Our Song of the Day comes from Gaelic singer Kim Carnie who took to the stage recently for the final of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of 2017 and sang Brendan Graham‘s heartbreaking lament, Crucán na bPáiste (The Burial Place of the Children). With a voice that exudes the same smoky quality as Kathleen MacInnes, Kim’s approach to Gaelic song places it within a vocal framework that adds innovation and a level of expression that’s often absent. Although not adverse to seeking out the wealth of humour that exists in the Gaelic repertoire, Kim’s performance of the haunting Crucán na bPáiste closed her set on a remarkable, touching note.
About Kim Carnie
BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2017 finalist Kim Carnie is a Gaelic singer raised in Oban with strong links to Perthshire’s Glen Lyon. Currently a TV presenter on BBC ALBA’s ‘Dè a-Nis?’, a recent Gaelic tutor at the University of Glasgow, and a National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music alumna, her love for the language is held very close to her chest. However, her musical interests span wider than her immediate influences, such as Iseabail T. Macdonald and the ceilidh musicians of Oban, as she is also drawn towards Americana music with a special interest in harmony and improvisation.
Kim has performed at festivals and prestigious events across the UK, including Orkney Folk Festival, Hebridean Celtic Festival, Celtic Connections and Cambridge Folk Festival. She also opened ‘Na Trads’ as a part of John Saich’s (former member of Caparcaille) MOVE project, which featured Fraser Fifield and Neil Primrose (Travis). Kim is also a current member of ‘Air Falbh Leis na h-Eòin/Away with the Birds’, a vocal piece exploring the relationship between Gaelic and bird song, which was commissioned for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
She’s also written for Folk Radio UK. You can read her reviews and interviews here.
Find out more about Kim Carnie here: https://www.kimcarnie.com/
Photo Credit Louise Bichan