A Taste Of Celtic Colours

Date: Thursday 24th January

Venue: City Hall

Time: 8pm

Temple Bar TradFest is delighted to host some of the best talent from Canada as part of The Gathering 2013. The traditional music of Cape Breton stems from the Scottish and Irish immigrants who came to Canada more than 200 years ago. The Celtic Colours International Festival celebrates that culture while sharing it with other Celtic traditions from around the world. Mary Jane Lamond and Wendy MacIsaac and their band uphold the traditions with mesmerizing Gaelic songs, Cape Breton fiddle at its finest, piano, dance, and powerful rhythms. Cyril MacPhee brings a wealth of songs and his engaging voice to the stage and Kimberley Fraser provides thrills with her fiddle, piano and dance virtuosity. The full package is a Cape Breton ceilidh that reflects the sharing, the variety and the joy that is the Celtic Colours Festival. We hope you enjoy this taste and we are delighted to be bringing it to the Temple Bar TradFest as part of The Gathering 2013.

Mary Jane Lamond & Wendy MacIsaac 

Wendy MacIsaac is an award-winning fiddler, piano player and stepdancer from Creignish with five records to her credit. A favourite with traditional audiences everywhere, Wendy has toured all over the world as a solo performer and with The Rankins, Mary Jane Lamond, Ashley MacIsaac and Beòlach.

Mary Jane’s sharing of time-honoured Gaelic songs and stories has earned her numerous Juno and ECMA nominations, critical acclaim and a worldwide audience. Her four recordings create a respectful and beautiful framework for ancient Gaelic songs and her spell-binding performances make these selections truly come alive.

Kimberley Fraser

Kimberley Fraser is a multitalented musician from Sydney Mines. Equally in demand for her fiddle and piano skills, she performs and teaches workshops all over North America and across the Atlantic. She is also an exceptional dancer in the traditional Cape Breton style. A Tic Butler award-winner and St. Francis Xavier graduate in Celtic Studies and Jazz, Kimberley went on to study music at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Still in her 20s, Kimberley has released two records, won an ECMA, played with Ashley MacIsaac, Natalie MacMaster, Gordie Sampson, John Allan Cameron and Irish supergroup Cherish The Ladies and shared stages with such notables as Alasdair Fraser, Lunasa and Danu.

Cyril MacPhee

Singer/ songwriter and guitarist Cyril MacPhee has been an important part of the song tradition in Cape Breton for more than 30 years. He grew up just outside of St. Peter’s, Richmond County, in a musical family. He was immersed in Cape Breton ceilidhs and heavily influenced by his father’s Scottish and Irish fiddling and his mother’s Acadian background as well as Country and Bluegrass music, and Folk singers like Stan Rogers. His musical influences are extremely varied, and this shows through in his songwriting and singing style. Cyril has a versatility in his music that is a truly unique blend of folk, country and Celtic music. He has released five albums, three with the popular power-folk group Brakin’ Tradition and two as a solo artist. Cyril was one of two Artists in Residence for the 2012 Celtic Colours International Festival. His international counterpart was Ireland’s John Doyle and the two performed and worked together on a project called “Songs of Sea and Shore”.