Obit: Gaelic Singer Ishbel MacAskill (31 Mar 2011)

Subject: RE: Obit: Gaelic Singer Ishbel MacAskill (31 Mar 2011)
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Sep 12 - 06:15 PM

We've just been listening to her sing and we are convinced she was of traveller stock - even her looks are travellers looks. Her voice was wonderful, unlike any other Gaelic singer.

Subject: RE: Obit: Gaelic Singer Ishbel MacAskill (31 Mar 2011)
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 15 Apr 11 - 10:03 AM

Seems to say the 14th here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/apr/14/ishbel-macaskill-obituary?INTCMP=SRCH

Subject: RE: Obit: Gaelic Singer Ishbel MacAskill (31 Mar 2011)
From: GUEST,addison
Date: 15 Apr 11 - 05:02 AM

There's an obituary in today's Guardian (Friday).

Subject: RE: Obit: Gaelic Singer Ishbel MacAskill (31 Mar 2011)
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Apr 11 - 06:14 AM

That's a truly beautiful summing-up of Ishbel's life and work. Poignantly, Ishbel now has 9 grandchildren, (Isa)Bella Rose MacAskill - a wee beauty - having been born to her oldest son Lewis and his wife Elaine on Wednesday 6th April at Raigmore Hospital.

It is sobering to reflect how fragile life is. A simple mistep that would normally just lead to a loss of dignity and a bruise or two took the life of of this wonderful woman who was stil full of vigour, love and music.

The Memorial Celebration, which will be very musical, will be in the Eden Court, Inverness on Thursday 16th June at 7.30pm.

Subject: RE: Obit: Gaelic Singer Ishbel MacAskill (31 Mar 2011)
From: meself
Date: 07 Apr 11 - 11:51 PM

Copied from cbmusic list:


Obituary: Ishbel MacAskill, Gaelic singer and heritage campaigner

Published Date: 05 April 2011

By MARTIN HANNAN


The modest Gaelic Diva who deservedly earned an international reputation
Ishbel MacAskill, Gaelic singer and heritage campaigner.

Born: 14 March, 1941, on Lewis.

Died: 31 March, 2011, in Inverness, aged 70.

It is entirely in keeping with Scotland's
increasing absorption into a
celebrity-obsessADVERTISEMENT
ed
pseudo-culture that the death of Ishbel MacAskill
should have been met with a muted reaction.

Had she been born Irish, or a Quebecois, or a
Catalan, the sudden death of such a national
treasure would have provoked mourning across her
native land. This is Scotland, however, and
MacAskill's spiritual nation was Gaeldom, hence
the less than overwhelming effusion of grief
among Anglophone Scots at her sudden death, the
result of an accident at her home in Inverness.

However, many Scots, lovers of Scotland
worldwide, and not just Gaels, will have noted
her passing, and will know that this country has
just lost a very great talent.

Angus MacNeil, MP for the Western Isles and the
SNP's spokesman on Gaelic for the UK Parliament,
summed her up when he said: "Not only was she a
lovely lady but she had a unique voice with a
wonderful warm quality, which matched her own
personality. She will be a huge loss to Gaelic
culture. Ishbel was a tremendous ambassador for
the language."

Tom Morton once wrote in this newspaper that
MacAskill was "arguably the world's greatest
Gaelic singer". For her fans, there was no
argument, and one of the finest voices ever to
sing in Gaelic, or any other language is now
stilled. There was much more to this
extraordinary woman than her unforgettable voice
of crystal purity, always at its best in her
unaccompanied singing. She gave of herself almost
limitlessly in the cause of Gaelic language and
education, and was a great friend and supporter
of poets, singers and musicians, Gaels and
otherwise.

Ishbel MacIver was raised in the hamlet of Broker
at Point on Lewis, before moving with her family
to the island's capital, Stornoway, at the age of
12. She attended Nicolson Institute, and at an
early age was dismissive of her own talent so
that she never performed at the Mod.

