Thousands pack Victoria Park, Kincardine, for East Coast Celtic Concert

A record crowd filled Victoria Park, Kincardine, for the East Coast Celtic Music concert, Saturday night at the Kincardine Scottish Festival and Highland Games.

The event, featuring the Barra MacNeils and Ashley MacIsaac, was almost sold out, with thousands gathering for the concert which followed the Saturday night parade by the Kincardine Scottish Pipe Band.

The Barra MacNeils took the stage first, bringing their rousing, lively, energetic Cape Breton Island-inspired brand of music, much to the delight of the audience.

They sang, they step-danced, they played a variety of musical instruments, and they made the evening tremendously fun and entertaining.

Hailing from Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia, the Barra MacNeils includes siblings Sheumas, Kyle, Stewart, Lucy, Ryan and Boyd MacNeil. Their group's name comes from "Barra" which is a small island off the cost of Scotland in the Hebrides, and their surname because the "MacNeils" came from that island.

MacIsaac hit the stage next, with his amazing talent on the fiddle. As his rock band backed him up, he stormed through a fiery set of songs, playing so intensely that it appeared as if he were going to saw his fiddle in half. At one point, he even played bagpipe tunes on the fiddle.

His connection to Kincardine is through his sister, Lisa, who with her partner, Kincardine-native Brenley MacEachern, form the group, Madviolet.

The  Barra MacNeils returned to the stage for a second set, and then invited Ashley MacIsaac to join them as they closed out the concert.

The Mudmen followed to provide an energetic end to the evening.

This was the first time the Kincardine Scottish Festival hosted two big-name artists in a separate concert, and it was a great drawing card for the entire event.

The Kincardine Record will feature more coverage of the festival in the next couple of days ...