The word mawio’mi means “gathering” in the Mi’kmaw language, and this afternoon we will gather in the deeply-rooted First Nations community of Eskasoni, alongside the Bras d’Or Lake, where the traditions of music, song, and dance have been celebrated for centuries. Today’s Mawio’mi Céilidh will reflect those traditions with artists from Cape Breton and Ireland. J.P. Cormier is a multi-award-winning songwriter and instrumentalist, renowned for his command of guitar, fiddle, banjo, and mandolin. With more than a dozen albums and a career that spans bluegrass, Celtic, and folk traditions, J.P. is a dazzling performer whose versatility and virtuosity is on display every time he takes the stage. Shawnee Paul is a fiddler and singer-songwriter from Eskasoni. Her performance today with East Bay Gaelic singer and multi-instrumentalist Bradley Murphy will include dance choreographed by Merritt Award winning Eskasoni artist Sarah Prosper. Teresa Horgan is widely regarded as one of Ireland’s finest folk and traditional singers. With a voice that effortlessly carries the depth, fragility, and fire of a centuries-old tradition, she is joined by celebrated guitarist and producer Donogh Hennessey who plays on and produced Teresa’s newly released solo album Amethyst. This will be Teresa and Donogh’s last show during this year’s festival and will serve as a fitting send-off.