2024 Press Release and results
The Antigonish Highland Society once again took to Columbus Field this July to celebrate the 159th running of the Antigonish Highland Games. This annual event is a celebration of the Scottish heritage that has such an influence on the collective culture of Antigonish. There were highly competitive events in Highland Dance, Piping and Drumming, Heavy Events, the Highland Five Mile Road Race, Tug of War, Cultural Workshops and other competitions and demonstrations, all of which take place at Columbus field and throughout the community. With a worldwide reputation for its attention to authenticity, detail, and hospitality, the Games continue to deliver world class entertainment to our community. We could not do it without the engagement of our hundreds of volunteers and the continued generosity of sponsors and partners. To our many local sponsors, support from all levels of government, hundreds of volunteers, and of course the many event attendees we extend a sincere and gracious thank you!
The week of 159th AHG started strong, with high temperatures and clear skies from the Opening Service on Sunday right through to Thursday for the first of four sold-out performances of the Ships of 1801 Society’s “Home from the Boston States”. Excellent work once again by Duncan MacDonald, and tremendous credit and thanks go out to all the cast and crew on another successful season! Unfortunately, Thursday evening also brought significant rainfall, and the field crew were greeted by upwards of six inches of standing water in our ceilidh tent on Friday morning. Fortunately dampened soles couldn’t dampen spirits, and with some creativity and hard work we were able to drain the grounds, and we were blessed during the remaining days with warm temperatures and an even warmer reception from attendees. Patrons arrived in droves to see and cheer as the competitions came together and we were delighted to welcome such a large and enthusiastic audience to the field.
The 159th Antigonish Highland Games began with an Official Opening Church Service at St. Ninian’s Cathedral, where AHS Vice President Carol Anne MacKenzie presented a Gaelic reading, followed by a reading from President Tyler MacKisoc, and a riveting set of tunes from the Clan Thompson Pipe Band. This event not only kicked off the 159th AHG but was also part of the commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of St. Ninian Cathedral! The church, like the AHS, had many challenges throughout its history, and we are humbled to share this important event between two foundational institutions in our community. The week progressed with a visit to the Culloden Memorial in Knoydart, and some ceilidhs and other cultural events at various locations around Antigonish Town & County. The Main Street Fair took place on Wednesday, and by all accounts it was exceptionally well attended. There were musicians, dancers, and even a demonstration of sword fighting! Congratulations to Lauren Kaiser for organizing a tremendous event that has become a favourite in the community. On Friday, we were fortunate to have almost 250 children and youth take part in a series of youth athletic events known as Tir Nan Og. Thank you to Michelle MacKinnon and her huge team of volunteers for once again putting together an exceptional event! Judging by the number of participants, it appears the future of Scottish Highland culture is in good hands.
Kicking off the competitive events on the field, the “Highland Five Miler” Road Race took place Friday evening. It was well attended with hundreds lining the streets to cheer on some of the best runners from Antigonish and beyond!
In the Open Men’s Category, Antigonish’s own Joel Gallant one again led the pack on his way to winning the Angus & Marie MacDonald plaque. In the Open Women’s field, it was Siona Chisholm who took home the Alex J. MacAdam Plaque, finishing with a new course record for women that beat the previous record by a whopping 1:41 minutes! Siona also won the Evelyn and Donald Gillis Trophy, which is awarded to the top local female racer. The Junior Male and Female categories were won by Conlan MacKenzie and Poppy Moon, respectively, while the Master Male and Female trophies were won by former Olympian Eric Gillis and Emma Billington. Eric also won the Frank MacGibbon Trophy, which is awarded annually to the top local male runner. The Senior Master Male (50+) was won by John Van de Weil, while the Senior Master Female award was taken by Paula James. The winners of the inaugural Brian and Irene MacLeod Awards, given to the Grand Master Male and Females (60+) were Gary Ross and Carol Dakai. Over 200 participants took part this year, which was astonishing given the courses notoriously warm temperatures on race day. While the course itself is not overly difficult, the extreme heat and generally unforgiving weather conditions make this race much more difficult than it may seem. Credit is much owed to James Jessome for ensuring this event remains one of the most popular of the Antigonish Highland Games each and every year. Great work to James and his team of volunteers!
