Who are Màiri and Peigi Anndra? And why is their picture my computer wallpaper?
An insight to Margaret Fay Shaw's work in South Uist, and the two most influential and inspiring people in her time there.
Màiri and Peigi Anndra MacRae outside their home in South Uist, taken by Margaret Fay Shaw. Photo from Canna House Archives. I do not own the rights, it is shared for educational and inspirational purposes only.
As an American in a Scottish Gaelic degree program, I often get met with the question, even by my academic peers, of... but why? Most times, I falter to answer, especially in Gaelic, as it is hard to put to words, in any language, the song of soul and heart when I know it will be put forth from my gut only to be measured with the finite ruler of intellect. Do any of us truly know why our very bones call us to something? Is it necessary to know, or to simply to listen with curiosity and then take the big and small steps to act- and sometimes leap- with the might of our ancestral backbone keeping us aloft?
While these are questions I do not have the answer for, I have found solace and a comfort in my internal hearth-fire, or enough to keep me trudging, in the stories of some female scholars and folklore collectors that have come before me, such as Lady Evelyn Stewart Murray and Margaret Fay Shaw. In the wake of the death of a dear friend of mine, I have also been turning over a stone of wisdom she left those of us remaining earth-side with: “It isn't always straightforward, simple, or easy, but it is always clear in my heart what is mine to do- all I have to do is follow that inner guidance.”
This fall, I had the privilege and honour of being part of a community circle that was holding space for this friend, Alex Crow, as she prepared to transition. At the same time, I dove deeply into the work and legacy of Margaret Fay Shaw as part of a research project for a heritage module that I was taking in school. Margaret Fay Shaw, or Miss Shaw as her friends in South Uist called her even after she married folklorist John Lorne Campbell, was an American folklorist from Pennsylvania. In her own words, she was made of Pittsburgh steel. She lived to be 103, living most of her life in the Inner and Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Her husband even went so far as to buy the Isle of Canna in the Inner Hebrides not long after they married- a secret purchase while Margaret was convalescing in hospital no less! It is now the home of both of their lives’ work, Canna House Archive.
While I won't repeat the tale of her life here in full, her autobiography is an illuminating and fantastically fun read if you're interested. (There were some parts that made me laugh so hard that I cried; her exuberant spirit and humble, compassionate approach to life is truly palpable.) Nevertheless, I would like to briefly pick up her story around the time that she found herself in the Outer Hebrides. This was 1929, and for Margaret, shortly after having spent a year in Scotland at a boarding school where she heard Marjory Kennedy-Fraser perform her “art songs” that were inspired by the folksongs of the Hebrides, then returning with friends to bike the length of not only the Outer Hebrides but most of England and Scotland, and finally receiving the news that her rheumatoid arthritis would thwart and ultimately extinguish her dream of becoming a professional pianist. When the doctor asked what she might like to do, she proclaimed that she'd like to go to the Hebrides, especially South Uist, this isle that she fell in love with, to collect folk songs in their “real” and “pristine” condition (Margaret Fay Shaw). Despite having little to no Gaelic, she wanted to record and musically annotate them both in the Gaelic and their traditional forms.
And so she did, much to her extended family's anger and bewilderment, and the future generations' awe!
Margaret Fay Shaw at Taigh Màiri Anndra. Photo from Canna House Archives. I do not own the rights, it is shared for educational and inspirational purposes only.
In 1929, After staying with a family in South Uist and finding the atmosphere to be mostly English speaking, Margaret met Peigi Anndra at a party at the local manor house. Peigi worked at the house, and was asked to sing in the Gaelic for guests. Margaret asked if she might hear more songs from her, to which Peigi agreed if Margaret would walk to her and her sister's traditional home in North Glendale, South Lochboisdale, South Uist, a home still called Taigh Màiri Anndra. It would seem the stars aligned for Margaret that day, because when she did so, and asked them to take her on as a boarder, Màiri and Peigi Anndra MacRae agreed. She stayed with them from 1929 to 1935, and these years were the start of Margaret's legacy, indeed the years it began to be put down to paper. In her autobiography, she states that she brought with her a Gaelic dictionary, a grammar, Martin Martin’s book on his own tour of the Hebrides, pitch pipe, and plenty of music paper. In addition, she brought with her the knowledge of how to annotate, transcribe, and edit the music from Eibhlín Bean Mhic Choistealbha and her own work in Ireland that was published in a book called Amhráin Mhuighe Seóla. But one of the things I find both most interesting and inspiring about Margaret's work in South Uist that is culminated both in a book Folksongs and Folklore of South Uist and radio specials for BBC such as those that can be found linked below, is that she recorded the legacy of one community: nine families living in thirteen houses, in one special but seemingly, at least to the outside world, not otherwise noteworthy glen. In the words of Professor Hugh Cheape: “Margaret’s eye and sense of detail have given us the wealth of the culture of a single small community in the early twentieth century and impressive testimony to one of the richest tradition-bearing societies in Western Europe”.
