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techtalkbyjames · 1 month

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🎶👍😀Tartan Day in North America is Celebrated on Saturday April 6th 2024. It was founded in Nova Scotia, Canada, as an annual celebration of Scottish culture and heritage, and has grown more popular every year. In the US, it was declared 'Tartan Day' by the US Senate in 1998 to celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions made by Scottish Americans to the United States. Alexander Graham Bell was Scottish in Heritage and inventor of the telephone. https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/canada/tartan-day

#nova scotia #tartan day #fun #music

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rabbitcruiser · 1 year

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National Tartan Day

Research the history and culture of the Scottish people, represented by the iconic Tartan pattern often seen on kilts, blankets, and other clothing.

Tartan is one of the most recognizable patterns ever, and has a strong history for the people of Scotland. National Tartan Day was created to celebrate Scottish history and the achievements of people of Scottish descent around the world. While some areas hold marches and parades, other people simply celebrate it amongst themselves. For anyone who has ever been interested in Scottish history, National Tartan Day is just a great opportunity to research and learn.

Get ready to celebrate National Tartan Day!

History of National Tartan Day

National Tartan Day was initiated in the mid-1980s by the Scottish diaspora living in Canada at a meeting of the Federation of Scottish Clans in Nova Scotia. By 1997, the idea for the day had been approved and the annual celebration began to grow into other Scottish communities in North America and Australia.

By 1997, the idea for the day had spread to the United States and National Tartan Day was approved by the US Congress and President, and it was first celebrated the following year on April 6.

The reason for the celebration of the day on April 6 is because that is the date in 1320 when the Scottish King Robert I signed the Declaration of Arbroath. This was a letter written to Pope John XXII, responding to his excommunication from the church because he refused to stop fighting for Scottish Independence.

National Tartan Day Timeline

200-300 AD Scots start wearing Tartan

Sometimes confused with the word “Plaid” (meaning blanket), Tartan is the specific pattern woven both horizontally and vertically into the fabric.

1320 Declaration of Arbroath is signed

A letter is written, on April 6, by King Robert I, responding to Pope John XXII’s demands that Scotland sign a truce in the first War of Scottish Independence.

1746 Act of Proscription takes effect

In an effort to assimilate the people of Great Britain and crush the Clans, the government makes it so that the Scottish people could not revolt–and are not even allowed to wear their Tartans.

1986 First National Tartan Day is proposed in Canada

This day is proposed for April 6 to promote Scottish Heritage in Canada, originating in Nova Scotia, which means “New Scotland”.

1998 Tartan Day is adopted in the United States

The Scottish Coalition USA met the previous year to propose following in Canada’s footsteps and Tartan Day passes legislation in Congress during this year.

How to Celebrate National Tartan Day

Although National Tartan Day was originally created to celebrate Scottish history, there is no reason people of non-Scottish heritage cannot join in the fun. Try out some of these fun ideas for celebrating this exciting day:

Wear a Tartan for National Tartan Day

While many people in the English language refer to tartan as “plaid”, this is a misnomer. The term “plaid” is actually Gaelic for a blanket. The correct term for the vertical and horizontal stripes that are woven into the fabric is “tartan”.

Whether it be a scarf, skirt or even a kilt, show a bit of love for the fabric that never goes out of fashion this National Tartan Day by incorporating it into the day’s outfit. Those who have Scottish roots can choose the color and pattern of tartan that most represents the clan from which they descend.

Listen to Scottish Music for National Tartan Day

For those who do not especially fancy wearing tartan on this day, it would always be possible to celebrate by digging out an old classic from Bay City Rollers, the “tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh” and singing along to Bye Bye Baby! Or put on some tunes from twin brothers, Craig and Charlie Reid, otherwise known as The Proclaimers. Alternatively, this would be the right time to enjoy listening to some bagpipe music!

Enjoy Some Scottish Treats for National Tartan Day

In addition to simply donning some sort of tartan garment, this would be a great day to have some friends over to enjoy a bit of Scottish Fun! In addition to listening to some Scottish music, as mentioned above, enjoy some food that would be traditional to Scotland, such as Walkers Shortbread cookies which often feature tartan on the packages. Other treats might be haggis, oat cakes, “neeps and tatties”, Scottish pies or Irn Bru.

Join in on a Celtic Festival

Many Scottish communities throw festivals or parades in celebration of this day. For instance, the Tartan Day South Celtic Festival takes place in South Carolina each year. In New York City, Tartan Day is celebrated all throughout the week with a wide selection of events, including a 10K run around Central Park.

In addition, many pubs and bars that have Scottish roots will often host celebrations and offer discounts in honor of National Tartan Day, so be sure to check those out locally as well.

Of course, perhaps the best place to celebrate National Tartan Day might be to head on over to Scotland for a visit!

National Tartan Day FAQs

What is National Tartan Day?

National Tartan Day is a time set aside to celebrate Scottish Heritage, particularly in North America.

When is National Tartan Day?

National Tartan Day is celebrated on April 6 in Canada and the United States and on August 1 in Australia.

Why is National Tartan Day on April 6?

Canada and the United States proposed National Tartan Day for April 6 because it is the day that the Declaration of Arbroath was signed.

Is National Tartan Day a holiday?

National Tartan Day is celebrated as a recognized holiday in Canada and the United States, as well as Australia, though the date may be different.

How to celebrate National Tartan Day?

A great way to observe National Tartan Day is to enjoy celebrating all things Scottish, including wearing a Tartan or even visiting Scotland.

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pd-lyons · 2 years

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my father, my mother, Yeats, golden apples & silver apples - reading by PD Lyons

my father, my mother, Yeats, golden apples & silver apples – reading by PD Lyons

read by PD Lyons poet~ The Song of the Wandering Aengus by WB Yeats & Somewhere Still by PD Lyons The Song of the Wandering Aengus by WB Yeats from Eveeryman’s Poetry, J.M. Dent, Orien Publishing. London 1998 Somewhere Still by PD Lyons from When You Worship Swans No Longer Limited Edition, Supported by Westmeath County Arts, 2017 The Song of Wandering Aengus BY WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS I went…

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#canada #cape cod #cedar #golden apples #ireland #nova scotia #silver trout #tartan #waterbury ct #wb yeats #westmeath county council

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heavenboy09 · 1 month

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Tartan Day is celebration of Scottish 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 heritage and the cultural contributions of Scottish and Scottish-diaspora figures of history. The name refers to tartan, a patterned woollen cloth associated with Scotland. The event originated in Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1987. It spread to other communities of the Scottish diaspora and Scotland itself in the 1990s to 2000s.

Happy Tartan Day to All Scottish 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 People In America 🇺🇸 & Canada 🇨🇦

#TartanDay #Scottish

#Tartan Day #Scottish #Spotify

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maximumwobblerbanditdonut · 1 month

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The honorary Grand Marshal, usually a famous Scottish personality. For 2024, the NYC Tartan Day Parade Grand Marshal was Dougray Scott Emmy Award-winning Scottish actor.

In the United States, 🇺🇸 the Senate declared it “Tartan Day” in 1998 to celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions of Scottish Americans to the United States.

Air Vice-Marshal Marcus Grainger (Dougray Scott) Vigil season 2 BBC One.

Tartan Day on Saturday 6 April embodied the pride and passion of Scotland. In some locations, including the US and Canada, This date coincides with the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath – Scotland's own Declaration of Independence – which took place in 1320.

This document was a letter sent by Scottish nobles to Pope John XXII, declaring Scotland's independence from England

"It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom, for that alone which no honest man gives up but with life itself."

However, Tartan Day was founded in Nova Scotia 🇨🇦 as an annual celebration of Scottish culture and heritage and has become more popular each year. That’s right, it’s a Scottish holiday in Canada (one that, sadly, doesn’t justify a day off from work) and they are honoured to tell you a little trivia about the country they’re part of.

It’s the day when Canadians come together to celebrate Scottish heritage and Scottish independence by playing bagpipes, wearing kilts, eating haggis and drinking whisky. Scotland and Canada have enjoyed a special relationship for centuries, some of the connections that bind the two countries together.

