Scottish Culture Days 2025: Fall Programming!

Tuesday October 28th | 2:00pm

Glenaladale School House

Glenaladale Cultural Days focus on Highland Village History and Halloween Folklore with Dr. Shamus Y. MacDonald

Glenaladale Heritage Trust invites you to the continuation of its Scottish Cultural Days, with Guest Speaker, Dr. Shamus Y. MacDonald, Manager of Culture and Language at the Highland Village Museum, Iona, Cape Breton. He will speak on the Highland Village history as well as take us through some historic accounts of early death and mourning practices in P.E.I. and Nova Scotia, in the spirit of Halloween. Shamus is also well versed in the meaning of land to the early settlers.

The presentation and discussion begins at 2:00 pm Tuesday, October 28, at Glenaladale School, 257 Blooming Point Road, Tracadie Cross.

Dr. MacDonald holds a PhD in Folklore from Memorial University where he wrote a dissertation on The Meaning of Land to Scottish Gaels in Nova Scotia. Prior to joining the team at Highland Village, he taught courses in folklore, history and music at St. F. X. University and University College of Cape Breton.
Glenaladale is happy to welcome Dr. MacDonald in person. We look forward to an informative and entertaining afternoon as he shares some stories of the supernatural beliefs of our ancestors who came to PEI in 1772 on the Alexandra, as well as those who came afterwards, some having moved to Cape Breton.

The event takes place at the Glenaladale School House. Tea, coffee and oat cakes will be served. Admission is by donation. For further information call 902-969-2693 or 629-0169.

Glenaladale School, 257 Blooming Point Road, Tracadie Cross

Begins Saturday 26 July 2025 with additional events to follow.

This year we welcome three talented Gaelic-speaking resource persons to the festival: Lili Watson is a young singer and step dancer. She has been immersed in the Gaelic language and culture from a young age and has performed at Celtic Colours. Lili is currently working in Gaelic education at the Highland Village, Iona, Cape Breton. She will be joined by her mother who is a story teller and Gaelic singer. Vincent MacDonald, a young fiddler and step dancer will join them. Vincent finished his first year of Celtic Studies at Cape Breton University, has taken fiddle lessons from Kyle MacNeil of the Barra Macneils and has performed at Celtic Colours. All three hail from Little Judique.

26 July events:

1:30 pm there will be a Gaelic Circle sharing vocabulary and song. This is an opportunity to learn some Gaelic expressions and easy and memorable songs as well as some stories behind them.

3:00 pm - A story telling and song session; includes Gaelic stories and their translation into English, as well as Gaelic songs with PEI and Cape Breton roots; some brought to Cape Breton by Scottish settlers who came first to PEI and later moved on to Cape Breton.

Admission for above events by donation.

7:00 pm Scottish Concert with guest artists: the Watsons & Vincent MacDonald from Cape Breton, and local Islanders, including the talented Dorothy Curley, a well known Island singer and instrumentalist. Admission $20 at the door.

For further information phone 902-969-2693 or 902-629-0169.