Mary Ann Kennedy – Triall (Journey) Mary Ann Kennedy – Triall (Journey) Gaelic singer and musician Mary Ann Kennedy has travelled from coast to coast on a musical pilgrimage in the run-up to a very special concert at this year’s St Andrews Voices Festival. Travelling two hundred miles by ‘boots, boats and bikes’, Mary Ann marked the 1500th anniversary of the birth of St Columba by starting her pilgrimage on the island of Iona, travelling east to St Andrews over in three sections over three months.

Joined by a camera crew of Nick Turner and Reece Mackay from Watercolour Music, Mary Ann also met up with musician friends and colleagues on the journey, recording their thoughts and experiences of lockdown and making their way back out into performing and making music live and in company. This is the first of a series of short films documenting Mary Ann’s journey and the folk she met on the way.

The journey starts in Iona with a performance of Mary Ann’s song ‘Eadar-Thìr’ (Between-Lands), and a sail across to Mull on the ‘Birthe Marie’, a beautiful old Danish fishing vessel. From there, Mary Ann meets up with Hannah Fisher and Sorren MacLean at their shoreside cottage on Mull for a chat and a few tunes, and the couple then take her on a breathtaking journey along the south coast of the island on their RIB, encountering marine wildlife and exploring the coastline as they go. A cycle into Craignure lets Mary Ann hook up with the Isle of Mull Gaelic Choir, meeting to sing inside for the very first time since lockdown, and celebrating a birthday as they go!

Many thanks to Historic Environment Scotland, Alternative Boat Hire (Iona), Nigel and Rosie Burgess, Sorren MacLean, Hannah Fisher, Linda and Ian Tibbetts, Elizabeth Jack and Còisir Ghàidhlig an Eilein Mhuilich for their time, talents, assistance and friendship accordingly!