Step aboard the SS Metagama, a journey that will take you from the Butt to Barra and on to the lakes and plains of Canada, to 1920s Detroit and Prohibition, through the ebb and flow of fortunes on both sides of the Atlantic across the 20th century, with this ensemble of acclaimed musicians and singers on their album Metagama: An Atlantic Odyssey.

Writer and poet Donald S Murray, pianist/singer-songwriter Liza Mulholland, Gaelic actor and 7:84 Theatre Company co-founding performer Dolina MacLennan, Gaelic singer and piper Calum Alex Macmillan, fiddler Charlie Mackerron of Capercaillie and Session A9, singer-songwriter Willie Campbell, and cellist Christine Hanson, present a stunning body of work in 36 tracks.

A legacy of their live show of the same name, marking and commemorating the centenary of mass emigration from the Hebrides to Canada in 1923/24, this album comprises 19 superb traditional Gaelic and new songs in English written by the ensemble, and all new instrumental pieces, interspersed with narration by Dolina and Donald.

Movingly commemorating and celebrating the lives of the young emigrants, from the heartache of homesickness and separation, the emotional poignancy of tragedy and loss, to the lively fun of cèilidh tunes on the dance floors of North America, this album gives voice to the experiences of those who left and those who were left behind, telling the story of an important but little-known period in Hebridean history, the devastating impact of which is still felt in the islands today.

Since they premiered their 5* Atlantic Odyssey show in a Creative Scotland-supported tour of the Highlands and Islands in 2023, the Metagama Ensemble’s project has grown exponentially. Interest in the project and the stories around the  mass emigration, has been widespread, with capacity audiences throughout the tour, followed by a sell-out show at Celtic Connections in 2024.

Countless requests for a recording of the concert prompted the Ensemble to do just that and this outstanding album comprising music, song and narration from the show is being released on the Wee Studio Records label. 

Supported by Creative Scotland, it was recorded in Black Bay Studio on Great Bernera and in The Wee Studio, Ness, Isle of Lewis. The album also includes several live tracks from Celtic Connections and Eden Court Theatre. It was mixed and mastered by Pete Fletcher of Black Bay Studio, and Produced by the Metagama Ensemble and Pete Fletcher. Visual art is by Doug Robertson.

Support: In addition to Creative Scotland, Metagama: An Atlantic Odyssey has been supported by Harris Tweed Hebrides, Charles Macleod Butchers and Crowdfunder sponsors.

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CDs from Wee Studio Records and Wee Studio Bandcamp