Mabou, Nova Scotia
{{Short description|Unincorporated settlement in Nova Scotia, Canada}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{coord|46|04|19|N|61|23|30|W|region:CA-NS_type:city|display=title}}
{{Location map|Canada Nova Scotia
|lon_dir=W|lat_dir=N
|lat_deg = 46
|lat_min = 4
|lat_sec = 19
|lon_deg = 61
|lon_min = 23
|lon_sec = 30
|caption = Mabou in Nova Scotia
}}
Mabou ({{langx|gd|Màbu; An Drochaid}};{{Cite news |date=2021-11-16 |title=Obair air tòiseachadh aig Beinn Mhàbu |language=gd |work=Naidheachdan a' BhBC |url=https://www.bbc.com/naidheachdan/59247783 |access-date=2023-04-27}}{{cite web|title=Mabou Gaelic and Historical Society|url=http://www.inverness-ns.ca/mabou-gaelic-and-historical-society.html|publisher=Municipality of the County of Inverness|accessdate=14 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518201639/http://www.inverness-ns.ca/mabou-gaelic-and-historical-society.html|archive-date=18 May 2015|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} ) is an unincorporated settlement in the Municipality of the County of Inverness on the west coast of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. The population in 2011 was 1,207 residents.[http://www.gov.ns.ca/finance/communitycounts/profiles/community/default.asp?gnew=&table=&acctype=0&chartid=&mapid=&dcol=&sub=&ptype=geo&tid=&gview=6&glevel=com&gnum=com1504&gnum2=com1504&yearid=2011 NS Community counts] It is the site of The Red Shoe pub, [https://www.beinnmhabu.ca/ Beinn Mhàbu],[https://www.beinnmhabu.ca/] the An Drochaid Museum, and Glenora Distillers.[http://www.canadianwhisky.org/news-views/directory-of-craft-distillers-in-canada.html List of Canadian Whisky Distilleries at canadianwhisky.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160620231516/http://www.canadianwhisky.org/news-views/directory-of-craft-distillers-in-canada.html |date=2016-06-20 }} website (which shows four single malt distilleries in Canada when conducting a search for "single malt").
History
The name Mabou is thought to derive from Mi'kmaq name Malabo, shortened from Malabokek, meaning "place where two rivers meet" (the Mabou and Southwest Mabou rivers). It is also thought to mean "Shining Waters" or "Sparkling Waters". In Canadian Gaelic it is called An Drochaid, meaning "The Bridge".
Image:Church of Mabou, Nova Scotia, Canada.JPG
In 1841, the first resident Roman Catholic priest, Maighstir Alasdair Mòr (Fr. Alexander MacDonald, 1801-1865) was assigned to Mabou, where he was seen as, "a veritable chieftain and patron of poets." Fr. MacDonald was also a very near kinsman to many local Gaelic-speaking pioneers, as he was 8th in descent from Iain Dubh MacDhòmhnaill, the 1st Tacksman of Bohuntine for Clan MacDonald of Keppoch.Effie Rankin (2004), As a' Braighe/Beyond the Braes: The Gaelic Songs of Allan the Ridge MacDonald, Cape Breton University Press. Page 28, 62.
In 1846, a series of bad harvests caused by the same blight as the Great Irish and Highland potato faminesEffie Rankin (2004), As a' Braighe/Beyond the Braes: The Gaelic Songs of Allan the Ridge MacDonald, Cape Breton University Press. Page 31. caused an exodus of Gaels from Mabou to Antigonish County ({{langx|gd|Siorramachd Antaiginis}}).Effie Rankin (2004), As a' Braighe/Beyond the Braes: The Gaelic Songs of Allan the Ridge MacDonald, Cape Breton University Press. Page 31.
According to Marcus Tanner, "The Catholic clergy in rural west Cape Breton [also] included notorious enemies of the fiddle, such as Father Kenneth MacDonald, who conducted a local war with the music-makers in the 1860s and the 1870s. His campaign met with little success, however, and Cape Breton never saw the ceremonial burning of fiddles and bagpipes, as happened in Skye under the instigation of the famous blind catechist Donald Munro." Marcus Tanner (2004), The Last of the Celts, Yale University Press, page 298.
During the last quarter of the 19th century, according to historian Fr. Vincent Yzermans, the town of Holdingford, Minnesota was founded by Catholic Canadian Gaelic-speaking immigrants from Sight Point near Mabou. For this reason, Holdingford was originally called, "The Scotch Settlement",Vincent A. Yzermans (1985), The Ford in the River, The Catholic Community of Holdingford. Pages 27-42. but now proudly describes itself as, "The Gateway to Lake Wobegon", after the fictional Central Minnesota town created by novelist and former radio host Garrison Keillor.
During the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century Mabou's primary economic activity centered around a coal mine with several collieries located in the surrounding area. The Inverness and Richmond Railway opened in 1901 to connect the mines in Mabou and Inverness to wharves in Mabou and Port Hastings.
Mining activity ceased following World War II and the railway was abandoned during the late 1980s and is now a snowmobile and ATV trail.
Today Mabou is primarily a fishing port for a small fleet of lobster boats. It also hosts a high school serving central Inverness County.
In 2021, Mabou became important to the ongoing language revival efforts for Canadian Gaelic when ({{langx|gd|Taigh Sgoile na Drochaide}}) ({{lit|Bridge Schoolhouse}}) (fig. Mabou Schoolhouse) opened there as the first Gaelic-medium primary school in North America.{{Cite news |last=Mercer |first=Greg |date=2022-01-03 |title=A small Cape Breton schoolhouse offers hope for the future of Gaelic in Canada |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-a-small-cape-breton-schoolhouse-offers-hope-for-the-future-of-gaelic/ |access-date=2023-04-19}}{{Cite news |title=Taigh Sgoile na Drochaide |language=gd |work=Naidheachdan a' BhBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/naidheachdan/fbh/59228761 |access-date=2023-04-19}}{{Cite web |title=Taigh Sgoile na Drochaide |url=https://taighsgoile.ca/ |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=Taigh Sgoile na Drochaide |language=en-US}}
Geography
The community is located at the head of an inlet off the Gulf of St. Lawrence named "Mabou Harbour" and is surrounded by low mountains which are part of the Creignish Hills.
