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161-814: Scottish Gaels were settled in Nova Scotia from 1773, with the arrival of the ship Hector and continuing until the 1850s. Gaelic has been spoken since then in Nova Scotia on Cape Breton Island and on the northeastern mainland of the province. Scottish Gaelic is a member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages and the Canadian dialects have their origins in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland . The parent language developed out of Middle Irish and

322-402: A bullock for the winter consumption; the farm or estate supplies them with abundance of butter , cheese, etc., etc. Their houses are small but comfortable, having a ground floor and garret, with regular chimney and glass windows. The appearance of the people is at all times respectable, but I was delighted at seeing them at church on a Sunday; the men clothed in good English cloth, and many of

483-578: A colony at the forks of the Red River , in what would become Manitoba . With the help of his employee and friend, Archibald McDonald , Selkirk sent over 70 Scottish settlers, many of whom spoke only Gaelic, and had them establish a small farming colony there. The settlement soon attracted local First Nations groups, resulting in an unprecedented interaction of Scottish ( Lowland , Highland , and Orcadian ), English , Cree , French , Ojibwe , Saulteaux , and Métis traditions all in close contact. In

644-517: A 2017 article about Scottish Gaelic erotic literature , Peter Mackay suggested that Iseabail may have been following the established tradition in Scottish Renaissance literature of exposing, mocking, and criticizing the sexual sins of priests and consecrated religious. Mackay conceded, however, that Iseabail's poem could just as easily be an unashamed celebration of female promiscuity and lust. The poet Walter Kennedy (d. 1518?), who

805-614: A Gaelic-speaking Presbyterian minister from Orwell , Queen's County , Prince Edward Island , published a small, vanity press booklet titled, An Cuimhneachain: Òrain Céilidh Gàidheal Cheap Breatuinn agus Eilean-an-Phrionnsa ("The Remembrance: Céilidh Songs of the Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island Gaels") in Quincy, Massachusetts . Due to Rev. Lamont's pamphlet, the most complete versions survive of

966-442: A day's time, and upon their backs with a stone upon their belly, and [their] Plaids about their heads, and their eyes being cover'd they pump their brains for rhetorical encomium or panegyric ; and indeed they furnish such a style from this dark cell as is understood by very few; and indeed if they purchase a couple of horses as the reward of their meditation, they think they have done a great matter." Nevertheless, interest in

1127-639: A homesteader in Cape Breton and in Antigonish County . The most prolific emigre poet was John MacLean of Caolas , Tiree , the former Chief Bard to the 15th Chief of Clan MacLean of Coll , who emigrated with his family to Nova Scotia in 1819. MacLean, whom Robert Dunbar once dubbed, "perhaps the most important of all the poets who emigrated during the main period of Gaelic overseas emigration", composed one of his most famous song-poems, Òran do dh' Aimearaga ("A Song to America"), which

1288-523: A lesser extent silica , peat and barite , is also a significant sector. Since 1991, offshore oil and gas has become an important part of the economy, although production and revenue are now declining. However, agriculture remains an important sector in the province, particularly in the Annapolis Valley . Nova Scotia's defence and aerospace sector generates approximately $ 500 million in revenues and contributes about $ 1.5 billion to

1449-673: A member of Clan MacLeod from the Isle of Harris . Iain Lom (c. 1624–c. 1710), a senior member of Clan MacDonald of Keppoch from Lochaber , was a Royalist poet and was appointed poet laureate of Scotland by King Charles II during the Restoration . Iain Lom recited a Gaelic eulogy at the King's coronation, and remained loyal to the House of Stuart even after their overthrow in 1688 , opposing

1610-729: A poem describing his first winter there survives. Anna NicGillìosa emigrated from Morar to Glengarry County, Ontario in 1786 and a Gaelic poem in praise of her new home also survives. Lord Selkirk 's settler Calum Bàn MacMhannain , alias Malcolm Buchanan, left behind the song-poem Òran an Imrich ("The Song of Emigration"), which describes his 1803 voyage from the Isle of Skye to Belfast , Prince Edward Island and his impressions of his new home as Eilean an Àigh ("The Island of Prosperity"). Ailean a' Ridse MacDhòmhnaill (Allan The Ridge MacDonald) emigrated with his family from Ach nan Comhaichean, Glen Spean , Lochaber to Mabou , Nova Scotia in 1816 and composed many works of Gaelic poetry as

1771-539: A population of 969,383. Of the 958,990 singular responses to the census question concerning mother tongue , the most commonly reported languages were: Figures shown are for the number of single-language responses and the percentage of total single-language responses. Nova Scotia is home to the largest Scottish Gaelic -speaking community outside of Scotland, with a small number of native speakers in Pictou County , Antigonish County , and Cape Breton Island , and

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1932-406: A rapidly developing Information & Communication Technology (ICT) sector which consists of over 500 companies, and employs roughly 15,000 people. In 2006, the manufacturing sector brought in over $ 2.6 billion in chained GDP, the largest output of any industrial sector in Nova Scotia. Michelin remains by far the largest single employer in this sector, operating three production plants in

2093-643: A school run by the Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge at Kilchoan, the bard compiled the first secular book in Scottish Gaelic to be printed: Leabhar a Theagasc Ainminnin (1741), a Gaelic-English glossary. The second secular book in Scottish Gaelic, which Alasdair published after serving as a Jacobite Army officer and teacher of the Gaelic language to Prince Charles Edward Stuart ,

2254-667: A series of six wars took place between the English and the French , with Nova Scotia being a consistent theatre of conflict between the two powers. Hostilities between England and France in North America resumed from 1702 to 1713, known as Queen Anne's War . The siege of Port Royal took place in 1710, ending French rule in peninsular Acadia. The subsequent signing of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 formally recognized British rule in

2415-670: A similar role in the Highlands and Islands into the eighteenth century. They often trained in bardic schools. A few of these, like the one run by the MacMhuirich dynasty, who were bards to the Lord of the Isles , continued until they were suppressed from the seventeenth century. Members of bardic schools were trained in the strict metres , rooted in Irish bardic poetry . Much of their work

2576-478: A tha thu, seann leannan?" Gun do shìn mi mo làmh dhi, 's thug mi dha dhe na crathadh. ... Fhreagair ise gu nàimhdeil: "You're a Scotchman I reckon. I don't know your Gaelic, Perhaps you are from Cape Breton." I welcomed her with affection: "How are you old sweetheart?" I held out my hand, But she ignored it. ... She answered haughtily: "You're a Scotchman I reckon. I don't know your Gaelic, Perhaps you are from Cape Breton." With

2737-478: A way normally reserved for much higher level members of the Scottish nobility . However, Rob Donn made an extremely, "uncharacteristic choice", for the writer of a Gaelic elegy or work of praise poetry . Rob Donn underlined his praise of Iain mac Eachainn, "by referring to the shortcomings of others... of his class. Here is a tacksman who is not simply concerned to gather wealth, but who is ready to share it with

2898-689: A weekly, but reduced its frequency to biweekly over time. Later, during the 1920s, several new Scottish Gaelic-language newspapers launched, including the Teachdaire nan Gàidheal ( lit.   ' The Messenger of the Gaels ' ), which included Gaelic-language lessons; the United Church -affiliated An Solus Iùil ( lit.   ' The Guiding Light ' ); and MacKinnon's later endeavor, Fear na Cèilidh ( lit.   ' The Entertainer ' ). In 1917, Rev. Murdoch Lamont (1865–1927),

3059-463: Is Kintail -born Iain mac Mhurchaidh , descendant of the Clan Macrae tacksmen of Inverinate , who emigrated at the urging of Rev. John Bethune to a homestead along McLendons Creek , in what is now Moore County, North Carolina , around 1774. He continued composing Gaelic-poetry there until his death around 1780. In the traditional Scottish culture of the Highlands and Islands , hunting

