Music and culture the focus at Gaelic college march break camp in Cape Breton

A unique March Break camp at the Gaelic College in Cape Breton allows children to explore the arts.

The annual March Break camp at the Gaelic College in St. Ann’s Bay, N.S., is a break from school unlike many others.

Seventeen-year-old Ian Krill of Halifax has been attending the camp at the beginning – or end, depending on your point of view – of the Cabot Trail for years now.

He is there not only to learn the Gaelic language, but he focuses on fiddle while at the Cape Breton school.

In fact, he moved to Nova Scotia from Calgary about five years ago, largely to study Celtic music.

“I’ve been doing the instrument of violin itself for well over 13 years,” Krill said. “Fiddle is kind of where my heart ended up sitting and the culture that ensued around that was… honestly, it’s who I’m becoming.”

The camp focuses on culture and it offers a little something for everyone – a good thing, since this year it attracted more than 100 participants, including some from off-Island and out of province.

“They can work on their fiddle or step dancing or Highland dance or bagpipes or piano or guitar or piping,” said Margie Beaton, director of school and marketing at the Gaelic College.

Beaton added that while students are mostly there to have fun, the camp is also about keeping the Gaelic culture alive through the next generation.

“There are a lot of capable young musicians and speakers and dancers,” Beaton said. “So, we’re in good hands.”

The proposed cuts in the arts and culture sector in the recent Nova Scotia budget are not lost on the people at the camp.

“It’s the intrinsic value that you can’t put a price on as well,” Beaton said. “We know full well the value of the arts and culture here, and we’re big supporters of that.”

As an extra celebration of Irish Gaelic culture, Tuesday was St. Patrick’s Day.

Some of the older students are already thinking about how they might be able to come back – and give back – as grown-ups.

“I would hope that some day I might come back as an instructor, even a part-time employee,” Krill said. “That would be a nice thing to have, add on to kind of all of these experiences I had as a student being here (and be) able to pass that on to the other people that are continuing to come.”

The Gaelic College March Break camp is set to wrap up on Thursday.

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