I didn’t arise until nearly 10h, when I found herringbone skies and some sun; the temperature was +8 (46) as I left Port Hood on a backcountry drive to the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre: I headed north on Highway 19 and then turned onto the Upper Southwest Mabou Road, where I found mostly greens on the initial section of that road, locally known as Irish Road. By the time I had reached Glencoe Station, the temperature was up to +10 (50) and the colours started to appear more freely. I turned down Morans Road and drove to the bridge over the Upper Southwest Mabou River, a lovely spot known to locals both for its beauty and its fishing. The colours there were very nice and I took several photos of the fall colours. South of Morans Road along the Upper Southwest Mabou Road, there was good colour, but the reds there were mostly brick or pastel or already gone. At Long Johns Bridge, the colours were gone on the river banks downstream, though the trees were still mostly green upstream. The initial stretch of the Rear Intervale Road had some colour, but was mostly green (many of its trees are tamaracks and conifers) except for some small brightly-coloured trees in the ditches, but the closer to Highway 19 I got, the more brilliant the colours became.
Once I arrived at the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre, I sat with friends from New York who have been attending Celtic Colours longer than I have and we had a great visit until the music started. Provided by Rodney MacDonald on fiddle, Allan Dewar on piano, and David Rankin on guitar, it began with a march/strathspeys/reels set. The following jigs brought nine couples up for the first square set. A couple of very fine tune sets separated the first square set from the second, danced by eleven couples. Edna MacDonald gave us some fine steps during the following set of tunes, after which the third square set brought fourteen couples up to dance. Stephanie MacDonald replaced Rodney on the fiddle and gave us more fine tunes and stayed on to play for the fourth square set, danced by twelve couples. Rodney returned and gave us a waltz and then some tunes for step dancing, when Maureen Fraser, Màiri Britton, Burton MacIntyre, and Siobhan Beaton shared their steps; Brandi McCarthy took over Rodney’s fiddle so he could step dance as well. More tunes and the fifth square set, danced by seventeen couples, completed the afternoon’s great music. I said good-bye to my friends, who were to return to New York on Monday, and drove to Mabou.
at the Sunday cèilidh at the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre in Judique
at the Sunday cèilidh at the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre
At the Red Shoe, Mairi Rankin on fiddle and Mac Morin on piano were playing for the Sunday cèilidh when I arrived two hours in and took a seat that had just been vacated. I got to savour the last hour of the lovely music they played for us; near the end of the cèilidh, Mairi chose tunes for step dancers, which brought Màiri Britton, Melody Cameron, Raymond Beaton, Brandi McCarthy, Joe Rankin, Andrea Beaton and Shelly Campbell dancing together, and Dale Gillis to the floor. This was the last day the Shoe was open this year and the festivities continued long after the cèilidh officially ended—no one wanted for the day to end. I got to visit with several friends, met the manager’s husband, and had a good chat with Calum MacKenzie, who has recently released an album with his wife, Alexis MacIsaac, titled The Bay Street Sessions.
Around 22h, I left the Shoe and drove back to Port Hood, where I read and unwound. Although Celtic Colours officially ended yesterday, in my mind, this day is always part of Celtic Colours, which just isn’t over until the final cèilidh at the Shoe! Around midnight, I was finally ready for bed and was soon fast asleep.