Cape Breton fiddlers set to play post-pandemic concerts in Ireland

A stage full of Cape Breton fiddlers will soon be flying overseas to try and strike the right note on the Emerald Isle.

“We're finally going. (There are) 38 of us, 25 fiddlers, and then piano players, step dancers, singers," said Betty Matheson, a board member with the Cape Breton Fiddlers Association.

Matheson says the trips to Ireland started in 2018, but the group hasn't been able to go back since due to the pandemic.

"The highlight of the trip, for everyone I think, is the fact we're finally able to go on another trip," she said.

Carl Smith has been playing the fiddle for more than 60 years. Still, he says this trip will be a highlight for him.

The group is warming up by playing concerts around Cape Breton Island.

"We had one in Port Hawkesbury last Sunday," Smith said. “And on the 18^th, we're going to be playing in Christmas Island."

From medieval castles to the Cliffs of Moher, the group plans to visit all of Ireland's most popular and scenic spots.

However, they say they're most looking forward to performing in front of big crowds again.

" I'm looking forward to the big festival that's over there," said fiddler Melanie Bonnell. “I think it's called the Willie Clancy Festival, and we'll be performing there."

The trip is also serving as a Celtic cultural exchange program of sorts as well. The group hopes to get some Irish performers to visit Cape Breton for the 50th anniversary of the Fiddlers Festival next year.

"The main thing is to get our music in Ireland and to get Ireland's music back here," Matheson said.

The fiddlers fly out from Halifax on Canada Day. They'll tour and perform all over Ireland, before flying home from Dublin 10 days later.