Biography

Finlay MacNeill (Fionnlagh Mòr Dhòmhnaill an Sgarpaich) was born in Port Glasgow. His father Donald (Dòmhnall an Sgarpaich) was a skipper on one of the boats that maintained the light markers for sailors on the River Clyde. His mother was Peggy MacLeod (Peggy Làta). They were both from Garenin in Lewis; his mother’s family living at No. 3 and his father's family at No. 14. Although his father was known as Dòmhnall an Sgarpaich, as far as the family knew they had no connection to the island of Scarp.

Finlay attended primary and secondary school in Port Glasgow and then went on to Glasgow University where he first graduated in English, and years later returned and graduated with first-class honours in Celtic. Between his two periods at university, he taught in Paisley and Greenock, and also spent some years in Sierra Leone. In 1970 he became Gaelic Adviser to schools in Inverness and settled in the town for the rest of his life.

Finlay came from a musical family on his mother's side and at a very young age he began learning the pipes. He was in the Boys Brigade band in Port Glasgow and later at the College of Piping in Glasgow. He was in the Seaforth Highlanders Pipe Band, with Donald 'Beag' MacLeod as Pipe Major, when he did his National Service.

In 1971 he won the Gold Medal at the Argyllshire Gathering in Oban, one of the major piping awards. In the seventies he toured with the well-known band the Boys of the Lough, and recorded an album with them. He was also a judge and piping teacher across Canada. Finlay regularly taught piping and Gaelic at summer schools, often in Canada. He also judged piping competitions and Mods in Scotland and overseas.

Despite his other talents, Finlay was best known as a singer of traditional songs. He first started singing with the Greenock Gaelic Choir and also taught Gaelic to members of the choir. He spent years with them after moving north but when the Greenock Choir disbanded, he joined the Inverness Gaelic Choir.

He married Morag McLarty from Greenock and they had three children – Catriona, Donald, and Calum. Morag's family were originally from Lochgilphead and Argyll.