3220-700: Is Scottish (30.0%), followed by English (28.9%), Irish (21.6%), French (16.5%), German (10.7%), First Nations (5.4%), Dutch (3.5%), Métis (2.9%), and Acadian (2.6%). 42.6% of respondents identified their ethnicity as " Canadian ". As of the 2021 Canadian Census , the ten most spoken languages in the province included English (951,945 or 99.59%), French (99,300 or 10.39%), Arabic (11,745 or 1.23%), Hindi (10,115 or 1.06%), Spanish (8,675 or 0.91%), Mandarin (8,525 or 0.89%), Punjabi (6,730 or 0.7%), German (6,665 or 0.7%), Miꞌkmaq (5,650 or 0.59%), and Tagalog (5,595 or 0.59%). The question on knowledge of languages allows for multiple responses. The 2021 Canadian census showed

3381-515: Is also known as A Choille Ghruamach ("The Gloomy Forest"), after emigrating from Scotland to Canada. The poem has since been collected and recorded from seanchaithe in both Scotland and the New World. According to Michael Newton, however, A' Choille Ghruamach , which is, "an expression of disappointment and regret", ended upon becoming, "so well established in the emigrant repertoire that it easily eclipses his later songs taking delight in

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3542-687: Is believed to have been spoken by more than 200,000 British North Americans at that time. A large population who spoke the related Irish immigrated to Scots Gaelic communities and to Irish settlements in Newfoundland . In Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton and Glengarry there were large areas of Gaelic unilingualism, and communities of Gaelic-speakers had established themselves in northeastern Nova Scotia (around Pictou and Antigonish ); in Glengarry, Stormont, Grey, and Bruce Counties in Ontario; in

3703-553: Is closely related to modern Irish . The Canadian branch is a close cousin of the Irish language in Newfoundland . At its peak in the mid-19th century, there were as many as 200,000 speakers of Scottish Gaelic and Newfoundland Irish together, making it the third-most-spoken European language in Canada after English and French . In Atlantic Canada today, there are approximately 2,000 speakers, mainly in Nova Scotia. In terms of

3864-577: Is directly translated as "New Scotland" (French: Nouvelle-Écosse . Canadian Gaelic: Alba Nuadh ). In general, Latin and Slavic languages use a direct translation of "New Scotland", while most other languages use direct transliterations of the Latin/English name. The province was first named in the 1621 Royal Charter granting to Sir William Alexander the right to settle lands as a Scottish colony, including modern Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island , Prince Edward Island , New Brunswick and

4025-400: Is illiterate but fluent in Gaelic, and composes his poetry to be sung, to be performed, as music; with Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair and The Birlinn of Clanranald you have an extremely sophisticated poet who reads fluently in a number of languages. So he's familiar with Homer and Virgil and the great epics of classical literature . He's familiar with poetry being written in English at

4186-411: Is increased by the fact that, "He was the only Jacobite leader who was a Gaelic poet. His Gaelic verse shows a polish and an elegance not possessed by his contemporaries, and it is much to be regretted that so few of his compositions have survived. He does not seem to have possessed the knowledge of writing his mother tongue . His two poems on Culloden are of great historical interest, revealing as they do

4347-438: Is more than 67 km (42 mi) from the ocean. Cape Breton Island , a large island to the northeast of the Nova Scotia mainland, is also part of the province, as is Sable Island , a small island notorious for being the site of offshore shipwrecks, approximately 175 km (110 mi) from the province's southern coast. Nova Scotia has many ancient fossil-bearing rock formations. These formations are particularly rich on

4508-571: Is notable for containing poetry by at least four women. These include Aithbhreac Inghean Coirceadal (f. 1460), who after being widowed composed a lament addressed to the rosary of her late husband, a Tacksman of Clan MacNeil and the constable of Castle Sween . The same book also includes three poems by Iseabail Ní Mheic Cailéin , the daughter of Colin Campbell , Earl of Argyll and Chief of Clan Campbell (died 1493). Iseabail married William Drummond, Chief of Clan Drummond . She became

4669-566: Is the lament, Cuachag nan Craobh ("Cuckoo of the Tree"), the tune of which is now known throughout the Anglosphere as The Skye Boat Song , based on multiple sets of Scottish English lyrics composed a century later. More recently, William Ross' poetry was a major influence upon Sorley MacLean , who remains one of the most important figures in 20th century Gaelic literature. MacLean considered William Ross' last song, Òran Eile , "one of

4830-538: Is traditionally sung after scoring a touchdown in football matches. The university's team is nicknamed the Golden Gaels . The Gaelic character of Nova Scotia has influenced that province's industry and traditions. Glen Breton Rare , produced in Cape Breton, is one of the very few single malt whiskies to be made outside Scotland. Gaelic settlers in Nova Scotia adapted the popular Highland winter sport of shinty ( Scottish Gaelic : camanachd, iomain ), which

4991-474: The maide-crochaidh ('hanging stick') if caught speaking Gaelic. Job opportunities for unilingual Gaels were few and restricted to the dwindling Gaelic-communities, compelling most into the mines or the fishery . Many saw English fluency as the key to success, and for the first time in Canadian history Gaelic-speaking parents were teaching their children to speak English en masse. The sudden stop of Gaelic language acquisition , caused by shame and prejudice,

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5152-836: The American Civil War (1861–1865), primarily on behalf of the North . The British Empire (including Nova Scotia) declared itself neutral in the conflict. As a result, Britain (and Nova Scotia) continued to trade with both the South and the North. Nova Scotia's economy boomed during the Civil War. Soon after the American Civil War, Pro-Canadian Confederation premier Charles Tupper led Nova Scotia into Canadian Confederation on 1 July 1867, along with New Brunswick and

5313-511: The Bank of Nova Scotia , Cunard Line , Alexander Keith's Brewery, Morse's Tea Company (first tea company in Canada), among others. Nova Scotia became a world leader in both building and owning wooden sailing ships in the second half of the 19th century. Nova Scotia produced internationally recognized shipbuilders Donald McKay and William Dawson Lawrence . The fame Nova Scotia achieved from sailors

5474-699: The Battle of Fort Cumberland (1776) and at the Siege of Saint John (1777) . Throughout the war, American privateers devastated the maritime economy by capturing ships and looting almost every community outside of Halifax. These American raids alienated many sympathetic or neutral Nova Scotians into supporting the British. By the end of the war, Nova Scotia had outfitted numerous privateers to attack American shipping. British military forces based at Halifax succeeded in preventing an American occupation of Nova Scotia, though

5635-523: The Bay of Fundy 's shores. Blue Beach near Hantsport , Joggins Fossil Cliffs , on the Bay of Fundy 's shores, has yielded an abundance of Carboniferous -age fossils. Wasson's Bluff, near the town of Parrsboro , has yielded both Triassic - and Jurassic -age fossils. The highest point is White Hill at 533 m (1,749 ft) above sea level, situated amongst the Cape Breton Highlands in

5796-710: The Codroy Valley of Newfoundland; in Winnipeg, Manitoba ; and Eastern Quebec . In 1890, Thomas Robert McInnes , an independent Senator from British Columbia (born Lake Ainslie , Cape Breton Island) tabled a bill entitled "An Act to Provide for the Use of Gaelic in Official Proceedings." He cited the ten Scottish and eight Irish senators who spoke Gaelic, and 32 members of the House of Commons of Canada who spoke either Scottish Gaelic or Irish. The bill

5957-658: The Colony of North Carolina . He had no intention of going alone and composed many Gaelic poems and songs in which he urged his friends and relations to join him. In those poems, like many other Gaelic poets who were urging emigration during the same era, Iain mac Mhuirchaidh complained that warriors were no longer valued and that greed had come to mean more to the Chiefs and the Tacksmen than honor, family, or clan ties. Iain mac Mhurchaidh always concluded his poems by arguing that

6118-614: The Eastern Townships of Quebec , Atlantic Canada is the only area in North America where Scottish Gaelic continues to be spoken as a community language, especially in Cape Breton. Even there the use of the language is precarious and its survival is being fought for. Even so, the Canadian Gàidhealtachd communities have contributed many great figures to the history of Scottish Gaelic literature , including Ailean a' Ridse MacDhòmhnaill and John MacLean during

6279-578: The Eastern Townships of Quebec . Following an 1814 visit from Scotland to the settlement in Glengarry County, Ontario , Dr. D. MacPherson wrote, "You might travel over the whole of the County and by far the greater part of Stormont , without hearing anything spoken except the good Gaelic. Every family, even of the lowest order, has a landed property of 200 acres... However poor the family (but indeed there are none that can be called so) they kill

