Shetland — 4 March 2026
Caithness, Scotland — 20 April 2026 · Press Release
Caithness Singer Eilidh Harper Confirmed as Fifth Voice of Finn Moray's AON: THE GATHERING
The Thurso teacher and Caithness-born singer will perform The Silver Darlings, a song rooted in the coastal heritage of Dunbeath
Eilidh Harper. Photograph by Rory Raitt
The Scotland-based social compact music project Finn Moray has today confirmed Eilidh Harper as its fifth featured vocalist. The Caithness-born singer and Thurso teacher will perform The Silver Darlings, a song rooted in the coastal heritage of Dunbeath, as part of the project’s second album, AON: THE GATHERING. Her interview with well known BBC Scotland radio and television presenter Richard Gordon will be aired shortly.
Harper grew up in the far north of Scotland. She began performing at the Caithness Music Festival at the age of seven and continued until she was 17. Her return to the project coincides with the festival’s 70th anniversary year, giving her story a circularity that reflects the wider spirit of Finn Moray: local talent, coming home, carrying something forward.
She now works as a Home Economics teacher at the Thurso school she once attended. After stepping back from performing with her sister, she reached a point where she felt ready to rediscover that part of herself. She has since been singing again, including with the Caithness Big Band, and was actually in Dunbeath when the invitation to audition came through. It was her former music teacher, Heather Lewry, who passed the opportunity on to her.
"It means so much to sing for the people you love, especially when the songs hold personal meaning. Growing up in Caithness, with the cliffs, the sea, and the landscape of Dunbeath and its castle sitting in my imagination, this song feels like it belongs to a place I know. Coming back to music through Finn Moray, in the festival’s 70th year, feels like a full circle moment for me."
The Silver Darlings
The Silver Darlings was written and produced by Finn Moray founder David Sheret with his future father-in-law, Charlie Kennedy, very much in mind. Kennedy is Dunbeath born and bred, a great lover of Irish country music, and the song was written with his sensibility, his place, and his feel for home somewhere in its bones. Although the title inevitably echoes the fishing inheritance of the area, and the wider Caithness associations of that phrase, this is also a personal song about belonging, memory, and the emotional pull of home.
David Sheret on Eilidh Harper
“When we heard Eilidh’s audition we all thought there was something pretty compelling about her as a performer. She wasn’t trying to arrive as a finished product with all the edges varnished. She comes across as thoughtful, grounded and serious, with a real sense of the value of the song. For me, she brings not just vocal ability, but a real legitimacy of feeling. She understands Caithness. She understands the culture of the north. And because she’s from this part of the world, she knows how to sing it. That is a big part of what AON: THE GATHERING is about.”
The Finn Moray Social Compact
Finn Moray is not a charity. It is a social compact.
Created by David Sheret, the project operates on a clear and binding commitment: 50% of net profits are returned to Scottish community, cultural, and charitable causes. The other 50% is reinvested into sustaining and growing the project. It is a model built on the principle that commercial music and genuine social contribution can coexist, and that one can strengthen the other.
Since January 2026, Finn Moray has already delivered on that commitment, making donations to 13 causes in its first four months of operation. Recipients range from the Beatson Cancer Charity and SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health) to the Paul Lawrie Foundation, Shetland Young Farmers, and rural community infrastructure projects in Aberchirder and Stirling. The geographic spread of the giving, from Shetland to Stirling, from Aberdeen to Scotland-wide organisations, reflects the national ambition of the project and the breadth of the Social Compact’s intent.
The first album, AON: THE CALL, contains 15 original songs inspired by Scottish towns and villages, produced by two-time Latin Grammy winner Mariano Beyoglonian at Estudio Tritono in Buenos Aires. The second album, AON: THE GATHERING, replaces the synthesised voices of the debut with local singers connected to the places the songs represent.
The Five Featured Vocalists
| Singer | From | Song | Announced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adele Henderson | Aberchirder, Banffshire | Foggie | 26 January 2026 |
| Rhuaridh McHardy | Netherley, Aberdeenshire | I’m The Bridge | 19 February 2026 |
| Lisa Manson | Shetland | Muddy Bay (Blood & Bone) | 4 March 2026 |
| Terry McDermott | Pitmedden, Aberdeenshire (now New Orleans) | Two Stars On Our Chest | 11 April 2026 |
| Eilidh Harper | Caithness | The Silver Darlings | 20 April 2026 |
Singers Wanted
Finn Moray is actively seeking featured vocalists with genuine connections to the remaining song locations. Opportunities are open for singers connected to Inverness, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Darvel, Yetholm, Cumbernauld and St Andrews. This is not a talent competition. It is an invitation to carry a song that was written about your place, in your voice, with a fair share of the revenue it generates.
If you are a singer, or know someone who should be considered, please get in touch at [email protected].
Acknowledgements
Sincere thanks to Wendy, Barbara and the trustees at Dunbeath Heritage Museum for the kind use of their premises during the shoot.
Tel: 01593 731233
Dunbeath Preservation Trust is a Registered Charity. Registered Charity Number SCO0031.
Eilidh Harper in Dunbeath
Finn Moray
Eilidh Harper. Photograph by Rory Raitt
Eilidh Harper and Richard Gordon on the beach at Dunbeath. Photograph by Rory Raitt
Eilidh Harper and Richard Gordon in the Icehouse at Dunbeath. Photograph by Rory Raitt
Richard Gordon and Eilidh Harper at Dunbeath Heritage Centre. Photograph by Rory Raitt
Eilidh Harper during her interview. Photograph by Rory Raitt
Eilidh and Richard in conversation. Photograph by Rory Raitt
To find out more about how to enter the awards or audition for AON: THE GATHERING, email: [email protected]
Read Next
Aberdeen, Scotland — 11 April 2026
Terry McDermott Revealed as the Voice of Two Stars On Our Chest
Netherley, Aberdeenshire — 19 February 2026
Rhuaridh McHardy Confirmed as Second Featured Vocalist on AON: THE GATHERING
Aberchirder, Aberdeenshire — 26 January 2026