I will spend my first day in Cape Breton exploring the rich and varied Scottish, Irish, Gaelic, Welsh and Breton influences that dominate along the Ceilidh Trail.
The trail passes through the tiny villages of Troy and Creignish, homes of renowned fiddlers Natalie MacMaster and Ashley MacIsaac. This leads to my first stop: the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre. The centre celebrates the history and characters linked to the pulsing local music scene.
Here I learn the difference between a ‘jig’ and a ‘reel’…it’s seems to my novice sensibilities a complex matter of speed, number of dancers, and a twirl instead of a kick. I also learn that ‘ceilidh’ (pronounced kay-lee) is an informal gathering that includes a luscious mix of music, dance, songs and stories. In the past these hugely popular old-time ‘kitchen parties’ provided a vibrant social hub for isolated rural communities. Now the merrymaking has moved into halls, barns and cafes, most anywhere that a crowd can gather, and a packed schedule attracts fans from around the world.
An enthusiastic attendant shows me an instrument with a distinctly homespun aesthetic. It looks like a cross between a mandolin and a guitar, cobbled together with assorted wood and covered with a heavy coat of brown paint. This much-used piece is part of the centre’s extensive collection that includes many examples of many fine musical instruments.
Next stop is the quaint little village of Mabou, a thriving centre of Celtic culture with a busy calendar of live music. Here, many of the older residents speak the Gaelic language and it is still taught in the local school.
Along the main street, the Red Shoe Pub beckons and I devour the traditional Nova Scotian meat pie, a hearty wedge of spiced Acadian tourtiere. ‘The Shoe’ is owned by local celebs Raylene, Cookie and Heather, the famous musical siblings of the Celtic influenced folk rock group,
The Rankin Family.
In the late afternoon I leave the spectacular coastal highway and head into the forested hills of the Margaree River Valley. I pass a jumble of relics and folk art strewn enticingly before the vivid blue face of an old antique store, I know I’ll be back tomorrow!
I turn into a majestic tree-lined drive that leads to the historic Normaway Inn, a favorite haunt of salmon and trout fishermen. During a dusk stroll, I notice an endless line of cars snaking down a driveway past the inn towards “The Barn’. Hordes of visitors are arriving for an evening of traditional fiddle music at this well-loved but
out-of-the-way venue.
The enthusiastic crowd packs The Barn to the rafters, and I mean literally. I climb a steep staircase to find one of the last seats nestled amongst the beams on the second floor. From my bird’s eye view I see most every knee in the joint tapping to the infectious rhythms of the fiddle, piano and guitar as the music expands to fill the space. It catapults from jigs to reels, occasionally eliciting a chorus of “yips!” from the enthusiastic audience. The relaxed banter between performers and spectators gives an authentic local feel to the event.
The evening is winding down as I leave The Barn. A bright blanket of stars dances above me in the clear night sky and I sense the rolling beat of Celtic music will follow me through the next two weeks as I head for the rugged landscapes of the Cape Breton Highlands.
Nova Scotia Tourism is an excellent source of information when planning a Cape Breton adventure (www.gov.ns.ca/tourism.htm). Summer and fall are the most popular seasons. The Ceilidh Trail is a little more than 100 kms. It starts at Port Hastings and leads to the well-known Cabot Trail. The Celtic Music Interpretive Centre (www.celticmusicsite.com) is in Judique. The Red Shoe Pub in Mabou, Cape Breton opens June to October (www.redshoepub.com) and has a packed entertainment schedule. The Normaway Inn in Margaree Valley hosts a weekly Three-Fiddler Concert Ceilidh Dance on Fridays during June, Sept, Oct, and Wednesdays during July and August. Concert starts at 8pm, entrance is $8.
(www.normaway.com).
The folk along the Ceilidh Trail boast they just may have more musicians per mile than practically anywhere in the world.
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Cape Breton The Celidah Trail
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