I have seen upwards of 130 shows this year, and when I was making up my schedule I was very pleased to be able to ensure that the last show I saw before Christmas was The Barra MacNeils‘ 20th Anniversary Christmas Tour at the Rebecca Cohn. I knew that this would fill me with the holiday spirit and send me home with my toes tapping, my heart merry, and a bit full of the envy I always feel when I watch multi-instrumentalists who have the ability to bring the ceilidh with them wherever they go.
Sydney Mines’ famous siblings Sheumas, Kyle, Stewart, Lucy, and Boyd MacNeil, along with bassist Jamie Gatti, raised the roof of the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium this afternoon bringing us the music from their various Celtic/folk-infused Christmas albums: The Christmas Album (1999), The Christmas Album II (2011), and O Christmas Three (2013). They kicked off the Christmas Kitchen Party with their jaunty rendition of “Carol of the Bells.” All the siblings have lovely voices, and the addition of the bodhran (Lucy) and tin whistle and flute (Stewart) really gives many of their songs and tunes a very specific Celtic feel, which I find stirs in my heart and makes me want to get up and dance (even though I don’t know how to). Fortunately, today the band was joined by the extremely proficient La Swing du Suête dancers de Chéticamp, who joined in on several numbers. Stewart, Lucy, and Boyd treated us to some step dancing as well.
It’s difficult to choose the highlights of this show, as every number is unique to the band and performed with panache and excellence. The traditional fiddle sets like the “Snowplow Set,” as well as the songs in Gaelic like “A Challium” and “Taladh Chriosda” transport us not just geographically, but also back in time to the Christmas and New Year celebrations when folks still spoke Gaelic as their first language. “Once in Royal David’s City” and “Silent Night” (“Ann am Baile Ri’oghail Dhaibhidh” and “Samhach an Oidheh” respectively) are also both sung in Gaelic to gorgeous effect. The MacNeils have beautiful harmonies when they sing all together, their familial voices create a lovely richness, which is especially apparent in their a cappella “Here We Come a-Wassailing.”
Other songs in their set were written more recently, but still capture the specific history of Christmas in Cape Breton, like Bob Quinn’s “Miner’s First Noel,” which is based on a true story from 1929 when a group of miners got stuck on the lift for hours on their way to the surface after their shift on Christmas Eve. Thankfully, they were all eventually able to make it home to their families for the holidays. Stan Rogers’ song “At Last I’m Ready for Christmas” really resonates with me, about how even with the most noble intentions of both thrift and organization, Christmas so often all ends up coming together in the wee hours of Christmas Eve/Day, when we look at the piles of presents bemused at how we swore this would be the year we didn’t over-indulge. Lucy sings a lovely rendition of Ron Sexsmith’s “Maybe this Christmas,” a wish for a more loving, forgiving, and community-minded future.
Lucy brings the house down with her formidable voice twice during the show: once with her rendition of “O Holy Night,” and again during the encore with what I think is the definitive rendition of “Auld Lang Syne.” The song suits her voice so thoroughly, it’s like the tune waited two hundred years for her to come along and do it justice. Jamie Gatti led us all in a “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” sing along, accompanying us on the bass, which was great fun. There were lots of young children in the audience happily clapping and singing along.
Kyle, Stewart, Lucy and Boyd also tell stories and find lots of opportunities to allow their personalities to shine through. After nearly a full month on the road together, it’s a testament to them that they’re still able to make one another laugh. It was also so sweet to see the next generation of MacNeils/MacDougalls take the stage with their respective parent, aunt, and uncles during “Christmas in Killarney.” I’m happy to report that there is a strong showing of young women in the next generation! Lucy’s daughter, Amelia MacDougall, joined her mom on vocals for “Children’s Winter” and it is no surprise that she also has a beautiful voice and a strong stage presence. I’m excited to see more from the younger members of this brilliantly talented family in the future.
To commemorate the 20th Anniversary of The Christmas Album, it has been re-released on vinyl. If you have the opportunity to pick up a copy of it, do, like their Christmas shows, the record is an iconic part of a complete Nova Scotian Christmas experience. You can find their music at their online store, on iTunes/Apple Music and Spotify.
You can find the Barra MacNeils on Social Media: Facebook. Twitter. Instagram (@BarraMacNeils).
