The Miners Memorial weekend that was held in Port Hood from July 21 to July 24, 2011 was a great success!
The weekend kicked off on Thursday evening with a slideshow and ceilidh at the museum. The slideshow, entitled Coal Mine Disasters in Port Hood, was produced by Marina MacIntyre and was greatly enjoyed by all.
Following the slideshow we were treated to an excellent ceilidh. Starting things off were Lynn Chisholm and her Dad, Duncs MacDonald and John R. Fontaine. They performed a selection of mining songs.
Next, we had Port Hood native Mae (Dan Martin) MacDonald who accompanied her friend, Hristiana Iotzova who played the fiddle. Hristiana is formerly from Bulgaria and was trained in the classical violin. She only recently began playing the Cape Breton fiddle and does so like a true Cape Bretoner! Mae and Hristiana perform together as Celtic Wave.
Closing out the ceilidh was Dara Smith-MacDonald who was accompanied by Mae. It certainly was a lineup of excellent talent!
Friday evening Charlie (Lewis) MacDonald spoke of Port Hood coal mining history and everyone met back at the museum for tea.
Saturday afternoon we had the dedication of the Miners Memorial Monument at the Port Hood Day Park. The monument was unveiled by John Archie MacDonald (representing a miner) and Olive Hawley (representing a miner’s wife). Remarks were made by MLA Allan MacMaster and Gordon Gillies. The Men of the Deeps performed three selections and Neil MacInnis was our piper for the event.
After a delicious dinner at St. Peter’s Hall, the Men of the Deeps performed at Strathspey Place. The performance was enthusiasticly received by all in attendance.
Sunday morning was the final part of the weekend with the blessing of the tombstone of the four Bulgarian miners. Again, we had a good crowd in attendance for this long overdue event.
Thank you to all who took part in the weekend – it certainly was a fitting tribute to our mining heritage!
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