Canada is home to approximately 4.7 million people who claim Scottish descent with blood running through their veins, and the ties that bind the two countries are just as strong as they have ever been, so it’s no wonder they dress so well in plaid.

The Day began in the late 1980s in Nova Scotia, when the provincial government made it official. The rest of Canada, seeing the incredible holiday that the Maritimers (along with New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, all bordering the Atlantic Ocean) celebrated each year on April 6, soon decided to join the party. As a holiday location, it has real potential. It’s still young and they hope to celebrate it bigger and better each year.

#tartanday #declarationofarbroath #scottish #albagubrath #nyctartanweek #DougrayScott #GrandMarshal #Maritimers #NewBrunswick #NovaScotia #PrinceEdwardIsland #emmyactor

Posted 7th April 2024

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mr-snailman · 2 months

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just got back from a free concert at the town hall organized by one of our lovely librarians :) it was a guy playing celtic music and he had an autoharp which I’ve never seen before. really beautiful music. reminded me of my grandad, who used to sing Irish songs… or so the family legend goes, anyway. my aunt called and said she’s got a tape. probably my only chance to hear him sing. but all I’ve got is his old tape deck that voraciously eats every tape I put in it. gotta get another, I suppose. i’ve got his busted tape deck, his old Nova Scotia tartan shirt that’s way too big on me still, and his name. sometimes it feels like the whole family is waiting for me to grow into that shirt, into that sense of humor and intelligence. other times I think maybe I already have. I think about it sometimes— if he’d lived, if we’d be on good terms, if I’d be hiding who I am from him. he died before I figured it out, before the elections in 2016. we’ll never know which way he would have voted. sometimes I think I feel him. I hope to god he’s proud.

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scotianostra · 8 months

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September 15th 1773 saw “The Hector" which sailed from Loch Broom, Ullapool arrive in Pictou, Nova Scotia.

On July 8th 1773 the Hector had left Loch Broom, near Ullapool, carrying emigrants, the start of a wave of Scottish immigration to Canada. These people were joining a few others who had already joined the ship in the Clyde area. All the people had one thing in common. They wanted to find a new land where they had freedom to speak their Gaelic language, play their music and wear their cherished tartan.

It was only 28 years after the Battle of Culloden and life in Scotland was hard and repressive. 189 passengers comprising 25 single men, 33 families, a piper and their agent had joined the ship and were willing to start a new free life in a new land.

The dangerous voyage took three months to complete. The ship was old and built to carry cargo; not passengers. There was sickness aboard and several passengers died. Spirits were not dampened and, in fact, raised when a healthy child was born as they were close to the North American coast. They came ashore at the small but unhostile Indian settlement of Pictou. They arrived just as the harsh winter was setting in.

Life was hard but these people had their freedom and survived that first winter and proceeded to tame a small part of that wild continent. They never forgot their Scottish heritage and called the new land Nova Scotia.

Today the small town of Pictou is a proud and thriving place. The Gaelic language still exists, tartan is proudly worn and Highland music is sung, played and enjoyed.

A replica of the Hector sits at the Hector Heritage Quay, a heritage centre run by local volunteers, keeping the history alive. You kind loads more info an a list of the passengers on The Hector descendants web page here http://shiphectordescendants.ca/Home.aspx

#scotland #scottish #Canada #Emigration #The highland clearances

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ayeforscotland · 2 years

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Hiya, I was wondering if you might have some insight on some posts I’ve been seeing around Tumblr lately (not sure if you may have seen one or some of them) insinuating Scotland wasn’t colonised, and that we Scots shouldn’t be able to take issue with England’s constant meddling in our affairs as strongly as we do because it’s an alliance Scotland went into willingly back in the day.

I’m not contesting that the historical Scotland formed a pact with England and thereby reaped benefits from their colonialism (plus the benefits from colonialism of Scotland’s own, such as with Nova Scotia). But I’m confused at the implication that Scotland wasn’t itself colonised. In my understanding, England did very much ban the speaking of Gàidhlig, the wearing of tartan/traditional Highland clothing, and other cultural practises when they gained control over Scotland. To this day our own language has been so wiped out to the point where there are only something like 50k native Gàidhlig speakers left? On the whole planet. I get that Scotland entered into that alliance with England willingly, but as far as I know, that was only solidified after the Jacobites (i.e. the resistance to English rule, as I understand it) were defeated. Though if I have my facts mixed up here, hopefully you or someone else can let me know?

In any case, though, I suppose I feel weird by people acting like we who support Scottish independence and the recovery of our language and culture have no right to hold a grudge against the English simply because a bunch of guys who DIDN’T support Scottish independence willing entered into a deal with England several centuries ago. In some of these posts it genuinely feels like the implication is that every single Scot is/was totally on board with losing our culture just to reap imperial wealth, and it makes me feel very gross. I am fiercely anti monarchist, anti colonialism, anti imperialism, and that ferocity comes as much from an understanding of how so many cultures and nations and people suffered under the British yoke, as it does from things like me not being able to speak my own language, amongst other things. That sense of loss doesn’t go away just because the people in charge of Scotland back then agreed to it, at least for me. I don’t feel like a hypocrite for grieving the loss of Scotland’s culture/freedom while also hating England for its role in it, and for hating colonialism in general. And maybe I am wrong in thinking this way, in which case I would appreciate anyone willing to help me understand how and why.

I’m not saying what Scotland suffered is comparable to the atrocities that happened in India, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Caribbean, South Africa, etc. I’m not advocating that we SHOULD be lumped in with them on lists of places most devastated by colonialism. I agree that Scotland is not on the same level. And I have no intentions of absolving Scotland of its own historical colonialism—that happened, and we must own it. But I feel like there should be enough nuance in the situation for us to 1) own up to that colonial past, 2) not compare our history to the likes of India etc, and 3) also be able to mourn the smothering of our own culture and the loss of our language at the hands of the English. To celebrate the Queen’s death, to vie for our independence, so forth, etc. Our history shouldn’t be cherry picked on one side or the other. Scotland participated in colonialism, and also suffered from colonialism. I’m not proud of our history, but I’m proud of my culture. All these things are true and I don’t know why that can be so difficult for people to see, but then this is Tumblr we’re talking about 🤷‍♂️

Anyway you don’t need to have the answer to this yourself, but I felt like I needed to get this out to someone who might understand the angle I’m coming from. I’m sorry this got so long. If I do have facts mixed up or wires crossed, I’d appreciate anyone willing to correct me. I’m saying all this as a white person, too—I don’t pretend to speak for people of colour and diaspora from other colonised regions, or understand their exact experiences. I can only offer my own perspective.

Thanks for reading and thanks for running this blog!! Slàinte mhath!

That is one hefty ask! I haven't seen any of the posts in question - it sounds like I'd partially agree with whoever is saying Scotland isn't a colony (for reasons I'll explain below). I don't agree with all of it though. To be honest, I kinda thought we were done with the conversation but every so often I think there's some folk who like to think that every Scottish independence supporter refutes the idea that Scotland was involved with the empire. (There are some who do - and these people are very wrong)

In this post - I talked about how often people on Tumblr get fundamental aspects of Scotland & The Union wrong. It's frustrating seeing it repeated a lot on here. People get the Union of the Crowns and the Union of the Parliaments mixed up - or think they are the same. Some people avoid mentioning or don't know about the riots that occurred in Scotland after the Act of Union etc etc Personally, I tend to be hesitant to use the word 'colonisation' in regards to Scotland - often because I cringe when some fringe pro-indy people say that Scotland is currently colonised. I also think it's hard because so much wealth entered Scotland through our colonisation of the world and not in the "Well the British Empire built trains in India" angle that some people take to pretend the Empire was good. So yeah, I find it hard to say that Scotland was colonised and there's always a portion of people who say "Well in that case what are we then?" The problem with this is that it was more often that not, Lowland Scots destroying the Highland way of life. And then the conversation tends to devolve into the classic "Well colonisers routinely used populations against one another." Which I agree has happened, but I don't have the academic background in colonial history to articulate properly why it feels wrong to say. What I can talk about, however, is that it's really silly for anyone to be making comparisons between the 1700s and today. Saying things like "Scotland can't complain about Westminster dragging them out of Europe, destroying the economy, austerity etc" is just really silly. I think it's fine to look to history, but sometimes, and particularly on Tumblr, it's done at the expense of the here and now. The most vulnerable people in Scotland right now care about paying for food and heating - telling them they shouldn't be complaining because wealthy upper-class Scots sold Scotland out to a union in 1707 is very odd.

