NYC Tartan Week

Lochs Gaelic Choir have, over the years, appeared in numerous Royal National Mòd competitions, Pan Celtic Festivals in Ireland and also at the Vancouver Mòd in Canada. This year they decided to spread their wings once again and take part in the group competition at the New York Mòd during NYC Tartan Week.

Twenty-eight ‘Lochies’, and a variety of friends who joined them to sing in the Big Apple, worked extremely hard at choir practices and weekend workshops, in addition to organising and planning together to make this trip one that they would never forget.

The Big Cloth took centre stage with musician Gary Innes as he spearheaded the ‘Hoolie in New York’ at Carnegie Hall. Gàidhlig song and Harris Tweed® – a match made in heaven it seems – were celebrated a few thousand miles from our homeland.

The choir’s very own alto, Roseann MacLeod from Leurbost, was the brains behind the stunning three-piece Harris Tweed® suit worn by Gary to many events throughout the week, using cloth supplied by Harris Tweed by Kenneth Mackenzie. Gary proudly wore the waistcoat and jacket with his kilt for the evening at Carnegie Hall, and was delighted to meet and thank Roseann after the show (pictured above).

Lochs Gaelic Choir member Krisell MacDonald-Gillies said of the experience: “We were delighted to have won the competition and hopefully we will make a return journey again in the future.

“It was also a pleasure to provide entertainment at an event held by the Isle of Harris Distillery, where Roseann Macleod’s Harris Tweed® creations were spotted by a couple of celebrity stylists. This could be the start of a blossoming international relationship. Watch this space…”