Thanks to my friend dancingintheholycircle for this video. My maternal grandmother was from Nova Scotia, from the town of Lunenburg. She was an Acadian, one of the French-speaking community which makes Nova Scotia so vibrant. I loved this video, even though I have never been there. There’s no “Visit Nova Scotia” caption, no URL, but the beauty of the scenery tells me that I really need to go.
What was her married and maiden name?
ah, the faaabulous and talented Rita MacNeil (from Big Pond NS). lovely stuff.
Big Pond is on Cape Breton Island. There used to be significant coal mining there – I’m pretty sure the mines are closed now.
Here is Rita singing Working Man, a tribute to coal miners. Towards the end, you’ll see her surrounded by men wearing miners’ lamps (though the stage lighting doesn’t show them very clearly). Those are the Men of the Deeps, a choir made up of former coalminers (in the tradition of the Welsh choruses, but they’re definitely north american).
Thanks for identifying Rita MacNeil—I hadn’t a clue who the singer was.
I don’t know whether the province has latched onto this vid as part of a tourism campaign, but if they don’t they’re missing a trick.
I still have relatives up there, but we have lost contact and there is now no one left who knew them since my uncle died last year.