Celtic Tides
The Celtic Fiddlers explore Irish migration to Newfoundland with a new show
When asked about her experience touring Ireland with The Celtic Fiddlers, an eclectic traditional music ensemble based in St. John’s, the non-profit group’s founder Korona Brophy recalls being warmly welcomed at sold-out shows during six tours to the Emerald Isle.
“Irish people are in awe of the vocal and instrumental music we know,” Brophy said.
Some recent highlights from August 2023 include an invitation to perform at the James Joyce Centre in Dublin and a show at The Cobblestone, the capital city’s legendary traditional music pub. The two-hour performance for a packed house at The Cobblestone received numerous calls for encores.
“Every tour had its great memories,” Brophy said. “We’ve had lots of laughs and learned so much history about our homeland, and how our music is connected. We were fortunate to see most of Ireland on these trips.
“The dialect, stories, scenery, historical nature, food and drink all brought great times. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that on all our tours, whether away or home, we include our seniors in a show. After all, they were the ones who gave us the music!”
Brophy traces her parents’ Irish ancestry to Waterford and Cork, areas where a vast majority of Irish migrations to Newfoundland originated. Renowned historical geographer Dr. John Mannion wrote about how those migrations, beginning in the 1600s, represent the oldest and most enduring connections between Ireland and Canada. In the 1770s and 1780s, more than 100 ships and 5000 men left Irish ports for Newfoundland’s fishery.
“Since I was very young, my family enjoyed singing and playing Newfoundland music,” Brophy said. “My mother, from Maddox Cove, played the violin, piano and accordion and taught my sisters and brother many songs about Newfoundland. My father, from Sandy Cove, Fogo Island, was a singer but didn’t play any instruments.”
Brophy began piano and voice lessons when she was five years old and picked up the cello when she turned nine. That early love of music led to a Bachelor of Music degree from Mount Allison University in New Brunswick and a Master of Education degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). Brophy subsequently taught music in public schools for 30 years and at MUN for 13 years. She always incorporated Celtic and Newfoundland music into her curriculum.
“Celtic music is defined as music that originates from the countries of Ireland, Scotland and Wales,” Brophy said. “Celtic music is found all around the world. Newfoundland music is its own genre, written by Newfoundlanders and performed by people all over the world.”
Brophy defines Newfoundland music as folk music with ancestral ties to Celtic music passed down from one generation to another. It includes waltzes, reels, jigs, ballads, airs and recitations.
“I have been steeped in Celtic and Newfoundland music all of my life,” Brophy said. “I am passionate about the songs and their traditional qualities.”
That passion inspired Brophy to start The Celtic Fiddlers. While teaching at St. Bonaventure’s College and Brother Rice High School as an instrumental specialist, she formed a fiddle group of 20 members for a spring concert in 1993. The group continued to perform at school assemblies, retirement homes and local festivals.
“We had recorded our first CD, Passage, with the Ceilidh Singers from Brother Rice, under the direction of Ms. Jacinta Graham, and held our first tour of Ireland in August of 1999,” Brophy said. “From there, we became The Celtic Fiddlers, a community group, recruiting singers and instrumentalists from other schools and the community.”
As well as touring Ireland, the group has travelled extensively throughout Newfoundland to perform at festivals, community halls, conferences, garden parties and for seniors. They also performed in Ottawa and New York. One of Brophy’s most memorable experiences is a performance at Yn Chruinnaght (meaning ‘the gathering’), a cultural festival in Isle of Man.
“It was such a great experience to play with Celtic bands from across Europe and listen to their style of Celtic music,” Brophy said.
Since 1993, there have been over 150 members and the group released five more albums. Many members moved on to teach traditional music or form traditional music groups, including Rum Ragged, Rugged Shores and The Freels.
The current six-person lineup includes three fiddlers — Janis Campbell, Rachel Thistle, and Brophy — along with guitarist Jamie Moran, accordion player Riley Ledrew, and Erin O’brien on bodhran.
“Jamie, Riley, Erin and Janis sing, as well, which adds greatly to our shows and CD productions,” Brophy said. “They are a very professional group and work hard to learn new tunes weekly. They have great input into new material and arrangements, harmonies, singing and playing.
“They are respectful of each other’s talents, for sure, which makes the group fun and hard working!”
Inspired by story elements from their recent show at the James Joyce Centre, the group also has a new show called “Celtic Tides” in the works for a performance at The Rooms this month. They plan to take the show on the road to Bonavista and a festival in Saintpierre this summer.
“I thought about the connections of the country of Ireland and our island, with the focus being on why the Irish came to Newfoundland in the 1600s,” Brophy said. “The story grew from there.”
The show features 16 pieces that reflect the journey of the Irish to Newfoundland from the 1600s to 2023. It begins with Englishman John Calvert recruiting the Irish to fish in Newfoundland and progresses through famine hardships, tragedies at sea, the loss of the fishery to the cod moratorium and present-day Irish immigrants.
“The Irish depart on wooden boats across the Atlantic to Calvert, or the Colony of Avalon,” Brophy said. “The Irish adjust to the barren and rugged shores, live in meagre houses and survive until the fall when they return to their beloved Ireland. Over time, the Irish stay in Newfoundland and marry, have children and set up communities along the Southern Shore and beyond.”
In addition to “Celtic Tides” and an upcoming tour, The Celtic Fiddlers are also working on their seventh album.
“The dialect, stories, scenery, historical nature, food and drink all brought great times.”
Korona Brophy