While the road race was taking place, the President’s Dinner was also held at St Francis Xavier University, followed by the Official Opening Ceremony of the 159th Antigonish Highland Games. When the Opening Ceremony concluded, The Concert Under the Stars offered a fabulous assortment of some of the best talent that Antigonish has to offer! Antigonish’s own Anna Ludlow graced the stage, and we had dancers from the Maureen Fraser School of Dance, as well as from the Smith School of Dance, the Grant Highland Dancers, and the MacLeod School of Highland Dance. There were performances by Heather MacIsaac, Bill and John Pellerin, Junior Fraser, Mary Beth Carty, Marion Dewar, the Keppoch Tenors and other members of the Ships of 1801 Society, the St. Ninian Cathedral Choir, and of course the AHS’s own Dara Smith MacDonald. Much is owed to Dara, not only for yet another incredible performance, but as our entertainment chair, she was once again tasked with putting together what proved to be an incredible lineup of entertainers over the weekend. Great work Dara!.
As the Concert Under the Stars drew to a close, we were thrilled to welcome event goers to our newest programming addition, the Celtic Comedy Night! This two-hour comedy show took place in the Coldstream and Oak Manor Ceilidh tent, and welcomed several local comedians as well as a few ‘out-of-towners’ to the stage. Hosted by Antigonish’s own Rob Green, the night featured performances by Clare Belford, Dan Hendricken, and Antigonish Native Darryl Purvis! It was a rollicking good laugh, and while the tent was still quite wet from the previous night’s rains, those in attendance were more than willing to look past the soggy grounds and take in the first of what we hope will become many nights of tremendous entertainment!
As Saturday began, the thousands of spectators lining the streets of Antigonish for the Grand Main Street Parade were first treated to the blurry flash of truly exceptional runners that ran the Elite Mile, a one-mile road race that showcases the very best runners in our community! The men’s field was narrowly won by Zach James, who squeaked out a win over last year’s winner Jacob Benoit. Zach finished less than a second ahead of Jacob with a time of 4:07.32 to Jacob’s 4:08.19. Liam Patterson rounded out the podium in third with a time of 4:16.89. In the women’s category, Siona Chisholm took the top spot by a wide margin, finishing with a course record time of 4:33.74. Second and third were decidedly more competitive, with Aidan MacDonald claiming second with a time of 4:57.30 followed by Leanna MacLean in third at 4:48.35.
We wish to acknowledge the tremendous accomplishments of Siona Chisholm, a promising up and comer who currently trains at the University of Notre Dame. With two records broken in one weekend, it seems all but certain that many more will follow! Special thanks to Eric Gillis for assembling a truly elite field of top athletes!
The conclusion of the Elite Mile led into one of the biggest events of the weekend, the Grand Main Street Parade, during which numerous floats, classic cars, and community groups proceed from StFX along West Street, onto Main Street, before passing Columbus field and finishing on Saint Andrews Street. There were thousands of enthusiastic spectators lining the streets, showing an incredible display of support for the many participants. The success of this event each year is owed to Janet and Jerome MacPherson, who have done an extraordinary job making the parade one of the most important community events of the year. We are so grateful for the incredible effort you both put in over the last few decades. Thank you!
The Clan & Cultural tents were a big hit over the weekend, offering workshops in step dancing, milling frolics, Gaelic language, drumming and history. We want to thank all of the great contributors to the cultural tent and Clans tents! The Culture Tent was a bustling hot spot on Saturday, with Clan Thompson providing a workshop for piping and drumming. Victoria Rankin offered an instruction to Gaelic language with some Milling Frolics. Finally, a riveting toast of Scotch was offered by Peter MacKenzie to round out the activities. Unfortunately several events such as the MacDonald Clan focus and Maureen Fraser’s stepdancing tutorial had to be canceled due to the extreme temperatures. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful experience, and a great opportunity for people to learn more about other Celtic cultural attributes and traditions. Thank you to Gerardine MacLean, Victoria Rankin, Clan Thompson, Peter MacKenzie, and all who helped to once again make the Cultural tent a huge success!
