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Breasclete (Scottish Gaelic: Brèascleit) is a village and community on the west side of the Isle of Lewis, in Scotland.

One of the main services in the village is Breasclete Primary School, which has a current total of 27 students. There is a thriving community with the new Hall as the base for a number of community groups and organisations.

The village also hosts the Equatec facility, a pharmaceutical facility dedicated to fatty acid research and production http://www.equateq.com/.

Other businesses located in the area include Scottish Fish Farm who have a number of sites in East Loch Roag http://www.scottishsalmon.com. Hebridean Soap who operate from their base in Breasclete http://www.hebrideansoap-shop.co.uk/.

Traditional industries like Harris Tweed also offer employment and crofting is at the heart of community.

More on the village and its surrounding areas from http://www.breasclete.com/.

v t e Lewis and Harris / Leòdhas agus na Hearadh Outer Hebrides Scotland Inhabited islands Lewis/Leòdhas and Harris/Na Hearadh Great Bernera/Bearnaraigh Mòr Scalpay/Sgalpaigh Other islands Bayble Island Eilean Chaluim Chille Eilean Chearstaidh Eilean Liubhaird Eilean Mhealasta Ensay/Easaigh Fuaigh Beag Fuaigh Mòr Hermetray/Thearnatraigh Killegray/Ceileagraigh North Rona/Ronaigh a Tuath Pabbay of Harris/Pabaigh na Hearadh Pabaigh Mòr Scarp/An Sgairp Seaforth/Shìphiort Sgeotasaigh Soay Beag Soay Mòr Stockinish/Stocainis Sula Sgeir Taransay/Tarasaigh Vacsay/Bhacsaigh Settlements Stornoway/Steòrnabhagh Adabroc Aignish Aird An Rubha Ardroil Arnol Bail' Ùr Tholastaidh Baile an Truiseil Balallan/Baile Ailein Barvas/Barabhas Bayble/Pabail Borghastan Borsham Borgh na Hearadh Borgh na Leòdhas Bragar Branahuie Breacleit Breasclete/Brèascleit Breibhig Brenish/Bréanais Brue/Brù Cabharstadh Calbost Callanish/Calanais Carloway/Carlabhagh Coll Fivepenny/Còig Peighinnean Nis Flesherin/Fleisirin Garenin/Geàrrannan Garrabost Gravir/Grabhair Gress/Griais Habost/Tabost Holm Huisinis Leurbost/Liurbost Leverburgh/An t-Ob Lionel Lingerbay Marybank/Bruach Màiri Melbost Newvalley/An Gleann Ùr Ohagro Parkend Portnaguran/Port nan Giuran Portvoller/Port Mholair Rèinigeadal Rodel/Roghadal Shawbost/Siabost Skigersta/Sgiogarstaigh Shulishader/Sulaisiadar Tarbert/Tairbeart Timsgarry/Timsgearraidh Tong/Tunga Districts Back/Bac Ness/Nis North Lochs/Na Lochan a Tuath Park/Pairc Point/Eye Peninsula/An Rubha Uig West Side/Taobh Siar Geographical features Butt of Lewis/Rubha Robhanais Clisham/Cliseam The Minch/An Cuan Sgìth Eilean Glas Historical sites Callanish Stones Clach an Truiseil and Steinacleit Dun Carloway/Dùn Chàrlabhaigh Dùn Èistean Lews Castle St Clement's Church/Tur Chliamainn Teampull Mholuaidh

Coordinates: 58°13′N 6°44′W / 58.217°N 6.733°W / 58.217; -6.733

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Fred Morrison is one of the world's leading pipers^[1] and is a globally renowned composer of music for the bagpipes.

Morrison is known for his unique, powerfully exuberant, virtuosic and highly improvisational style which combines the Gaelic piping tradition of South Uist with contemporary and eclectic influences. One of the few pipers to have achieved success in both the competitive piping and folk music scenes, Morrison is a virtuoso of the Great Highland Bagpipes, the bellows-blown reel pipes, the Irish Uilleann pipes, and the low whistle.