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tulowitzki · 7 months

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sid really got them all ties with the nova scotia tartan to wear for the game i cannot

#come on!!

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theficpusher · 2 years

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Summer Starlight by LadyLondonderry | G | 3358 Only of three things is Harry Styles certain of. First, that this is his first summer in the large city and he must make the most of it. Second, that his parents are pledging to have him married off to a wealthy benefactor by the end of the summer. Third, and this is most important of all, Harry doesn’t particularly care for the notion. In fact, he rather has his eye on a very different sort of prospect.

You Smiled by taggiecb | G | 9053 Just then, the man looks up, and catches Harry's eye. Harry freezes, feeling as though he's the one trapped. The man doesn't smile, just watches Harry watch him, until finally he lifts his eyebrows in question, and Harry somehow manages to release himself from the spell that he feels he's under. -- It's 1758 and on the eve of a battle with the French, Captain Harry Styles of the British army has just begun his appointment as a prison warden in Louisbourgh, Nova Scotia. Harry prepares himself and his guards for their prisoners of war, but nothing could have prepared him for the sight of the most beautiful man he has ever seen- who is now his prisoner.

A Stór Mo Chroí by kiwikero | E | 9397 It was a gloomy, grey day in the highlands. The sun, try as it might, couldn’t manage to break through the clouds, painting land and sea alike in muted colours. Perhaps it wasn’t so desolate as all that, though it certainly seemed that way to Louis. Of course, his perception might have been coloured by his own foul mood. Everything seemed to have gone from bad to worse recently, and if his own problems weren’t enough now he had to pretend he didn’t want to throttle the chieftain of Clan Gunn, the one currently traipsing around the village and greeting clansmen as if he wasn’t just a glorified intruder. Louis narrowed his eyes as he watched Harry interact with Agnes and her young son, Harry stooping down to talk directly to the little boy. The Clan Gunn tartan, simple blocks of green and black, marked Harry as someone who clearly didn’t belong amongst them, and yet the people of Clan Sutherland always seemed delighted to see the man. Traitors. Louis is a young laird from Clan Sutherland and Harry the chieftain of Clan Gunn, and an alliance between their clans isn't enough to convince the two of them to get along.

Circumnavigate by musketrois | M | 10669 At the age of twenty-eight, Louis Tomlinson finds himself traveling to the Spice Islands with the explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Louis has spent the last ten years avoiding his past, but he is forced to face it when artist Harry Styles boards his ship. Now, Louis must sail to undiscovered lands while navigating the emotions he has buried deep.

threadbare by kiwikero | M | 20156 Harry Styles was eight years old when Louis Tomlinson kept him from falling into a machine in a Manchester textile mill. He was 18 years old when nothing, not even the threat of death, could keep Harry from falling in love with Louis.

But Now Together, We're Alone by QuickedWeen | M | 22983 It's a stroke of good luck when Harry Styles, a man who grew up on the small island of Martinique, is offered the position of tutor to the Dauphin and his sister. When he arrives at the palace, he is dragged into a world of opulence, courtiers, whispers in the shadows, and illicit affairs. But he is also introduced to the king, the most intriguing man he's ever met.

After Dark, After Light by QuickedWeen | E | 71440 Harry Styles is the laird of Clan Edwards who is just trying to keep his clan afloat when they get word that the Mackenzies have been cutting a swath through the Midlands and beyond, and their sights are set on the northern Highlands next. In an attempt to garner extra protection for his clan, Harry sets out to mend his father's past wrongs and ally with their neighbors to the west, Clan Sutherland. Louis Tomlinson is the mysterious commander of the Sutherland army sent back with Harry on orders from his laird to help shore up Clan Edwards' defenses. As the winter draws nearer by the day, the two are thrown together to prepare for the invasion that they expect as soon as the ground thaws.

Through Time I Found You by taecheeks | E | 140374 “I swore to ye I would keep ye safe,” Liam says as if Zayn should have known this. He lifts one of Zayn’s hands, pressing a soft, wet kiss to the center of his palm. It is innocent, but heat trails down Zayn’s spine as Liam’s eyes meet with his. “And I’ve wanted ye since the moment I first laid my eyes on ye.” [Or the one where Zayn travels back in time to 1744 and is captured by a group of Highlander Clansmen.]

#pre-1800s #Through Time I Found You #taecheeks #after dark after light #quickedween #but now together we’re alone #kiwikero #threadbare #musketrois #Circumnavigate #A Stór Mo Chroí #taggiecb #you smiled #ladylondonderry #Summer Starlight

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astra-galaxie · 1 year

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"C'est part of mon charm, Lizzy!" - Rosarie d'Entremont

Biographical information

Full Name: Rosaire d'Entremont

Alias(es):

Rose (nickname)

Rosie (nickname)

Rosaire d'Entremont-Ripley (former married name)

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Asexual and Aromantic

Status: Alive

Age: 62 (season 3)

Birth: 1953

Race: Human

Nationality: Canadian

Origin: Nova Scotia, Canada

Residence:

Sydney, Australia

Nova Scotia, Canada (formerly)

Profession(s):

U.N.I.T Agent

Historian

Past profession(s): High school history teacher

Family:

Elizabeth Ripley (ex-wife)

Unnamed mother (deceased)

Unnamed father (deceased)

Unnamed sisters

Unnamed brothers

Unnamed mother-in-law

Unnamed father-in-law

Affiliation(s):

U.N.I.T

The Bureau (formerly)

Profile

Height: 5'10" Age: 62 (season 3) Weight: 156lbs Eyes: blue Blood: AB+

Hailing from Atlantic Canada, Rosarie is the husband of Elizabeth Ripley. He is fair-skinned with navy blue eyes, short gray hair he keeps neatly combed, and his bangs are dyed a deep red. He has a bit of stubble on his jaw and dark brown glasses.

Rosarie wears a light brown shirt with a black vest, a red bow tie, and a Nova Scotia tartan-patterned pocket square. His shirt and vest are tucked into a pair of dark gray pants held up by a dark brown belt, and he has black sneakers on his feet. His pocket watch is attached to and kept in the right front pocket of his vest above his hip.

Per his suspect appearance in United in Ashes, it is known that Rosarie is a musician (he plays the violin).

History

Rosarie grew up in a rural town in Nova Scotia. He is the youngest of six siblings, with three older sisters and two older brothers. By age 30, he had lost both his parents; his mother had died of a heart attack, and his father had passed away after a battle against cancer. There is an eighteen-year age gap between him and his oldest sibling, so Rosaire fears he will begin burying his siblings soon.

Rosarie attended university, where he attained a bachelor's in history and a teaching degree. He quickly earned a position at his old high school teaching history and geography while working towards getting his master's in world history. But he always felt like there was more for him to do than teach high schoolers. And one day, fate revealed its plans for him.

Rosarie had gone on a trip to India to visit historical sites, where he met Kavi Pandit. The older man overheard him rambling to himself about the history of the Taj Mahal and was impressed by Rosarie's knowledge. Kavi tested the man's knowledge about other world history and quickly realized that the Canadian would be a fantastic asset to U.N.I.T. and offered Rosarie a job.

Rosarie couldn't believe what was happening but accepted the offer immediately. Kavi helped him transition to working for U.N.I.T, and Rosarie worked his way up to being the head historian for the agency.

While he rarely went on missions because of his position, Rosarie occasionally accompanied agents on their missions and sometimes performed solo missions. During his rare solo missions, he met Elizabeth Ripley.

The missions were a collaboration with the CIA, and they were tasked with investigating a global human trafficking ring. Rosarie and Elizabeth were stationed in Las Vegas as it was the USA location where the organization captured people. It took them months to infiltrate and take down the criminals running the operation, but their hard work paid off, and they freed dozens of young men and women.

Rosarie and Elizabeth had grown close while working together, but not in a romantic way. They did have to pretend to be a couple so they could stay close while undercover, but they respected each other's boundaries.

