From her early career beginnings as an Honours graduate of the RSAMD (now RCS), Maeve Mackinnon is a professional singer whose repertoire spans Gaelic, Scots and English song. Her first venture into professional music was finalising for the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2005. Following her performance at the competition finals, Footstompin’ Records director, Simon Thoumire, invited her to record an album. Employing the production talents of Glasgow folkscene pals Ali Hutton and Duncan Lyall, a solo album running on a limited budget was released in 2007. Don’t Sing Love Songs received five star reviews and invitations to gigs and festivals in mainland Europe and Canada.
“SHE’S ONE OF THE GREATEST GAELIC SINGERS THAT HAVE COME ON THE SCENE” (MIKE HARDING, BBC RADIO 2)
In between recording her second and third albums, Maeve taught regular Gaelic singing and music classes for organisations including Arts agencies, Fèisean nan Gàidheal, Fèis Rois and Horsecross Arts.
In 2012 she released her second album, Once Upon an Olive Branch, which was awarded four and five star reviews in national newspapers.
Between 2013 and 2015 she guested with Latin-Scottish supergroup Salsa Celtica at festivals and venues UK-wide, was the featured soloist at the Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo in 2015, and has recorded with a number of high profile UK and Irish musicians including flute supremo Michael McGoldrick.
She has toured extensively in Europe and Canada with her own band, and from 2015 started touring the US with dance show extraordinaire The Stepcrew.
In 2018 Maeve’s third studio album, Strì was released to four and five star reviews. Since then she has completed a law degree, become a parent and still continues to be in demand as a Gaelic singer, studio session musician, workshop tutor and specialist examiner for the RCS.
“SASSY, SMART, BEAUTIFULLY ARRANGED MUSIC. . . MAEVE’S VOICE CAPTIVATES” (LIVING TRADITION)
She has been nominated three times as Gaelic Singer of the Year at the BBC Trad Music Awards, awarded Up and Coming Artist in 2007, and in 2012 she was Associate Artist (Gaelic) for the National Theatre Scotland.
Current musical collaborations in 2023 include with Paul McGeechan (Love And Money) on Starless, playwright Chris Dolan for BBC Radio 4, and a current cross-cultural project commissioned by Knockengorroch Festival involving Lorcan MacMathuna, Andy May, Gwyneth Glyn, Twm Morris and Dave Tunstall.