Hugh Allan MacMillan

From Glengarryceltic

Hugh Allan has lived all his life on the family farm at Lochinvar close to the extreme Northeast of Glengarry County. He and his wife, Irma, have two daughters and one son. His early contact with traditional fiddle music was provided by some of the older players in the area who would come to visit and play. Two of these whom he mentions particularly were, Johnny Allen MacMillan, his grand uncle and Neil MacDonald (Neillie Austen R.).

Hugh Allan gives a great deal of credit to his grandmother, Mary Ann MacDonald, for inspiring and encouraging him to play the fiddle. In the beginning she showed him how to hold the bow and allowed him to do the bowing while she did the fingering.

He played for dances for a time but soon gave that up. He says that he only played for about four years with any degree of seriousness. One aspect of the music that he continued longer was piano accompaniment. He accompanied Cliff Britton regularly for a number of years. Having returned to the fiddle his major musical activity is performing as a member of the Glengarry Strathspey and Reel Society. Some of Hugh Allan’s favourite tunes are: “The Laird of Dumblair,” “Miss Lyall” and “Miss Drummond of Perth”.

In 1979 the Glengarry Strathspey and Reel Society traveled to Cape Breton to take part in the fiddler’s festival in Glendale. This was a trip that made a great impression on Hugh Allan and he was inspired to compose three tunes to commemorate the experience. “Annie of Foot Cape” is named after Mrs. Annie MacLean, wife of the late great Cape Breton fiddler, Sandy MacLean. Annie, a merry and hospitable hostess, is fondly remembered by all that visited her. “The Creignish Reel” recalls the considerable time spent by society members at Creignish where Floyd MacDonald and his family supplied Cape Breton hospitality in full measure. “The Road to Strathlorne” refers to a community near Inverness.