6440-661: The Gaels would do well to abandon such a corrupted nobility and emigrate to the New World . During the American Revolution , Iain mac Mhuirchaidh and his son Murdo Macrae fought as a Loyalist soldiers in the famous Highland charge at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in February 1776. Even though his son fell, Iain mac Mhurchaidh later fought again as a Loyalist under the command of Major Patrick Ferguson at

6601-609: The Gaspé Peninsula . Nova Scotia is Canada's second-smallest province in area, after Prince Edward Island . It is surrounded by four major bodies of water: the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the north, the Bay of Fundy to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southwest, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The province's mainland is the Nova Scotia peninsula and includes numerous bays and estuaries. Nowhere in Nova Scotia

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6762-492: The Gaspé Peninsula . The Mi'kmaq people are part of the large Algonquian-language family and inhabited Nova Scotia at the time the first European colonists arrived. Research published in 1871 as well as S. T. Rand's work from 1894 showed that some Mi’kmaq believed they had emigrated from the west, and then lived alongside the Kwēdĕchk, the original inhabitants. The two tribes engaged in a war that lasted "many years", and involved

6923-553: The Halifax Explosion . In April 2004, the Nova Scotia legislature adopted a resolution explicitly inviting the government of the Turks and Caicos Islands to explore the possibility of joining Canada as part of that Province . In April 2020, a killing spree occurred across the province and became the deadliest rampage in Canada's history. According to the 2016 Canadian census the largest ethnic group in Nova Scotia

7084-527: The Hudson's Bay Company was given exclusive trading rights to all North American lands draining into Hudson Bay – about 3.9 million km (1.5 million sq mi – an area larger than India). Many of the traders who came in the later 18th and 19th centuries were Gaelic speakers from the Scottish Highlands who brought their language to the interior. Those who intermarried with

7245-719: The Jacobite rising of 1715 . The most iconic poem by Sìleas, however, inspired by the events of the Uprising was only completed many years later. When Ailean Dearg, the Chief of Clan Macdonald of Clanranald had been mortally wounded at the Battle of Sherrifmuir , Alasdair Dubh, 11th Chief of Clan MacDonald of Glengarry rallied the faltering warriors of Clan Donald by throwing up his blue bonnet and crying "Buillean an-diugh, tuiream a-màireach!" ("Blows today, mourning tomorrow!"). Following Alasdair Dubh's death (c. 1721 or 1724), he

7406-400: The Jacobite risings , which Campbell has accordingly termed, "a natural reaction." In the song Là Sliabh an t-Siorraim , Sìleas na Ceapaich , the daughter of the 15th Chief of Clan MacDonald of Keppoch , sings of the joy upon the arrival of Prince James Francis Edward Stuart , the indecisive Battle of Sheriffmuir and the state of uneasy anticipation between the battle and the end of

7567-510: The Kingdom of Scotland , and traced its origin to Cínaed mac Ailpín (Kenneth MacAlpin) in the 840s through the House of Alpin . The Kingdom of Alba was overwhelmingly an oral society dominated by Gaelic culture. Fuller sources for Ireland of the same period suggest that there would have been filidh , who acted as poets, musicians and historians, often attached to the court of a lord or king, and passed on their knowledge and culture in Gaelic to

7728-768: The Naval battle off Cape Breton (1781). After the Americans and their French allies won at the siege of Yorktown in 1781, approximately 33,000 Loyalists (the King's Loyal Americans, allowed to place " United Empire Loyalist " after their names) settled in Nova Scotia (14,000 of them in what became New Brunswick) on lands granted by the Crown as some compensation for their losses. (The British administration divided Nova Scotia and hived off Cape Breton and New Brunswick in 1784). The Loyalist exodus created new communities across Nova Scotia, including Shelburne , which briefly became one of

7889-749: The Nova Scotia Gaelic College at St Ann's in 1939. St Francis Xavier University in Antigonish has a Celtic Studies department with Gaelic-speaking faculty members, and is the only such university department outside Scotland to offer four full years of Scottish Gaelic instruction. Eòin Boidhdeach of Antigonish published the monthly Gaelic magazine An Cuairtear Òg Gaelach ( lit.   ' The Gaelic Tourist ' ) around 1851. The world's longest-running Gaelic periodical, Mac-Talla ( lit.   ' The Echo ' ),

8050-509: The Nova Scotia peninsula and Cape Breton Island , as well as 3,800 other coastal islands. The province is connected to the rest of Canada by the Isthmus of Chignecto , on which the province's land border with New Brunswick is located. Nova Scotia's capital and largest municipality is Halifax , which is home to over 45% of the province's population as of the 2021 census . Halifax is the twelfth-largest census metropolitan area in Canada,

8211-519: The Port of Halifax received 261,000 passengers and Sydney 69,000. This industry contributes approximately $ 1.3 billion annually to the economy. A 2008 Nova Scotia tourism campaign included advertising a fictional mobile phone called Pomegranate and establishing website, which after reading about "new phone" redirected to tourism info about region. Scottish Gaelic literature Scottish Gaelic literature refers to literary works composed in

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8372-678: The Province of Canada . The Anti-Confederation Party was led by Joseph Howe . Almost three months later, in the election of 18 September 1867, the Anti-Confederation Party won 18 out of 19 federal seats, and 36 out of 38 seats in the provincial legislature. Throughout the 19th century, numerous businesses developed in Nova Scotia became of pan-Canadian and international importance: the Starr Manufacturing Company (first ice skate manufacturer in Canada),

8533-463: The Romantic poet William Ross , who is, according to Derick S. Thomson , "justly regarded as the leading poet of love of the eighteenth century." Despite being widely viewed as a, "love-lorn romantic who died of unrequited love " for the noblewoman Mòr Ros (Lady Marion Ross), William Ross was very capable of poking fun at himself, as he did in the self- flyting poem Òran eadar am Bàrd agus Cailleach-mhilleadh-nan-dàn ("Exchange of Verses between

8694-427: The Royal Navy failed to establish naval supremacy in the region. While the British captured many American privateers in battles such as the Naval battle off Halifax (1782), many more continued attacks on shipping and settlements until the final months of the war. The Royal Navy struggled to maintain British supply lines, defending British convoys from American and French attacks as in the fiercely fought convoy battle,

8855-435: The Scottish Gaelic language, which is, like Irish and Manx , a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages . Gaelic literature was also composed in Gàidhealtachd communities throughout the global Scottish diaspora where the language has been and is still spoken. In early Middle Ages what is now Scotland was culturally and politically divided. In the West were the Gaels of Dál Riata , who had close links with

9016-451: The Williamites and later, in his vituperative Òran an Aghaidh an Aonaidh , denouncing the 1707 Act of Union . The use of Scottish Gaelic suffered when Highlanders were persecuted after the Battle of Culloden in 1746, and during the Highland Clearances . The efforts of the Government to abolish the Gaelic language, however, dated back much earlier. According to Marcus Tanner, the Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge

9177-481: The clan system of Gaelic Ireland , from whence they had migrated and brought with them the name of Scots. Very few works of Gaelic poetry survive from the early Medieval period, and most of these are in Irish manuscripts. There are works of Christian poetry that can be identified as Scottish, including the Elegy for St Columba by Dallán Forgaill (c. 597) and "In Praise of St Columba" by Beccan mac Luigdech of Rùm , c. 677. A series of anecdotes contained in

9338-667: The oral poetry composed in Gaelic upon Prince Edward Island . Despite the long history of Gaels and their language and culture in Canada, the Gaelic speech population started to decline after 1850. This drop was a result of prejudice (both from outside, and from within the Gaelic community itself), aggressive dissuasion in school and government, and the perceived prestige of English. Gaelic has faced widespread prejudice in Great Britain for generations, and those feelings were easily transposed to British North America . The fact that Gaelic had not received official status in its homeland made it easier for Canadian legislators to disregard

9499-479: The "slaughter of men, women, and children, and torture of captives", and the eventual displacement of the Kwēdĕchk by the victorious Mi’kmaq. The first Europeans to settle the area were the French, who sailed into the Annapolis Basin in 1604, but chose to settle at Saint Croix Island in Maine instead. They abandoned the Maine settlement the following year and, in 1605, established a settlement at Port Royal , which grew into modern-day Annapolis Royal . This would be