But they didn't mean they were immune to getting drunk together and making horrible decisions.

After taking down the human trafficking ring, Rosarie and Elizabeth celebrated in the Las Vegas strip. They drank a lot of alcohol and got very intoxicated. As they continued down the strip celebrating their victory, they came across a walk-in wedding chapel.

Rosarie jokingly suggested that they get married to commemorate such a successful day. But since Elizabeth was heavily drunk, she took the suggestion seriously. Being in no better of a state, it didn't take much to convince Rosarie to walk into the chapel and say, "I do."

The following day they woke up with killer hangovers and a signed marriage certificate.

After the initial freakout (and some coffee), Rosarie and Elizabeth sat down to discuss what they would do. At first, they planned to get the marriage annulled, but then Elizabeth suggested that there might be more benefits from this drunken mistake than they realized.

For starters, it would get Elizabeth's parents off her back. The couple had been pushing their daughter to marry for years and always tried to set her up with potential husbands. Secondly, it would give them both a trusted next of kin who knew the truth about the danger of their jobs. There are also tax benefits, but that was a later realization.

And so, they remained married and have been together for over thirty years. Who says marriage doesn't last?

Even if they call it a marriage of convenience to avoid telling people the embarrassing truth…

The couple maintains a long-distance relationship and have regular get-togethers, sometimes just the two of them and other times with their families.

Rosarie supported Elizabeth when she announced she was forming the Bureau. He advocated for the alliance between U.N.I.T and the Bureau and is the liaison between the agencies.

When Rosarie turned fifty, he moved to Sydney, Australia, to be closer to U.N.I.T headquarters. He took a cover job at the Australian Museum as an archivist and tour guide. It was during a tour for a local elementary school that he met Lauren Bailey.

He was impressed by the child's interest and knowledge of Australian history and her desire to learn more about the world's past. The two spent most of the tour talking, so much so that another tour guide had to take over the school's tour while they had a mini private tour.

Lauren and her fathers soon became regular visitors to the museum, with Rosarie giving them private tours when he was available. As Lauren got older, her fathers asked Rosarie if he would consider mentoring their daughter. Rosarie happily agreed and began privately teaching Lauren about world history.

Rosarie is proud of how far Lauren has come with her passion for history, even as her interests have broadened as she gets old. But no matter how many years go by, he will never forget the day he met a little girl whose eyes lit up listening to him ramble about the history of Australia.

Events of Criminal Case

Season 3

The team learned about Rosarie's existence after finding his pocket watch at a crime scene. There was no serial number on it, meaning Elliot couldn't track the owner, so Ripley informed the team that she had gifted the pocket watch to her husband. The team was shocked at the announcement, but interrogating their boss about her secret husband would have to wait until they finished their investigation.

Rosaire then made his first physical appearance after Carmen and Jack questioned him about his boss's murder. He explained that he and his assistant (Lauren) were visiting Melbourne for business for the Australian Museum in Sydney. He was shocked to hear that his boss had been murdered but couldn't think of why Nicolas was in Melbourne or who could have killed him.

The Historian was questioned a second time after Carmen and Jack found a recording of Rosarie threatening the victim to stop trying to recruit the Bureau for U.N.I.T. Rosarie revealed that Nicolas wanted the Bureau to become a sub-agency for U.N.I.T, but Rosarie disagreed and advocated for his wife's agency to remain independent. Ultimately, the real killer was arrested, and Rosarie was proven innocent.

During the additional investigation, Rosarie asked the team for assistance to find out why Lauren was suddenly acting weird. Dupont and Jack helped him find the girl's notebook and, after getting Marina to analyze it, discovered that Lauren had a crush on Elliot Clayton. Rosarie might not be a man of love, but he could see how important it was for Lauren to confess her feelings, so he supported her when she went to talk to Elliot.

After that, Rosarie and Elizabeth were reconnecting when they got the alarm that the Bureau and their families were being threatened. He helped protect the plane and the families while the younger agents dealt with the threat against them. Afterward, he stayed by Elizabeth's side while they waited for news on her pilot's condition.

Once the Bureau was ready to leave, Rosarie offered to assist them in any way he could to help take SOMBRA down. He promised to make himself available night and day for his historical expertise. He also told Elizabeth that if she needed him, he would get on the first available plane to wherever the team was to join them. Lauren made the same promises, and the two consultants put together some to-go bags when they got to their homes in Sydney in case of emergencies.

And they would answer that call when Chief Ripley requested their help with the Burea's investigation in Concordia. Rosarie and Lauren were coincidentally already in the city for other work, so stepping into Dupont's role was no issue while the historian was serving as Anders's partner. Rosarie acted as the temporary historian for the Bureau with Lauren's assistance, and the pair analyzed the clues Anders and Dupont brought them. Rosarie enjoyed diving back into the history of Concordia and getting to help his wife and her team in the process.

When the case was solved, Rosarie and Lauren went their separate ways from the Bureau again. But Rosarie kept up to date with his wife about the Bureau's progress in catching SOMBRA. Until one day, Ripley stopped answering his calls, and his messages went unread. Worried about his wife's safety, Rosarie contacted Ingrid, who informed him about Ripley's secret connection to SOMBRA and that his wife had left the Bureau and no one knew where she was. Rosarie was heartbroken not only by the betrayal of his wife against himself and the Bureau but also because she left him without even saying goodbye.

Rosarie was devastated by the loss of his wife. Even if their love wasn't romantic, he still cared about Ripley and thought she cared about him, too. But, Rosarie guesses that weren't the case anymore as one day he woke up to find a letter from Ripley and her wedding ring on his bedside table. She must have snuck into his home during the night and left the items for him to find in the morning. In the letter, Ripley told him how sorry she was for lying to him about SOMBRA's origins and her involvement in creating the organization. She said it was unfair to him to be associated with her as her husband and that he would find the divorce papers with the letter. All Rosarie needed to do was sign them, and their marriage would be over.

At first, Rosarie didn't know what to think. So much had happened in just a short span of time, from Ripley disappearing, SOMBRA being defeated and then Dupont's death that he needed time to process it all. Once he had, Rosarie realized that Ripley was right; their marriage could not survive the betrayal, and he needed to let her go. So, Rosarie signed the divorce papers and dropped the Ripley name, going back to just a d'Entremont. Maybe one day, Ripley will come out of her self-imposed exile, and they can talk face to face, but until then, Rosarie will continue their mission to make the world a better place, even with Ripley no longer at his side.

Organization(s)

The Bureau (disbanded)

Rank: History Consultant

U.N.I.T.

Rank:

Agent

Historian

Story Information

First appeared: United in Ashes

Trivia

Chief Ripley referenced her husband in Blackout Dead. When talking to Kavi Pandit with Adalet and Fili, she mentioned having a connection inside of U.N.I.T who turns out to be Rosarie

He is the only person who can get away with calling Chief Ripley "Liz" or "Lizzy." Likewise, she can get away with calling him "Rose" or "Rosie"

Lauran can also get away with calling him "Rose" and "Rosie"

He's autistic

He hyper-fixates on history, but the topic of interest alternates. Some days he's fascinated by French history, and the next, it could be Indigenous Canada

His pocket watch actually doesn't work; the mechanism is fake so that he can play with the hands and crown when he needs to stim

He enjoys sea shanties and folk songs; his favourite is Farewell to Nova Scotia. You can hear him humming the tune when he's working or relaxing

He's Acadian

He speaks a regional dialogue of Acadian French used in his hometown. This means for him, he'll talk half in English and half in French regardless if the grammar works or not

Ripley and Lauren struggle to follow along when he rambles in his Acadian French. So far, Dupont is the only person who's been able to keep up with the other Historian's mixed languages

He and Chief Ripley do have wedding rings; they don't wear them unless they need to play a married couple. Rosarie keeps his hooked to his pocket watch, and Ripley has hers on a second necklace hidden under her shirt

Even though Chief Ripley didn't take his surname, Rosarie hyphenated his because he wanted to break tradition

Plus, it gave him a new legal alias to use

He is a long-time friend of Armand Dupont and recommended the Swiss Historian for his wife's team

Disclaimer: Character design was created using Rinmarugames Mega Anime Avatar Creator! I have only made minor edits to the design! Background courtesy of CriminalArtist5

Links to my stories:

The Case of the Criminal (Ao3/Wattpad) Killer Bay (Ao3/Wattpad) Where in the World are the Killers? (Ao3/Wattpad)

#criminal case #criminal case save the world #elizabeth ripley #astra's ocs

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tellthemeerkatsitsfine · 14 days

Text

I saw two of my favourite musicians live the other night. It was brilliant, here's some stuff I wrote down.

