Gaelic songbird and superstar who took her voice to the world 'comes home'

Now, 132 years since she sang in Gaelic before Princess Louise at the first ever Royal National Mòd in Oban, the place of her birth, Jessie is being honoured back in the town where her work bringing Gaelic song to the world began.

An exhibition honouring Jessie’s achievements has now opened in Oban, where this year’s event, the biggest celebration of Gaelic song and culture, will be staged from Friday.

Jessie started singing aged eight and was first recorded on gramophone in Glasgow in 1899 - the first time Gaelic songs had ever been laid down in this way.

In 1892, Jessie’s Oban performance before Princess Louise, who was married to the Marquis of Lorne, led to a personal audience infront of Queen Victoria , the gift of the jewelled brooch and a life of spreading her song.

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The exhibition, called Smeòrach nan Gàidheal, or Songbird (thrush) of the Gaels, will pay tribute to the singer who delighted audiences in Canada, United States to New Zealand, Australia and across Europe.

Mary Ann Kennedy, exhibition co-curator and Gaelic singer and broadcaster, said: “Jessie was a global superstar, the first voice – spoken or sung – to be recorded in Gaelic.

“Her first love was her mother-tongue Gaelic language and the Gaelic people who she crossed oceans to visit and sing for.

“To bring her remarkable legacy to life in this exhibition during such a fitting event is an incredibly proud moment and I feel like I know Jessie as a person now, rather than just a figure in history.

“When we consider that we still contend with issues of parity in the performance world today, Jessie’s grit, graft and determination to make it as a singer in a world that looked askance at female stage performers of any kind is truly remarkable.

“ She’s a great role model for all young women, musicians and Gaels alike.”

Dr Priscilla Scott, a native Gaelic speaker who grew up at Taynuilt in Argyll - an expert on the 19th century Gaelic movement - and museums curator Marij van Helmond have also worked on the exhibition.

Jessie died as a result of illness caught during a journey home from France through Spain at the dawn of WWI. Her funeral was attended by hundreds and a memorial stone erected in her name in 1921.

Ms Kennedy was among those who rediscovered Jessie’s grave in Glasgow’s Cathcart Cemetery and helped arrange its restoration in 2020.

Meanwhile, a recently-published online resource on Jessie’ life and achievements, which has been designed for young people, has been downloaded more than 11,000 times.

Ms Kennedy added: “ It’s important that Gaelic and Gaels get to tell stories of their successes, influences and significance. It’s important that young people get to hear about women like Jessie so that they can take pride in their own heritage and know that it has a place in global history.

“This exhibition is the final element of a long-term project to bring Jessie back home to her beloved Oban and Argyll – the setting for her debut performances at the first Mòd, which set her on her spectacular career.”

The exhibition is at the Caledonian MacBrayne Ferry Terminal on South Pier, Oban, until October 20.