Ashley MacIsaac, The Barra MacNeils to perform at Kincardine Scottish Festival

The 16th annual Kincardine Scottish Festival will feature Ashley MacIsaac and The Barra MacNeils in an East Coast Celtic Music Night, Saturday, July 4.

Also performing Friday night and Sunday afternoon at the festival, which runs July 3-5 in Victoria Park, are The Mudmen, The Thogs, The Ballagh Family, the Kincardine Fiddle Orchestra, Shane Cook, Emily Flack, and Loril Shannik.

The theme for this year's event is "Bruidhinn Gáidhlig Ruim" ("Talk Gaelic To Me") and the Gaelic Society of Toronto will be in attendance to help everyone learn a phrase or two.

Jim McArthur is this year's grand chieftain of the festival.

The festival committee is building on last year's fun with the Haggis and Scottish Spirits tasting, and workshops and displays of all things Scottish. The sheep-shearing, the Highland Cattle, and the Clydesdale horses will be back on Family Day, Sunday afternoon.

Saturday will feature the solo piping and drumming competitions, as well as contests for pipe bands, Highland dancers, and the heavy events. A pipe band from Edinburgh, Scotland, has already confirmed for the competition. There are also the Clan Parade, vendors, clan tents and regalia tents.

New to this year's festival, the East Coast Celtic Music concert showcases the talents of Ashley MacIsaac and The Barra MacNeils.

One of the most celebrated Canadian roots musicians of all time, having sold in excess of 500,000 albums, Ashley MacIsaac has garnered international acclaim by playing the fiddle in that hard-nosed traditional Cape Breton style, while adding his own spin, mixing genres and updating Celtic music to appeal to a broader spectrum of fans.

Considered something of a local legend and prodigy by the time of his impressive 1992 debut "Close To The Floor," he broke through to the mainstream with the double-platinum genre bending "Hi, How Are You Today?"

In 1995. International radio play for the single, "Sleepy Maggie," and a regular slot on MuchMusic, made MacIsaac an instant Canadian icon. For more, check the website at www.ashleymacisaac.com

As a group, the McNeil siblings are widely regarded as one of the greatest live concert acts in the Celtic world. Hailing from Sydney Mines, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, the family group is deeply rooted in Celtic music, culture, dance, language and history. Their numerous critically-acclaimed recordings have included their own original songs as well as tried and true standards, both instrumental and vocal.



The Barra MacNeils live concert experience brings so much more to the stage than most live acts ever can. Multiple lead vocalists, beautiful sibling harmonies, top drawer instrumental prowess on a wide variety of acoustic, stringed, percussion and wind instruments blended with dancing, storytelling, Gaelic songs and a journey through an ancient culture; it is family entertainment at its highest level.

Steeped in Cape Breton tradition with strong Celtic roots and musical artistry, this diverse and talented family group continues to wow audiences around the world with their captivating vocals, harmonies and extraordinary musicianship. For more, check the website at barramacneils.com

Get your tickets for this East Coast Celtic Music Night, at ticketscene

For more information about the Kincardine Scottish Festival, check the website at www.kincardinescottishfestival.ca