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Celtic Village
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Heritage preserved in story and song
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| By Tom G. Kernaghan |
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Their ancient ancestors roamed Europe, often telling stories
and playing music. Today, the descendents of Irish and Scottish immigrants are
still on the move, forever drawn to sad tales and sweet tunes. And here in the
west end, people inside and outside the Celtic community enjoy the beat of the
bodhran and the fling of the foot.
“[The Irish and Scottish] are very generous with their music,” says Sandy
MacIntyre, a local resident and Cape Breton native who teaches Celtic fiddle and
dance lessons with his wife Lucy at the Former Memorial Baptist Church (293 South
Kingsway). “And there are no age barriers. I’ve seen 90-year-olds dancing like
10-year-olds.”
MacIntyre, who also plays regularly with his seven-piece band, Steeped in Tradition,
is a relative or friend of such well-known musicians as the Leahys, Ashley MacIsaac,
Natalie McMaster, and the Rankins – many of whom hail from the East Coast. In fact,
MacIntyre attributes much of the west end’s love for things Scottish and Irish to
the large number of transplanted easterners in the area.
“The Celtic spirit is alive and well in the west end,” says MacIntyre. “There are
a lot of Maritimers here.”
And while the Scottish and Irish are culturally and ethnically quite similar,
MacIntyre points out that the way in which the two communities approach their
music differs somewhat.
“They have their own styles,” he says. “The notes and songs are the same but
the bowings are different. The Irish do an awful lot of slurring of their notes.”
While many Canadians enjoy the festive spirit of Robbie Burns Day and St.
Patrick’s Day, and many got caught up in the Irish fever that swept Canada
during shows like Riverdance, fewer are familiar with the hardships suffered
by these two pioneering communities during their early days in Canada, when the
country was in its infancy.
The Great Famine (1845 – 1849) is a defining immigration story for the Irish.
When their potato crops were destroyed by fungal rot, the Irish fled their
country in droves, and immigrated to Canada by the tens of thousands. “Their
stories are very tragic,” says Nan Brien, a local storyteller and retired teacher
who performed No Irish Need Apply: Fleeing the Irish Famine, they found no welcome
here on April 1 at Montgomery’s Inn (4709 Dundas St. W.). The event was a
recreation of an Irish benefit that took place at the tavern in the summer of
1847. “It was a summer of sorrow…. But we take the past and make it palatable for
today, to teach and amuse.”
Irish stories are best accompanied by music and Brien’s show, which featured seven
women in period roles, also included musicians Catherine Campbell and Chris Wilson.
“The [music] is important to help us feel the experience,” Brien says. “It’s
important for the soul.”
It’s also important for a night out. And Celtic parties are known for their warm,
inclusive nature.
“We start with two or three regular older gentlemen,” says Nigel Naimol, manager of
Whelan’s Gate Irish Pub (1663 Bloor St. W.), where there is an open Celtic jam every
Tuesday night at 9 p.m. “Others join in and by the end of the night, they are sometimes
15 strong. If you can play and you’re into it, you’re in.”
Similarly, MacIntyre has welcomed many different students to his classes.
“We’ve had all ages and all backgrounds,” says MacIntyre, who is compiling a tribute
CD to the legendary musician and storyteller John Allen Cameron in order to raise
money for his cancer-related expenses. “They’re all drawn to [the music and dancing].
Though, most have some Celtic roots somewhere down the line.”
So many Scottish and Irish people immigrated to Canada when it was young and growing
that their cultures became deeply ingrained in our national psyche. Today many find
something embracing about the music that was often born of the need to alleviate the
sorrow of loss.
Perhaps that’s why so many in a country like ours, a country of immigrants, find
such joy in Celtic stories and songs.
“The music drives you,” says MacIntryre. “It’s very uplifting.”
Or in the words of Naimol, who says he has no Celtic roots: “It reminds you of home.”
(Divercity column – The Village Gleaner – April/May 2006)
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