AN ÀIRIGH | THE SHIELING 

Màiri ni'n Bhruis 'ic Dhòmhnaill

Màiri Britton

Eamag nighean Raibeirt Eachainn

Emily MacDonald

Raibeart mac Bhruis

Rob Pringle

Sionainn ni'n Aonghais 'ic Iain Peadair

Shannon MacMullin

Bradlaigh MacMhurchaidh | Bradley Murphy 

Bradley has been involved in Gaelic from a young age, first through his family heritage: Gaels who immigrated from Scotland and Ireland to Mira, Dunvegan, and Newfoundland and eventually into the industrial areas of Sydney. Secondly with his expression through music: playing the piano, fiddle, Gaelic song and more recently learning how to play pipes. His music is a source of creative output, ancestral connection and a platform for sharing the rich cultural offerings passed down through the generations. He has been working to learn Gaelic language at home in Cape Breton over the past decade and is still continuing his learning journey. He is currently member of the Cleasaichean team at the Highland Village, providing language and music mentorship as well as interpreting the history of the Gaels in Nova Scotia. 

Carmal Dhòmhnullach | Carmel MacDonald

Carmel retired as District Court Administrator after working for approximately thirty years with the Department of Justice. She comes from a proud and strong Scottish background of Gaelic language and music. She's proud of her brother, Brian and cousin Jeffrey, but most of all her mother who spoke the language to keep it alive. She was the woman to encourage the younger generation.

Carmel is eager to learn and speak Gaelic, but gets discouraged when there's nobody to converse with and ultimately gives up only to start over again! It's frustrating. Now, it would be an honour to be part of this program. She would absolutely start to involve her one year old granddaughter in speaking the Gaelic language.

Ceallaigh NicRinsidh | Kelly MacRitchie

Growing up in rural Cape Breton, Gaelic culture has always been a core part of Kelly’s identity. Her ancestors, on all sides, were settlers in Cape Breton following The Highland Clearances. Kelly has a Bachelor of Neuroscience, a Master of Occupational Health Sciences and is a Registered Occupational Hygienist (occupational health specialist). Professionally, she is passionate about advancing worker health and advocating awareness to workplace hazards, preventing disease and chronic health impacts.

In her personal time, Kelly enjoys fitness, movement and outdoor activities in all the beautiful places that Nova Scotia has to offer with her two highly active German Shorthaired Pointers. She loves to travel, meet new people with various life experiences and perspectives and is at her happiest in any social setting. She also has a strong interest in genealogy and the journey of her ancestors and the Nova Scotia Gaels as a whole, taking every opportunity to highlight this history, both at home and when traveling abroad.

Ceiteag Awen | Kate Awen

Kate is Gael, disability rights advocate, and maker of art, living in Nova Scotia. She works in the disability support field as the co-founder of All About Inclusion, particularly focused on inclusion for folks with intellectual disabilities.

Kate has been learning Gaelic since 2021, and is deeply nourished by her Gaelic roots and her ancestors. Kate has begun organizing Gaelic immersions, hosting events, and weaving connections.

Kate is an avid storyteller (and story-listener!!!), artist, and wilderness camper + backpacker.

Diùd Sampson | Jude Sampson

Diùd | Jude is a young Gael from Halifax, with family roots in Arisaig, Antigonish County. They just completed their Bachelor of Arts, Combined Honours in Environment, Sustainability and Society & Canadian Studies at Dalhousie University and submitted their honours thesis titled "Dùthchas ann an Tìr nan Craobh:  An Exploration of TEK, Human Ecology and Responsibility to Land Among Gaels in Mi’kma’ki" in partial fulfillment of their degree. They are the recipient of this year's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Clan Ramsey Prize for the submission of their thesis and look forward to continuing this work in an eventual masters degree.

They're currently taking a break from school to focus on learning Gaelic (which they just spent a month doing at An Cùrsa Bogaidh and Stòras a' Bhaile in May), re-learning the fiddle, playing in a band with their friends and working on their many knitting, crochet or sewing projects. This summer, you could find them fulfilling their love of coffee as a barista at Tartan Coffee Company and slinging doughs at Yeah Yeahs Pizza.

If they happen to have any other free time you can find them rock climbing with their friends, going to concerts, diving into their family history, dabbling in filmmaking, or performing as Sandee Bottomz at a local drag show.

Leaslaidh Bhochanan | Leslie Buchanan

Leslie returned to Cape Breton in September from a solo, 3-month, cross-Canada road trip. She traveled in her 5’ x 8’ enclosed cargo trailer she had turned into a camper. The trip satisfied both her wanderlust and her love of hiking and geocaching while visiting family and friends along the way. Leslie was also thrilled to have been included in an amazing Gaels Jam in early 2024. Some activities stretched her comfort zone, but she was there to be involved so she was grateful for the gentle encouragement. It was an unforgettable experience for her.

Leslie is determined to learn her cultural language, and hopes to help showcase her culture someday, through volunteering. Although her language journey has already begun, Leslie has a hard time following the spoken word. She is very excited to be part of this immersion event and to gain confidence in verbal understanding.