9660-450: The 1840s, Toronto Anglican priest John Black was sent to preach to the settlement, but "his lack of the Gaelic was at first a grievous disappointment" to parishioners. With continuing immigration the population of Scots colonists grew to more than 300, but by the 1860s the French–Métis outnumbered the Scots, and tensions between the two groups would prove a major factor in the ensuing Red River Rebellion . The continuing association between

9821-426: The 18th century, and to a much lesser extent the provinces of New Brunswick , Newfoundland and Labrador (especially the Codroy Valley ), Manitoba and Alberta . Gaelic-speaking poets in communities across Canada have produced a large and significant branch of Scottish Gaelic literature comparable to that of Scotland itself. In 1621, King James VI of Scotland allowed privateer William Alexander to establish

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9982-406: The 1951 Edinburgh People's Festival Ceilidh, Hamish Henderson , who erroneously believed the poem to be about subsequent Whig Chief Norman MacLeod , who is still known in Gaelic as An Droch Dhuine ("The Wicked Man"), said, "It's one of the great songs in the Gaelic tongue, and the poetic concept in it is very great. The poet says that he left the castle, and he found on the slopes of the mountain

10143-520: The 2011 census, the largest denominations by number of adherents were Christians with 78.2%. About 21.18% were non-religious and 1% were Muslims . Jews , Hindus , and Sikhs constitute around 0.20%. In 1871, the largest religious denominations were Presbyterian with 103,500 (27%); Roman Catholic with 102,000 (26%); Baptist with 73,295 (19%); Anglican with 55,124 (14%); Methodist with 40,748 (10%), Lutheran with 4,958 (1.3%); and Congregationalist with 2,538 (0.65%). Nova Scotia's per capita GDP in 2016

10304-440: The Atlantic coast experience warmer summers more typical of inland areas, and winter lows are a little colder. On 12 August 2020, the community of Grand Étang, famous for its Les Suêtes winds, recorded a balmy overnight low of 23.3 °C (73.9 °F) The province includes regions of the Mi'kmaq nation of Mi'kma'ki ( mi'gama'gi ), the territory of which extends across the Maritimes, parts of Maine , Newfoundland and

10465-446: The Bard denounced the banning of Highland dress and mocked the Lowland garb that was replacing it. Rob Donn considered the Dress Act to be so insulting that he urged Clan MacKay to change its allegiance from King George II to Prince Charles Edward Stuart . When Robb Donn's patron, Ian mac Eachainn MacAoidh, died in 1757, Rob Donn praised the Clan MacKay tacksman of Strathmore ( Scottish Gaelic : An Srath Mòr ), in poetry, in

10626-454: The Big Sand ( Scottish Gaelic : Gainmheach Mhòr ) of Gairloch, is, according to Ronald Black, "as succinct a description as we have of the great festive shinty matches of the past." William Ross is said to have burned all his manuscripts, but his verses survived in Gairloch as oral poetry . They were ultimately written down by John MacKenzie from the dictation of those who had memorized them and published posthumously. His most famous song

10787-402: The British deported the Acadians and recruited New England Planters to resettle the colony. The 75-year period of war ended with the Halifax Treaties between the British and the Mi'kmaq (1761). After the war, some Acadians were allowed to return. In 1763, most of Acadia (Cape Breton Island, St. John's Island (now Prince Edward Island), and New Brunswick) became part of Nova Scotia. In 1765,

10948-414: The Clanranald Bard as one of the two greatest Scottish poets in any language . MacPherson also wrote, "It is a national disgrace that there is no national monument to Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair... I have no hesitation in saying that Alasdair is a seminal figure in the history of this country, for just as Robert Burns helped preserve the Scots language , so did Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair perform

11109-451: The Classical tradition, which had used syllabic metres ( Dán Díreach ), vernacular poets tended to use less complex forms of stressed metres ( Scottish Gaelic : Òran ) rooted in the repertoire of traditional singers . However, they shared with the Classic poets a set of complex metaphors and role, as the verse was still often panegyric. A number of these vernacular poets were women, such as Màiri nighean Alasdair Ruaidh (c. 1615–1707),

11270-438: The French and Acadians lived in Nova Scotia, nine significant military clashes took place as the English, Dutch, French and Mi'kmaq fought for possession of the area. These encounters happened at Port Royal, Saint John , Cap de Sable (present-day Pubnico to Port La Tour, Nova Scotia ), Jemseg (1674 and 1758) and Baleine (1629). The Acadian Civil War took place from 1640 to 1645. Beginning with King William's War in 1688,

11431-469: The Gaelic communities in Nova Scotia and their prosperity." In the Highlands and Islands , MacLean is commonly known as "The Poet to the Laird of Coll" ( Bàrd Thighearna Chola ) or as "John, son of Allan" ( Iain mac Ailein ). In Nova Scotia, he is known colloquially today as, "The Bard MacLean" ( Am Bàrd MacGilleain ) or as "The Barney's River Poet" ( Bàrd Abhainn Bhàrnaidh ), after MacLean's original family homestead in Pictou County, Nova Scotia . With

11592-572: The Isles, and released via the printing press in 1567. This is considered the first printed book in Scottish Gaelic though the language heavily resembles Classical Irish . By the early modern era Gaelic had been in geographical decline for three centuries and had begun to be a minority language , which was increasingly confined to the Highlands and Islands. The traditions and educational roots of Classical Gaelic rooted in Irish bardic poetry survived much longer in Scotland than in Ireland, with

11753-519: The Pillaging"). Other Scottish Gaelic poets produced laments on the Jacobite defeats of 1715 and 1745 . Maighread nighean Lachlainn and Catriona Nic Fhearghais are among the female poets who reflected on the crushing effects of the aftermath of the Jacobite risings. A consequent sense of desolation pervaded the works of Scottish Gaelic writers such as Dughall Bochanan which mirrored many of

11914-627: The Poet and the Hag -who-spoils-poems"). His poetic range also covered Scotch whisky , chasing girls, and an iconic lament over the death in exile of Prince Charles Edward Stuart in 1788. According to John Lorne Campbell, William Ross' Gaelic lament for the Prince, which begins "Soraidh bhuan do'n t-Suaithneas Bhàn", ("Farewell to the White Cockade"), "is at once the Prince's only true elegy and

12075-536: The Scottish Gaels that followed the Battle of Culloden and on mundane topics such as old age and whiskey . Among MacCodrum's most popular anti-landlord poems mocks Aonghus MacDhòmhnaill, the post-Culloden tacksman of Griminish. It is believed to date from between 1769 and 1773, when overwhelming numbers of Sir Alexander MacDonald's tenants on the isles of North Uist and Skye were reacting to his rackrenting and other harsh treatments by immigrating to

12236-592: The Selkirk colonists and surrounding First Nations groups evolved into a unique contact language . Used primarily by the Anglo– and Scots–Métis traders, the " Red River Dialect " or Bungi was a mixture of Gaelic and English with many terms borrowed from the local native languages. Whether the dialect was a trade pidgin or a fully developed mixed language is unknown. Today the Scots–Métis have largely been absorbed by

12397-528: The audience immediately erupted into loud cheers. Nova Scotia Recognized Regional Languages: Nova Scotia is a province of Canada , located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and most populous province in Atlantic Canada , with an estimated population of over 1 million as of 2024; it is also the second-most densely populated province in Canada, and second-smallest province by area. The province comprises

12558-722: The brutality of the evictions was later submitted anonymously to Pàdraig MacNeacail, the editor of the column in Canadian Gaelic in which the poem was later published in the Nova Scotia newspaper The Casket . The poem, which is believed to draw upon eyewitness accounts, is believed to be the only Gaelic-language source relating to the evictions in Glencalvie. By 1850, Gaelic was the third most-common mother tongue in British North America after English and French (when excluding Indigenous languages), and

12719-727: The capture of Port Royal in 1710, Francis Nicholson announced it would be renamed Annapolis Royal in honour of Queen Anne . As a result of Father Rale's War (1722–1725), the Mi'kmaq signed a series of treaties with the British in 1725. The Mi'kmaq signed a treaty of submission to the British crown. However, conflict between the Acadians, Mi'kmaq, French and the British persisted in the following decades with King George's War (1744–1748). Father Le Loutre's War (1749–1755) began when Edward Cornwallis arrived to establish Halifax with 13 transports on 21 June 1749. A General Court, made up of

