor: she currently tutors on the (BA) Gaelic and Traditional Music Course at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. We are delighted to have her join us at Beinn Seanair.

Here’s a fun clip of Christine in “Kitchen Music”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkpvDIXovt8 where she not only makes the meal, but sings for it, too!

Another clip of Christine performing Mo Cheist Am Fear Ban’ / My Darling Is the Fair One http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ne4UIEWjXE&list=PL280DBF3DE164A29F

Here’s an interesting article about Christine: http://www.folkmusic.net/htmfiles/inart663.htm


Angus MacLeod is a Gaelic speaker, singer, storyteller, artist, writer and actor. He was born to Gaelic speaking parents in a Cape Breton Gaidhealtachd. He learned Gaelic on his own through song and by speaking with local elders, augmented by classes at various institutions in Nova Scotia. Angus began teaching in 1998. Since then he has taught Gaelic language and song at the Gaelic College of Arts and Crafts, St.Francis Xavier University, and Cape Breton University and at many venues throughout Canada and the U.S. Along with being a performer for Celtic Colours Festival for many years, Angus has appeared as an actor in three Gaelic short films. Angus was the first instructor in North America to use the Total Immersion Plus methodology for teaching Gaelic. He is presently Vice-President of, and a teacher with, the Atlantic Gaelic Academy as well as teaching in-person classes in Cape Breton, online classes as a private instructor and writing a bi-weekly Gaelic / English blog for Celticheart.ca.

He is a renowned story-teller and also an accomplished Gaelic singer who conducts Gaelic song workshops in Nova Scotia. We offer him the heartiest of welcomes to Beinn Seanair.

Click here to see Angus in the first Gaelic language short film made in North America, Faire Chaluim MhicLeoid / The Wake of Calum MacLeod http://vimeo.com/7221607

Here’s Angus in a excerpt from the 2012 Gaelic rendition of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart / An Cridhe Cabaireach http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqU51d_ZTlA


Nicholas (Neacal) Freer has been a student of Gaelic since 1988 and began teaching beginner and intermediate level students in 1995. A keen student himself, Neacal has attended the Gaelic College in St. Ann’s (Nova Scotia), Sabhal Mor Ostaig (Skye), as well as studying with Morag Craig at Cothrom Na Feinne. He served as US National Gaelic Mòd Chair from 2004 to 2010. He has won multiple gold medals in story-telling and been interviewed on Reidio nan Gaidheal. Several of Neacal’s students have gone on to compete at the Scottish Royal National Mòd and in the US National Mòd. Known as an energetic teacher who adds humor and merriment to the learning experience, we are pleased to have Neacal join us this summer.


Please join us for this wonderful week of Gaelic fun and learning! We hope to see you there!

If you can help us promote this great event, please contact John Grimaldi at iainmartainn at aol.com.