The Gaels of Cape Breton

[Music] [Music] [Music] man wherever the pipes play across the world men and women of scottish race will be there to hear their music from highland glen and island shielding from lowland plains and border hills this people have gone forth to find homes in other lands canada in particular has given sanctuary to many thousands of scots and their proud spirit has left its mark upon each of our nine provinces [Music] in the highlands of cape breton scottish settlers found scenes that recalled to them their own beloved homeland [Music] there is an old gaelic saying which translated runs a gale's breathing place is on the summit crafts and cottages will set high on the hills and far apart for a deep enjoyment of solitude is as vital a part of scottish character as his generous hospitality and friendship wow the reverend norman mcleod was the founder of one of the most distinctively gaelic settlements in nova scotia in 1817 he led a large band of followers westwards to the new world back in scotland macleod had seen the people go hungry and hopeless he disagreed also with what he considered the reactionary spirit of the church following three hard years on the mainland the immigrants once more set sail in a vessel well named the ark and built by themselves it was intended that their void should take them eventually to ohio a storm however drove them from their course and after many days battling against the elements the ship was finally forced to take shelter into anne's harbour on the west coast of cape breton the only gayly college in the world now stands near to the place where the first immigrants landed founded in 1939 it aims at keeping alive the culture and crafts so dear to highlanders and lowlanders alike education has always been highly prized by the scots and the school was the first building they erected this great reverence for learning persists down to the present day the older people never returned to the land of their birth but set their roots deep into the soil of freedom to which they believed providence had guided them [Music] hey [Music] today living among the lonely farms are many who have heard their grandparents tell of adventures experienced by the early settlers as well as of the daring exploits of other scots in canada the wild skill of the pipes of the drifts across the hills recalls to them tales of highland regiments who landed with quebec stories of explorers like simon fraser and alexander mckenzie whose discoveries charted a highway across the continent and the romantic record of scottish merchants who did so much to make montreal the great commercial capital of the dominion [Music] until the first church was built communion services were held out of doors soon however church stars rose among the hills symbols of a dearly one freedom to worship god as they deem best the churches became the center of a vigorous if plain form of worship foreign [Music] singing of the metrical version of the sound the custom being for the congregation to repeat each line after him a practice which grew out of the illiteracy of some and the death of him books of the time [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] the lord is my shepherd i shall not want he maketh me to lie down in green pastures he leadeth me beside the still waters he restoreth my soul he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake as in scotland so now in new scotland sheep farming became an integral part of the crafter's life and hundreds of small flocks wandered freely over the hills orbit them never tie the mayor with wicked strings of hemp or hair but call them out to park or hill and let them wander at their will so may his flock increase and grow to score the lamb and packs a wolf and may they never learn the gates of either vile one rest for pets to slink through slaps and reeve and steal at stacks of peas or stalks of kale so may they like their great forebears for money a year come through the shears so wives will give them bits of bread and burns greet for them when they're dead the fleece from each year's shearing requires to be carefully washed before being spun into yarn for this the women bring kettles and tubs to the banks of a stream where there will be plenty water for rinsing [Music] on [Music] for this neighbors gather round the rough table of planks and as they pass the damp cloth from hand to hand thumping it on the boards to shrink and soften it the traditional milling songs of sun with their folklore the gaelic people have brought to canada the finest traditions of the scottish clans their strength and valor rectitude and godliness warm hearts and wise heads have all helped to build well our great dominion [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] oh [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh you

Channel: NFB

Views: 12,939

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Id: r-GyKAkHapQ

Length: 11min 43sec (703 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 21 2021