Natalie Macmasters!

If anyone is interested...Natalie MacMasters will be performing at the Clay Centre in Charleston, WV on July 20th. For more info...304 720-3070

Hey MDF, Natalie will be performing at a free outdoor concert in Chicago at Grant Park, Petrillo Bandshell on Sept. 13th. Opening band will be Leahy. Just thought you might like to know.

maggiemahone1

QUOTE (maggiemahone1 @ Jul 13 2003, 08:52 PM)

Hey MDF, Natalie will be performing at a free outdoor concert in Chicago at Grant Park, Petrillo Bandshell on Sept. 13th. Opening band will be Leahy. Just thought you might like to know. maggiemahone1

Hmm...

Maybe I will check it out. I've already missed the Irish Rovers' shows here (they played here back in March), so I'll write it down on the calendar. FWIW, Grant Park is great place for outdoor music. I'll miss it when they move to Millennium Park next year.

Natalie MacMaster and Leahy always puts on great shows. We generally see them both sometime during the summer at one of the festivals. My daughter just loves Natalie.

Natalie and our two oldest at the Kingston Celtic Festival 1998 or 1999

I love Natalie MacMaster! I know she is Canadian, but does anyone know if she is of Scottish or Irish ancestry. I thought Scottish cause isn't she from Nova Scotia? But people have told me Irish. Not that it matters, but was just curious. My favorite song of hers is The Drunken Piper.

.....not sure m'self whether she is Scottish, Irish or a mix. But, being she is from the East coast she is more than likely one or the other. She is an awesome performer and also a very genuinely nice person.

I saw Leahy in concert once.....WOW, do they have energy and 'then' some!! Great group to see!!

Natalie is actually from Cape Breton, and is most likely Scottish. Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought the Mac's were Scots and Mc's were Irish. Flame me if I'm wrong, this could turn out to be a pretty stupid idea.

Thanks you both!

Old Raven, I have always heard the same thing that the Mac's were Scottish and the Mc's were Irish. But then someone told me from Ireland that it depends if you are Catholic or Protestant too! So apparently that is not always the case! Thanks for enlightening me where she is from. I don't know where I got the idea of Nova Scotia!

Anyway, love her music and I hear she is wonderful in concert! Hope to see her one day.

Desertrose, you were in no way wrong by saying she's from Nova Scotia. Cape Breton is the big island about a kilometer off the north eastern tip of Nova Scotia, and is in fact part of the province. So yes, the Cape is NS. But CB is it's own little world, and quite separate from the mainland. It's like comparing the whole of Scotland with the northern islands. The celtic culture is much stronger on the Cape as it's made up of almost entirely Scots/Irish people, whereas the mainland has become quite a bit of a melting pot of cultures.

It seems the closer you get to the Cape the more distinct the Celtic culture gets. Thankfully I grew up around the south-eastern shore.

Map of New Scotland

Here's a the Eastern part of the mainland, and Cape Breton. I've pointed out where my parents farm is.

Attached Image. (Click thumbnail to expand)

Wow! Thanks OldRaven for educating me! Sadly I know very little about the Canadian provinces! I live in a small dusty desert town!

Oldraven,

My family settled in Pictou County in Nova Scotia and at that time our last name was spelled Mac. By the time my family settled in southern Ontario, the 'a' was dropped and our surname is now McPherson. There are a number of variables which caused change to surnames over time including illiteracy. When names were written on ships lists or on the census, they were often written phonetically (have you ever wondered why that isn't spelled like it sounds?).

You are very welcome m'friend!!


Oldraven, that map is wonderful! Thanks for sharing.

I'm more than happy to share this sort of thing.

The strange thing is, Newtown (spelled Newtown on road signs, and New Town in the phone book) isn't a town at all. It's about as rural as you can get. Made up mostly of blueberry land. My parents are Blueberry farmers, as well as Christmas tree farmers. They grow real wild berries, not the cultivated ones found on bushes, or Saskatoons. There is a big diference between the two. Wild berries are much more tart, and sweet. Far better for pies and such.

keltic, I went to college in Pictou Co., Stellarton to be exact, and knew quite a few people from Pictou. Great beaches out there, and a very cool port town. Ships everywhere, and lots of pubs.