About The Celtic Coo
Canada has more than a century of Highland Games, world-class pipe bands, Highland dancers, Gaelic speakers and Celtic musicians. Finding out what's on usually means checking dozens of association pages, Facebook groups and posters. The Celtic Coo puts it all in one place, starting in Alberta and the rest of Canada and adding the big events around the world.
Meet Ceilidh the Coo
Our mascot is Ceilidh the Coo, said "KAY-lee". She's a shaggy ginger Highland coo, the friendly cow of the Scottish Highlands. A cèilidh is a Gaelic gathering with music, dancing and stories, and bringing people together is the whole point of this site. She's a bit scruffy, always smiling, and happy to see everyone, whether your family came from Cape Breton or you just like bagpipes. Look for "Ceilidh's picks" on the home page and her sign-off in the newsletter.
About Ceilidh's tartan
Ceilidh's bow, and the tartan stripe across the top of every page, is the Maple Leaf tartan, Canada's official national tartan. David Weiser of Toronto designed it in 1964, ahead of Canada's centennial. Its green, gold, red and brown follow a maple leaf through the seasons, from summer green to autumn gold, the red of the first frost, and the brown of fallen leaves. The Government of Canada made it an official national symbol in 2011 and describes it as a tartan for Canadians of every background. That's why we chose it: it isn't tied to one clan or family, so it fits a hub for all of Canada. We draw it from the tartan's published threadcount, simplified to fit a small bow. Canadian Heritage on the Maple Leaf tartan ↗ · Scottish Register of Tartans entry ↗
Looking for your own family's tartan? Try Find your tartan.
How we check dates
- An event goes on the calendar only when its date appears on the organizer's or governing association's own website.
- Events that are expected but not yet dated are listed separately as Date TBA and are left out of the calendar feed.
- We re-check every source page each week, and any change gets reviewed before it's published.
- Dates still change, so please confirm with the organizer before you travel.
Right now we list 43 confirmed events (29 in Canada), 13 Canadian events with dates to come, 14 shops and makers, and 104 clubs and groups.
Shops, organizers and corrections
Basic listings are free. If you run an event or a shop and want something changed or removed, let us know or email [email protected]. Shop names, logos and trademarks belong to their owners, and we link straight to their sites.
Take it with you
- Calendar feed (ICS) for Google, Apple or Outlook calendars
- RSS feed of upcoming events