Celtic Colours International Festival salutes the Great Jerry Holland

Paul Keating

Published Friday, October 23, 2009, 8:51 AM

Updated Sunday, October 25, 2009, 10:59 AM

Vote now - Buzz this up!

Cape Breton artists in tribute concert to Jerry Holland: David MacIssac, Howie McDonald, Paul McDonald and Dougie McDonald

Photo by www.murdocksmith.com

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia – The Big Fiddle stands guard over Sydney Harbor at the entrance to the Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion signaling the importance of the violin to Cape Breton culture.

Inside the pavilion are the premier concerts bookending the Celtic Colours International Festival (www.celtic-colours.com) on the opening and closing weekend of the nine-day affair held each autumn for the past 13 years.

Last Saturday evening this year’s fest appropriately closed with a very special show, “Master Cape Breton Fiddler: A Tribute to Jerry Holland,” who lost his valiant battle with cancer last July at the age of 54 but not before firmly establishing himself as one very big fiddle player in the realm of Celtic music.

Originally this tribute and the festival were hopeful that Jerry would be participating in it himself. Alas that wasn’t possible, so it was left to his many musical friends whom he shared so much with since moving to Cape Breton in 1975 from his Massachusetts home to proclaim his extraordinary contributions to putting Cape Breton on the well-deserved map of Celtic music.

An empty chair with Holland’s fiddle graced the stage symbolically inspiring all the musicians to continue to keep his memory alive through the music.

And that they did in an exceptional night featuring a multi-media mix of old photos, video and film, plus live camera shots of the musicians performing on stage to provide a more intimate connection with the 1300 people gathered in the huge exhibition hall.

Tinged with sadness and heartfelt remarks throughout the evening as pictures were displayed, it was more celebratory in the Irish wake mode because the music couldn’t do anything else but capture the spirit of the man and the others who performed on the night.

The show was ably conducted by joint emcees, Paul Cranford (Cape Breton) and Maire O’Keefe (Tralee, Co. Kerry) as not only long-time friends with Jerry Holland but this year’s artists in residence at the festival which featured Irish artists in particular (more on that in a future column).

Also playing an important role was festival artistic director Joella Foulds behind the scenes who guided the production weaving musical performances between an informal question and answer role carried out on stage by O’Keeffe. This ensured that the much-anticipated show would flow along and provide an insight into the man and his character as well as the obvious entertainment value.

In varying combinations all night were some of the Cape Breton legendary luminaries who where associated with Holland over the years. It would include fiddlers Howie and Dougie MacDonald, David MacIssac, Brenda Stubbert, P.J. Cormier, Doug Lamey (from Boston and grandson of Bill Lamey who inspired the young Jerry Holland in Boston), Cranford and O’Keeffe.

Paul MacDonald did much of the guitar accompanying, though Dave MacIssac and P. J. Cormier took turns as well. The all-important piano in Cape Breton music was handled by three of the finest keyboard players around in Marion and Allan Dewar and Hilda-Chiasson-Cormier.

1 2 Next page >

Vote now - Buzz this story up!

E-mail

Be the first to make a comment.

MOST RECENT COLUMNS (by Paul Keating)

MOST READ
MOST E-MAILED

Become a fan of IrishCentral.com on Facebook

As the Irish people have a genuine sense of fun, Irish entertainment can be found in every town, village, city and county. One of the most popular forms is the festival, which is used to celebrate all sorts of occasions &emdash; everything from literary pursuits to a love of oysters. Here are a few highlights of entertainment in Ireland throughout the year: Londonderry boasts the biggest Halloween Festival in the world with around 30,000 celebrating the ancient Celtic New Year every October. Grab a dodgy mask and join the party! / The Belfast Festival at Queen’s is Ireland’s biggest International Festival and boasts an eclectic mix of music, talks, comedy, exhibitions and film. / The Galway Races, the Rose of Tralee Festival, Puck Fair in Killorglin, and the Oul’ Lammas Fair in Ballycastle are world famous and offer a great chance to enjoy Irish entertainment, life and laughs with the locals. / Food festivals are now a big draw in Ireland with local produce scoring high among international foodies. Head to the famous oyster festivals in Clarenbridge in Galway, or Hillsborough, County Down. / Tune in to a spot of music with the Open House Festival in Belfast, the Waterford International Festival of Light Opera, or the Feile an Phobail in west Belfast. Or grab a pint and tap your feet to some cool tunes at the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival. / If you prefer your festivals small and intimate, try the harp festivals in Roscommon or the rough and ready horse and pony fairs from Cavan to Cork. Even today, the horses are priced in guineas, and bought and sold with a spit in the hand. / At the other end of the scale of entertainment in Ireland lies the Wexford Opera Festival with full-scale opera productions, concerts, recitals, talks, cabaret, fireworks, and, of course, parties. / For something a little different, try the Magnus Barelegs Festival in Downpatrick offering a slice of Viking life, or the Eagle Wing Festival in Groomsport, County Down, which celebrates Ireland’s cultural links with America. / Theater fans should head to Dublin for both the Dublin Theatre Festival and the excellent Dublin Fringe Festival, with wildly exciting performances taking place in fabulous venues. / Around March 17, the country turns a shade of green for a host of St Patrick’s Festivals. All over the country, from the Saint’s hallowed burial place in Downpatrick to the more carnival atmosphere of parades and exceptional fireworks in Dublin and Belfast. / Literary lovers should head to Dublin in June for the intriguing Bloomsday Festival, where fans of Joyce’s Gargantuan Ulysses dress up in traditional gear and scoff old Dublin food like “nutty gizzards” and “urine-soaked kidneys”. Alternatively, seek out the delights of the Aspects Literature Festival in Bangor in September, an annual celebration of Irish literature with lectures, discussion and music. But festivals are just one aspect of Irish entertainment—let's not forget about music! From impromptu sessions in your local bar to the thrilling beat of U2, Ireland has always been home to the best sounds of music. Ireland’s massive successes in the Irish entertainment world include some bands and artists you may have heard of…U2, The Corrs, Enya, Westlife, Snow Patrol, Ash, David Holmes, Van Morrison and The Thrills, to name just a few. Unique and distinctive, the harp holds a special place in Irish entertainment and has come to symbolize the harmony of people and music in Ireland. It’s the earliest musical instrument mentioned in Irish literature and has been used as an official emblem for Ireland since medieval times. Today, it’s on Irish passports and stamps. But there's more: Fleadhs, or festivals, are a major part of Irish entertainment as well as cultural life, and impromptu trad sessions have become the stuff of legend at West Belfast’s Feile an Phobail, the Galway Racing Festival or Kerry’s Puck Fair. Rock and dance music festivals are also big news with the Oxegen Festival, Tennents Vital Belfast and the Electric Picnic held in summer.

Celtic Colours International Festival salutes the Great Jerry Holland

Be the first to make a comment.

news

sport

entertainment

business

travel

advice

opinion

multimedia

roots

food & drink