Fred Morrison was born in 1963 ^[2] near Bishopton, Renfrewshire, Scotland where he grew up, regularly visiting his paternal family home in Geirinis, South Uist. Taught piping by his late father - also named Fred - from the age of nine, Fred Morrison Junior became immersed in the rounded-out, driving piping style of the Outer Hebrides. His father taught him through the traditional method of canntaireachd, the sung vocables used to convey pipe music before notation came on the scene, and Morrison attributes much of his approach to that. "I hear that singing in my head every time I play," he told one interviewer.

His formidable prowess on the Highland Pipes gained him honours in the Scottish competition piping circuit (the most exacting in the world), including the gold medals at the world's premier piping competitions at the Northern Meeting in Inverness and the Argyllshire Gathering in Oban, and he has taken the prestigious Macallan trophy at Brittany's Lorient Festival seven times.^[3]

At a time when Scottish piping was broadening out into the burgeoning traditional music scene, Morrison was experimenting, taking on broad eclectic influences from elsewhere and developing a formidable technique that puts a unique spin on some of the most well-worn items in the repertoire. He was soon in demand as a solo performing artist, before joining the short-lived "supergroup" Clan Alba (with Dick Gaughan, among others) before joining Capercaillie for three years, during which time he played in and helped arrange the Highland group's music for the film Rob Roy.

As his reputation spread, he took to the bellows-blown Scottish Lowland or reel pipes, which have been experiencing a revival in recent years - their reeding conducive to the kind of cross-fingering and vibrato which Morrison employs in his playing. He has also become known as a virtuoso on the Irish Uilleann pipes and low whistle.

Morrison was voted "Instrumentalist of the Year" in the Scots Trad Music Awards for 2004.^[4]

In 2004 he wrote a large-scale work with the orchestral composer Mark Sheridan. It was called "Paracas", as Gaelic word meaning "Rhapsody of the Gael".^[5] It was premiered at Glasgow's Celtic Connections festival in January 2005. It involved several pipers, other folk musicians and singers, and an orchestra and chorus.

Until 2004 he worked mainly as a solo artist or as a session musician with other well-known groups. In 2006 he formed the Fred Morrison Band with Paul Jennings, Duncan Lyall, Douglas Miller and Innes Watson.

Morrison's album Outlands was released on 5 November 2009.

Quotations from reviews[link]

"Morrison’s formidably virtuosic playing on bellows-blown Border pipes – with some dexterous interludes on uillean pipes – comes as close to jazz as you’ll hear in piping.” Jim Gilchrist, The Scotsman

“ . . .playing on lowland and uilleann pipes that at times could have soundtracked the air guitar championships. Except, Morrison makes what these poor souls mime to sound tame by comparison . . . Morrison is as sensitive an accompanist as he is magnetic when leading . . . Go and be gobsmacked." Rob Adams, The Herald (Glasgow)

“But it was Morrison who delivered the ‘coup de grace’ with a performance that was almost shocking in its mesmerizing subtlety and brilliance.” Alastair Clark, The Scotsman

Discography[link]

Solo albums

• The Broken Chanter (1993)
• The Sound of the Sun (2000)
• Outlands (2009)

Fred Morrison and Jamie McMenemy

• Up South (2003)

Various artists including Fred Morrison

• Celtic Colours (1998)
• Piping Up (2000)

References[link]

1. ^ Living Tradition magazine review: http://www.folkmusic.net/htmfiles/webrevs/cdldl1284.htm
2. ^ Who's Who in Bagpiping
3. ^ All Celtic Music
4. ^ http://www.hi-arts.co.uk/Default.aspx.LocID-hianewkvv.RefLocID-hiacg5005001.Lang-EN.htm Highlands and Islands Arts Journal
5. ^ Paracas

External links[link]

• FredMorrison.com
• Myspace site
• Solo live performance on YouTube
• Two tracks from the new Fred Morrison Band