Celtic Song Weekend at ECOTAY with Margaret Bennett
Sat.- Sun., August 7- 8, 2010

O teannaibh dlùth 'us togaibh fonn

(O sit closer and let us sing a song)

Come to ECOTAY Education Centre and spend a weekend of Celtic song with Margaret Bennett - renowned Scottish writer, folklorist, storyteller, ethnologist, broadcaster and singer. She is arriving here from Perthshire Scotland where her special 800^th anniversary project is collecting oral memories from rural Perthshire.

Born on the Isle of Skye, Margaret Bennett comes from a long line of Scots. Her mother a Highlander and her father a Lowlander, she was brought up in a household where singing, playing music, dancing, storytelling and ceilidhs were a way of life as were traditional crafts. Margaret claims that growing up “steeped in tradition” schooled her the best, especially at her grandparents’ home in Uig. She relates to Sir Walter Scott’s reference to his childhood where he was “fed with the legendary lore of the Borders as with a mother’s milk…”.   Margaret has tasted both Highland and Lowland in her childhood and youth and has never lost her appetite for either.

After graduating from Glasgow College of Education, Margaret followed her father to Newfoundland where she took her first teaching job. Soon afterwards, she completed a BA in education and a MA in folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Then, after working as an ethnologist at the Canadian Museum of Civilization she returned to Scotland to work in the Scottish Education Department where she set up a unit for children with learning disabilities and developed a curriculum that included many aspects of folklore such as singing, dancing and music. She later lectured in Scottish ethnology for eleven years at University of Edinburgh, during which time she completed a PhD in this subject. She also became an honorary research fellow at the University of Glasgow.

As a singer, Margaret has produced several CD’s and has appeared at key folk festivals in Scotland, and many in North America including Mariposa, Atlantic Folk Festival and National Folk Festival of America. She has enjoyed residencies at Pinewoods; the Appalachian-Scottish Summer School at East Tennessee State University; Warren Wilson College, North Carolina; and the Augusta Heritage Centre, West Virginia.

Her prize-winning books include Oatmeal and the Catechism (1999), The Last Stronghold:  Scottish Gaelic Traditions in Newfoundland, (1989), and Scottish Customs from the Cradle to the Grave, (2004). CD collaborations with her late son, Martyn, feature in theatre and film, (including ‘The Black Watch’). Activities for ‘Homecoming Scotland 2009’ include Celtic Connections (Glasgow), ‘Burns 250’ (Washington, DC) and Ullapool Book Festival.

She is the recipient of many prestigious awards including master music maker Award (1998); Exceptional Celtic Woman Award (2003) and Honorary Life Member of the Traditional Music and Song Association of Scotland (2007).

In the words of the late Hamish Henderson, internationally distinguished poet and folklorist, “Margaret embodies all that is best of the spirit of Scotland.”

Margaret will lead singers of all ages and levels  through a variety of a series of Scots, Gaelic and Irish song masterclasses with a Saturday evening ceilidh showcasing all participants. Visit her at www.margaretbennett.co.uk

Agenda:
Saturday, August 7 
11am-5pm     Light lunch and refreshments included
5-7pm             Potluck Dinner (optional)
7:30 pm          Margaret’s Ceilidh   (Free -open to participants, family & friends)

Sunday, , August 8      
1- 4 pm           “Sing It Over” Workshop

 Cost is $60. per person for the weekend. Please reserve by July 31 by calling Michael Glover at 613-267-6391 or emailing him at michaelglover@ecotay.com.