Clans were well represented at the Clan tent this year, with even more clans represented! It is a wonderful show of familial connection, and whereas clan participation was on the decline over the years, the last few years have shown a tremendous rebound with more and more clans taking part each year! The 2024 AHG Clan March was well attended, with Clan Thompson leading the way. Chief of the Clans Joe MacDonald led the march accompanied by his lovely wife Mary Jane. AHS President Tyler MacKisoc and Secretary Gerardine MacLean waved the AHS Banner to the assembly. Tom Wallace, President of the Federation for Scottish Culture was in attendance as well as fellow Federation member Gaidheal McIntyre. The Clans involved in the Clan Tent and March were: Clan Donald/MacDonald; Clan Hamilton; Clan Carruthers, Clan MacKenzie, Clan MacLean; Clan Elliott; Clan McRae; and the Federation for Scottish Culture in Nova Scotia. Mayor of Antigonish Laurie Boucher was in attendance with her grandson representing Clan Kennedy.
The March ended in center field with AHS President Tyler Mackisoc carrying the haggis, and AHS Director Peter MacKenzie delivering a riveting “Ode to the Haggis”. Even members of the audience came and joined the March. We wish to extend a deep and sincere thank you to all who took part in this momentous event, and a special thank you to Gerardine MacLean for putting everything together!
Over the weekend, a large and competitive field of Solo Pipers, Drummers, Pipe Bands, Heavy Event Competitors, Highland Dancers, and Tug-of-War teams competed on Columbus Field. The Antigonish Highland Society hosted the Nova Scotia Pipe Band Championships on Saturday, July 13th.
In Grade 1, first place went to the 78th Highlanders Halifax Citadel Pipe Band while Grade 3 was won by Dartmouth and District Pipes and Drums. Grade 4 saw Shearwater’s 12 Wing Pipes and Drums take the top spot, while the Fredericton Society of Saint Andrew claimed first in the Grade 5 category. On Sunday, the AHS played host to the Atlantic Pipe Band Championships, and there was no shortage of incredible talent on display! The final results were very much consistent with Saturday’s showing, but with one notable distinction. The 78th Highlanders once again took first in the Grade 1 Class and Dartmouth and District won the Grade 3 group, and Shearwater’s 12 Wing Pipe and Drums claimed first in the Grade 4 class. In Grade 5 however the PEI College of Piping Pipe Band managed to best the Fredericton Society of Saint Andrews and take the top spot. Solo Piping and Drumming competitors filled Columbus Field to be adjudicated for personal advancement and to challenge against the best pipers and drummers at the Gathering. The Pipers of the Day were Sean McKeown (Open), Gillian Blaney (Grade 1), Connel Gibson (Grade 2), Vivian Richardson (Grade 3), Rhys Doherty (Grade 4), and Callum MacLaine (Grade 5). The honor of the top performance by a person from Antigonish County was bestowed upon Kurtis Bryden from Harbour Center. Great job Kurtis! We introduced new categories in solo drumming, allowing drummers to compete in tenor, bass, and snare competitions. We would like to offer special acknowledgement of Sean McKeown, winner of the RS Chisholm Buckle as the best open competitor. We’d also like to extend our congratulations to Gillian Blaney, winner of the Allan Beaton Memorial Trophy presented to the best Grade 1 piper. Full results are available on the Antigonish Highland Games website, www.antigonishhighlandgames.ca. Special thanks goes out as always to Danny Gillis, Iain Boyd, and their full cadre of volunteers for fielding an exceptional display of the very best pipers and drummers that Canada has to offer. Great job everyone!
Competitors from across the continent took part in the Scottish Heavy Events, with the North American Challenge welcoming some of the top names in the world to Columbus Field! With Masters level competitions featuring Elite Men and Women, as well as an open class and juniors, it was certainly one for the books in the Heavy Events. From the top of their class to the up and comers, they did not disappoint!
