The Fairytale Cellist

The Fairytale Cellist Singing Cellist ~ Viola da Gamba rebel ~ Songwriter ~ Improviser ~ Storyteller ~ Educator Supported by Help Musicians.

Ailsa Mair creates elemental tapestries from her strings, voice and loop pedal -experimental folk offerings on the spectrum of grief and joy, woven with wild nature, magic and threads of Welsh language. She sings and plays at the same time (with cello & viola da gamba), sharing original songs, traditional Welsh folk arrangements and live improvisations from the heart with a truly unique voice.

After a long hot Summer of gigging with a growing baby bump, I’m wrapping things up for a while to go do some nesting…I ...
28/08/2026

After a long hot Summer of gigging with a growing baby bump, I’m wrapping things up for a while to go do some nesting…

I now know that it’s possible to play cello in mermaid form whilst 7 months pregnant, and have had many exciting musical adventures over these months, meeting with joys and challenges along the way…

Thanks to all who have made this journey fun and manageable - it’s no mean feat being a self-employed musician (who plays enormous instruments) whilst going thru this immense, life-changing rite of passage. I feel lucky to have several role models who show me that it’s possible to live life wondrously as a parent and artist.

I’ll be off social media for a while but if you like what I do please stick around anyway and await creative transformation!

As a leaving gift I will be doing a surprise drop of 3 new tracks recorded over the summer in my ongoing album TAITH / Fool’s Journey on Bandcamp (linked in my bio) - so follow me there to be notified when this happens, and please support me if you want + can as I emerge into this entirely new phase of life! Tis a journey indeed; hopefully one of increasing wisdom, beauty and much magic.

Take care all, and thanks for all your kindness, support and inspiration. Diolch a chariad mawr ~ Hwyl am y tro!

Ailsa 💜

Pix - 1 on Trefdraeth/Newport beach
2 at Just So Festival thanks to Willo Wildehart for the photo, for the mermaid tail and awesome collaborators The Ragged Storytelling Collective for much fun and many frolics
3 for photo and artwork (from our recent music video collab for my song True North)

14/08/2026

Yfory gyda yn -
Tomorrow with at

✨✨✨Amser newydd y gig ::: 1.20yp✨✨✨
✨✨✨New gig time ::: 1.20pm✨✨✨✨✨

Caneuon gwreiddiol, alawon gwerin Cymreig a rhywfaint o fyrfyfyrio... dyma glip ohonom yn ymarfer yr hwiangerdd Gymreig Si Hei Lwli - sef y gân gyntaf i ni ei chanu gyda’n gilydd erioed yn sesiwn werin Machynlleth.

Original songs, Welsh folk tunes and some improvisation... here is a clip of us practicing the Welsh lullaby Si Hei Lwli - which was the first song we ever sang together at the Machynlleth folk session years ago!

✨Rydym hefyd yn cynnal Gweithdy Ysgrifennu Caneuon Digymell yn y gofod teuluol am 11yb-12.30yp yfory✨

✨We are also holding a Spontaneous Songwriting workshop in the family space: from 11am-12.30pm tomorrow✨

Ffoto / Photo ~ diolch / thank you
()

Beautiful moments at the Green Gathering Diolch pawb! Our The Ragged Storytelling Collective Gwy/Wye puppet-effigy (made...
06/08/2026

Beautiful moments at the Green Gathering Diolch pawb!

Our The Ragged Storytelling Collective Gwy/Wye puppet-effigy (made by the wonderful L I B B Y B O V E ) meeting the visiting River Wye Goddess for an after-show blessing, and some moments from CÂN Y DŴR… I grew up by the Wye close by in Monmouth so feel very connected to this river-spirit and glad to be getting the chance to honour her through song in our show, and connect with other river-activists….

