Jackie Dunn-MacIsaac on piano, Margie and Dawn Beaton on fiddles, and James MacLean on guitar.
-by Beverley Phillips
St. Matthew’s United Church in Inverness was filled with the sounds of local artists to the delight of the international audience.
For the Celtic Colours concert, St. Matthew’s played host to Sarah MacInnis, Lisa Cameron and Vern MacDougall, Dawn and Margie Beaton, Jackie Dunn-MacIsaac, and James MacLean, emceed by Sean Murphy.
MacInnis hails from West Mabou, and she opened the show sharing some of the history of the Gaels and their arrival in Nova Scotia, as she shared their language and sang in Gaelic. One song she sang was Gloomy Forest by John Maclean, a pioneer who settled in Pictou. The song is 18 verses (she didn’t sing them all) and details how difficult life was in settling in NS, with all the forests, brutal winters, and hot summers. MacInnis mused that perhaps we should go back to putting our complaints to song, and if not, keep them to yourself.
Husband and wife team Lisa Cameron and Vern MacDougall from Judique took to the stage next. Cameron is a singer-songwriter and kept the crowd laughing between songs with snippets from her life, including light-hearted takes on living in a small town “where everyone knows your name and your business – sometimes before you do!”
Before taking a short intermission, Murphy wanted to learn where everyone came from. BC, Winnipeg, Yellowknife, Oregon, and Washington were called out, but the long-distance award went to the visitors from New Zealand. Following the intermission were some door prize draws, one of which went to Dan from Calgary, who got cheers and applause as he made sure everyone knew he was not a separatist.
Next on stage were the Beaton sisters of Mabou on fiddle, Dunn-MacIsaac from Lower South River on keyboard, and MacLean from East Lake Ainslie on guitar. The quartet had the crowd tapping their feet with their jigs and reels. When they slowed it down for a waltz, Margie Beaton invited the crowd to dance, “if that’s allowed in church.” To which Rev. Nick Phillips called from the back, “Go for it!” Nobody took up the invitation, though. But she did get people on their feet as she and her sister brought down the house with just their two fiddles taking full advantage of the acoustics of the church.
But that wasn’t the end of the show, as everyone came onstage for a grand finale. Each act performed again, and MacInnis, the Beatons, and Dunn-MacIsaac showed off their steps. Most impressively, as Dunn-MacIsaac got up, Margie Beaton took over the keyboard without missing a beat. After Dunn-MacIsaac finished dancing, she picked up Beaton’s fiddle. Truly a talented group on stage, and the audience gave a very appreciative final standing ovation.