Na Gathan
Encyclopedia
History
Na Gathan were formed in 2007 and first came to national attention in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
when they appeared in a piece on the Rapal
Rapal
Rapal is a BBC Alba music television programme and radio show on BBC Radio nan Gàidheal. Rapal broadcast its first programme on the radio on the 28th of May, 2001, presented by Niall Iain McDonald. Rapal expanded to TV in 2007, and added Anndra Robasdan and Michelle NicDhomhnaill to the presenting...
music program on BBC2 that documented their involvement in organizing the Celtic Connections
Celtic Connections
The Celtic Connections festival started in 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland, and has since been held every January. Featuring over 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops, the festival focuses on the roots of traditional Scottish music and also features international...
unofficial fringe held in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
early in 2008. In the spring of 2008, the band won the Best New Gaelic Song contest held by BBC Radio nan Gàidheal
BBC Radio nan Gàidheal
BBC Radio nan Gàidheal is a British radio station, broadcasting in Scottish Gaelic. It is operated by the BBC as part of its portfolio of television and radio services broadcasting to Scotland....
, with their song Ruigidh Sinn Màrs, and in the Autumn of 2008, the band again appeared on Rapal, this time as the featured band, performing four songs in front of a studio audience. In 2009, the band's second single, Claigeann Damien Hirst, was shortlisted in the Nòs-ùr competition for a new song in a Celtic language or Scots. The song was inspired by the short story, An Claigeann aig Damien Hirst, by Maoilios Caimbeul
Maoilios Caimbeul
Maoilios Caimbeul is an award-winning Scottish writer of poetry, prose and children's literature. He writes in Scottish Gaelic....
, which was in turn a response to the work of art by Damien Hirst
Damien Hirst
Damien Steven Hirst is an English artist, entrepreneur and art collector. He is the most prominent member of the group known as the Young British Artists , who dominated the art scene in Britain during the 1990s. He is internationally renowned, and is reportedly Britain's richest living artist,...
, For the Love of God
For the Love of God
For the Love of God is a sculpture by artist Damien Hirst produced in 2007. It consists of a platinum cast of a human skull encrusted with 8,601 flawless diamonds, including a pear-shaped pink diamond located in the forehead...
.
Membership
The band was formed by Kathryn NicAoidh (drums), Tomaidh MacAilpein (bass), Greg MacThòmais (guitar) and Tim Armstrong (voice and keyboard). This Tim Armstrong is a different person from the Tim ArmstrongTim Armstrong
Timothy Lockwood Armstrong is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work with punk rock bands Rancid, Operation Ivy, Downfall, and the Transplants. He is also the owner and operator of Hellcat Records.-Personal life:Armstrong was born November 25, 1965 and was...
from the punk band, Rancid
Rancid (band)
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
. This Tim Armstrong founded the Gaelic punk band, Mill a h-Uile Rud
Mill a h-Uile Rud
Mill a h-Uile Rud is a Seattle-based band who sing in Scots Gaelic.-The band:The name translates as 'Destroy Everything' though the band only uses the Gaelic original...
. In 2008, Roddy Neithercut joined the band on keyboards. Roddy is also the lead singer in the Scottish thrash band, Atomgevitter. In 2009, Tomaidh left the band, and Greg took over on bass while Sìleas Landgraf joined the band on guitar. All the members are fluent Gaelic speakers. Kathryn is from Skye, Greg from Glasgow, Roddy from Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Sìleas from Köln
KOLN
KOLN, digital channel 10, is the CBS affiliate in Lincoln, Nebraska. It operates a satellite station, KGIN, on digital channel 11 in Grand Island. KGIN repeats all KOLN programming, but airs separate commercials...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Tim from Seattle.
Discography
- 2008 Ruigidh Sinn Màrs agus Trì Sgeulachdan (Ùr-sgeul)
- 2009 Claigeann Damien Hirst (Ùr-sgeul)
- 2009 Ga Bruidhinn Làn-Ùine (Problem? Records)
- 2010 Fali Ro Fali Re (Problem? Records)