Living in the land of New Waterford and New Aberdeen, where it is common for communities to be named for where their populations emigrated from in the Old Country, it is somewhat surprising to learn that there is a town in County Mayo, Ireland called Louisburgh, and that it gets its name from Louisbourg, on Cape Breton Island’s southeast coast. According to the lore, a member of the founding landlord’s family, Henry Browne of Westport, had taken part in the siege of Louisbourg in 1758. His nephew John Dennis Browne, 3rd Lord Altamont, married Louisa Catherine Howe, who also had family involvement in the siege, and their son married Catherine de Burgh. When a new town came to be built around 1795-1796 in the western part of His Lordship’s estate, the name Louisburgh naturally presented itself from the family connections with Louisbourg and the combined names of the two ladies. The modern-day towns of Louisburgh and Louisbourg have been officially twinned since 2017. County Mayo’s own master harpist, storyteller, and culture bearer Laoise Kelly will be here tonight in Louisbourg, Cape Breton County, to share the story. The Voices of Ireland represent Ireland’s strong tradition of stories through song and Ireland’s Liz Doherty will join Cape Breton’s Colin Grant and Adam Young, both of whom have an established history of performance in the Louisbourg Playhouse. These three will be joined by Cape Breton multi-instrumentalist Boyd MacNeil to round out their quartet. Here’s to keeping the Ireland–Cape Breton connection going strong.

And if you’re looking for somewhere to eat before the concert, the Louisbourg Roast Beef Dinner is within walking  distance of the Playhouse.