Lorraine McIntosh

Contents

Lorraine McIntosh is a Scottish singer and actress. Alongside her husband Ricky Ross, she is one of the vocalists of the pop rock band Deacon Blue.

Career

McIntosh is a vocalist with Deacon Blue, whose second studio album, When the World Knows Your Name (1989), topped the UK Albums Chart for two weeks,[1][2] and included "Real Gone Kid", which became their first UK top ten single.[1][3]

McIntosh took a break from music to play the character Alice Henderson in the Scottish soap opera River City, which was set in a fictitious suburb of Glasgow. Her character first appeared in 2002 and was written out during May 2010. Further television appearances include the police drama Taggart[4] and BBC One comedy-drama Hope Springs.[4] McIntosh has also appeared in Scottish cinema, including Ken Loach's My Name Is Joe,[4] and Lone Scherfig's Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself.[4]

In November 2024, Abertay University honoured McIntosh with an honorary Doctor of Arts degree.[5]

Personal life

McIntosh was born on 13 May 1964 in Glasgow, Scotland[6][7] and was raised in the Ayrshire town of Cumnock.[8] She married Deacon Blue lead singer Ricky Ross on 12 May 1990; they have four children.[9][10]

She is of maternal Irish Catholic descent: her mother, Sarah McIntosh (née Gallagher), was from the townland of Dore in Gweedore, a district in the north-west of County Donegal in Ulster.[11][12][13]

Discography

  • Raintown (1987)
  • When the World Knows Your Name (1989)
  • Fellow Hoodlums (1991)
  • Whatever You Say, Say Nothing (1993)
  • Walking Back Home (1999)
  • Homesick (2001)
  • The Hipsters (2012)
  • A New House (2014)
  • Believers (2016)
  • City of Love (2020)
  • Riding on the Tide of Love (2021)[14]
  • The Great Western Road (2025)

Filmography

Film
YearTitleRoleNotes
1998My Name Is JoeMaggie
2000AberdeenNurse
2002Wilbur Wants to Kill HimselfRuby
2004Wise GuysPaulineShort film
2014GaspingAA AttendeeShort film
2016West Skerra LightJoanTelevision film
2018Long Night at Blackstone [15]Faye BowersTelevision film
Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
1991Screen TwoDeacon Blue - Girl in GraveyardSeries 7, Episode 10: "Dreaming"
1999PsychosCarrie BurnsMini-series, Episode 5
Life SupportBethan GilchristEpisode 3: "The Price of Love" and Episode 5: "Soul and Conscience"
1999 2003 2008TaggartCocktail Waitress Brenda Johnstone Sharon NashSeries 15, Episode 4: "Long Time Dead" Series 19, Episode 6: "Halfway House" Series 24, Episode 7: "Safer"
2002Fran's PeopleJanis DunlopSeries 1, Episode 2
2002–2023River CityAlice Henderson4 episodes
2009Hope SpringsIna Harries7 episodes
Happy HollidaysRosalindEpisode 5: "Donkey"
2017Scot SquadBarbara EdwardsSeries 4, Episode 2
2020OutlanderMrs. SylvieSeries 5, Episode 10: "Mercy Shall Follow Me"
2021Princess Mirror-BelleRuthEpisode 3: "Big Bad Wolf"
2023ShetlandHeather BainSeries 8, 2 episodes

References

  1. 1.[1.2]"Deacon Blue". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  2. 2."Deacon Blue – When The World Knows Your Name". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  3. 3."Deacon Blue – Real Gone Kid". Official Charts Company. 15 October 1988. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  4. 4.[4.2][4.3][4.4]"Deacon Blue". tvguide.com. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  5. 5."Deacon Blue star Lorraine McIntosh to receive Honorary Degree at Abertay University's winter graduation". Abertay. 11 December 2024. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  6. 6."Lorraine McIntosh". IMDb. Seattle, Washington, U.S. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  7. 7.@deaconbluemusic (13 May 2025). "Please join us in wishing the one and only Lorraine McIntosh a very happy birthday 💙" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  8. 8.English, Paul (1 July 2012). "Lorraine McIntosh: My childhood taught me how to handle poverty with dignity". Daily Record. Glasgow, Scotland: Daily Record. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  9. 9."Unknown". Glasgow Skyline. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  10. 10.Watt, Laura. "Ricky Ross in tribute to tragic mum Andrea Kearney". Daily Record. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  11. 11."True blue". The Herald. 19 May 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  12. 12."Interview: Deacon Blue's Ricky Ross on the city behind the songs". The Scotsman. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  13. 13."'Donegal will always be my spiritual home - popstar Lorraine'". Donegal Daily. 2 April 2021.
  14. 14."Deacon Blue Share "Riding on the Tide of Love" Lyric Video – Watch + Listen". Rock 'N' Load. 12 June 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021. Deacon Blue will release Riding on the Tide of Love, which features eight brand new songs, on February 5 via earMUSIC.
  15. 15."Long Night At Blackstone cast and crew credits". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 5 August 2018.