Pieces from the previously unreleased private collection of songs by the late Flora MacNeil of Barra will be performed on stage at the upcoming Blàs Festival by her daughter Maggie MacInnes. 

The Kalokerinos Tapes, a show that was scheduled for An Lanntair's HebCelt programme this year, is a collection of around 180 songs that were recorded by the famed traditional singer in the 1950s and 60s and captured by Australian folklorist Dr James Kalokerinos.

There were around 180 songs in the archive and included some that have rarely been heard alongside others that Flora made popular.

Bringing her music back to the stage is her daughter, the award-winning Gaelic singer and musician Maggie MacInnes. Maggie will now be performing the original arrangements of songs from the archive as a tribute to her mother and to other tradition bearers who passed on the songs to her as she was growing up.

The show is a part of the line-up of acts for this year’s Blàs Festival, running from Friday 4 to Saturday 12 September. It will be performed in Inverness on 9 September at Portree on 10 September.

Organised by Fèisean nan Gàidheal in partnership with The Highland Council, Blas has become a key fixture in the Highland cultural calendar since it began in 2004.

The Kalokerinos Tapes was performed at Glasgow Celtic Connections in January this year, to great acclaim.

Maggie MacInnes, born in Glasgow, will be accompanied by Wendy Weatherby (cello), Calum Park (fiddle & guitar), Ailis Sutherland (pipes & flute), Dan Brown (keyboards) and Alex Palmer (percussion).

Calum Alex Macmillan, Chief Executive of Fèisean nan Gàidheal, organisers of Blàs Festival, said: “This show is a remarkable window into Flora MacNeil’s extraordinary repertoire and the rich Gaelic singing tradition she carried with her from Barra to stages around the world.

"It is especially fitting that these recordings are being brought to life by Flora’s daughter Maggie and we are delighted to bring this powerful and deeply personal show to Blàs audiences and to celebrate the enduring legacy of one of Gaelic Scotland’s greatest voices.” 

For tickets to The Kalokerinos Tapes, click here.