Quick bit of background because I probably write posts like this too often without context: Canada has four East Coast provinces - Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. Nova Scotia is full of Scottish descendants and Newfoundland is full of Irish descendants and as such, there is a lot of Celtic folk music in both those places, with a lot of overlap but they have their own distinct culture. Distinct partly due to their roots (get you get more Scottish Gaelic lyrics in Nova Scotia and Irish Gaelic lyrics in Newfoundland, the Nova Scotians are always wearing/singing about the Nova Scotia tartan, that sort of thing), but also they've developed their own Canadian styles of folk music that are in some ways distinct from each other but in many ways similar. There are lots of great folk musicians from all over Canada, but the East Coast provinces are where folk music is by far the most popular, ranging from traditional to modern, from Celtic-inspired to their own thing. There's an island that's part of Nova Scotia called Cape Breton where they teach (Scottish) Gaelic in language class and step dancing in gym class and fiddle in music class so all the kids grow up to be folk singers and you cannot throw a rock without hitting someone who's won an ECMA (East Coast Music Award, they're a big thing if you're into that sort of thing). My dad raised me on folk music in general but specifically on East Coast music, which now that I think about it is a bit odd because it's my mom's side of the family that's actually from Nova Scotia. He doesn't only listen to East Coast music and neither do I, there is more to Canadian folk music than just the East; my dad grew up buying every album by Gordon Lightfoot and Joni Mitchell and Bruce Cockburn, and he saw Neil Young play in a bar in 1975. But a few islands on the East Coast of Canada are responsible for a shocking amount of my favourite music per capita.

Dave Gunning and JP Cormier are both Nova Scotian folk musicians (JP Cormier is one of those guys who adopted the East Coast despite not actually being from there, but in this case “East Coast Canadian folk music” is more of a genre than a specific location) who’ve been among my favourties since I was young, so I was delighted in 2017 when I heard they were putting out an album together. When I actually got to hear the album, it exceeded my very high expectations, it’s one of my favourite albums in the entire world, by anyone. It’s called Two.

They’re both among the best on their own for different reasons, but together they’re so much more than the sum of their parts. The biggest thing that I still cannot get over about them together are the vocal harmonies. The seams between their voices disappear completely on every song, they do it like it’s nothing. It’s incredible.

JP Cormier is head and shoulders above most of his peers as an amazing multi-instrumentalist. He can play the guitar and the fiddle and the mandolin and the banjo and the cello and somehow percussion and piano. And he doesn’t just “dabble” in the variety. He put out an entire album of instrumental-only guitar tracks once and it was amazing, he’s also won multiple awards for his fiddling. Also he’s got the most beautiful melodious singing voice. On pure talent he’s just the best at everything. I saw him do a two-hour solo concert at a bar in 2008, his album The Messenger had just come out and he played almost every track off it and that is such a good album, and it was one of the best fucking things I’ve ever seen.

In 2009, when I was 18, I went to the Stan Rogers Folk Festival in Canso, Nova Scotia. JP Cormier had played that festival every year for decades, he was a hero there, and it was a big story throughout the festival that this year, for some reason, he’d agreed to perform at the Sudbury Folk Festival on the same weekend so he wouldn’t be at Canso. It was disappointing. It was my second time at StanFest (it’s a 16-hour drive from where I live, followed by a weekend of camping, I’ve been in 2002 and 2009), and I had greatly enjoyed seeing JP Cormier there the first time I went, so I was sorry that my second trip happened to be the one time he wasn’t there.

On the Sunday, last day of the festival, they have a tradition where at noon, they stop all the stages besides the main stage, so everyone at the entire festival gathers in the big field at the main stage for an hour. They put about 12 musicians on stage, who take turns singing Stan Rogers songs/playing backup music on each other’s songs, and at the end of the hour everyone in the entire crowd singings Barrett Privateers and Northwest Passage a cappella and I get to see some old people around me cry so that’s fun (seriously, it’s fucking beautiful).

That weekend, they’d just finished introducing the 12 musicians on stage when suddenly I heard the crowd around me erupt into cheers and they were all turned around, so I turned around and saw this huge man walking down the aisle separating the lawn chairs. The cheers were deafening and kept up all the way until he reached the stage, walked up, grabbed the mic out of the announcer’s hand, and shouted “I was on the plane to Sudbury when I realized I belong here, so I told those people they can shove it and I turned around!” And then he proceeded to back up all the other musicians in their Stan songs, and he sang one of his own. And you have never seen a crowd of senior citizens go so wild.

It wasn’t until after it was over that my dad pointed out to me that they never said his name. JP Cormier’s got a pretty distinctive appearance – basically he’s massive – and every person in that entire crowd all recognized him instantly, and collectively lost their shit despite him having no introduction. That’s pretty cool. It also, of course, occurred to me that actually, if he really canceled on a different festival at the last moment, that’s kind of a shitty thing to do. But I’m going to hope he was just saying that for bravado to a crowd that wanted to hear it, as he didn’t arrive in Canso until noon on Sunday. He’d have had time to play a bit in Sudbury and then fly back. Hopefully that’s what he actually did. But that crowd in Canso, Nova Scotia was pretty fucking happy to hear he’d told Sudbury to shove it for them.

I’ve seen JP Cormier live lots of times, but the other major one that comes to mind was in 2019, when I went to the Celtic Colours Festival in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. My parents and I got tickets to see him in a concert hall with Tim Edey, this British guy he’d been touring with. They both started playing guitar at the beginning of the hour… and then they didn’t stop. Not once. For the entire hour. Mostly they played at the same time, sometimes one or the other would play solo for a bit, but the whole time, neither of them said a word, and at least one was always playing. Sometimes one of them would slow down enough to make it look like they were going to stop this, turn to the crowd, say “Thanks for indulging our fun improv”, and then start playing their actual songs, which was what the audience had expected (it hadn’t be advertised as anything but a normal concert by two guys who do have songs). But just as they’d almost faded out, they’d renew their energy and start playing faster. Sometimes they’d get in each other’s faces, one would play something particularly fast or odd, challenging the other to match or one-up it, and they would, the other one would repeat the riff and add something, and then other would repeat that but even faster, and they’d go back and forth and it would be incredible. They did not stop until the hour was over, when they waved to the crowd and walked off stage.

I suppose that technically, the audience didn’t get what they expected when they paid for the tickets. But I cannot imagine a single person in that building could feel cheated. I’ve seen many concerts, but I’ve never seen anything like that. My parents and I still talk about what an incredible thing we all got to witness that night.

So JP Cormier is a fucking legend, which makes it odd that off the two people in the double act I saw the other night, if pressed to choose between them, I think Dave Gunning would be my favourite. Dave Gunning’s a strong candidate for my favourite musician. I would probably say Lennie Gallant is my favourite musician, but I think I’ve spent more hours of my life listening to Dave Gunning than to Lennie Gallant. I’ve spent more hours listening to Dave Gunning than to JP Cormier. To almost anyone.

I first saw Dave Gunning at the Lunenburg Folk Festival in 2014, when I was 13 years old. I normally went to folk festivals with my father, but he was back home while my mother and I were visiting my grandparents in Nova Scotia. We drove into this little Nova Scotian town called Lunenburg, because their folk festival was on while we were there, and a Cape Breton guy I really liked named Bruce Guthro was playing.

Bruce Guthro had a guy opening for him, just playing about three songs before Guthro did his full hour. That guy was tall and skinny and appeared mildly terrified to be there, but then all three of his songs absolutely captivated me. My mom and I kept nudging each other to say “Oh wow, this guy’s better than we were expecting.” At the end of his short set he plugged his solo show that he was doing later that day at a (smaller) stage at the same festival, and his then-new album, Two-Bit World. I enjoyed the Bruce Guthro show that followed, but when it ended, my main comment to my mother was I couldn’t believe how good the opener was. We went to his own show in the afternoon, saw him do an hour of socially awkward patter around incredible songs, they were too good to match how self-effacing he was. We immediately went to the CD tent and bought his album.

