Towards Peace
‘Towards Peace’ is due for release on September 18th, 2026. A collection of four gentle and emotive piano works, the EP marks a further collaboration with Signum Records, and is being released to celebrate the United Nations’ International Day Of Peace 2026.
Track Notes - from the online album booklet
1. Allt a’Choileachain
The Allt a’Choileachain burn flows through a relatively remote corner of the North-East Scottish Highlands. In 1594 a large battle was fought close to the stream, and the battle was named after this small ribbon of flowing water. I walked for two hours over hills and along woodland tracks to reach the old battle site, expecting it to feel heavy and haunted by the past. But it felt almost the opposite, and I lingered for a while, exploring the wild flowers and grassy hillocks that lie in a clearing amongst the forest where the battle is believed to have been fought.
It got me wondering about the healing powers of both time and nature. For 500 years since the battle the Allt a’Choileachain has been flowing, its musical tinkering and splashing enlivening the rugged hillsides that surround it. And, perhaps, it has also, ever so slowly, been carrying away the cries of battle.
It’s a thought that is open to possibilities, as fluid as water itself and which continues to flow around my mind. In any case, after my walk that day, I straight away went to my piano and composed ‘Allt a’Choileachain’. It is an uncomplicated melody, whose melancholy is repeatedly answered with glimmers of hope.
2. Aillte Glas
Aillte Glas means ‘Green Cliffs’ in Irish Gaelic. It was inspired by a story that was shared with me of two people’s journey along the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland. I have never been to Ireland, but I could imagine high, green cliffs and the swell of the sea. I pictured clouds rolling in from the ocean and moments of sudden sunlight on the path. It’s a piece that honours our beautiful earth and those moments when we are inspired by its wild, green heart.
3. Into The Sky
This is a composition that meanders slowly towards a destination. It has a narrative, a repeating motif that dreams of a better world. It is an anthem that gently urges us, figuratively, ‘into the sky’, to a place of wider vision and deeper peace.
4. Peace - Solo Piano
In 2020 I rediscovered this melody sketched on manuscript paper. Tucked away in a folder, I originally composed it when I was eighteen. Arranging it for strings, I included it on my 2021 album, For The Love Of Life. With the release of Towards Peace, I saw an opportunity to share the music as it was originally composed for the piano.