10/16/2026
The names Jean MacNeil and Eileen Forrester are synonymous with traditional Cape Breton step dance, highland dance, and music. Tonight family, friends, and former students will gather to pay tribute to the legacies of these two pioneering women. Jean MacNeil’s lifelong love of music started at home in Washabuck, Victoria County. Growing up, she would accompany fiddlers on the community’s first piano and developed a deep knowledge of the tunes. She was also an extraordinary step dancer and teacher, dancing at local Scottish concerts at a young age. Jean would go on to teach step dancing at Colaisde na Gàidhlig [the Gaelic College] in St. Ann’s and abroad including in Scotland, Ireland, and the United States. A gifted songwriter and tune composer, Jean was the house piano player at the Rollie’s Wharf weekly traditional music sessions for many years. And she made sure her children knew how to play music, teaching them to play by ear at home and ensuring they also had a formal education in music. One of Jean’s greatest legacies, The Barra MacNeils, will share memories and much more about who their mom was, and what she meant to them and to so many others. A dancer and teacher for 61 years, Eileen Pottie Forrester was a true ambassador for the Scottish culture and heritage of Cape Breton Island. Eileen was a champion dancer winning many awards, scholarships and bursaries, performing at Expo ’67 in Montreal, Québec and at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. She began teaching dance in 1965, founding the Forrester School of Dance, and throughout her 50-year teaching career, Eileen trained and mentored thousands of students in the art of Highland and Celtic dance, bringing them to competitions around the world, as well as having them appear in numerous stage and television productions regionally. Eileen was also an accomplished soprano and founding member of the Cape Breton Chorale. In 2015, Cape Breton University awarded Eileen an honorary Doctor of Letters (honoris causa). Eileen’s daughters, Shendle Smith, Shannon Forrester, and Shara Martell will join members of the Forrester Dancers in honour of their teacher, mentor, and mother tonight.