=Climate=
{{Weather box
|location = Mabou (1981–2010)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 16.5
|Feb record high C = 15.0
|Mar record high C = 18.0
|Apr record high C = 23.0
|May record high C = 31.5
|Jun record high C = 33.0
|Jul record high C = 33.5
|Aug record high C = 35.5
|Sep record high C = 29.0
|Oct record high C = 24.5
|Nov record high C = 19.5
|Dec record high C = 16.5
|year record high C = 35.5
|Jan high C = -1.5
|Feb high C = -2.2
|Mar high C = 2.1
|Apr high C = 7.3
|May high C = 14.3
|Jun high C = 19.6
|Jul high C = 23.3
|Aug high C = 23.4
|Sep high C = 18.8
|Oct high C = 13.0
|Nov high C = 7.3
|Dec high C = 1.5
|year high C = 10.6
|Jan mean C = −5.6
|Feb mean C = −7.0
|Mar mean C = -2.3
|Apr mean C = 3.1
|May mean C = 8.8
|Jun mean C = 13.9
|Jul mean C = 18.0
|Aug mean C = 18.1
|Sep mean C = 14.1
|Oct mean C = 9.0
|Nov mean C = 4.1
|Dec mean C = -1.8
|year mean C = 6.0
|Jan low C = -9.6
|Feb low C = -11.6
|Mar low C = -6.7
|Apr low C = -1.2
|May low C = 3.3
|Jun low C = 8.1
|Jul low C = 12.6
|Aug low C = 12.9
|Sep low C = 9.3
|Oct low C = 5.0
|Nov low C = 0.8
|Dec low C = -5.0
|year low C = 1.5
|Jan record low C = -25.5
|Feb record low C = -34.5
|Mar record low C = -26.0
|Apr record low C = -13.0
|May record low C = -8.0
|Jun record low C = -2.5
|Jul record low C = 1.5
|Aug record low C = 1.0
|Sep record low C = -2.5
|Oct record low C = -6.0
|Nov record low C = -12.5
|Dec record low C = -24.0
|year record low C = -34.5
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 82.7
|Feb precipitation mm = 82.1
|Mar precipitation mm = 77.0
|Apr precipitation mm = 82.0
|May precipitation mm = 77.0
|Jun precipitation mm = 81.9
|Jul precipitation mm = 85.9
|Aug precipitation mm = 90.7
|Sep precipitation mm = 124.3
|Oct precipitation mm = 136.1
|Nov precipitation mm = 137.2
|Dec precipitation mm = 115.2
|year precipitation mm = 1171.9
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 34.9
|Feb rain mm = 38.0
|Mar rain mm = 51.3
|Apr rain mm = 72.1
|May rain mm = 76.0
|Jun rain mm = 81.9
|Jul rain mm = 85.9
|Aug rain mm = 90.7
|Sep rain mm = 124.3
|Oct rain mm = 135.9
|Nov rain mm = 127.8
|Dec rain mm = 70.2
|year rain mm = 989.1
|Jan snow cm = 47.9
|Feb snow cm = 44.1
|Mar snow cm = 25.7
|Apr snow cm = 9.9
|May snow cm = 1.0
|Jun snow cm = 0.0
|Jul snow cm = 0.0
|Aug snow cm = 0.0
|Sep snow cm = 0.0
|Oct snow cm = 0.1
|Nov snow cm = 9.3
|Dec snow cm = 45.0
|year snow cm = 182.9
|source 1 = Environment Canada{{cite web
| publisher = Environment Canada
| url = ftp://ftp.tor.ec.gc.ca/Pub/Normals/English/NS/NS_ANNA-YARM_ENG.csv
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201031083611/ftp://ftp.tor.ec.gc.ca/Pub/Normals/English/NS/NS_ANNA-YARM_ENG.csv
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = 2020-10-31
| title = Mabou, Nova Scotia
| work = Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010
| accessdate = 21 May 2016}}
| date = May 2016
}}
Famous residents
- Robert Frank, world renowned filmmaker and street photographer.
- Kate Beaton (born 1983), cartoonist and creator of the webcomic Hark! A Vagrant and Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands
- Allan The Ridge MacDonald (1794-1868) local pioneer, Seanchaidh, and poet. Highly important figure in both Scottish Gaelic literature and in that of Canadian Gaelic.
- Morgan Murray, author of Dirty Birds (2018).
- The Rankin Family, professional performers of Cape Breton-style Scottish traditional music.
- Molly Rankin, lead singer and lyricist of indie pop group Alvvays (and daughter of Rankin Family band member John Morris Rankin).
- John Allan Cameron, was a Canadian folk singer, "The Godfather of Celtic Music" in Canada.[1] Noted for performing traditional music on his twelve string guitar.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.mabouvillage.com/index.html Community website]
- [http://www.celticshores.ca/maps-info/ Celtic Shores Coastal Trail]: snowmobile and ATV trail
{{Geographic location|Centre=Mabou|N=Inverness|NE=|E=|SE=Whycocomagh|S=Port Hood|SW=Port Hood, Judique|W=West Mabou Beach|NW=}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Communities in Inverness County, Nova Scotia
Category:Unincorporated communities in Nova Scotia
Category:Populated places in the Municipality of the County of Inverness, Nova Scotia