Cape Breton's Magazine

Joe Neil MacNeil Stories from English into Gaelic Joe Neil MacNeil is a noted Gaelic Storyteller. Recently, we learned about Joe Neil's translations of little English stories into Gaelic. During an interview, Joe Neil recited an English poem he had learned in grade school. He said, "I memorized that from my school days...." I memorized that from my school days.... The repe? tition was there, and you had a chance to cultivate a memory of something that you (kept). Because when you went to school, in the very start--the first day you were in school--there was something in another grade (in the same class? room) , and they were going along with reading and whatnot. And maybe in a short time you were catch? ing on. There were so many --two or three grades--and they were reading, and they were hearing that. And that was going on and going on. By the time you got up there yourself, you had all that.... Well, you take when they were from the Primer to Grade 10. In the one room. Well, you were hearing it over and over from time to time. And when your own turn came to read that, you'd find it that much easier.... (I'm wondering if there was an English story that you either heard or read, and decided to learn. Did you ever...?) Oh, well, I was interested to know most all of those. "The Pied Piper" was a wonderful story for us, when we heard it the first time. That was a good story. When the place was overrun with rats. And then when the Pied Piper came, and they offered him a thousand pieces of silver. And he went-- it was so simple. He took the rats-- whether they went ahead of him or followed him--I guess they ran ahead of him, and chasing them. They went into the river. And then, being it was so easy to do, they only gave him 50 pieces of silver. So he told them to give him the money as they promised or they'd be sorry. And of course, they figured it was enough--they had agreed for money. And he went out and played a different tune, and took the children. But see, there's two angles there. The people were so greedy for mon? ey, and they didn't give him the money. And the children were so fond of music. * QUALITY SAME-DAY DRY CLEANING * 6 DAYS A WEEK * Vogue Cleaners Wedding Gown Cleaning & Heiriooming a Specialty EXPLORE SYDNEY'S PAST... CAPE BRETON CENTRE FOR HERITAGE AND SCIENCE 225 George Street OPEN (SUMMER): Mid-June to Labour Day 10-4 Monday to Saturday 2 - 5 Sunday Operated by the Old Sydney Society For information call (902) 539-1572 ST. PATRICK'S MUSEUM 87 Esplanade OPEN: Mid-June to Labour Day 9:30 - 5:30 Daily COSSIT HOUSE 75 Charlotte Street OPEN: Mid-May to October 31 9:30 - 5:30 Daily A branch museum of the Nova Scotia Museum Complex 33