DOWNLOAD THE SONGSHEET
The Island (WORD)(G)
The Island (PDF)(G)
The Island (WORD)(C)
The Island (PDF)(C)
You can play in the same key as the videos below if you use the (G) songsheet! Thanks to Arlene McIntosh for bringing the song to BUG - she would like to lead us in it using the (C) songsheet. The lyrics that have been used for the songsheets, and most of the chords, are those used by The Barra MacNeils as requested by Arlene. Mark and I had a fabulous vacation with our sons touring Cape Breton Island for 3 weeks in 1995, when the tall ships came into Louisburg, and we had the joy of hearing this song at an outdoor performance in Cheticamp - magical! It's always been a favourite!
"The Island" is a tribute to coal industry workers in Nova Scotia. According to Men of the Deeps musical director, John O'Donnell, "the words offer a vivid demonstration that labour in Cape Breton has indeed had a deep cultural impact on the community."
MacNeil was a major force behind The Rise and Follies of Cape Breton Island, a satirical sketch review that ran from 1978 to 1982. The revue included songs inspired by the coal and steel industry of Cape Breton and featured local musicians. Over the years he contributed to Peter Gzowski's This Country in the Morning and Morningside on CBC Radio, and on some of the most popular television shows of the time: Singalong Jubilee, Ceilidh, Tommy Hunter, Ryan’s Fancy, Ian Tyson, and many others. Kenzie MacNeil also had an active theatrical career performing in productions like Tom Gallant's Step/Dance and with Gordon Pinsent in John and the Missus, and was nominated for an ACTRA award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Last Night in Town. He was involved in the production of the National Film Board's Empty Harbours, Empty Dreams, 12,000 Men, and Scoggie. As well, MacNeil worked as Chair of the Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation and helped with the creation of soundstages across the mainland and on the Island, and in particular, assisted with bringing the productions Pit Pony and New Waterford Girl to Cape Breton.
He also worked as a development officer with the Nova Scotia Department of Economic Development, and has been the editor and publisher of the Cape Bretoner magazine.