Fàilte dhan Crowdfunder aig Còisir Lunnainn airson ath-stèidheachadh chlach-chinn Maighread NicDhonnchaidh ann an Clachan Twickenham.
Welcome to Còisir Lunainn’s Crowdfunder page for the restoration of Margrat Duncan’s gravestone in Twickenham Cemetery.
Margrat McIsaac Duncan was one of the greatest Gaelic singers of her time. She was born in Islay in 1888 and began singing at an early age, winning the Junior Silver Medal at the Inverness Mòd in 1903, and the Gold Medal at the Stirling Mòd in 1909. Margrat moved to London where she sang with Còisir Lunnainn, the London Gaelic Choir. She was offered the conductorship of the choir, but was unable to commit because of touring obligations. Instead, she served on the choir’s music committee and conducted the Còisir Lunnainn Ladies’ Choir at Còisir Lunnain’s first Mòd in Greenock in 1925.
Margrat passed away in London in 1948 and was buried in Twickenham Cemetery. After her death, the Glasgow Islay Association opened a memorial fund to perpetuate her legacy and commemorate her long and outstanding services to Gaelic music. This resulted in the Margrat Duncan Memorial Trophy, for which Còisir Lunnainn competes alongside other area choirs today.
Last year, before the Mòd in Paisley, members of Còisir Lunnainn made a pilgrimage to Margrat’s grave and noted that the headstone had become faded and lopsided over the years and that the ground around the grave had become uneven.
Còisir Lunnainn is working to have Margrat’s grave restored as a way to show our appreciation for this remarkable singer, someone we are proud to count as part of the Còisir Lunnainn family.
We have received quotations for the work necessary to restore the grave, and they come to a little more than £2000 (two thousand pounds). Còisir Lunnainn will be giving a substantial donation to this sum, and raising funds through concerts and events during 2024. We hope to make up the rest of the amount in donations from our fellow choirs and from individuals and organisations all over the world who want to contribute to commemorating Margrat Duncan.
Any remaining amount from this fundraising effort, after the restoration of Margrat’s gravestone will be donated to the following charities:
- Scotscare (the charity for Scots in London, https://scotscare.com )
- The Agar Trust (supporting young people in rural Scotland, who demonstrate exceptional musical ability and potential and wish to further their musical education https://www.agar-trust.org.uk)
- Urras Brosnachaidh na Gàidhlig (The Gaelic Language Promotion Trust, working across Scotland to support and promote the teaching, learning and use of Gaelic, and the study and cultivation of Gaelic literature, history music and art https://glpt.org.uk/about/)