After secretarial studies at Stow College in
Glasgow, she began work with British Rail, but
after meeting and marrying Bill MacAskill from
Lochinver in Sutherland she committed herself to
her first great vocation, bringing up her family.
It might have been otherwise, as Bill introduced
Ishbel to his friends, Robin Hall and Jimmy
McGregor, Scotland's first duo of folk, and after
hearing her sing at a party, they tried hard to
make her join them.

Bill rose to become managing director of a
sawmill company, while Ishbel raised their four
children. It was not until the age of 38 in 1979
that she was persuaded to sing at a fringe event
at the Mod.

Musician and producer Noel Eadie heard her, and
that led to her first album, followed latterly by
others such as The Essential Ishbel, which
contains her best work.

With her husband's encouragement - he eventually helped manage her career - the
starter took off, and was soon performing in
concert and at music festivals worldwide.

She was a regular favourite at Celtic Connections
in Glasgow and the Canadian Celtic Colours
Festival in Cape Breton. MacAskill also showed
her versatility on BBC Scotland's Transatlantic
Sessions, singing country and folk alongside
Ricky Skaggs, Nancy Griffiths and other top
artists. A long stint at the Smithsonian
Institute in Washington was among many
appearances in the USA.

Her international appeal was confirmed in tours
to unlikely places such as South Korea, Ukraine
and Israel. At home, she gained a regular spot as
an actress on Scottish Television's Gaelic soap
opera Machair, playing Nora, the shop assistant.

In concert, her gentle humour shone through when
introducing her songs. She was not above poking
fun at the Gaelic fondness for less than
light-hearted subjects, and happily wore, and
mocked, the title of Gaelic Diva.

One of her greatest performances, and certainly
among her very bravest, was heard by only a few
hundred people and not recorded. Despite her own
grief at the passing of a dear friend, her
singing at the 1996 funeral of one of Scotland's
greatest poets, Norman MacCaig, was utterly
sublime. She performed two of MacCaig's favourite
songs, Eilean Beag Donn a Chuain (Little Brown
Island in the Ocean), and verses from a
piobaireachd which MacCaig used to play on the
fiddle.

Ishbel's strong desire to see Gaelic culture
survive and grow led to her passionate
involvement in the Feisean movement, where her
work with children undoubtedly gave her as much
pleasure as her stage performances. In her last
months she campaigned for the retention of the
National Centre of Excellence in Traditional
Music at Plockton, where she often gave lessons.

That other doughty campaigner for our musical
heritage, Scots folk singer Sheena Wellington,
once wrote that listening to MacAskill's singing
should be compulsory "for the misguided few who
would still doubt the value and importance of
Gaelic to the world's culture."

In recent years, MacAskill's performances became
rarer as she increasingly spent her time caring
for her husband who has suffered ill health.
Thankfully, there are recordings, CDs, and even
Youtube videos which display a modicum of the
transcendent brilliance of Ishbel MacAskill.

Those who have never heard her voice, should seek
it now, and prepare to weep with the Gaels for
the loss of such beauty.

There will be no funeral for MacAskill as she
bequeathed her body to medical science.

A memorial celebration will be held in Inverness at a date to be announced.

She is survived by her husband, Bill, her
children Lewis, Joanne, William and Tormod, and
her eight grandchildren.

Last Updated: 04 April 2011 7:11 PM
Source: The Scotsman
Location: Edinburgh

Subject: RE: Obit: Gaelic Singer Ishbel MacAskill (31 Mar 2011)
From: GUEST,rosie stories
Date: 07 Apr 11 - 04:51 PM

deeply saddened to hear Ishbel has left us. a warmer more caring woman i never met.she had great elfish humour and so loved to share the music of the gaels and make learning it fun. always thinking of her family, she gave till it hurt, then shared some more.deepest sympathy to her family and close friends.

