Anne Lorne Gillies

Who is Anne Lorne Gillies?

Anne Lorne Gillies is a Scottish singer-songwriter, broadcaster, academic and writer. She was raised in Argyll and began singing as a child and as a native Gaelic speaker she participated in the Mod aged 17 where she won a gold medal for her singing talent.

She studied Celtic and English at the University of Edinburgh. In 1971 she was recruited by the BBC to do a regular Saturday slot, singing on television. It was at this time she adopted the middle name Lorne as there was already an Anne Gillies on the books of the actors union Equity at the time.

As well as her television career she has written a number of publications mainly focusing on Gaelic language and culture in Scotland. In 2006 she produced Songs of Gaelic Scotland, a 550-page anthology of 175 Gaelic songs, some dating back to the fifteenth century, others with even older provenance. She has also written a series of short novels for teenagers, written in a contemporary Gaelic easy enough to be read by learners

She joined the Scottish National Party in the 1970s, inheriting a belief in Scottish independence from her grandfather and father. She actively campaigned for the regeneration of Gaelic culture and the preservation of the language.