Mill a h-Uile Rud

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Mill a h-Uile Rud playing at the KAW in Leverkusen, Germany

Mill a h-Uile Rud are a Seattle-based band who sing in Scots Gaelic. The name translates as 'Destroy Everything' though the band only use the Gaelic original. The band sing entirely in Scots Gaelic which has proved something of a novelty in Scotland and has gained them considerable media coverage in both English and Gaelic.

The band formed in 2003 and retain their original line-up of Tim (vocals), Sgrios (guitar) and Sìne (drums). After spending some years living in Scotland and meeting other Gaelic-speaking punks such as Ruairidh of Oi Polloi both Tim and Sine, whose mother is from the Gaelic-speaking island of Benbecula, started learning Gaelic.

Song topics frequently deal with sex which is unusual for contemporary Gaelic music. However the band and others contend that this is in keeping with Gaelic bardic tradition and traditional poets from past centuries such as Iain Lom and Alasdair MacMhaighstir Alasdair. They have also translated the Ramones' "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" into Gaelic and play it in their live set.

In April 2005, Mill a h-Uile Rud embarked on a European tour with Oi Polloi which took in Scotland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland. Much of this tour was filmed by BBC Alba for a Gaelic television documentary on Mill a h-Uile Rud and Gaelic punk. They have also played in Stornoway, on the sparsely populated Isle of Lewis, the largest town in the Western Isles of Scotland. They also recorded a live session for the BBC Radio nan Gaidheal nighttime 'Rapal' program which is broadcast nationally in Scotland.

As a band, Mill a h-Uile Rud are highly critical of much Celtic Punk that, in their opinion, sells a cheesy, beer-soaked stereotype of Gaelic culture. They are also noted for their hard-core stance on Gaelic use in and around the band. In a Gaelic music scene where the language is often exploited as a showcase without much actual practical use outside of the songs themselves, Mill a h-Uile Rud stand out for not only singing in Gaelic, but using it in packaging, on their websites, on the stage and with each other. Mill a h-Uile Rud have also never allowed any official translations of their songs.

[edit] Discography

The band's logo.

2004: Ceàrr (Clàran Droch-Shùil)
2005: Ceòl Gàidhlig mar Sgian nad Amhaich ("Steòrnabhagh"; one track on a four-band compilation single)
2006: Gàidhlig na Lasair ("Steòrnabhagh," "Oran Sabaid Sabhal Mòr Ostaig" and "Crath do Thòn"; three trax on a five-band compilation CD)

[edit] External links (in English)

article on Mill a h-Uile Rud in Hi-Arts magazine of the Scottish Highlands and Islands
further discussionof Mill a h-Uile Rud and language activism in The Scotsman newspaper
scholarly article on Gaelic music that discusses Mill a h-Uile Rud and their hard-core stand on Gaelic use