The Open Class featured an exceptional field of competitors, with the 2023 World runner-up Damien Fisher once again claiming first overall. Damien led the pack in the Open Stone, the heavy and light hammer, and the caber toss. He was bested in the heavy- and lightweight for distance as well as the weight over bar by Alex McAra. It was a tremendously competitive field, with each event being won by only the narrowest of margins.
The lightweight class was won handily by 2022 World Champion Matthew Doherty, an Antigonish transplant who has come to define the sport in our community. Matt won each event by a wide margin with one notable exception; Antigonish’s Ryan Kennedy finished just over a foot behind Matt’s winning light hammer throw, with Matt winning with a throw of 114’7” over Ryan’s 113’5”. A heck of a show was put on by two locals, one who has reached the pinnacle of the sport and another who appears to be on the precipice of reaching exceptional heights. Congratulations fellas!
Over in the elite women’s class, Katie Crowley once again claimed the top spot for the weekend, placing first in the Braemar and Open Stone categories as well as first in the heavyweight for distance, weight over bar, and the caber toss. Katie had some tough competition, tying with Elissa Van Vleck on the heavyweight for distance and weight over bar. Katie was bested by Susan Lajoie in the lightweight for distance and light hammer. Emily Adams also had a strong showing, tying for first with Katie in the weight over bar.
The Men’s Master Class was won by Tipper McEwen, while in the Juniors class it was Mikka Jordan who took the top spot. Full results can be found on our website, www.antigonishhighlandgames.ca.
The heavy events were a phenomenal showcase of some of the world’s best competitors, and we were very fortunate to bear witness to such remarkable athleticism. We wish to thank Matt Doherty for his many years of commitment to this sport, both as a participant and organizer. We appreciate all you have done to keep the sport alive Matt, and thank you for putting together a heck of a good show!
On Sunday we had a banner year of Tug of War teams, with 15 teams from Men’s, Women’s, and 4H clubs taking part this year! The AHG was once considered an outlier in the Tug of War schedule, but as the sport grows in popularity teams are finding opportunities to compete year-round. In the 4H Category, it was Antigonish County that came out on top with a time of 3:33 over Pictou, who won the consolation contest against Hants County in 3:46. Over in the Women’s Category it was Falmouth who once again claimed the top spot, with the Men’s Championship pull following suit. With their third consecutive win, the Falmouth team are proving to be a dynastic force in the field of Tug of War. We congratulate all the hard work put in by the teams, and want to give a special thanks to Dan MacKinnon. Dan took the reins of organizing the AHG Tug of War from his father, longtime Tug of War Chair Luke MacKinnon. Based on the amazing pulls we watched this year, it is clear the apple did not fall far from the tree. Great work by Dan and his team!
Over on the Highland Dance stage, we were thrilled to welcome more than 200 dancers! In the Novice category (8 and under), the Highland Fling was won by Mary Campbell of Falmouth, while the Sword Dance, Seann Truibhas, and Scottish Lilt were won by Kate Cotton of Head of St. Margarets Bay. In the 9 years class, Dhara Ghore of Antigonish won the Highland Fling and Sword Dance, while Freya MacKenzie of Afton won the Seann Truibhas, and the Highland Lilt was won by Brynn Foley from Dartmouth. In the Novice 10 age group, it was Antigonish’s own Clare Barkhouse who won the Highland Fling, while Claire Skanes from Beaverbank won the Sword Dance and the Scottish Lilt, while Pria Regular from Ontario won the Seann Triubhas. In the 11 years Novice group, Abigaile Bonnell from Sydney won the Highland Fling, Elise Clements from Halifax won the Sword Dance, Fiona MacKenzie from Sydney won the Seann Triubhas, and Elise Clements also won the Scottish Lilt.
