Sarah Hoy and Fin Moore

Photo for RT

Fin Moore and Sarah Hoy started playing as a duo after leading sessions in Birnam, a place noted as a centre of Scots music in the heartlands of Perthshire. They quickly became in demand for other session work and concert performances further afield, and have since performed together all over Scotland, at festivals in England, and at festivals and schools in the USA.

Fin Moore plays the Highland pipes, Border pipes and Scottish Small Pipes. For five years, he played in the Vale of Atholl Juvenile Band and is now a very successful pipemaker. Fin also has a reputation as a teacher of pipes, and works regularly at the Gaelic College in Cape Breton. He has also taught at the Lowland and Border Pipers Society annual teaching weekend in Melrose and at Piper Gathering North Hero, Vermont and other schools around the world. He has performed at the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow, Celtic Colours in Cape Breton, the Edinburgh International Festival and the William Kennedy Piping Festival, Armagh. He has played solo and with bands including, Dannsa who are noted for their traditional and innovating dancing, the internationally renowned Cape Breton band, Slainte Mhath, and Back of the Moon, winners at the Scottish Traditional Music Awards 2003.

This boy was born to play a reel and when he did so on the Scottish Small Pipes, stamping both feet to produce a step dance rhythm section…….. living precariously with his own exciting variations, he was magic. Alastair Clark, The Scotsman

Sarah Hoy was born into a musical family in Edinburgh. She took up the fiddle aged eight, learning from her father Derek Hoy, fiddler with classic Scots band, Jock Tamson’s Bairns, and later with Mairi Campbell, well-known fiddler, singer and step dancer. Sarah has played with Bella McNab’s Dance Band, she has performed at Celtic Connections in Glasgow, Edinburgh International Festival Fringe and for step dancing at Ceolas summer school on South Uist.

Her upbeat style is immensely likeable, and her compositions immediately caught my attention. Cheryl Turner, Rambles

The first twelve tracks were recorded live at a house concert held in Edinburgh in 2018. Sarah and Fin are joined by guitarist Ewan MacPherson who also contributes some songs. On one track Fin plays with piper Brighde Chaimbeul. Recorded and edited by Stuart Eydmann.

Kings House (Bobby MacLeod) / Lady Madelina Sinclair / Ceres Green / Little Donald in the Pigpen / The Periwig / Macdonald of East Street’s (Fin Moore) / Struay Lodge (PM William Ross)

Fin plays Border pipes on this track.

Down and Out in Santiago de Compostella (Colm O’ Rua)

Lay your dark low (Ewan MacPherson)

Mary’s Fancy / Ciaran Tourish’s (Jerry Holland & Dougie MacDonald) / Major Campbell Graham MBE (PM Angus MacDonald)

Freshwater (Ewan MacPherson)

Merrily Danced the Quakers Wife / Miss McGregor’s / Trippers / Finlay Donald Willie’s Jig (Fin Moore)

Hamish the Carpenter / Tie the Bonnet / Walter Sammon’s Grandmother

Fin is joined by piper Brighde Chaimbeul, both playing smallpipes in D.

Holding the Whippet (Derek Hoy) / Ashtray on the Altar / Colonel Rodger’s Favourite

Pasacorreidas de Villalba / Muiñeira de Casu / El Molín del Puirtu (Simon Bradley)

Tunes in the Asturian tradition.

Tune for November (Gordon Bok)

Alone in the Castle (Simon Bradley) / The Bob O’ Fettercairn / Alone in the Castle (Simon Bradley)

Newfield Cottage (William Marshall) / Lucy Campbell / John MacKenzie’s (John Connan) / Miss Nisbet of Direlton (Nathaniel Gow) / An Lon Dubh (Dr. Charles Bannatyne)

The Skylark’s Ascension (Archie Lindsay) / Pretty Marion / Lads of Mull / Buntata Sgadan (Allan MacDonald)

Tie the Bonnet / 10 Again (Fin Moore)

Fin Moore Solos

Recorded Edinburgh by Stuart Eydmann.

rareTunes