DESCRIPTION:
If you've seen the animated Pixar/Disney film, "Brave," which is set in a fantasy medieval Scotland, you've heard the voice of Scottish folk singer Julie Fowlis. She sings mainly in the Gaelic language -- or Gallic, as they say in Scotland -- and had a surprise hit in the UK a few years back with her version of the Beatles' "Blackbird." Fowlis is devoted to the preservation and celebration of Scotland's Celtic culture, which stills exists in the Highlands and the islands of the far north, where she grew up.

In this "Quick Hits" video, Fowlis performs "Tha Mo Ghaol Air Àird" ("My Love is on the High Seas"), accompanied by her Irish husband Eamon Doorley (playing a bouzouki) and fiddler Duncan Chisholm. This was the song that Disney used in its first trailer for "Brave," evoking a timeless, mystical feeling. It's a traditional Celtic lament, the story of a woman whose lover is far away at sea, but as Fowlis says, this one has an unexpected happy ending. While Fowlis sings, she holds her month-old daughter, Niamh.

We filmed this intimate performance as part of our story about Julie Fowlis for the PBS series, "Sound Tracks: Music Without Borders." Produced by The Talbot Players and KQED, San Francisco.

Bob Calo, producer
Derek Lartaud, editor
Robert Goldsborough, camera
Lupe Mejia, sound

Julie Fowlis' official website
http://www.juliefowlis.com/

Sound Tracks: Music Without Borders
http://www.pbs.org/soundtracks/