In the intermediate class, Halifax’s Katie Taylor won the 10 and under Highland Fling, Seann Triubhas, and Scottish Lilt. Olivia Giberson from Dartmouth won the Sword Dance. Over in intermediate 11, Jenna Jones from Antigonish won the Highland Fling, while the Sword Dance, Seann Triubhas, and Highland Lilt were all won by Adriana Palao from Bridgewater. In the intermediate 12 class, Antigonish’s Kylah Gillis won the Highland Fling, Seann Triubhas, and the Scottish Lilt, while Port Hastings’ Emily Crocker took home the top spot for the Sword Dance. In the intermediate 13 and over group, Faryn Cutcliffe from Dartmouth and Jaelyn Botelho from Oromocto split the top spots, with Faryn winning first in the Highland Fling and the Seann Triubhas, and Jaelyn taking the top spot in the Sword Dance and Scottish Lilt.
The New Scotland Open Championship took place on Saturday which included Highland Fling, Sword Dance, Seann Triubhas and the Reel. In the 9 to under 12 years class, Ruby MacDonald of Creignish swept the podium, claiming first in all four categories. Ruby also won the Mary Dundas Sword trophy for the under 11 years age group. Meanwhile in the 12 to under 14 years class, it was 2023 World Champion and Antigonish Native Brooke Hayne also took the top spot in all four dances. In the 14 to under 16 years group, Emma Baird from Antigonish claimed first in Fling, Swords, Seann Triubhas, while Haley Van de Weil from Antigonish claimed first in the Reel. In the 16 to under 18 years group, Karly Boyle from Antigonish claimed first in the Fling, Seann Triubhas, and Reel, while Jillian Burt from Dartmouth won the Swords. Hannah Delorey from Saint Andrews swept the field for wins in all four categories of the 18 and over age class. For full highland dance results, please visit our website, www.antigonishhighlandgames.ca.
We would like to extend special wishes to several local dancers who took home some prestigious awards over the weekend. Congratulations to Brooke Hayne and Emma Baird, co-winners of the Wilhena MacInnis Penny Trophy, presented to the Premier Dancer from Antigonish Town or County who accumulates the highest number of total points in the Premier Competition. Congratulations to Emma Baird who also won the Florence MacMillan Trophy, presented to the Premier dancer from the Maritimes who performs the best Flora MacDonald Fancy. Congratulations to Ruby MacDonald of Creignish, the winner of the Gerarda MacDonald / Janice MacQuarrie Trophy, presented to the top premier dancer of the weekend who accumulates the most points in the Championship and Premiership events. Congratulations to Kylah Gillis, who was the recipient of the New Zealand Trophy at the Antigonish Highland Games, awarded to the ‘most promising’ Antigonish Town or County pre-premier dancer as selected by the judges. Congratulations once again to Emma Baird, who was the winner of the Mary Dundas Memorial Award presented to the top premier dancer under 16 years of age for proficiency in the sword dance.
In terms of musical entertainment, the Coldstream and Oak Manor Ceilidh tent had a loaded lineup, with numerous acts taking the stage throughout the weekend. The afternoon ceilidhs welcomed John Pellerin, Allan Dewar, Kenny Stewart, Mairi Rankin, Wendy MacIsaac, and Mac Morin, while the Saturday Concert featured Beech Hill and the Mudmen! Beech Hill were a surprising hit, with many in attendance declaring them the best show of the year! The Mudmen, as always, got people on their feet and closed the night with their combination of hard pounding rock with a decidedly Celtic flair. As always, they left a lasting impression on all those in attendance.
The 159th Antigonish Highland Games were truly one for the books, and despite some early setbacks it turned out to be one of our best years yet! We hope you enjoyed your time at the Antigonish Highland Games, and for full details on results, photos and videos, please visit our website: www.antigonishhighlandgames.ca. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram; just search Antigonish Highland Games. We hope you’ll join us next year, because it’s certainly going to be a big one! With the 160th Antigonish Highland Games rapidly approaching, we have already begun planning for what promises to be our biggest year yet! We hope to see you next year, when we once again take to Columbus field from July 6th-13th 2025.