…The particularly gorgeous water altar in TrAd Village (in lieu of the usual festival fire, which was wisely banned across site this year due to drought conditions), where I shared a few songs…

…another stunning Goddess being made from mud and straw by friends and neighbours CloM Dyfi with many visitors to the always amazing Permaculture area…

…Full Moon rise over the labyrinth in the Healing field, and some giant luminous moths…

Due to having a rapidly growing baby bump I rarely got close enough to bands to take photos but saw/heard brilliant performances by Cynefin , Dragonsfly , 🇬🇲Suntou Susso Music 🇸🇳 , Catrin O'Neill and tom.veck.live amongst others, and a mystery gypsy jazz collective who did an impromptu late night gig in a bell tent somewhere. Also enjoyed playing with my wonderful partner Willo Wildehart at the Campaigns Field Open Mic.

CÂN Y DŴR is continuing its journey to Henbant Permaculture Farm, Camp and Venue this Friday - a place highly worth visiting at any point but especially then! Come see us there if storytelling, music, puppetry and rivers are your thing!

ffotos - diolch i/thanks to:
1 - Eilio
2-4 - Louise

The last pic is from our journey out of the festival following the river Wye / Afon Gwy along a childhood road of mine past the spectacular Tintern Abbey, en route to visit my folks.

::: Y SWYNWRAIG ::: Sengl Newydd - Allan dydd Mercher! ::: the MAGICIAN ::: New Single - Out this Wednesday!Surprise! I ...
27/07/2026

::: Y SWYNWRAIG ::: Sengl Newydd - Allan dydd Mercher!
::: the MAGICIAN ::: New Single - Out this Wednesday!

Surprise! I have a new single coming out for the Full Moon this Wednesday, the next instalment in my ongoing venture through the tarot: the Magician / y Swynwraig

It’s a special one as it features some beautiful brand new spoken words woven by the very magical Christine Watkins

Head to my bandcamp (linked in bio) for the track (on Weds) and album project Fool’s Journey / TAITH - where you can already get a download code for the whole thing as it (slowly) comes out track by track and/or treat yourself to a handmade Journeying Pouch containing a rather lovely recycled wooden music USB to collect all the tracks on….

PS if you haven’t seen my new music video for True North, another of the tracks from TAITH, made in collaboration with the masterful Jake Whittaker , go see on my YouTube, also linked in my bio…

Ai X

Ffoto 1 - diolch Willo Wildehart

(Possibly) my last solo gig of the Summer* TOMORROW NIGHT (Saturday 18th) at the wonderful … With support from : It wou...
17/07/2026

(Possibly) my last solo gig of the Summer* TOMORROW NIGHT (Saturday 18th) at the wonderful …
With support from : It would be a joy to share this special evening with you ~ Please tell your friends in Sheffield to help us sell out this uniquely gorgeous venue.

Here I am at the very beautiful yesterday amidst some practice in the shade of a particularly splendid apple tree, after finishing recording with the fabulous and an awesome crew of other musicians.

*The adventures will continue in August with the rest of our Summer tour and playing with at - then I will be taking a performance break for a while to nurture other creative offerings… especially one particularly exciting new one!

GIG TOMORROW NIGHT - Cafe #9, Nether Edge, SheffieldCome and join me Ailsa Mair and Eilio as we visit from the depths of...
17/07/2026

GIG TOMORROW NIGHT - Cafe #9, Nether Edge, Sheffield

Come and join me Ailsa Mair and Eilio as we visit from the depths of Wales for a special evening of original songs and traditional Welsh music with cello, violin, voices, harmonium, and live loops - and please share with your friends to help us sell out this gorgeous venue...

Tickets available either online via the link below or directly through the cafe (where you avoid the booking fee).

Hope to see you there!

TICKETS: https://wegottickets.com/f/18117

Summer GIGS yr Hâf…Starting with a week today - how exciting!🧜🏻‍♀️🧜🏻‍♀️🧜🏻‍♀️July 18th @ Cafe #9, SheffieldSolo with sup...
11/07/2026

Summer GIGS yr Hâf…

Starting with a week today - how exciting!