Leslie enjoys the outdoors, exploring, and learning. At home, she enjoys puzzles, crafts, games and reading. She is always open to new ideas, experiences, and friendships.

Sean Reddick

is a Locomotive Engineer. He has been interested in languages and cultures for a long time. After finishing a B.A. in Communication Studies, he went traveling,  living and working for a number of years in Australia, Britain, The Netherlands, Israel and Korea. Working in restaurants, teaching English and volunteering on a Kibbutz. He became interested in Scottish Gaelic about ten years ago and has tried courses with the Gaelic College, Cape Breton University, Private Tutoring and a short course at Sabhal Mór Ostaig. He has learned French to a reasonable level through immersion and feels he could do the same with Gaelic.

 Presently, he is completing a second B.A. in Anthropology at CBU and is planning to begin a Masters or Professional degree in Education in 2026 or 27. He enjoys reading, talking, music, walking, dogs, cats, books and learning new things. He doesn't play an instrument but has nearly bought a Banjo Ukulele a couple of times. He also collects coins as they are  interesting pieces of material culture.

He has been involved with his workplace Union and Health & Safety Committee. He was a board member with the Halifax Family Services Association, a Military Reservist and very briefly a Volunteer Fire Fighter.

His grandmother spoke a few words of Irish that she had learned from her grandparents. Languages get lost if not passed on. He would like to help prevent that from happening.

Màiri Stanton | Meddy Stanton

Màiri has spent much of her career in media, government communications, and access to information. Her work has taken her from New Glasgow radio to Parliament Hill, and from New Brunswick to Japan, where she and her husband enjoyed three years of living and working in another language and culture, and travelling throughout Southeast Asia.  She taught English as a second language and worked as a writer and editor. In 2002, Nimbus published her collection We Belong to the Sea.

Since retiring to Big Island, where her Gaelic-speaking ancestors settled in 1843, Màiri has devoted herself to Gaelic. She has studied through Colaisde na Gàidhlig, Bun is Bàrr, and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, and is an active member of the Gaelic community in Pictou County. She practices daily, participates in a weekly conversation group, and continues to build toward fluency.

When Màiri is not studying Gaelic, she is working on community projects and her family genealogy, writing children’s stories, learning to play the ukulele, beach combing along the Northumberland Strait, gardening, and riding her tractor, electric bike or, whenever possible, a horse.

Sìm Beckford | Simon Beckford

Simon is a wilderness guide, carpenter, and artist. Growing up in the forests of Maine surrounded by his family's Scottish culture led to deep roots in the wild and ancestral world from a young age, and he feels lucky to still live near the rocks and trees he first knew as a child.

Simon has spent his adult life leading multi-week backpacking, canoeing, and sailing trips for Outward Bound. Introducing teens to the wilderness and coaching them to become strong and interdependent groups.

Growing up in a bagpiping family introduced Simon to Gaelic words and place names, as well as regular trips to Scotland. In between summer wilderness trips and winter carpentry work Simon continues to visit Scotland and travel throughout the US to connect with the land and learn from tradition bearers and elders.

It was Scottish tradition bearers who first steered Simon towards Nova Scotia Gaels, and the generous Gaelic hospitality has been deeply felt. From a Gaels Jam or milling frolic to late nights discussing Gaelic culture and the opportunity to listen in Gaelic-speaking spaces Simon has felt right at home and is both deeply grateful and eager for more.

Catrìona NicDhòmhnaill | Karen MacDonald

Growing up in Cape Breton, Karen was surrounded by Gaelic culture. After living away for many years, she is happy to be living in Nova Scotia again. She is an artist and seamstress who currently works as the assistant printer at Sherbrooke Village Museum. She enjoys crafting, cross country skiing, painting, dancing, hiking, skating, and beach going.

Anna Ros Rogal | Anne Ross Rogal

Seven decades into her journey, Anne still marvels at how many stars there are in the winter sky, how many important things she wasn’t taught at school, and how many projects she is juggling.

As a child — far away in the Boston States — her mother told Anne stories of her own Cape Breton childhood. The tales of wagon rides to visit Granny and Papa in Roberta, and the walks to Aunt Bella’s nearby farm, planted a seed of longing for the place of her roots.

Anne was eight when great-great Aunt Bella’s home became her family’s summer home. She loved the kerosene lamps, going to the brook for water, bringing in firewood, and her mother’s pleasure at cooking on the big wood stove. She spent days exploring the old farm fields, the ravine that leads down to the river, walking through the forest to the shore. When she was nearly thirty Anne achieved her dream of coming home to stay.

Since then she has told her own children her mother’s stories, grown vegetables, chickens, sheep, worked as a typesetter, silviculture worker, cashier, potter, volunteered in a primary classroom, at a farmers market, taken a permaculture design course, and seen enormous changes in her neighbourhood.

Now, she battles invasive plants, grows garlic, and studies conservation easements and community land trusts. She hopes for a friendly, food secure, just, and resilient future, which honours with gratitude the thousands of years of care the L’nu continue to give to the lands and waters we all depend on.

The walls of her home surely heard Gaelic when they were young.  Anne is thankful for the community of people eager to bring that culture to life in Roberta once again.