Highland Village joins Nova Scotia Museum
People gathered in Iona, Cape Breton, today to celebrate as the Nova Scotia Highland Village became the newest member of the Nova Scotia Museum family.
Activities began with children from the Dwight Ross School in Greenwood and the Gaelic class at Rankin Memorial School in Iona singing "O Canada" in the Gaelic language. Festivities continue this evening with a free public ceilidh, beginning at 7 p.m.
"Our department recognizes the potential and promise of Nova Scotia Highland Village," said Tourism and Culture Minister Rodney MacDonald, who participated in the celebration. "We're committed to working with the village to preserve the Gaelic language, the culture and the traditions of the Scots Gaels."
The village is the Nova Scotia Museum's first bilingual site using both English and Gaelic. It is the island's major cultural institution dedicated to promoting and preserving Gaelic language, culture and heritage.
The village's inclusion in the Nova Scotia Museum family will also help to build on its tourism potential. As an international tourist attraction, visitation increased last year by 30 percent.
"The Highland Village looks forward to expanding its contribution to the historic Gaelic culture of the province of Nova Scotia," said J. Bruce MacNeil, president of the Highland Village Society. "This new partnership with the Nova Scotia Museum recognizes the past work of our staff and of our volunteers. We very much look forward to developing this new partnership with the Nova Scotia Museum."
The Nova Scotia Museum board of governors recommended making Nova Scotia Highland Village a provincially owned museum site in 1998 after wide-ranging consultations with the Cape Breton heritage community. The government accepted the recommendation as part of its budget commitments for 2000-2001.
As a provincial museum, Nova Scotia Highland Village will continue to be a leader in the Cape Breton museum community.
Overlooking the Bras d'Or Lakes, the Nova Scotia Highland Village is a 43-acre historic village celebrating Scots Gaelic heritage, culture and language in Cape Breton.
The Nova Scotia Museum, part of the Department of Tourism and Culture, is a family of 26 museums in locations across the province, from Yarmouth to Sydney.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Nova Scotia Highland Village is located in Iona, Cape Breton. Route 223, off Hwy 105, exit 6, Little Narrows or exit 3 at North Sydney. Contact on site: Rodney Chaisson, Manager, 902-725-2272