Subject: RE: Obit: Gaelic Singer Ishbel MacAskill (31 Mar 2011)
From: GUEST,Bill the Collie
Date: 04 Apr 11 - 02:00 PM

Sad, sad news. A wonderful singer with a great stage presence

Subject: RE: Obit: Gaelic Singer Ishbel MacAskill (31 Mar 2011)
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 04 Apr 11 - 10:09 AM

A report in the "Press and Journal" suggests that her death was the result of an accident in her own kitchen.
http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2206852

Subject: RE: Obit: Gaelic Singer Ishbel MacAskill (31 Mar 2011)
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 04 Apr 11 - 12:01 AM

Tha mi duilich cuideachd! S'bhron orm !

Subject: RE: Obit: Gaelic Singer Ishbel MacAskill (31 Mar 2011)
From: GUEST,Donnelle Mckaskle
Date: 03 Apr 11 - 11:38 PM

Truely upsetting. These are standard bearers that cannot be replaced. A splendid, unique voice and a staunch defender of Scots Gaelic! A great, great loss. The Mckaskle's over the pond send our deepest sympathies.

Subject: RE: Obit: Gaelic Singer Ishbel MacAskill (31 Mar 2011)
From: GUEST,Rose Milne
Date: 03 Apr 11 - 02:14 PM

what a shock I got at the loss of such a fantastic singer, far too young to die RIP.

Subject: RE: Obit: Gaelic Singer Ishbel MacAskill (31 Mar 2011)
From: GUEST,DWR
Date: 01 Apr 11 - 10:03 AM

Oh, my, such a good singer, though I couldn't understand a single word! Well, there was the odd song in English, but there are some singers whose voices transcend the need to understand the lyrics. Ishbel was one of these.

Subject: RE: Obit: Gaelic Singer Ishbel MacAskill (31 Mar 2011)
From: GUEST,Aileas
Date: 01 Apr 11 - 05:45 AM

I'm really upset to hear about Ishbel's death. She was my favourite Gaelic singer and a fantastic, fun singing tutor at many Feisean.

Subject: RE: Obit: Gaelic Singer Ishbel MacAskill (31 Mar 2011)
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 31 Mar 11 - 08:27 PM

I'm devastated! Although having very limited Gaelic myself, I was totally blown away by her lovely voice. Far too young to go as well. One of my favourites is her singing of the song we non-Gaels know as "The Eriskay Love lilt" but with the difference in tune.

Subject: RE: Obit: Gaelic Singer Ishbel MacAskill (31 Mar 2011)
From: Cuilionn
Date: 31 Mar 11 - 08:09 PM

Ishbel:

Gach naomh ann am flathas                Be each saint in heaven,
Gach ban-naomh ann am flathas,               Each sainted woman in heaven
Gach aingeal am flathas                        Each angel in heaven
Bhith sgaoileadh dhuibh lamhan,               Stretching their arms for you,
Bhith réiteach dhuibh rathaid,                Smoothing the way for you,
Nuair théid sibh null thairis                When you go thither
        Air abhainn do-léirsinn;        Over the river hard to see;
O'nuair théid sibh null dhachaidh        O when you go thither homeward
        Air abhainn do-léirsinn;        Over the river hard to see.

(Gaelic death blessing, taken from the Carmina Gadelica)

Blessings to Ishbel's kith & kin in their grief.

--Cuilionn

Subject: RE: Ishbel MacAskill
From: GUEST,Auldtimer
Date: 31 Mar 11 - 04:34 PM

I am deeply saddned, I never knew Isbell but enjoyed her singing at manny concerts and more informal events. I'm off to play some of her music.

Subject: Ishbel MacAskill
From: GUEST,sheena wellington
Date: 31 Mar 11 - 04:27 PM

Sad news - the great Gaelic singer Ishbel MacAskill died suddenly this morning (31st March). A magnificent voice, a warm personality, a great sense of humour and courage beyond measure. Sorely missed.