A windswept Tracy and Martina bring Heather along on their escapades.
-by Autumn Cox
Heather Rankin has spent much of her life bringing Cape Breton to the world through music. Now, through her show, My Cape Breton, she is inviting the world home.
In the freshly released second season, Rankin uncovers treasures in her own backyard and learns more about the characters, traditions, and places that make this island so special.
“My goal is to let people know about the magic of this place, and to show different facets of what we have to offer outside of the scenery, outside of the music,” she said.
The first season brought viewers through the places and traditions that have long shaped the island, from Mabou and Ingonish to the Gaelic College and the Highland Village. Season 2 moves more directly into the lives of its people.
Rankin spreads her wings and performs with the Men of the Deeps, trains alongside the Cape Breton Highlanders, reconnects with fellow musicians and gets caught up in the escapades of one of the island’s best-known comedy duos, Tracy and Martina.
Beyond the humour and adventure, the series also explores the strong sense of community that continues to draw Cape Bretoners home.
“For generations, many of us grew up believing we had to leave in order to live and survive,” Rankin said. “Yet we all gravitate back when we can, whether it’s for the summer or when we retire. There’s something very powerful about the people and the sense of community here.”
While the series may feel effortless on screen, creating it is no small task. It means researching stories, scouting locations, coordinating guests and crew, working around weather and travel, scheduling performances and interviews, and then bringing it all together in the editing room.
“You think, ‘I’m going to do a little TV show. It’s only six episodes,’ but it’s two solid years of work,” Rankin said. “It takes an army to put one episode together.”
An Officer of the Order of Canada, award winning musician and accomplished actor, Rankin added producer to her growing list of credits this season.
“This was the first season that I got a producer’s credit because I was involved in every aspect of it: the hiring, the writing, the editing, and the performing,” she said. “It’s really important that you experience all those jobs that make up the bigger picture, so you have a better appreciation for what those people do.”
In many ways, the series continues work Rankin and her family have been doing for decades. Through their music, The Rankin Family introduced audiences around the world to the places, stories and traditions of Cape Breton.
“The family travelled the world and sang about this place, and people came to see the places we sang about,” she said. “For me, that’s something I’m always very proud to share and represent.”
With so much of the island still left to explore, Rankin hopes there may be a third season. No matter what stories she uncovers next, one thing remains certain:
“My Cape Breton is, and always will be, home.”
Both seasons of My Cape Breton are available on demand through Bell Fibe TV1 and the Fibe TV app.