The Cadence of a Song

The Cadence of a Song

The Life of Margaret Fay Shaw

About the Ebook

The American-born folklorist and musician Margaret Fay Shaw's passion for the Hebrides led her to the island of South Uist in 1929 and then to Canna in 1935 as the wife of the eminent folklorist John Lorne Campbell.

Her extraordinary work in documenting and preserving traditional Gaelic songs and customs remains a vital resource for understanding Hebridean music, and the Campbells' house on Canna is a unique collection of priceless material celebrating the Hebridean world. This vast archive also includes Margarets collection of still and film photography, which capture the essence of island life at a time when old traditions were vanishing.

This book celebrates the legacy and life of a remarkable woman, who herself wrote with such wit and flair of her travels and adventures and which took her from turn of-the-century Pennsylvania to 1920s New York, Paris and the Hebrides, where she lived until her death in 2004.

Why You'll Love This Ebook

• Discover the American-born folklorist and musician Margaret Fay Shaw's passion for the Hebrides led her to the island of South Uist in 1929 and then to Canna in 1935 as the wife of the eminent folklorist John Lorne Campbell
• Explore her extraordinary work in documenting and preserving traditional Gaelic songs and customs remains a vital resource for understanding Hebridean music, and the Campbells' house on Canna is a unique collection of priceless material celebrating the Hebridean world
• Gain expertise in Margaret Fay Shaw and Scottish Gaelic
• Learn from proven expertise and experience

Reviews

• 'No one is better placed to detail and evaluate her life and legacy than Fiona J Mackenzie — this doorstopper of a biography is as good as it is long' - Scottish Field, 5-star review
• 'What sets this biography apart is its sense of listening — Shaw emerges not as a collector but as a custodian who understood the responsibility of holding other people's history' - The Cultural Crofters Digest
• 'A very engaging read whether or not you've come across Margaret Fay Shaw before' - Books from Scotland, Bookseller Books of the Year
• 'This delightful biography is a fitting tribute to a remarkable lady who did much to preserve Gaelic songs and stories that might otherwise have been lost' - Church Times
•  'Margaret Fay Shaw's fascinating story unfolds in this addictive and entrancing book. Fabulous!' - Sunday Post

Shortlisted for the James Tait Black Prize

About the Author

Gaelic singer Fiona J. MacKenzie has worked in the fields of Gaelic Arts and Culture for  thirty years. She was previously Canna House Archivist, National Theatre of Scotland Gaelic Artist in Residence and Highland Council Gaelic Song Fellow.  She has won several prestigious awards including the prestigious BBC Traditional Music Personality of the Year Award (2004), the An Comunn Gaidhealach Mod Gold Medal (2005), the ‘Premier Ostano Prize’ for Indigenous Music Composition (2023)  and has  been nominated as Gaelic Singer of the  Year four times.

Publication Details

ISBN (EPUB): 9781788857918
Publication Date: 02 October 2025
Pages: 320
Format: Ebook (EPUB)
Publisher: Birlinn

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