Lachlann mac Eardsaidh 'ic Lachlainn Mhóir

Lauchie Cyprian Gillis, known locally as "Lauchie Archie", was from Grand Mira South with ancestors from Morar, Scotland. Born September 20, 1913, he was the son of Archie and Mary Louise Gillis.

Lauchie was a skilled farmer and raised a family of eleven children with his wife, Jeanette MacLellan. He also worked as a butcher, travelling through local communities conducting business and visiting with neighbours. A renowned singer, he would often be invited into the homes he visited to share songs. He was a member of the Grand Mira Gaelic choir - a group of around a dozen singers who gathered regularly to raise a tune together. They won the National Choral Folk Singing Class at the Halifax Music Festival in 1952.

Lauchie passed away on Father’s Day, June 14, 1980. According to his granddaughter, Norma Jean MacPhee, he “died of a heart attack at his family’s kitchen table—the very same spot where he had entertained countless guests and family with his singing.”¹

Lauchie’s songs are housed in the Beaton Institute and appear on an album titled ‘Songs of the Mira.’ There are around a dozen recordings of him in the Cape Breton Gaelic Folklore Collection.