This was exciting to me, because until then, all my favourite music was stuff to which my dad had introduced me. My dad had a huge CD collection that I was lucky enough to be able to use as a library when I was a kid, taking CDs to my room a few at a time to play on my boom box stereo, because that’s the era in which I grew up. I hear people talk about what was the “first album” they bought, and I’m not sure what mine was, because my favourite albums as a kid were all things I didn’t have to buy as my dad just let me use them.

So when I was 13, Dave Gunning became the first music I ever got to introduce to my dad, rather than the other way around. I was so excited to play the CD for him when we got home from Nova Scotia. He asked how he didn’t already know this guy, and I said I don’t know, I can’t believe he’d missed him. My dad listened to that CD once, and immediately started looking into acquiring Gunning’s other albums, and looking up when he was performing out our way so he could see him live too.

Dave Gunning has been a staple in our family ever since. We did acquire the stuff he made before 2004 – a live album from 2002, and one from 2000 called Caught Between Shadows. He also has a couple of albums from the 90s that I have tried quite hard to find but they do not appear to exist anymore.

I have no idea how many times I’ve seen Dave Gunning live since that day in 2004, but it’s a lot. A lot of times my dad and I would see him several times in one festival, just following him from one stage to another. He was on stage at StanFest 2012 when JP Cormier made the whole crowd scream at once by telling Sudbury to shove it, and the day before that, I think I’d seen Dave Gunning play four different workshops. I have every album he’s released since Two-Bit World, and I think for all but two of them, I saw him live at least once when that album was new and he was promoting it, so I’ve seen him play most of his albums live. I’ve seen him play in fields and basements and pubs and concert halls and community centres.

I think anyone would admit that Dave Gunning does not have the blinding multi-instrumental talent of JP Cormier, because absolutely no one has the blinding multi-instrumental talent of JP Cormier. But pretty well no one can write a song like Dave Gunning. They’re deceptively simple but subtly complicated. They’re sometimes playful and sometimes contemplative and sometimes devastatingly poignant and sometimes meaningful stories and a surprising number of them are about old-timey executions.

My mother’s parents grew up as high school sweethearts in Nova Scotia, then moved all over the place as my mother was growing up, and 30 years ago retired back to rural Nova Scotia. They’ve been married for almost 67 years. This year they both turned 90 – my grandmother in November 2023 and my grandfather in January 2024. I wanted to make them something special, so I found a bunch of old pictures from when they were young, and put them together in a video to play at their birthday celebration and make my grandmother and my mother cry (that mission was very much accomplished).

There was no question about what song to use: Dave Gunning’s Saltwater Hearts, a song about an elderly Nova Scotian couple that had lived their lives by the Atlantic Ocean together. This song is off Two-Bit World, the first CD I ever bought by him, and it was one of the three songs he played the first time I ever saw him, when he opened for Bruce Guthro. The first time I ever heard that song it made me think of my grandparents, and now, 20 years later, my grandmother calls me every few weeks to tell me she’s watched the video again with the pictures and the song about her and my grandfather. Dave Gunning's music is now embedded into my family history.

I’ve written before about the kid at the centre where I work as an autism therapist, who loves music. He can only say a few words, he doesn’t have the cognitive capacity to use augmented communication, he gets overwhelmed easily and can try to hurt himself or others, and unlike a lot of the kids there, he’s not interested in toys, so there’s not much we can do to keep him happy. The only thing he really likes is music, but he loves that, so I’ve learned how to use that to help him emotionally regulate. I play him a big variety of stuff, but I think I can say Dave Gunning’s his favourite. It’s probably the stuff I play him most often. It started because Gunning’s put out a couple of Christmas albums, and I played the kid some Christmas songs because that’s good kid-friendly stuff. But then one day I accidentally put on one of Dave Gunning’s fiddle medleys, and the kid loved it, so now I play him Dave Gunning’s full catalogue, from the silly Christmas songs to the trad Celtic stuff and everything in between, and it all goes over well.

I think the kid’s favourite album is Dave Gunning’s Tribute to John Allan Cameron, which I first saw Dave Gunning promote at a bar in Halifax where he played most of the album and the crowd went wild for it and it was amazing. That album came out in 2010, four years after the death of John Allan Cameron, who was a Cape Breton guy who got credited with taking the folk songs that got sang in kitchens of Cape Breton, and playing them in public to popularize them. He died, Dave Gunning made an album with a combination of covers of songs written by John Allan Cameron and songs that John Allan Cameron liked a lot, it’s Gunning’s most traditional album because John Allen Cameron was a trad music guy, it’s also the kid’s favourite album, proving that I never had to be concerned about avoiding playing him music that would be too traditional for a kid. A silly concern, really, as I loved traditional music when I was a kid.

One time I was able to stop the kid in the middle of a meltdown by putting on The Mingulay Boat Song – he went from standing up and crying to immediately sitting down on his knees, closing his eyes, and just swaying back and forth until the song ended. Because of that kid, I’ve been listening to a lot of Dave Gunning the last eight months or so, as I’ve been playing it at work as well as at home.

I have so many memories of Dave Gunning across so many years. I remember the first time I heard his song Made on a Monday, played at some folk festival or other (I think it was the Stewart Park Festival in Perth, Ontario), which he introduced by saying he wrote it after being told to never buy a car that was made on a Monday because no one does their best work on Mondays. When I heard that song, it was the first time I ever thought, “Oh, cool, there’s an adult who knows how I feel.” I now, of course, know that the world is full of songs about teenagers who don’t fit in, it's not an unusual topic for music. But I didn’t know that when I was a teenager, because I only listened to folk music, which didn’t cover that feeling quite as often as teenage music did. So it was a revelation to hear an adult sing about feeling like you’d been made wrong.

That was the same album that had the song Big Shoes, so I’d have heard that for the first time at the same festival, in probably the same set. I don’t remember the exact circumstances around it, but I distinctly recall the first time I heard that one, sitting on a lawn chair in some field and being overwhelmed by hearing a man describe how music felt to me. Big Shoes is a song that Dave Gunning wrote about how he felt when he saw Stan Rogers and John Allan Cameron live, but I heard it and looked up at Dave Gunning and thought that’s how Dave Gunning makes me feel, as does so much else at that folk festival. “It was rock and roll to me/He might as well have been the king.” Amazing line to hear when I was 19 and had this music that I loved and shared with no one but my parents, no one at school had heard of any of it, they were all talking about their teenage bands and I just had these folk musicians who were my rock and roll. (In my late teens/early 20s I did actually get into various genres of rock music, as well as alt-country, but for the first 20-ish years I was pretty exclusively into Canadian folk music, which meant I had nothing to contribute to conversations with people my age about what we were listening to.)

Given all this, you can imagine my delight when JP Cormier and Dave Gunning put out a joint album in 2017. And you can imagine my further delight when it was even better than I’d expected, even better than the sum of its parts, it’s now one of my favourite all-time albums. And you can imagine my further delight when they put out a follow-up album in 2023 called Leather and Dust. And you can imagine my mixed emotions when, in summer 2023, my parents were in Nova Scotia at the same time as Gunning and Comier were playing a small folk festival out there to promote their new album, while I was back home and couldn’t go. Both my parents went, and I made my dad send me pictures and videos. It looked amazing.

I actually got pretty emotional about that, because I realized I’d seen almost no live music in several years, since pre-COVID. I’d taken folk festivals for granted for so much of my life, as a staple of every summer, as well as more live music sprinkled across the year. When 2020 cut all that off, I just never took up live music again. Watching short videos of my parents seeing Gunning and Cormier last year reminded me of how much I missed it.

I figured I can’t have the amazing East Coast music scene because I’m not in Nova Scotia, but they still have stuff here, so I Googled folk music in my area. Learned about a relatively new venue that plays folk music exclusively and has a monthly Celtic night. Bought tickets to that Celtic night, attended it in August 2023, loved it, resolved to take up live music again. Since then, I’ve been to a bunch of gigs at that same venue, it’s a wonderful place, I’m so glad I was prompted to discover it. A folk festival crowd all year round.

