Ciarán MacGillivray
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Ciarán MacGillivray is the pianist of the critically-acclaimed Celtic group, The Cottars. He shares the bill with his sister Fiona MacGillivray, Claire Pettit, and Bruce Timmins.
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[edit] Early bio
Ciarán was born December 28, 1987 to songwriter Allister MacGillivray[1] and wife Beverly in the village of Albert Bridge[2] on Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island.
In 2000, Fiona and Ciarán were invited to perform on The Barra MacNeils' Christmas Special along with special guests The Ennis Sisters. The siblings performed two numbers to standing ovations. The program aired on Country Music Television in 2000.
This was also the year Ciarán and his sister met future bandmates, the MacKenzie siblings from Baddeck at a festival on the island of Iona. The following Christmas, the foursome (at this point, unnamed) had their first performance, A Child's Celtic Christmas, at the Highland Heights Inn Resort in Iona.
[edit] With The Cottars
In 2002, The Cottars were featured in Irish Tenor John McDermott's PBS production A Time to Remember, and were introduced to their future agent, Pam McDermott (no relation) of mcdermott entertainment.
It was then that The Cottars released their first CD Made In Cape Breton, on Warner Music in 2002. The disc, with single Tom Waits's The Briar and the Rose, showcased John McDermott's vocals along with Fiona's in two duets. The CD won them much critical acclaim as well as an East Coast Music Award for Best New Artist in February of the following year and a nomination for Best Artist. The ECMA broadcast also featured Ciarán and Fiona in the group's live rendition of their single, which was received with a standing ovation. The performance was nominated for an Emmy Award.
The Cottars released their second CD, On Fire on Warner Music in 2004, which won them an ECMA for Best Traditional Group. They released their latest CD Forerunner on Rounder Records in 2005, with two new Tom Waits covers; Georgia Lee and Hold On.
In 2005-2006, The Cottars were invited on a 25-city tour with The Chieftains, ending in Carnegie Hall on St. Patrick's Day, where they performed with new friend Elvis Costello.
[edit] Cottar No More
In July 2006, it was announced that the group would disband, citing disagreements between the two pairs of siblings. Although it was the MacGillivrays who were reported as ending the professional relationship first, new tour dates were soon scheduled featuring a new arrangement in which the MacKenzie siblings were not included. Roseanne has been quoted as saying she was 'devastated.' Claire Pettit, also 16, a new fiddler who divides her time between New York and Cape Breton was integrated successfully into The Cottars along with guitarist Bruce Timmons, the only non-teen in the group, to form the new band. Word has not been released yet as to whether the band will continue as is, but there will not be a reunion of the original members.
[edit] Discography
- Made In Cape Breton (2002)
- On Fire (2004)
- Forerunner (2006)