I would like to share more about Margaret’s work in another post. Nevertheless, while the work of Margaret is something I don't think is spoken about or praised nearly enough, I find these two formidable forces of the Gaels, Màiri and Peigi Annrda, to be just as memorable, inspiring, and worthy of praise. Together, they made the work possible for Margaret, and even participated in contributing stories and songs. For example, not only can we read and bring to life the songs from Peigi Anndra but can we listen to more than 84 of them on Tobar an Dualchais- Kist of Riches. In the words of Margaret, Peigi was “a tiny bird of a woman with no age, the store of wisdom and the hand that can do anything… she sings all the time she spins and I hear such tunes that I rush in to ask her, what one’s this? What one’s that?… What treasures have gone into the yarns and socks she knits!” Additionally, it was Màiri who was a stern teacher and guide for Margaret in the recording of the Gaelic and musical annotations, whilst also arranging it so that Margaret could collect pieces from their neighbours, whether it be by their own fireside or marching Margaret through the glen for dying recipes and other pieces of heritage. It would seem that they had an impact on Margaret herself as well, remaining to be lifelong friends and even staying with Margaret on Canna during WW2. Margaret also asked to be buried by them on South Uist because this place with them was where she was “loved the best” (Margaret Fay Shaw).
Through my research, which centred around the question of how the kinship Margaret had with the sisters and their community impacted her subsequent collections, I took deep dives into Margaret's written work, her radio and BBC specials, and her photography. It was through this research that I found some incredible pictures of the North Glendale community that have even been put into a documentary by Fiona Mackenzie called Solas, and then stumbled upon some photos of Màiri and Peigi themselves.
Màiri and Peigi Anndra MacRae, taken by Margaret Fay Shaw. Photo from Canna House Archives. I do not own the rights, it is shared for educational and inspirational purposes only.
Now, Margaret was a gifted woman in many ways, and as Professor Hugh Cheape said, “Margaret was a person of enormous strength – strength of character and strength of will.” In addition, as far as I can tell, she walked with a sweetness, authenticity, and honest kindness that seems to have shone through her every lived moment, word, record, and photo. In fact she said, “I was living with the most amazing people, I loved them dearly. They became my close lifelong friends and I loved every minute of it. I was just living.” This love and fierce respect that she had for the community, and in her words, “the symphony of the life of this splendid people,” can be felt when you look at the photos, I do believe (Margaret Fay Shaw). She loved them, and in turn, they loved her as their own.
It moved me to tears so many times to not only experience Margaret's love, but to get to look into the eyes of the people as they reflected their love for her. And let me tell you, when I watched the documentary for the first time, I proper wept because it was an incredible experience to see, hear, and journey through the Hebrides as Margaret saw them. During my research I also found a particular photo of Màiri and Peigi that Margaret took outside of their home. I later told my boyfriend that it was so touching that I had half a mind to make it my wallpaper on my computer. While I was joking initially, I decided that perhaps I would.
Why you may ask? I suppose this photo touches something deep in me that I struggle to convey in words, but Margaret's story and their love and warm support for her work reminds me to keep going. And not just within school, although that it surely does and looking into Màiri's eyes when I open my computer sternly reminds me to make good use of my sturdy backbone, one sturdier than I think most people perceive, not unlike Margaret. Something in their eyes, these woman who knew struggle and strife in one of the most elementally unforgiving places in the world but exude such love and sun-worn fortitude, reminds me that when we have a calling, a deep knowing that makes little sense to those around us or even ourselves, even if we have to leave the safe shores of home for the windy shores of isles that the Vikings called at the end of the sea, there are people that live on those shores (whether literally or metaphorically) waiting to not only understand or support, but perhaps most importantly, welcome us home as kin who, as Margaret said about Màiri and Peigi, perhaps just might love us “best.”