In November, I was browsing that venue’s calendar because I didn’t have a Christmas gift for my parents, and I saw that Gunning and Cormier were playing there on April 25. Perfect. I got tickets. Well, I got Garnet Rogers tickets for my mom and I, which we went to in February and that was also great. I got Gunning and Cormier tickets for my dad and I. I shared the plan with my mom and she got a ticket too.

And that is where I was a couple of nights ago. Fucking amazing night. I’m still most blown away by the harmonies. I’d never seen them play together before (not specifically as a double act, anyway – I’d seen them share stages with lots of others a few times at festivals), and it was incredible how little setup there was. I hear the magical vocal combinations on their albums, and I assume they must plan that carefully, do several takes, have to get into the zone to be able to pull that off. But nope. Live, they can be joking around with the crowd, and then two seconds later they’re playing their guitars and matching their voices perfectly. If I close my eyes it could be one person singing.

They put on a great show. JP Cormier is gruff in his inter-song patter, such a contrast to his soft and lovely singing voice. Dave Gunning talking is exactly what you’d expect from his songs, exactly what you’d expect from his gangly appearance, awkward and humble and differential to JP, but repeatedly genuinely funny. They were both funny.

They gave interesting stories to explain some of the weird shit going on in their Leather and Dust album, which was cool, because I had been wondering. It’s a wonderful album, but in some cases, fucking weird. They’re a couple of Nova Scotian folk singers, but this album contains covers of The Alan Parsons Project, this weird American guy who sang about school shootings among other things, Stompin’ Tom Connors, and The Killers. The last one being one of the few songs off Leather and Dust that they didn’t play and also didn’t acknowledge at any point, we got no explanation for why they did that. Human by The Killers – a pop/rock song that used to be inescapable on mainstream radio – is just on a Gunning and Cormier album and they felt no need to tell us why.

It reminds me a bit of that time when Great Big Sea wrote an apology for going all weird on us after they got famous in the States, and put it on the same album as a Led Zeppelin cover. To be fair Gallows Pole is a traditional song and therefore technically more in the wheelhouse of Great Big Sea than Led Zeppelin, but Robert Plant has an arranging credit on a Great Big Sea album, and that is the only case of East Coast Canadian folk musicians covering something out of character that’s more weird than Gunning and Cormier doing The Killers.

Anyway, though, the point is that the concert was great even if they didn’t explain that. Dave Gunning pulled out his Stompin’ Tom impression briefly, which reminded me of that time on his live album from 2002 when he did an entire Stompin’ Tom cover in character as his Stompin’ Tom impression, and it’s a fucking good impression. I once played that song for my mother without telling her what it was, and it took her over two minutes to realize that wasn’t the actual Stompin’ Tom singing.

James Keelaghan was in the crowd (at the gig the other night, not during the live album from 20 years ago - I mean he might have been there too, I guess), which was fucking cool, you know you're at a cool music show when other musicians you like are also there (I've been playing a bunch of James Keelaghan for the kid at work lately, it's been going down well). They even referenced something I remember from years ago! When I was a kid, I saw several folk festival workshops with Lennie Gallant and James Keelaghan on the same stage, where they'd always tell the story of how they once got into a debate about who had killed off the most people in their songs. "And I thought I'd won," Lennie would say, "Because I've written a song about the Titanic. But James wrote a song called Everyone Dies." The other night, Dave Gunning and JP Cormier made some jokes about how they keep writing songs about outlaws getting hung on guillotines, and they like to kill people off in their songs, and then they pointed at James Keelaghan and said of course, the master of killing people off in songs is here tonight. That was fun.

During the intermission, Dave Gunning came out and was walking around. JP Cormier stayed backstage, which is fair enough, and while I heard a few people asking where he was, my father commented “That’s what I’d do, if I were him, rather than go out and make small talk with strangers.” You can see why my father and I get along so well.

I’ve written before on this blog about how I get painfully star struck; the few times I have been in the same room as comedians I like, I have found it overwhelmingly scary to imagine them even briefly perceiving my presence. Last year I managed to push this aside enough to get autographs from both Josie Long and Grace Petrie at their shows, which was cool as fuck, but I did do a lot of panicking and quite literal stuttering at them and basically being an incoherent mess during our brief interactions. I do not do well with meeting famous people.

However, that doesn’t normally apply to the Canadian folk musicians. I think because I’ve been seeing them since I was a kid, so I am used them. My parents taught me the etiquette when I was young for the acceptable way to approach after a show or during intermission: buy something from their merch table – even if you already own all the CDs, buy another copy anyway as a bribe for a moment of their time and then just give it to someone as a gift or something – go over to them with a marker and ask them to sign it, politely tell them you’re a big fan and the show’s great, then run away before there’s any risk of outstaying your welcome. I’ve done it many times, I know the drill.

I think I might also be less intimidated by Canadian musicians than by British comedians because – well, I tend to operate under the assumption that if someone lives all the way in Britain but I’ve still heard of them from Canada, they must be very, very famous. While with Canadian folk musicians, I might slightly under-estimate their fame, because I live in the country where they’re from and I never meet anyone who’s heard of them (besides my parents), so they can’t be too famous to have twenty seconds to talk to me when they’re signing CDs, right? Even though of course that’s a fallacy, because these people are quite famous, just not among people my age.

Anyway, the other night, I looked over the merch table to see what was on offer. There were a bunch of CDs I already owned, and, interestingly, a couple of vinyl records. I don’t have a turntable, but I thought it would be cool to have a Gunning and Cormier vinyl album cover on my bedroom wall. Especially if it’s signed. The price was a bit steep for what I’d be essentially using as a poster, but it wouldn’t consider it too much money for a signed poster.

I bought the album and saw Dave Gunning over by the bar, talking to a woman who’d bought an album just before me and was getting it signed. I went over and stood sort of near them – close enough so I could get in there once she moved along, but I hoped, not so close that I’d seem to be awkwardly putting pressure on the situation.

As I stood there, I started to get very anxious. I’d done this many times before, but not for years (not with Canadian musicians, anyway), and I suddenly started thinking about the massive influence Dave Gunning has had on 20 years of my life and how fucking wild it was that he was just standing right there in person and how I didn’t belong here. It was the first time I’d been in a room with Dave Gunning for about five years, even though I used to see him two or three times a year. My mind started racing, and I worried about taking up too much of his time when I approached him, and then I realized the record had plastic packaging on it, and I didn’t want to make Dave Gunning wait while I took that off.

So I started taking it off while standing by the bar, making sure that when Dave Gunning was free, I could approach him, hand him the album, hand him my dad’s pen, get a signature, mumble the words “big fan”, and get out in under 20 seconds, he’d barely notice me, it would not be a big thing, it would be fine. While I was thinking this, I finally got the plastic off the album, but it turned out I was holding the case upside down, so when the plastic came off, the record fell out and loudly hit the floor.

My efforts to avoid attention had backfired, as a bunch of people in the area turned to look. Including Dave Gunning, as the woman talked to him had just wandered away and he was now free. I immediately started apologizing to the people around me, saying it’s okay, no need for a commotion, the record is fine, I’ll just pick it up. But before I could do that, Dave Gunning came over and picked up my album off the floor. He asked if it was okay, and I said yes yes it’s fine sorry it’s absolutely fine I’m so sorry yes it’s fine. Dave Gunning then walked a few paces away where there was better light, and he held up my record to the light to look for scratches. On one side, and then he turned it over to check the other side. He told me, “If there’s any damage we’ll get you another one.” I just stood there freaking out, not wanting to take up the time of an important person, but also not wanting to tell him: “Look, I basically bought this to use as a poster, I don’t even have a record player, it doesn’t matter whether or not the record itself is scratched.”

Dave Gunning finally pronounced the record unharmed, and handed it back to me. I stammered that the reason I’d unwrapped it in the first place was to ask him to sign it, and then I reached into my pocket and panicked again when I could not immediately find the pen my father had lent me for the occasion. Dave Gunning said not to worry, and then he pulled a sharpie out of his own pocket and signed the cover. Then he put the record back in the cover, handed it back to me, and showed me the correct way to hold it so nothing falls out (it turns out, for anyone who’s unaware, you’re supposed to hold it so the opening is at the top), I thanked him several times and then ran away, and realized afterward that I hadn’t even had the presence of mind to say the words “Big fan” to him.