12880-598: The concerns of domestic speakers. Legislators questioned why "privileges should be asked for Highland Scotchmen in [the Canadian Parliament] that are not asked for in their own country". Politicians who themselves spoke the language held opinions that would today be considered misinformed; Lunenburg Senator Henry Kaulback , in response to Thomas Robert McInnes 's Gaelic bill, described the language as only "well suited to poetry and fairy tales". The belief that certain languages had inherent strengths and weaknesses

13041-467: The continental climate are moderated by the ocean. However, winters are cold enough to be classified as continental—still being nearer the freezing point than inland areas to the west. The Nova Scotian climate is in many ways similar to the central Baltic Sea coast in Northern Europe, only wetter and snowier. This is true although Nova Scotia is some fifteen parallels further south. Areas not on

13202-472: The county of Sunbury was created. This included the territory of present-day New Brunswick and eastern Maine as far as the Penobscot River . In 1769, St. John's Island became a separate colony. The American Revolution (1775–1783) had a significant impact on shaping Nova Scotia, with the colony initially displaying ambivalence over whether the colony should join the revolution; Rebellion flared at

13363-546: The dark, "to avoid the distraction which light and the variety of objects represented commonly occasions" and to concentrate solely, "upon the subject at hand and the theme given". In the Scottish Highlands and Islands , where Irish-inspired bardic schools survived until well into the 18th-century, Martin Martin described Gaelic poetry composition practices as almost identical, "They shut their doors and windows for

13524-630: The days of early settlement and Lewis MacKinnon, whose Canadian Gaelic poetry was awarded the Bardic Crown ( Scottish Gaelic : Crùn na Bàrdachd ) by An Comunn Gàidhealach at the 2011 Royal National Mòd at Stornoway , Isle of Lewis . The Gaelic cultural identity community is a part of Nova Scotia's diverse peoples and communities. Thousands of Nova Scotians attend Gaelic-related activities and events annually including: language workshops and immersions, milling frolics, square dances, fiddle and piping sessions, concerts and festivals. Up until about

13685-515: The depth of bitterness that was felt towards the Prince's lieutenant general, Lord George Murray , by a section of the Jacobite leaders." Due to the often "arbitrary and malicious violence" inflicted by Hanoverian Redcoats under the command of the Duke of Cumberland and Lord Albemarle , the aftermath of Culloden is still referred to in the Gàidhealtachd as Bliadhna nan Creach ("The Year of

13846-633: The district surrounding the Cape Fear River of North Carolina . The song is known in the oral tradition of North Uist as Òran Fir Ghriminis ("A Song of the Tacksman of Griminish"). The song is equally popular among speakers of Canadian Gaelic in Nova Scotia , where it is known under the differing title, Òran Aimereaga ("The Song of America"). Among the "earliest Scottish Gaelic poets in North America about whom we know anything",

14007-401: The dominant language of the country. It was derived largely from Old English , with the addition of elements from Gaelic and Norman French . Although resembling the language spoken in northern England, it became a distinct dialect from the late fourteenth century onwards. As the ruling elite gradually abandoned Norman French, they began to adopt Middle Scots, and by the fifteenth century it was

14168-596: The echo of past mirth, the echo of his own singing. And he then has a conversation with the echo about the fate of the House of MacLeod." During the same era, the Jacobite war poet , satirist , and lexicographer Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair has been said to rank first among all bards of the Scottish Gaels , perhaps with only Sorley MacLean , of more recent fame, as an exception. He "owed little or nothing either to his predecessors or his contemporaries" in

14329-578: The efforts of Joseph Howe . Nova Scotia had established representative government in 1758, an achievement later commemorated by the erection of Dingle Tower in 1908. Nova Scotians fought in the Crimean War of 1853–1856. The 1860 Welsford-Parker Monument in Halifax is the second-oldest war monument in Canada and the only Crimean War monument in North America. It commemorates the 1854–55 Siege of Sevastopol . Thousands of Nova Scotians fought in

14490-462: The employ of the Duke of Argyll which had the greatest impact upon his poetry. Moladh Beinn Dòbhrain and Coire a' Cheathaich , both date from this period. The significance of Duncan Bàn's nature themed poetry is such that it has, along with that of MacMhaighstir Alasdair, been described as "the zenith of Gaelic nature poetry". At Gairloch ( Scottish Gaelic : Geàrrloch ) during the same era lived

14651-467: The end of the American War of Independence , immigrants newly arrived from Scotland were joined in Canada by so-called " United Empire Loyalist " refugees fleeing persecution and the seizure of their land claims by American Patriots . These settlers arrived on a mass scale at the arable lands of British North America , with large numbers settling in Glengarry County in present-day Ontario, and in

14812-516: The far north of the province. Nova Scotia is located along the 45th parallel north , so it is midway between the Equator and the North Pole . The province contains 5,400 lakes. Nova Scotia lies in the mid-temperate zone and, although the province is almost surrounded by water, the climate is closer to continental climate rather than maritime . The winter and summer temperature extremes of

14973-692: The field of poetry and many of his poems are available in anthologies of Scottish poetry. He was the second son of Maighstir Alasdair (Fr. Alexander MacDonald) who was the Non-juring Episcopalian Rector of Kilchoan and Tacksman of Dalilea in Moidart and from whom his son received an education in the Western canon . His son's subsequent poetry, lexicography , and orthography were also informed by his acquisition and careful study of old Gaelic manuscripts. While teaching at

15134-414: The first Scottish colony overseas . The group of Highlanders – all of whom were Gaelic-speaking – were settled at what is presently known as Port Royal , on the western shore of Nova Scotia. Within a year the colony had failed. Subsequent attempts to relaunch it were cancelled when in 1631 the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye returned Nova Scotia to French rule. Almost a half-century later, in 1670,

15295-518: The first British colony to achieve responsible government . In July 1867, Nova Scotia joined in Confederation with New Brunswick and the Province of Canada (now Ontario and Quebec ), forming the Dominion of Canada. "Nova Scotia" is Latin for "New Scotland " and is the recognized Canadian English name for the province. In both Canadian French and Canadian Gaelic , the province

15456-675: The first Gaelic-language books printed in Canada, all of which were Presbyterian religious books, were published at Pictou, Nova Scotia and Charlottetown , Prince Edward Island in 1832. The first Gaelic language books published in Toronto and Montreal, which were also Presbyterian religious books, appeared between 1835 and 1836. The first Catholic religious books published in the Gaelic-language were printed at Pictou in 1836. In 1812, Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk obtained 300,000 square kilometres (120,000 sq mi) to build

15617-399: The first permanent European settlement in what would later become Canada. The settlement was in the Mi'kmaw district of Kespukwitk and was the founding settlement of what would become Acadia . For the next 150 years, Mi'kmaq and Acadians would form the majority of the population of the region. Warfare was a common in Nova Scotia during the 17th and 18th centuries. During the first 80 years

15778-651: The government in the Campbell of Argyll Militia during the 1745 Jacobite rising, MacIntyre also offers in his later poetry, according to John Lorne Campbell, "an interesting testimony to the bitter disillusionment of the Highlanders who had come to the aid of the Government, to be in the end treated no better that those who had rebelled against it." It was his experience as a ghillie in Argyll and Perthshire in

15939-716: The governor and the council, was the highest court in the colony at the time. Jonathan Belcher was sworn in as chief justice of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court on 21 October 1754. The first legislative assembly in Halifax, under the Governorship of Charles Lawrence , met on 2 October 1758. During the French and Indian War of 1754–1763 (the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War ),

16100-466: The grandmother of David Drummond, 2nd Lord Drummond of Cargill and is the ancestor of all subsequent Earls of Perth . By far the most famous of Iseabail's three poems is Éistibh, a Luchd an Tighe-se , which Thomas Owen Clancy has described as, "a fairly obscene boast to the court circle on the size and potency of her household priest 's penis . The authenticity of the attribution to Iseabail has been questioned, but without substantial grounds." In

