KURATED NO. 264
FIGHTING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Mary Ann: A Song by Catherine MacLellan
with Patricia MacAulay
Catherine MacLellan / (Mike Scott photo)
CONTENTS
- VIDEO SONG
Mary-Ann by Catherine MacLellan Last month on December 5 PEI singer
MacLellan debuted this poignant and tragic song to mark the annual
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women - VIDEO PLAYLIST ON YOUTUBE
– The 12-song YouTube playlist opens with the feature song Mary Ann
and features 11 other of her top songs.
All 12 are videos.
– 12-song list on Spotify doesn’t include Mary Ann - A SHORT VIDEO with a few words from MacLellan
Editor’s Note: Folk veteran Catherine MacLellan mesmerized her audience last January at Vancouver’s St. James Square sharing her brand of folk imbued with insight, delivered in her pure and fluid voice. She shares mature music with knowing stories which offer keen observations on life, love, loss and nurturing community. With more than 20 years in the family business she knows her way. Her late father was the renowned singer-songwriter Gene MacLellan, known for a number of songs including Snowbird and Put Your Hand in the Hand.
Last month MacLellan debuted a poignant and tragic song about the story of PEI’s Mary Ann MacKinnon. The occasion was the annual International Day of Violence Against Women. In 1951 she was murdered by the former boyfriend of her daughter who he abducted and raped. He took revenge on Mary Ann when the assault she reported resulted in criminal charges against him.
It’s a deeply moving song – a direct and beautiful lament well told and beautifully played.
THE GIFT THAT IS CATHERINE MACLELLAN
A deeply moving and beautiful lament
The text below by Catherine MacLellan accompanies the YouTube video of Mary Ann.
The story of Mary Ann MacKinnon is one I didn’t know, but needs to be shared. Thanks to Patricia MacAulay for asking me to do this. I’m so touched by the whole thing.
This song remembers and honours Mary Ann MacKinnon, a woman from Kings County who was murdered for the stand she took against gender-based violence many years ago. This is a collaboration between Catherine and Patricia MacAulay, a visual artist and a family member of the woman at the heart of the song.
In the summer of 1951, a neighbour and former boyfriend abducted and raped Mary Ann’s oldest daughter, Estelle. Distraught and injured, she reported this to her mother, and together they went to the RCMP barracks to complain. The police investigation led to criminal charges. The young man publicly blamed Mary Ann for these circumstances. On November 9, 1951, the night before the trial, he rode over to her eastern PEI farmhouse, aimed a gun through the kitchen window, and shot her while she kneeled at the family rosary.
Already widowed, she left 11 orphaned children behind. The assailant was found not guilty on a murder charge due to “insanity” and he never had to face the original charges. Patricia says, “I have always wanted some sort of public acknowledgement of Mary Ann as a person and a recognition of the courage she showed in standing up for her daughter.
“How many young women on this Island have returned home after as assault and have either told no one or when they do share their experience with others, they are warned to be quiet to stay safe or keep the peace? Our belief in the safety of girls and women on PEI has been purchased by women’s silence.”
She continues, “When we have a public remembrance for someone, we offer aspects of that person to others. For me, learning about Mary Ann has given me a resolve to stand up against threats, harassment, assaults – every form of violence. Sharing this song provides an opportunity for others to find some meaning for themselves while showing respect to Mary Ann and her surviving family members.”
With this goal in mind, Patricia told the story to Catherine and asked if she could write and record something beautiful and memorable. “I thought that Catherine would have the artistry and sensibility to do justice to Mary Ann’s story, and I was right.”
Patricia describes the moment she heard what Catherine had created. “When Catherine sent me the first recording, I clicked “play” and immediately burst into tears. It was more than I could have imagined. She captured and conveyed not only the details of Mary Ann’s story and its emotional resonance but found hope and caring within it.”
In response to the song, Patricia created her own artwork, an embroidered piece that seeks to convey the weight and sorrow of the events along with the irrepressible spirit that threads through Catherine’s words and music.
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23 January 2026
