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Lifetime achievement honour for Cape Breton’s The Barra MacNeils “very humbling”
East Coast Music Awards recognizes Sydney Mines Celtic-folk group’s four-decade long career
Cape Breton Post / Ian Nathanson / May 20, 2026 – Forty years after The Barra MacNeils recorded and released their eponymous debut album, Stewart MacNeil is still processing the rise and success of the Cape Breton Celtic-folk group as they prepare to accept a lifetime achievement honour from the East Coast Music Association. “It’s a bit of a time warp, for sure,” said MacNeil, 61, who, along with siblings Kyle, Sheumas, Lucy and Boyd, will be bestowed with the Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing their four-decade-long career and their lasting contribution to Celtic music and Cape Breton culture.