16261-545: The increasingly Anglicized Scottish nobility began to evict Gaelic-speaking tenants en masse from their ancestral lands in order to replace them with private deer-stalking estates and herds of sheep. The first ship loaded with Hebridean colonists arrived at Île-St.-Jean (Prince Edward Island) in 1770, with later ships following in 1772, and 1774. In September 1773 a ship named The Hector landed in Pictou , Nova Scotia, with 189 settlers who departed from Loch Broom . In 1784

16422-422: The language here I find that they already have the blas , the sound of the Gaelic even in their English. It's part of who they are, you can't just throw that away. It's in you." While performing in 2000 at the annual Cèilidh at Christmas Island , Cape Breton , Barra native and legendary Gaelic singer Flora MacNeil spread her arms wide and cried, "You are my people!" The hundreds of Canadian-born Gaels in

16583-400: The language is taught in a number of secondary schools throughout the province. In 2018 the government launched a new Gaelic vehicle licence plate to raise awareness of the language and help fund Gaelic language and culture initiatives. They estimated that there were 2,000 Gaelic speakers in the province. According to the 2021 census , religious groups in Nova Scotia included: According to

16744-462: The language of government, with acts of parliament, council records and treasurer's accounts almost all using it from the reign of James I (1406–37) onwards. As a result, Gaelic, once dominant north of the Tay, began a steady decline. Lowland writers began to treat Gaelic as a second class, rustic and even amusing language, helping to frame attitudes towards the highlands and to create a cultural gulf with

16905-585: The language, including the 1997 hit Hòro Ghoid thu Nighean ('Jenny Dang the Weaver'). Cape Breton fiddling is a unique tradition of Gaelic and Acadian styles, known in fiddling circles worldwide. Several Canadian schools use the "Gael" as a mascot, the most prominent being Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario . The school cheer of Queen's University is "Oilthigh na Bànrighinn a' Bhànrighinn gu bràth!" ('The Queen's College and Queen forever!'), and

17066-528: The larger British settlements in North America, and infused Nova Scotia with additional capital and skills. The migration caused political tensions between Loyalist leaders and the leaders of the existing New England Planters settlement. The Loyalist influx also pushed Nova Scotia's 2000 Mi'kmaq People to the margins as Loyalist land grants encroached on ill-defined native lands. As part of the Loyalist migration, about 3,000 Black Loyalists arrived; they founded

17227-577: The largest free Black settlement in North America at Birchtown , near Shelburne. There are several Black Loyalists buried in unmarked graves in the Old Burying Ground in Halifax. Many Nova Scotian communities were settled by British regiments that fought in the war . During the War of 1812 , Nova Scotia's contribution to the British war effort involved communities either purchasing or building various privateer ships to attack U.S. vessels. Perhaps

17388-459: The largest municipality in Atlantic Canada , and Canada's second-largest coastal municipality after Vancouver . The land that makes up what is now Nova Scotia was inhabited by the Miꞌkmaq people at the time of European colonization. In 1605, Acadia —France's first New France colony—was founded with the creation of Acadia's capital, Port Royal . The Scots, English, then British, fought France for

17549-473: The last barrier to Scottish settlement – a law restricting land-ownership on Cape Breton Island – was repealed, and soon both PEI and Nova Scotia were predominantly Gaelic-speaking. Between 1815 and 1870, it is estimated that more than 50,000 Gaelic settlers immigrated to Nova Scotia alone. Many of them left behind poetry and other works of Scottish Gaelic literature . The poet Mìcheal Mór MacDhòmhnaill emigrated from South Uist to Cape Breton around 1775 and

17710-564: The last fully competent member of the MacMhuirich dynasty , who were hereditary poets to the Lords of the Isles and then the Captains of Clanranald , still working in the early eighteenth century. In Gaelic Ireland , Irish language bards were trained at special bardic schools based on the principle of memorization. Bards were expected, even after the bardic school system was replaced by hedge schools , to compose their verses lying down and in

17871-511: The last genuine Jacobite poem composed in Scotland." In his 1783 poem Moladh Gheàrrloch ("In Praise of Gairloch"), William Ross describes the Highland winter sport of shinty ( Scottish Gaelic : camanachd, iomain ), which was traditionally played by the Gaels upon St. Andrew's Day , Christmas Day , New Year's Day , Handsel Monday , and Candlemas . The Bard's account of the annual match played upon New Year's Day at ebb tide upon

18032-411: The local First Nations people passed on their language, with the effect that by the mid-18th century there existed a sizeable population of Métis traders with Scottish and aboriginal ancestry, and command of spoken Gaelic. Cape Breton remained the property of France until 1758 (although mainland Nova Scotia had belonged to Britain since 1713) when Fortress Louisbourg fell to the British, followed by

18193-604: The lowlands. The major corpus of Medieval Scottish Gaelic poetry, The Book of the Dean of Lismore was compiled by the brothers James and Donald MacGregor in Glenlyon during the early decades of the sixteenth century. Beside Scottish Gaelic verse it contains a large number of poems composed in Ireland as well as verse and prose in Scots and Latin. The subject matter includes love poetry, heroic ballads and philosophical pieces. It also

18354-660: The monthly An Cuairtear Òg Gaelach ( lit.   ' The Gaelic Tourist ' ) in Antigonish, Nova Scotia , which lasted a year before being replaced by the English-language Antigonish Casket , which initially occasional Gaelic-language material. On Cape Breton, several Gaelic-language newspapers were published in Sydney . The longest-lasting was Mac-Talla ( lit.   ' The Echo ' ), published by Jonathon G. MacKinnon  [ gd ] from 1892 to 1904. Mac-Talla began as

18515-676: The more dominant French–Métis culture, and the Bungi dialect is most likely extinct . James Gillanders of Highfield Cottage near Dingwall , was the Factor for the estate of Major Charles Robertson of Kincardine and, as his employer was then serving with the British Army in Australia , Gillanders was the person most responsible for the mass evictions staged at Glencalvie, Ross-shire in 1845. A Gaelic-language poem denouncing Gillanders for

18676-543: The most dramatic moment in the war for Nova Scotia occurred when HMS Shannon escorted the captured American frigate USS Chesapeake into Halifax Harbour in 1813. Many of the U.S. prisoners were kept at Deadman's Island . Nova Scotia became the first colony in British North America and in the British Empire to achieve responsible government in January–February 1848 and become self-governing through

18837-428: The most renowned of Scottish Gaelic poets and formed an integral part of one of the golden ages of Gaelic poetry in Scotland during the 18th century. He is best known for his poem about Beinn Dorain ; " Moladh Beinn Dòbhrain " ( English : "Praise of Ben Doran"). Most of his poetry is descriptive and the influence of Alasdair MacMhaighstir Alasdair is notable in much of it. Despite also composing poetry about fighting for

18998-479: The needy. Robb Donn turns his elegy into a social document, in what is a highly refreshing way at this period." A legacy of Jacobite verse was later compiled (and adapted) by James Hogg in his Jacobite Reliques (1819). Donnchadh Bàn Mac an t-Saoir (usually Duncan Ban MacIntyre , in English ; 20 March 1724 – 14 May 1812) a monoglot Gaelic-speaker who was illiterate in his own language, remains one of

19159-486: The next generation. At least from the accession of David I (r. 1124–53), as part of a Davidian Revolution that introduced French culture and political systems, Gaelic ceased to be the main language of the royal court and was probably replaced by French. After this "de-gallicisation" of the Scottish court, a less highly regarded order of bards took over the functions of the filidh, and they would continue to act in

19320-601: The only black speakers of Goidelic languages in Canada, were born in Cape Breton and in adulthood became friends with Rudyard Kipling , who in 1896 wrote Captains Courageous , which featured an isolated Gaelic-speaking African-Canadian cook from Cape Breton . Many English-speaking writers and artists of Scottish-Canadian ancestry have featured Canadian Gaelic in their works, among them Alistair MacLeod ( No Great Mischief ), Ann-Marie MacDonald ( Fall on Your Knees ), and D.R. MacDonald ( Cape Breton Road ). Gaelic singer Mary Jane Lamond has released several albums in

