A little visit
Photos of John Shaw courtesy of Baile nan Gàidheal | Nova Scotia Highland Village and Joyce MacDonald.
Céilidh beag
March 12, 2021
Host: Frances MacEachen. Guest: Dr. John Shaw.
We started the series with a little visit, céilidh beag, where we got to know each other and set the table for visits to come. The team gave us a taste of what Air Chéilidh will be like, as we discover the stories that need to be spoken, heard and experienced at this important time in our world. Gaelic singing was provided by Frances MacEachen and Lili Watson and music by fiddler Margie Beaton.
What we heard
Frances asked Dr. John Shaw what it was like being welcomed into the homes of Cape Breton Gaels in the 1960s to 1990s, when he recorded thousands of Gaelic songs and stories.
He remembered, “I found the older people, the Gaelic speakers, had a beautiful social style. You could visit people you didn’t know and within a few minutes you were relaxed. They were very easy to be with. They were accommodating in ways that, to me, were unusual, and they were generous that way, too. . . you would go in with nothing, you would go in with empty pockets, and you came out feeling like a million dollars.”
John took us back to the 1960s, when on summer break from linguistics at Harvard University he was dropped off with suitcase in hand in the driveway of the Glebe House in Glendale, Nova Scotia. Here Fr. John Angus Rankin lived with his mother Sarah “John Y” (Beaton) Rankin and her brother Alec Beaton.
John ended up staying with them for a few weeks and would work on the farm during the day, and spend the evening working on songs or visiting neighbours. “The introduction I had to house visits started right there in Glendale,” he said.
John noticed that a visit was very informal, and he was greeted with carefully curious questions. They listened and wanted to get to know who he was. There was always a cup of tea, conversation and often Gaelic songs or music. A visit to see brothers Johnny and Neil Williams in Melford was filled with songs from Johnny’s vast Gaelic song repertoire. On Friday and Saturday nights Bill Lamey, who was home from Boston, would play music at the Glebe House until midnight, with a break for supper.
“Then it was bright an early the next day to harness the horses and get to work,” recalls John.
Gaels enjoyed special excursions to visit friends and relatives who lived further away, and John recalls a memorable visit to Finlay and Sarah Cameron’s in Boisdale with the Beaton/Rankins and Bill Lamey. Renowned fiddler Joe MacLean from Washabuck joined them on this visit, and so did about 30 other people. There was fiddle tunes and songs from Finlay who was an excellent Gaelic singer. John recalls the excitement hearing Finlay hit the high notes in the Duncan Bàn MacIntyre song, Chunna mi ‘n Dàmh Donn ‘s na h-éildean.
While life in rural North America at that time had many similarities, John said it was very different in Gaelic Cape Breton due to its cultural and social context. He notes that although the language is not spoken as it was at that time, social skills and the social context has been handed down.
“People still need to get together, probably more than they need to in other places.”
John feels that the language and culture go hand in hand, however, and that you can’t have the fullness of one without the other. He notes that social learning approaches to language learning in Nova Scotia have reaped tremendous benefits in terms of fluent Gaelic learners who also sings songs and tell stories. He sees lots of potential.
“My feeling is just working with what you have got. And if a lot of people are coming together and concentrating on a tradition, they are going to remember a lot that is buried in their own minds from their families.”
John concludes with a question that Dan Allan Gillis of Broad Cove and Halifax posed as he witnessed the decline on Gaelic language and social sharing of songs and music. Dan Allan asked: “What is the sense of, in these small fairly isolated communities, that a culture is piped in here from 200 miles away to the neglect of what people already know and value?”
“I think it is a good question,” John said.
Culture, Connection, Warmth
Themes and quotes from our small group conversations. Read more.
The sense of community among the Gaels in Nova Scotia.
The importance of connecting language and culture.
Human warmth.
The sense of community that come with learning and connecting to the Gaelic language.
The warmth and welcome that people experience when connecting with others.
The joy of the visits.
Was something sparked in you?
“The desire to sing with people!”
“Deep appreciation for Gaelic social style. And how beautifully that supports language learning.”
“I miss miss miss those visits and house céilidhs. . .Really liked how Iain (John) expressed that the fullness of the culture cannot be experienced without the language, and the fullness of the language cannot be experienced without the culture.”
“Uell, tha cianalas orm. (Well, I am homesick.) There is definitely something special about the Gaelic culture of Cape Breton and Eastern Nova Scotia. As John said, many of the social values are still there, and I think that provides a fantastic basis for language revitalization. I'm very inspired by what's happening there, and by this evening. Tapadh leibh gu mor, a charaidean airson na h-oidhche a-nochd. Cha robh mi 'faireachdainn mar a bha mi 3,000 mile air falbh bhuaibh! (Thank you very much friends for tonight. I do not feel that I am 3,000 miles from you!)”
What surprised you in what you heard or said?
“Surprised to learn about the inseparability of Gaelic language and community, something that is not true for me with English.”
“Was shocked how emotional the memories of visits hit me. Was not expecting that - lovely though!”
“The Gaelic language and Gael’s are important to people all over. I met and had lovely visits with people from Scotland to California, Montreal and Halifax!”
“I felt so welcomed and comfortable visiting with each other in the breakout room. We were home!”
“How people feel connected and commit to learning Gaelic, even if they were raised in completely different cultural environments.”