Manx Gaelic singer Ruth Keggin is collaborating with acclaimed Scottish harpist Rachel Hair to crowdfund and record a new album.

The album will celebrate the cultural and musical links between the Isle of Man and Scotland.

The duo are thrilled to have been selected to be part of a ’crowdmatch’ initiative between Creative Scotland and the organisation, Crowdfunder.

They are up against 19 other creative projects to compete for ’matched-funding’ for their album, in a race against time.

The crowdfunder started on Monday, but there’s still time to support the duo if you would like to pre-order an album.

The songs on Ruth and Rachel’s album will be predominantly in the Manx language and will feature a blend of traditional, well-known repertoire and contemporary compositions by Manx writers.

Rachel is widely regarded as one of the world’s finest exponents of Scottish harp (clarsach) playing, and has released five critically-acclaimed albums, published four harp books and has toured throughout Europe, the USA, Japan and New Zealand.

In turn, Ruth has released two critically-acclaimed solo albums in Manx, alongside an inter-Gaelic album together with Scottish musician and broadcaster Mary Ann Kennedy and Irish sean-*ós singer and musician Eoghan Ã? Ceannabháin, as well as albums with her band a’Nish, with whom she was awarded the TropheÌe Loic Raison at the world-famous Festival Interceltique de Lorient.

Ruth splits her time between a performing career and her role as Manx language development officer for Culture Vannin.

Manx Gaelic has seen an upsurge of interest in recent years and is one of the island’s success stories, both nationally and internationally.

Rachel and Ruth met some years ago through Rachel’s work teaching Manx harp.

Rachel’s involvement in the island’s musical community has seen her develop great passion for its music, leading her to be often referred to as an ’honourable Manxie.’

As a new duo, Ruth and Rachel have already performed as part of Yn Chruinnaght Interceltic Festival in the Isle of Man and at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival.

Whilst the Covid-19 pandemic has cleared musicians’ diaries of touring and live performances, it has meant Rachel and Ruth have finally been able to schedule in an album recording later this year in the Isle of Man.

Supporters of the Crowdfunder will be able to pre-order digital and physical copies of the album ahead of its release date, and access other opportunities including one-to-one lessons with Rachel or Ruth, tune compositions, and house/Zoom concerts.

Ruth added: ’Rachel and I are grateful to the Isle of Man Arts Council and Creative Scotland for supporting us. 

’The fact that we can crowdfund and be in with the chance to receive extra funding from Creative Scotland means that we can finally put into reality our recording plans for the album we have been working towards.’

l The Crowdfunder can be found at https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/rachelandruth