19481-496: The outbreak of World War II , the Canadian government attempted to prevent the use of Gaelic on public telecommunications systems. The government believed Gaelic was used by subversives affiliated with Ireland, a neutral country perceived to be tolerant of the Nazis . In Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton where the Gaelic language was strongest, it was actively discouraged in schools with corporal punishment . Children were beaten with

19642-419: The population dropped from a peak of 200,000 in 1850, to 80,000 in 1900, to 30,000 in 1930 and 500–1,000 today. There are no longer entire communities of Canadian Gaelic-speakers, although traces of the language and pockets of speakers are relatively commonplace on Cape Breton, and especially in traditional strongholds like Christmas Island , The North Shore , and Baddeck . A. W. R. MacKenzie founded

19803-508: The province were also hit hard, particularly during the last two decades: coal mining in Cape Breton and northern mainland Nova Scotia has virtually ceased, and a large steel mill in Sydney closed during the 1990s. More recently, the high value of the Canadian dollar relative to the US dollar has hurt the forestry industry, leading to the shutdown of a long-running pulp and paper mill near Liverpool . Mining, especially of gypsum and salt and to

19964-404: The province. Michelin is also the province's largest private-sector employer. In July 2024, the provincial government committed CAD$ 18.6 million to build 27 new telecommunication towers to upgrade cellular service province-wide. The Nova Scotia tourism industry includes more than 6,500 direct businesses, supporting nearly 40,000 jobs. Cruise ships pay regular visits to the province. In 2010,

20125-497: The provincial economy each year. To date, 40% of Canada's military assets reside in Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia has the fourth-largest film industry in Canada hosting over 100 productions yearly, more than half of which are the products of international film and television producers. In 2015, the government of Nova Scotia eliminated tax credits to film production in the province, jeopardizing the industry given most other jurisdictions continue to offer such credits. The province also has

20286-399: The region, while returning Cape Breton Island ( Île Royale ) and Prince Edward Island ( Île Saint-Jean ) to the French. Despite the British conquest of Acadia in 1710, Nova Scotia remained primarily occupied by Catholic Acadians and Mi'kmaq, who confined British forces to Annapolis and to Canso. Present-day New Brunswick formed a part of the French colony of Acadia. Immediately after

20447-595: The rest of New France in the ensuing Battle at the Plaines d'Abraham . As a result of the conflict Highland regiments who fought for the British secured a reputation for tenacity and combat prowess. In turn the countryside itself secured a reputation among the Highlanders for its size, beauty, and wealth of natural resources. They would remember Canada when the earliest of the Highland Clearances by

20608-774: The same duty for Gaelic." Another poet during the same uprising, Iain Ruadh Stiùbhart , the Colonel of the Edinburgh Regiment in the Jacobite Army, also composed well-known poems including "Lament for Lady Macintosh" and "Latha Chuil-Lodair" ("Culloden Day"), "Òran Eile air Latha Chu-Lodair ("Another Song on Culloden Day"), and Urnuigh Iain Ruadh ("John Roy's Prayer"). According to John Lorne Campbell , Stùibhart's literary and historical importance

20769-631: The school or on the playground to flogging . Furthermore, in 1714 the Protestant Elector of Hanover mounted the British and Irish thrones as King George I and, with his assistance, the ascendent Whig political party seized absolute power and launched a purge of all Tories from the Government, the British Army , the Church of England , the legal profession, and local politics. Great Britain and Ireland became de facto single party states and were to remain so until King George III

20930-497: The sponsorship of panegyric Gaelic poetry was declining among the clan leaders. Gaelic was gradually being overtaken by Middle Scots , which became the language of both the Scottish nobility and the majority population. Middle Scots was derived substantially from Old English , with Gaelic and French influences. It was usually called Inglyshe and was very close to the language spoken in northern England, Unlike many of his predecessors, James VI actively despised Gaelic culture. As

21091-624: The systematic religious persecution of both the Catholic Church in Scotland and the Non-juring Scottish Episcopal Church . Opposition to these policies, which John Lorne Campbell was later to term, "a calculated genocidal campaign" against everything that truly mattered to the Gaels, are what motivated the Scottish clans to violently fight for regime change in the British Isles through

21252-538: The tenth century Betha Adamnáin (Life of St. Adomnán) are probably derived from works composed on Iona . Outside of these, there are works of Irish bardic poetry in praise of the Pictish kings preserved within Irish annals , that were almost certainly composed in Scotland. Beginning in the later eighth century, Viking raids and invasions may have forced a merger of the Gaelic and Pictish crowns. The Kingdom of Alba emerged, which would eventually become known as

21413-671: The territory on numerous occasions for over a century afterwards, having gained it from them in the 1713 Peace of Utrecht , which ended the War of the Spanish Succession . In subsequent years, the British began settling " foreign Protestants " in the region and deported the French-speaking Acadians en masse . During the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), thousands of Loyalists settled in Nova Scotia. In 1848, Nova Scotia became

21574-644: The themes of the graveyard poets writing in England. For example, Clan MacKay had sided with the House of Hanover during the Jacobite rising of 1745 . Despite this, the MacKays were included in the repression of Gaelic culture that followed the Battle of Culloden in 1746. In Òran Nan Casagan Dubha ("The Song of the Black Cassocks "), Rob Donn MacKay 's outraged response to the Dress Act 1746 ,

21735-536: The time. He's familiar with poetry written in Scots . His own writing in Gaelic is part of that continuum, part of that context." Due to his experiences as military officer and war poet during and after the Jacobite rising of 1745 , Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair also remains the most overtly nationalist and anti- Whig Gaelic poet of the era and his 1751 poetry collection Ais-Eiridh na Sean Chánoin Albannaich

21896-740: The total number of speakers in the 2011 census, there were 7,195 total speakers of "Gaelic languages" in Canada, with 1,365 in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island where the responses mainly refer to Scottish Gaelic. The 2016 Canadian census also reported that 240 residents of Nova Scotia and 15 on Prince Edward Island considered Scottish Gaelic to be their "mother tongue". The 2021 Canadian census reported 2,170 Scottish Gaelic speakers in Canada (including 425 as an L1), 635 of them living in Nova Scotia (including 65 native speakers). While there have been many distinctive Canadian dialects of Scottish Gaelic that have been spoken in other Gàidhealtachd communities, particularly in Glengarry County, Ontario and

22057-402: The tradition of Classical poetry declined, a new tradition of vernacular Scottish Gaelic poetry began to emerge. While Classical Gaelic poetry had used a literary language largely fixed in the twelfth century while still being widely understood on both sides of the Irish Sea , the vernacular in both Ireland and Scotland had long since diverged from it, often radically. In further contrast to

22218-438: The turn of the 20th century, Gaelic was widely spoken on eastern Prince Edward Island (PEI). In the 2011 Canadian Census, 10 individuals in PEI cited that their mother tongue was a Gaelic language, with over 90 claiming to speak a Gaelic language. Gaels , and their language and culture, have influenced the heritage of Glengarry County and other regions in present-day Ontario , where many Highland Scots settled commencing in

22379-411: The very greatest poems ever made in any language", in the British Isles and comparable to the best of William Shakespeare 's 154 sonnets . The North Uist poet John MacCodrum , the official Bard to Sir Alexander MacDonald of Sleat , composed poetry criticizing both the Scottish clan chiefs and the Anglo-Scottish landlords of the Highlands and Islands for the often brutal mass evictions of

22540-418: The women wore the Highland plaid ." Unlike in the Gaelic-speaking settlements along the Cape Fear River in North Carolina , there was no Gaelic printing press in Canada. For this reason, in 1819, Rev. Seumas MacGriogar , the first Gaelic-speaking Presbyterian minister appointed to Nova Scotia , had to publish his collection of Christian poetry in Glasgow . Printing presses soon followed, though, and

22701-445: The world. Nevertheless, the province's imports far exceed its exports. While these numbers were roughly equal from 1992 until 2004, since that time the trade deficit has ballooned. In 2012, exports from Nova Scotia were 12.1% of provincial GDP, while imports were 22.6%. Nova Scotia's traditionally resource-based economy has diversified in recent decades. The rise of Nova Scotia as a viable jurisdiction in North America, historically,

