THE CELTIC CONNECTION • DECEMBER 1996/JANUARY 1997
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Disconcerting Parallels Drawn Between Two Worlds
By MAURA McCAY
VANCOUVER— I have just returned from a trip to Quebec, where I went along with various other family members to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday.
We left Vancouver and arrived in Montreal from where we trav-elled Northeast toward the Gatineau Valley.
This was where my mother's ancestors settled, having fled the Irish potato famine. These people survived starvation, after crossing the ocean in "coffin ships," they passed through the cholera infested quarantine station at Grosse lie to finally settle here, among the green and rolling Gatineau hills.
They established many small towns along the Gatineau River with names such as Farrelltown, Fieldville, Brennan's Hill, Low and Venosta. The settlers carved out a humble existence as farmers and eventually, many found prosperity and relative peace.
It was here, in Martindale, Quebec, that I spent much of my youth, in the bosom of my mother's family, sheltered by grandparents, aunts and uncles, and an endless stream of cousins. As far back as I can remember, I always heard reference to the famine which brought our families here from Ireland.
I remember a thriving farming community with young people everywhere. My mother's family were prominent citizens with my grandfather, Ambrose Gannon, having acted as the longest serving mayor in Gatineau County. He was also on the County Council and was very involved in community affairs.
My elementary education was in French because my father, an immigrant to Canada from Northern Ireland, insisted that we must assimilate to survive in this country and he believed that Canada was a French-Canadian country.
He had told me about his disdain for the sectarian divides
which caused him to have to leave his homeland. He said that his entire objective was to succeed in this new country.
There was a tremendous uproar over the decision to send me to a French school, since it was not common practice to send "English" children to "French" schools. My father remained adamant, against some pretty formidable opposition, that we were not English and that I would be attending the French school.
I am very glad today that he succeeded and that I had the opportunity to view the situation from both sides, since when I was in French schools, I thought as a French-Canadian. Given this background, it was with some dismay that I witnessed the remnants of the prosperous communities that I once Knew along the Gatineau Valley.
Now, the schools are boarded up, the churches are closing down and everything is for sale. People feel threatened if they fly a Canadian flag and many have left to find work elsewhere and many more are planning to leave as soon as they can sell their property. The sorrow is almost palpable and there is a sense of displacement and rising anger.
On this visit, I had an opportunity to see some old friends who
Rogue Folk Club
Vancouver's Best Celtic Music The W.I.S.E. Hall (1882 Adanac)
Saturday DECEMBER 701 (8:30) All dances taught on the spot
COUNTRY DANCE Marian Rose & The Sybaritic string band
Admission $8 ($7 members)
Friday DECEMBER 13(8:30) Rogue Folk Club Christmas Party with one of the world's most incredible acoustic guitarists - Ontario's
DON ROSS
plus Special Guest Michael Friedman and community wassailing, and seasonal songs and dances from Hal An Tow, Britannia Clog Dancers Tickets $14 ($11 members)
Friday DECEMBER 20th (9:00)
Yueltide Solstice Dance with Vancouver's favourite Celtic band
MAD PUDDING
Tickets $10 ($8 members)
(Performance Works, Gran. Is.)
Saturday JANUARY 4th (8:30) Old Time Country Dancing
COUNTRY DANCE
plus more January concerts to be announced, including ace guitarist DAVID ESSIG, and Irish trio CHULRUA (Paddy O'Brien, Michael Cooney, Pat Egan). Call us for details
RFC membership $16 per year ^)
I had not seen for 20 years or more. Because of an enormous funeral which was held in the Gatineau, many people were drawn together who might otherwise never have had the opportunity to see each other.
I met childhood friends and classmates and discussed the Quebec political situation with them. While many acknowledged that change was inevitable and there was a natural progression, they felt threatened and even under attack in their own communities.
They spoke about the "language police and the repressive government measures designed to eliminate their very presence and perhaps any evidence of their culture and identity for future generations.
Having spent some time in Northern Ireland, I could not help but draw some parallels between the same divisions which continue to plague Ireland and what I witnessed in Quebec. The sense of tension with undertones of potential violence lurking closely beneath the surface was strikingly familiar.
There was an awareness of ghosts everywhere on my journey and much of my time was preoccupied with acknowledging the dead and visiting graveyards. My brother found his final resting place here at 21 years of age, as did my uncle Michael, my mother's only brother, as well as my grandfather and many of my ancestors.
It seems ironic that now, with the focus on the 150th anniversary of the Irish Famine and the significant role played by the Irish in Quebec, the Irish communities are fading in that province.
It is clearly a time of enormous transition for many people. The good news is that out of every tragedy, there is always growth and, as it was in 1847 when the Irish essence survived in those people who settled the Gatineau Valley, so it is 150 years later. The descendants of those original settlers have continued along in the great circular migration of life.
The experience has made me realize how much I value this wonderful country I live in, and what a terrible shame it would be to destroy what has largely been regarded as one of the most favourable nations on earth.
It makes me appreciate the freedom which I enjoy and take for granted here on the West Coast. It also makes me see how tenuous our collective Canadian future is, if separatism becomes the only solution for Quebec.
This summer is J'Ere irlandais (the Irish summer) in Quebec. Irish-Canadians must ensure that the role of the Irish in Quebec is not forgotten, by remembering our ancestors and recognizing the historical significance of Grosse He in our own lives.
The collective healing which comes from releasing the past and moving into the future can be done today, here in Canada.
□ eltic Reverie
Will Millar
There is a host of fine memories in these tunes. There are faces and laughter and soft loving daydreams that live on and on. The players are my friends and like all good friends we found a way to celebrate the life and our heritage that gave us this music.
Here's to Joy and Peace Will Millar
For more music by Will and others, write to: CHACRA ALTERNATIVE MUSIC INC. 3155 Halpern St-Laurent, Quebec H4S 1P5 Tel: (514) 335-0245 Fax: (514) 335-5037
Direct from Arbroath, Scotland
"PEPPERPOT"
"a very entertaining duo playing a variety of traditional and current dance music..."
Tour schedule
Friday, January I7th: "A Taste of Burns" Scottish Cultural Centre, Vancouver 980-0950/261-6686
Saturday, January 18th: "Robert Burns Dance" Fort Langley Community Hall, Fort Langley 888-1223
Sunday January 19th: "A Burns Afternoon" Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 21, Langley 534-3615
Wednesday, January 22nd: "A Burns Evening" Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 30, Kerrisdale 261-8848
Saturday, January 25th: "Burns Supper" Scottish Cultural Centre, Vancouver 980-0950/261-6686
Another Red Dog Presentation (604)530-8052 Fax (604)514-1052 In cooperation with Moray Narin & Banff Association
Tickets at Black Swan, Highlife, Rufus' Guitars ^ For info. & reservations, call 736-3022