Biography

Lorna MacDougall was born in Greenock but raised in Kyle of Lochalsh, where her father, the Reverend John MacDougall, was a minister in the Church of Scotland. He was a vice chairman of the Gaelic Society and often a judge at mods. His family roots were in Mull and Oban while Lorna's mother, Ena, was from Islay.

Lorna first attended school in Kyle and then, after the family moved, she attended Falkirk Highschool. She earned a degree in History at the University of Glasgow and has since taught History at Falkirk High, where she is a department head.

Lorna won the Gold Medal at the Oban Mòd in 1978. Although she no longer sings publicly, she has a great interest in Gaelic songs and music and how young singers and musicians make the tradition their own. She enjoys listening to BBC Radio nan Gàidheal to keep up with the latest songs and, when time allows, she's learning to play the clarinet.