22862-539: Was CA$ 44,924 , significantly lower than the national average per capita GDP of CA$ 57,574 . GDP growth has lagged behind the rest of the country for at least the past decade. As of 2017, the median family income in Nova Scotia was $ 85,970, below the national average of $ 92,990; in Halifax the figure rises to $ 98,870. The province is the world's largest exporter of Christmas trees , lobster , gypsum , and wild berries . Its export value of fish exceeds $ 1 billion, and fish products are received by 90 countries around

23023-409: Was a traditional pastime for both nobles and warriors and eating fish or seafood was considered a sign a low birth or status. By this time, however, hunting was being increasingly treated as poaching by the Anglo-Scottish landlords. Iain mac Mhurchaidh had already composed a poem complaining that his hunting rights were being restricted and, for this and many other reasons, he decided on emigrating to

23184-459: Was accordingly burned by the public hangman in Edinburgh . Linguist Robert Dunbar, however, has called Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair, "the greatest poet of the eighteenth century Golden Age of Gaelic poets", and adds that the 1751 publication of Ais-eridh na Sean Chánoin Albannaich inspired the publication of, "an increasing number of important collections of Gaelic poetry." In a 2020 article, Scottish nationalist Hamish MacPherson ranked

23345-413: Was agreed to conduct the whole proceedings in the Gaelic language." From the mid-19th century to the early 1930s, several Gaelic-language newspapers were published in Canada, although the greatest concentration of such papers was in Cape Breton. From 1840 to 1841, Cuairtear nan Coillte ( lit.   ' Woodland Walk ' ) was published in Kingston, Ontario, and in 1851, Eòin Boidhdeach launched

23506-435: Was assured in 1895 when Joshua Slocum became the first man to sail single-handedly around the world. International attention continued into the following century with the many racing victories of the Bluenose schooner. Nova Scotia was also the birthplace and home of Samuel Cunard , a British shipping magnate (born at Halifax , Nova Scotia) who founded the Cunard Line. In December 1917, about 2,000 people were killed in

23667-402: Was crowned in 1760 and allowed the Tories back into the Government. Even so, some modern historians now call the period between 1714 and 1783 the, "age of the Whig oligarchy ." An intense hostility felt by many Scottish Gaels to the House of Hanover was accordingly rooted in their enabling of the Whig single party state 's policies of centralized government , linguistic imperialism , and

23828-422: Was defeated 42–7. Despite the widespread disregard by government on Gaelic issues, records exist of at least one criminal trial conducted entirely in Gaelic. It was conducted "in the provincial judicial system sometime during the term (1881–1904) of Chief Justice James MacDonald of Bridgeville, Pictou County." This was only possible as all people involved happened to know the language, and thus "by common consent it

23989-415: Was descended from Beelzebub , is a dwarf , and has no control of his bowel movements (to the point of almost sinking a ship on which he was travelling). While Kennedy may well have also written poems in his native Galwegian Gaelic , his poetry in Middle Scots is all that now survives. During the Scottish Reformation , the Book of Common Order was translated into Gaelic by Séon Caramel , Bishop of

24150-455: Was driven by the ready availability of natural resources, especially the fish stocks off the Scotian Shelf . The fishery was a pillar of the economy since its development as part of New France in the 17th century; however, the fishery suffered a sharp decline due to overfishing in the late 20th century. The collapse of the cod stocks and the closure of this sector resulted in a loss of approximately 20,000 jobs in 1992. Other sectors in

24311-460: Was eulogized by Sìleas in the song-poem Alistair à Gleanna Garadh , which hearkens back to the mythological poetry attributed to Amergin Glúingel and which remains an iconic and oft imitated work of Scottish Gaelic literature. Roderick "Ruairidh Òg" Macleod, 19th Chief of Clan MacLeod , inspired the Bard Roderick Morison to compose the completely opposite song-poem Òran do Mhac Leoid Dhun Bheagain ("A Song to MacLeod of Dunvegan"). The song

24472-456: Was his 1751 poetry collection Ais-Eiridh na Sean Chánoin Albannaich (The Resurrection of the Ancient Scottish Language). Until very recently, Gaelic poetry was widely assumed to be completely isolated from literature in other languages, but Alan Riach argues that Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair was both multi-lingual and very much aware of the ongoing Scottish Enlightenment . According to Riach, "With Duncan Ban MacIntyre , you have someone who

24633-537: Was incorporated under Queen Anne in 1709 and immediately began building both schools and libraries throughout the Gàidhealtachd with a twofold purpose. The first was to prevent the Gaels from, "backsliding to", the strictly illegal and still underground Catholic Church in Scotland . The second was to ensure, "that in process of time Britons from North to South may speak the same language". For this reason, S.S.P.C.K. schoolmasters were under orders to teach only in English and to subject any student who spoke Gaelic inside

24794-509: Was meant to rebuke MacLeod for not fulfilling "the obligations of his office". Instead of patronizing the Gaelic Bards and hosting feasts at Dunvegan Castle for his clansmen and their families, Morison was disgusted that the Chief had become an absentee landlord in London , who, "spent his money on foppish clothes". In the poem, Morison urged the Chief in vain to emulate his predecessors. Before Barra -born Traditional singer Calum Johnston performed Òran do Mhac Leoid Dhun Bheagain at

24955-408: Was never written down, and what survives was only recorded from the sixteenth century. It is possible that more Middle Irish literature was written in Medieval Scotland than is often thought, but has not survived because the Gaelic literary establishment of eastern Scotland died out before the fourteenth century. Thomas Owen Clancy has argued that the Lebor Bretnach , the so-called "Irish Nennius",

25116-592: Was one of the Makars at the court of James IV , was a native speaker of Galwegian Gaelic and was the younger brother of a Tacksman of Clan Kennedy , based in Galloway , South Ayrshire . William Dunbar in The Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedie characterises Kennedy as one "of the Irishry" who speaks a barbarous Highland dialect, as physically hideous and withered like a sort of living memento mori , as poor and hungry, and of committing bestiality with mares . Kennedy, by contrast, tells Dunbar to go over to England if he wants to speak English, suggests that Dunbar

25277-545: Was printed by Jonathon G. MacKinnon for 11 years between 1892 and 1904, in Sydney . However, MacKinnon's mockery of complaints over Mac-Talla' s regular misprints and his tendency to financially guilt trip his subscribers, ultimately led local Gaelic poet Alasdair a' Ridse MacDhòmhnaill to lampoon Mac-Talla and its editor in two separate works of satirical poetry : Òran Càinidh do Mhac-Talla ('A Song of Revile to Mac-Talla ') and Aoir Mhic-Talla ('The Satire of Mac-Talla '). Eòin and Seòras MacShuail, believed to be

25438-489: Was the immediate cause of the drastic decline in Gaelic fluency in the 20th century. According to Antigonish County Gaelic poet and politician Lewis MacKinnon, "We are just like the native peoples here, our culture is indigenous to this region. We too have suffered injustices, we too have been excluded, we too have been forgotten and ridiculed for something that is simply part of who and what we are. It's part of our human expression and that story needs to be told." Ultimately

25599-430: Was traditionally played by the Gaels upon St. Andrew's Day , Christmas Day , New Year's Day , Handsel Monday , and Candlemas , to the much colder Canadian winter climate by playing on frozen lakes while wearing ice skates . This led to the creation of the modern sport known as ice hockey . According to Margie Beaton, who emigrated from Scotland to Nova Scotia to teach the Gaelic language there in 1976, "In teaching

25760-427: Was typical in the 19th century, but has been rejected by modern linguistics . Around 1880, Am Bàrd Mac Dhiarmaid from The North Shore , wrote " An Té a Chaill a' Ghàidhlig " ( lit.   ' The Woman who Lost the Gaelic ' , also known in English as "The Yankee Girl"), a humorous song recounting the growing phenomenon of Gaels shunning their mother-tongue . Chuir mi fàilte oirr' gu càirdeil: "Dé mar

25921-406: Was written in Scotland, and probably at the monastery in Abernethy , but this text survives only from manuscripts preserved in Ireland. Other literary works that have survived include that of the prolific poet Gille Brighde Albanach . His Heading for Damietta (c. 1218) dealt with his experiences of the Fifth Crusade . In the late Middle Ages, Middle Scots , often simply called English, became

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