🧜🏻‍♀️🧜🏻‍♀️🧜🏻‍♀️

July 18th @ Cafe #9, Sheffield
Solo with support from

July 30th-2nd August @ the Green Gathering, Chepstow with

August 7th @ Henbant Permaculture
with the

August 15th @ El Sueno Existe Festival, Machynlleth, with

August 21st-23rd @ Just So, Cheshire, Ragged Storytelling Collective

Hope to see some of you at one or more of these!

Photo (from our new film True North)

✨

18fed Gorffennaf @ Cafe #9, Sheffield
Unawd gyda chefnogaeth gan

30ain Gorffennaf-2il Awst @ y Green Gathering, Cas-gwent gyda

7fed Awst @ Henbant Permaculture
gyda’r

15fed Awst @ Gŵyl El Sueno Existe, Machynlleth, gyda

21ain-23ain Awst @ Just So, Swydd Gaer, Ragged Storytelling Collective

Gobeithio gweld rhai ohonoch chi yn un neu fwy o’r rhain!

Cariad mawr,
Ailsa x

Llun (o ffilm newydd ni - True North)

10/07/2026

HENO! TONIGHT!
True North Music Video Premiere
7pm ~ my YouTube channel (link in bio)

It would be lush to have you at this watching party for my brand new music video, made in collaboration with film artist Jacob Whittaker … It’s been a long time coming and I’m really excited to share it with you!
Click on the link in my bio from wherever you are and come and pretend we are all in the same room…

Also a little reminder that my *very cute* new small batch of music USBs are now in the Merch shop on my bandcamp (see yesterday’s post) ~ which contain a download code for the True North audio track and all other song sketches for my ongoing TAITH / Fool’s Journey as they come out.

Ailsa X

🌀MUSIC USBs + JOURNEYING POUCHES🌀To celebrate my new music video True North coming out tomorrow I’ve made a special batc...
09/07/2026

🌀MUSIC USBs + JOURNEYING POUCHES🌀

To celebrate my new music video True North coming out tomorrow I’ve made a special batch of my music USBs complete with hand-crocheted pouches. I thought I’d do a little mermaidy photoshoot of them in the misty rockpools this evening in Aberystwyth to show you how cute they are… Shrimps were nibbling my feet as I took these pix heehee.

I initially made them as a unique way to collect the song-sketches for my slowly-ongoing album project Fool’s Journey - but these have 2 other EPs on them (Under the Apple Tree and Mesolithic Mermaid) in addition to the download code for the complete Fool’s Journey (which now has the Welsh title TAITH - or ‘journey’) as it unfolds… and I am happy to announce that 4 new tracks for this (eventually 22-track) album will be released later this summer…

So if you support my song-art by buying one of these pretty unique attempts at merch, you’ll get an abundance of music to begin and even more to come, and you could even put other stuff of your own choosing on your USB too, and use the pouch for whatever treasures you fancy!

They are £20 each and will be available through the Merch section on my bandcamp which is linked in my bio, from midday tomorrow.

Diolch a chariad mawr,

Ailsa x X x

08/07/2026

⭐️True North Music Video - out this Friday 7pm on my Youtube (link in bio) ⭐️ Ffilm Cerddoriaeth True North ~ allan dydd Gwener yma 7yh ar YouTube (dolen yn y bio) ⭐️

CREDITS ~ CREDYDAU:

Jacob Whittaker ~ Film / Ffilm

Ailsa Mair ~ Words & music, recording, mixing & production / Geiriau a cherddoriaeth, recordio, cymysgu a chynhyrchu

Celyn Adar Telyn ~ Clarinet / Clarinét

Mike West (Our Lady Studio, Borth) ~ Mastering / Meistroli

Walkers / Cerddwyr ~ Celyn Adar Telyn, Deb Erskine, ffin Jordão, Willo Wildehart

Drawings / Darluniau ~ Ailsa Mair & Jacob Whittaker

Thank you all / Diolch i chi gyd

(c) Ailsa Mair Hughes 2025 & 2026

Follow the Fool’s Journey / Dilynwch Daith y Ffŵl (TAITH):
thefairytalecellist.bandcamp.com (link also in bio / dolen yn y bio)

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