Gaelic Music Icon & Local Institution: Obituary

Gold Medal

Helen T’s love of Gaelic music was ever present in her life. Individually she reached the top of Gaelic solo singing early on in her career, winning the gold medal at Dingwall Mod in 1931, returning there 60 years later to present the gold medal to the winner that year. Two of her sisters, Annie and Margaret also won the gold medal.

This is the only time in the history of the mod that three siblings have achieved this. Helen T’s sister Mary married Donald MacIsaac, who was also a gold medallist, making a total of no less than four medallists in one family! Neil Gunn wrote in his book, ‘Silver Darlings’, “the beautiful Helen T. MacMillan had the voice of an angel”.

Helen T. was the first conductor of the Glasgow Islay Choir, which was founded in 1944. This choir is not only still going, but is going very strong, having had numerous successes at National Mods over the years since then. Several members attended her funeral on 3 February.

Breadalbane Teaching

After ‘retiring’ from her post in Knightswood in 1967, Helen T. took the big step of leaving the family home! She went to Aberfeldy where she took up a post at Breadalbane Academy, initially teaching English, but very soon Gaelic as well.

Her first association with the Aberfeldy and District Gaelic Choir was as a chorister in its early days – she sang with the choir at Oban in 1970 where the choir won the Sheriff McMaster competition for the third year running. In 1980 she was appointed as Gaelic tutor to the choir, a post she held for 12 years until 1992. The choir was very successful during that time, winning the Margrat Duncan in her first year and going on to win the Lovat and Tullibardine competition in 1988.

Helen T’s teaching skills were clear to all who were fortunate enough to be exposed to her expertise – she did not accept anything less than perfection in the pronunciation of the Gaelic language from every single chorister. It took a strong nerve to endure the undivided attention of our Gaelic tutor, and of the whole choir, while she insisted on repetition and more repetition of a single word by an individual singer until it was right!

Independence

Helen T. thought of Aberfeldy as her second home and was disappointed not to be able to retire there, instead returning to Glasgow to care for her sister Margaret. She spent her last years in Balmanno House in Glasgow. Although her memory was failing by then, her understanding in Gaelic was much better than in English. Her sense of independence and humour never left her.

It was recalled by her niece Mary and her husband, Tom, that just a few weeks ago they were telling Helen T. that it was time to make preparations for her forthcoming 100th birthday and that the queen would have to be informed. Helen, quick as a flash, said, “What the devil has my birthday got to do with the queen?”