While I have a feeling that my study of Margaret's work, and Màiri’s and Peigi's presence within it, has only begun, it is my heartfelt desire and goal to return to the Hebrides to walk the Hebridean way in Margaret's bicycle path. Taigh Màiri Anndra also welcomes guests to it now, and I should like to leave a bannock or bit of milk on the land for them as well as at their triple grave that overlooks the Atlantic ocean.
The sisters’ generosity of spirit closed the expanse of the sea for Margaret, providing not only a home but a rare blessing of a welcome to their way of life, and in some small ways helped close the expanse of the ocean for me too. It strikes me that while I may never know for sure, I do not believe Màiri asked Margaret… but why? Because she knew, “every day one realises that it is not scenery but people who create a world and all its beauty” (Kathleen Raine). Yet in this case, it was Margaret who was part of a community effort to preserve a world, and all its rich, meaningful beauty. Or as Mr. Fred Gillies of Lochboisdale wrote for Margaret of her time amongst them: “An èibhleag anns an gann bha ’n deò,/ Shèid ise oirre, ’s thug i beò a rithist.” Or, “An ember was dying;/ She blew on it and brought it to life.”
So when I look at Margaret’s portrait of Màiri and Peigi upon opening my computer each day, I allow myself the grace of setting down that question, and I take heart in knowing there is a reason, a contribution, for us all yet.
Màiri and Peigi Anndra with Margaret’s book, taken by Margaret Fay Shaw. Photo from Canna House Archives. I do not own the rights, it is shared for educational and inspirational purposes only.
Today I will also shared a Bonus Poetry Post in connection with this article as part of the paid subscription tier. If you’d like to read and receive that, you are warmly invited to join that subscription tier.
The post features a wee piece from myself, a song for Margaret by Rachel Walker, a song from Margret’s book, and some added links to some St. Brighid’s Feast Day exploration. Slàinte mhòr!
References + Suggested further reading (and listening):
Berthoff, A.E. (2012). Kindred Spirits: Kathleen Raine and Margaret Fay Shaw. Sewanee Review, 120(1), pp.91–102. doi:https://doi.org/10.1353/sew.2012.0015.
Cheape, H. (2005). Margaret Fay Shaw Campbell, 1903–2004. ROSC- Review of Scottish Culture , 18, pp.vii–x.
Folksongs of South Uist - Part 1, (n.d.). [Wire] BBC via Tobar an Dualchais Available at: https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/52427?l=gd [Accessed 5 Oct. 2024].
Folksongs of South Uist - Part 2, (n.d.). [Wire] BBC via Tobar an Dualchais Available at: https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/52428?l=en [Accessed 5 Oct. 2024].
MacKenzie, F.J. (2019a). Hebridean female crofters – in sharp focus. National Trust for Scotland: Stories. Available at: https://www.nts.org.uk/stories/hebridean-female-crofters-in-sharp-focus [Accessed 11 Oct. 2024].
MacKenzie, F.J. (2019b). Stories, songs and starlings. National Trust for Scotland: Stories. Available at: https://www.nts.org.uk/stories/stories-songs-and-starlings [Accessed 11 Oct. 2024].
MacRae, P. (2024). A Ghaoil Leig Dhachaigh gu Mo Mhàthair Mi. [Wire] Tobar an Dualchais. Available at: https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/26812?l=en [Accessed 1 Nov. 2024].
Portrait of an Island, (n.d.). [Wire] BBC Home Service via Tobar an Dualchais Available at: https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/61408?l=gd [Accessed 5 Oct. 2024].
Primrose, C. (2024). Òrain Ghàidhlig: Cùrsaichean Goirid SMO. [Class teachings].
Shaw, M.F. (1999). Folksongs and Folklore of South Uist. Second ed. Birlinn Limited.
Shaw, M.F. (2018). From the Alleghenies to the Hebrides: An Autobiography. Edinburgh: Birlinn Origin.
Solas. (2019). [DVD] Edinburgh: The National Trust for Scotland.
Sunday Feature: Margaret Fay Shaw’s Hebridean Odyssey, (2021). [Radio Broadcast] BBC Radio 3 Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000rmks [Accessed 11 Oct. 2024].