But he was so nice. He’s so so cool. So cool. And after the concert, I stayed at my parents’ place where I was reminded that they have a turntable, so we played the record for a bit before I left for work the next morning. I ended up leaving the record itself at my parents’ place, so they can play it on their turntable. But I took the cover home.

My mother even found a couple of glass frames that are meant to hold vinyl records. Because she had two of them, she told me I could take my pick from her/my dad’s record collection and have one other record cover to put on the wall next to my new one. I picked out Ian Tyson’s Cowboyography, because it’s an iconic album that pretty much started Canadian country music in its modern form (modern form only, of course, all due respect to Hank Snow). So now I have this on my bedroom wall:

In a larger section of my bedroom wall that contains my Cape Breton Nova Scotia poster (okay, it's a dish towel that I got in my stocking at Christmas one year and decided to put up on my wall like a poster instead of using it as a dish towel), the photograph of Signal Hill in Newfoundland that my dad bought me after a trip there years ago, the old Josie Long poster that I got signed last year by both Josie Long and Grace Petrie, the printout of one of my favourite Bugle quotes, and the Nova Scotia sea glass art that my mother bought me when I graduated university:

Pretty good, I think. Solid use of bedroom wall space.

I miss live music and I'm glad I'm getting more of it back into my life. I'm planning to go back to that venue next month for their Celtic music night. Here are JP Cormier and Dave Gunning playing together at the Celtic Colours Folk Festival in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in 2018 (I wasn't there that year, but I did get there in 2019 to see JP Cormier play guitar for an entire fucking hour like the coolest person in the world):

youtube

And here they are on April 25, 2024 (I only took one quick picture and then put my phone away, I promise):

#Youtube

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rabbitcruiser · 1 month

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National Tartan Day

Research the history and culture of the Scottish people, represented by the iconic Tartan pattern often seen on kilts, blankets, and other clothing.

Get ready to celebrate National Tartan Day!

History of National Tartan Day

By 1997, the idea for the day had spread to the United States and National Tartan Day was approved by the US Congress and President, and it was first celebrated the following year on April 6.

National Tartan Day Timeline

200-300 AD Scots start wearing Tartan

Sometimes confused with the word “Plaid” (meaning blanket), Tartan is the specific pattern woven both horizontally and vertically into the fabric.

1320 Declaration of Arbroath is signed

A letter is written, on April 6, by King Robert I, responding to Pope John XXII’s demands that Scotland sign a truce in the first War of Scottish Independence.

1746 Act of Proscription takes effect

In an effort to assimilate the people of Great Britain and crush the Clans, the government makes it so that the Scottish people could not revolt–and are not even allowed to wear their Tartans.

1986 First National Tartan Day is proposed in Canada

This day is proposed for April 6 to promote Scottish Heritage in Canada, originating in Nova Scotia, which means “New Scotland”.

1998 Tartan Day is adopted in the United States

The Scottish Coalition USA met the previous year to propose following in Canada’s footsteps and Tartan Day passes legislation in Congress during this year.

How to Celebrate National Tartan Day

Wear a Tartan for National Tartan Day

Listen to Scottish Music for National Tartan Day

Enjoy Some Scottish Treats for National Tartan Day

Join in on a Celtic Festival

In addition, many pubs and bars that have Scottish roots will often host celebrations and offer discounts in honor of National Tartan Day, so be sure to check those out locally as well.

Of course, perhaps the best place to celebrate National Tartan Day might be to head on over to Scotland for a visit!

National Tartan Day FAQs

What is National Tartan Day?

National Tartan Day is a time set aside to celebrate Scottish Heritage, particularly in North America.

When is National Tartan Day?

National Tartan Day is celebrated on April 6 in Canada and the United States and on August 1 in Australia.

Why is National Tartan Day on April 6?

Canada and the United States proposed National Tartan Day for April 6 because it is the day that the Declaration of Arbroath was signed.

Is National Tartan Day a holiday?

National Tartan Day is celebrated as a recognized holiday in Canada and the United States, as well as Australia, though the date may be different.

How to celebrate National Tartan Day?

A great way to observe National Tartan Day is to enjoy celebrating all things Scottish, including wearing a Tartan or even visiting Scotland.

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cassiec1234 · 3 months

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Blog post #1

My family came from Scotland years and years ago. Coming from Scotland my family has many strong traditions that they carried with them. Over the years, these traditions have also been shaped by new cultures that were surrounded by, but I think for the most part they have stayed the same. Some examples of these traditions include Christmas traditions like spending Christmas eve and day with family, food, and music! As well as spending birthdays the same way. Another tradition is the Highland Games. Throughout Nova Scotia there is still some Highland Games put on and my family makes an effort to attend. Some traditions that were lost include wearing kilts at celebrations. However, my sister is getting marrier this summer and her fiancée is actually from Scotland and, even though she dreamed of a traditional Scottish wedding her whole life, she will get the real deal this summer with bagpipes, tartans, kilts, etc. Another thing we lost throughout the years is traditional Scottish sports like shinty, cricket, and hammer throw. Although highland dancing remained significant for us. Having grown up exposed to all of this, if I am fortunate enough to have my own family and kids one day, they will be exposed to the same sorts of traditions.

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sfppn · 6 months

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Escape to the Great White North - Day 6

Got up early so I could take some unimpeded video of the ship (which will be posted as an episode of “From the Pop Culture Bunker”).

Then we got dressed and went down for a smaller breakfast at the buffet, taking some pastries back with us and sat on the balcony. The ship doesn't dock at Halifax until mid morning. It is remarkably warm here--thanks climate change! Early predictions had it in the high 40s at Halifax, and now it's saying more like 60.

It's absolutely gorgeous this morning--just some wispy clouds.

Around 10:30 or so, the cruisers were allowed to disembark, most of them scurrying to tours, but we just decided to walk around and have lunch.

While Halifax is definitely an industrial town, the boardwalk area is just fantastic. It stretches for a mile or two, going past shops, restaurants, museums, and other businesses.

Since Nova Scotia translates to "New Scotland", there's a number of businesses that sell tartans and kilts. In the middle was an area called the Salt Yard, where there were various shacks and buildings selling food. We read about it on the Facebook group page. We always endeavor to get food that we can't get at home, so we had the following:

Poutine, Canada's national food (apart from Tim Hortons donuts I guess). French fries, cheese curds, gravy, and maybe meat if you'd like. Basically a lot of carbs and quite delicious.

A "Beaver Tail", similar in concept to an elephant ear except it has whole wheat pastry, with various stuff added to it. We had the Avalanche, which involved a cream and bits of Skor candy on it. Messy but very good.

Finally, from a host of ice cream places we could have picked from, The Fog Company. They start with an ice cream cone, then dump all sorts of stuff on it both savory and sweet-- then add cotton candy in a ring at the top of the cone itself. The various add-ons end up getting snagged in that cotton candy ring. You almost need a shower after eating this, but wow!

During our time in Halifax, we kept seeing this bizarre cargo ship that we were convinced was run by Google. It turned out to be a n unrelated company that ship huge industrial equipment.

After walking up and down the boardwalk, and checking out some of the stores, we made it back to the ship before our sugar crash kicked in. Time for a nap before dinner!

This was our second of two specialty restaurants which were included in our cruise package. We went to La Cucina, a fancy Italian spot. We stuck to our rule of eating stuff we normally wouldn't--I had calamari with a red snapper entree, which included clams and mussels. Mindy had antipasto and ravioli with beef tenderloin. It was all wonderful.

A walk around the deck later, ,we got the "sustainable cocktail of the day--a Bananaruma, which sounds promising but (at least to me) fell into the "cough syrup" category.

We sailed out into the foggy night. We're told the wind is really going to pick up and it appears to be doing so already.

Tomorrow--a rough day at sea on our way back to the states...

#escapetothegreatwhitenorth

#sfppn #escapetothegreatwhitenorth

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