December 19, 2006
Barra MacNeils wrap up holiday tour at home
Evening show almost sold out; tickets remain for afternoon show
By Laura Jean Grany, the Cape Breton Post

GLACE BAY — Lift the Barra MacNeils’ Christmas Album II out of its case and a collection of family holiday photos is revealed. A quick glance at the collage of pictures on the CD cover — kids in their pyjamas on Christmas morning, posing in front of the Christmas tree, an impromptu holiday ceilidh — and it’s not hard to figure out where Kyle, Lucy, Stewart, Sheumas, Ryan and Boyd get their inspiration to record and perform Christmas music.

“As kids, we were excited that Santa was coming and there was always anticipation for that and there’s lots of food, some road hockey and some spontaneous visits from family and friends — and coasting,” recalled Stewart during a recent telephone interview during the family’s West Coast tour.

“It’s a time of year that people generally tend to stop for a little bit. I think more than anything else that’s the beauty of the season, just to be able to stop everything and enjoy our families and the ones we love.”

The well-known Cape Breton group will perform two shows at the Savoy Theatre, Dec. 23 — at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. — to close out their 2006 holiday tour.
The evening show is almost sold out but tickets remain for the afternoon performance.

The Barras recently released their second Christmas album, following the huge success of their first holiday recording in 1999. Stewart said they wanted to build on what made that first Christmas CD so popular.

“We tried to make the two feel similar and that includes things like having the Gaelic singer from Iona, Maxie MacNeil, singing the lead (on, Oran nana Cailleachan-Song of the Old Ladies) and also having Tommy Makem on board,” he said.

The album represents the second album the Barra MacNeils have put out since younger siblings Ryan and Boyd joined the group — and the first Christmas CD which involves the whole family.

“Ryan wrote one of the tunes (Christmas Together) on the album and technically Boyd was great with tracking the album,” Stewart noted.

Christmas Album II is truly a family affair, having been recorded mostly at Kyle and Anita MacNeil’s home on the Mira and featuring a song written by the MacNeils’ uncle, Hector MacKenzie.

“In the year 2000 during the Christmas holidays I was up visiting Hector in Washabuck and he pulled out a couple songs that he was working on at that time and one was One Wild Rose which was on our All At Once album and this Christmas one, On The Very First Christmas,” Stewart said. “It has a great rollicking chorus and it’s certainly one of the favourites.”

Stewart said the family really enjoys travelling across the country during the Christmas season and giving people a chance to sit back and relax during what can be a hectic time.

“That’s the beauty of the Christmas show. People can just put their feet up and enjoy it. And likewise, the album is made to be played in our homes during the holidays.”

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