In the first year of an annual song induction partnership between the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) and the East Coast Music Awards (ECMAs), “Song for the Mira,” by Allister MacGillivray, will be inducted into the CSHF at the 2018 ECMAs. Heather Rankin will perform the song live, and MacGillivray will receive the honour, during the awards ceremonies on Sunday, May 6, 2018, in the Nova Scotia Ballroom of the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel.
MacGillivray’s peaceful Celtic ballad “Song For the Mira” has been recognized by Billboard magazine as a folk classic, and is a favourite song with roots musicians and choirs in Atlantic Canada, and far beyond – having been translated into Scots Gaelic, Italian, Japanese, and several other languages. It has made the secluded, picturesque Cape Breton community of Marion Bridge and its Mira River famous the world over.
“‘Song for the Mira’ is a beautiful composition that embodies our East Coast culture, and we’re very proud to be a part of its induction into the Hall of Fame,” says ECMA Executive Director Andy McLean. Says CSHF Executive Director Vanessa Thomas, “We’re thrilled to induct MacGillivray’s iconic song into the Hall of Fame, and to be there to celebrate with him, and our partners at the ECMAs, in the province that inspired him.”
MacGillivray is a Cape Breton Islander, songwriter, guitarist, folklorist, author, and record producer, and has served as music director for various Celtic television programs out of St. John’s and Halifax. As an accompanist, he’s toured internationally with traditional musicians such as Tommy Makem & Liam Clancy, John Allan Cameron, and Ryan’s Fancy, and also worked for a short time with Canadian songwriter Gene MacLellan.