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The “Minstrel of the Dawn” visited Antigonish Tuesday night offering songs known and loved by Canadians and music lovers from around the world.
Gordon Lightfoot’s concert at the two-thirds full Keating Centre was certainly an evening to remember. While the singer-songwriter joked about the news of his death being overly exaggerated and admitted that his voice is not what it used to be, the stamina of the 75-year-old and the agelessness of his songs were a witness of the Canadian icon’s importance.
My first encounter with Lightfoot came my freshman year of university in Virginia. As I struggled through introductory biology and its Thursday night labs, there was much relief when my professor declared that lab would be cancelled for the week. His reason: the great Gordon Lightfoot was playing on campus and he was not about to miss the opportunity to see the legend.
In subsequent years, I came to know more about Lightfoot’s songs especially the hits such as “Early Morning Rain,” “Carefree Highway,” “Sundown,” “Rainy Day People” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” The tunes were easy listening, told stories and resonated across musical tastes. I rued the day that I did not share my professor’s enthusiasm that week and vowed I would never miss the opportunity to see Lightfoot again.
Thankfully, I did not and was glad to attend his concert Tuesday.
For my wife, one of her earliest Lightfoot memories came in a social studies class taught by Bruce MacDonald at the Regional. She said MacDonald often incorporated music into his lesson plans and on one occasion used “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” to help explain Canada’s industrial history. This illustrates the importance that singer-songwriters, in this case Lightfoot, and their music can play in establishing culture and remembering our past.
The same could be said about cultural celebrations. I experienced this on Saturday when I attended, for the first time, the 33rd annual Commemoration of Culloden at the Culloden Memorial Cairn in Knoydart. While I may not be Scottish, my children can trace some of their roots back to Clan Donald. I had cursory knowledge of what transpired on that Scottish moor 268 years ago and now look forward to learning more about my children’s heritage and sharing it with them as they grow older.
As a history major, these items appeal to me. So in speaking to Lewis MacKinnon, the executive director for Nova Scotia’s Gaelic Affairs Office, I enjoyed a dialogue of causation as we explored the “what ifs” had the Scots won the battle. More importantly, MacKinnon spoke of the need to continue to pass on the legacy of those at Culloden and the Highland Scots.
May is Gaelic Awareness Month and MacKinnon said there are 70 initiatives planned, beginning with a flag raising ceremony at Province House April 30. His office will launch a new website (gaelic.novascotia.ca), which includes a Gaelic events page for the month and throughout the year. Roddy MacLean from Scotland will visit the province May 15 to 26 to speak about the connection of Gaelic language and culture to the environment. His Antigonish stop will be May 18 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Antigonish Heritage Museum. Also, from June 29 to July 5, Gaelic will play a key role as the first Kitchen Fest concert series which will take place across Cape Breton.
Linking music, history and cultural together never fails to provide an opportunity for us to share and learn while having a good time. As Lightfoot sang, “time has no beginnings and history has no bounds.”