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Colaisde na Gàidhlig / The Gaelic College

“I’m an old soul. Old like dirt.” - Joe MacMaster, fiddler, bagpiper, pianist and apprentice blacksmith from Troy, Cape Breton island.

“Over the Moor, among the Heather” is an old tune that goes back to early 18th century Scotland. “It is a tune that stretches back into my memory for as long as I can remember, from when I first started to play the fiddle. I associate it to my great uncle and aunt, Buddy and Nathalie MacMaster. It is almost a family tune in that sense.”

“Deemed the newest powerhouse of Route 19 by Ashley MacIsaac, Joe MacMaster picked up the fiddle in 2014 and never looked back. Since then he has played countless dances, ceilidhs, concerts, and other events in and around Cape Breton island. He has performed across Canada, toured throughout the United State alongside his aunt Natalie MacMaster, and has made his mark across the Atlantic performing in Denmark. Joe credits his greatest musical influences as his late granduncle Buddy MacMaster, has aunt Natalie MacMaster, Kenneth MacKenzie, and Mac Morin. His musical sound is distinctly that of his home Cape Breton Island, drawing from the repertoire and style of the rich Gaelic music tradition there. Aside from his music, Joe is a biology major at St. Francis Xavier University, and will complete a Bachelor of Science degree in 2020.”

“Over the Moor, among the Heather”, traditional Scotish tune
Performed by Joe MacMaster

June 27, 2020
Antigonish, Nova Scotia