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Isle of Lewis | Outer Hebrides | Eastern Townships of Quebec | Ripley Buce Co. ON | Canada West | USA |
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Jan 30th, 2026 - A quick Isle of Lewis to Canada FB post today remembering the late Martyn Bennett.
I’ve written about him before, but last August something special happened. A visitor from Edinburgh was travelling through Vancouver for six weeks and reached out to meet. We met up in Gastown for a couple of pints and a long chat — and he surprised me with a wee gift: the newly released Autobiography of Martyn Bennett, hand-delivered.
I was absolutely gobsmacked.
Barryjohn Bj had been a close friend of Martyn’s. Years earlier, I’d shared with him an old CBC video of Martyn that even the Martyn Bennett Foundation hadn’t seen. Then, when the autobiography was being written, they asked if they could use my original photograph of Martyn and his mother Margaret Bennett — taken back in 1999 in Gould, Eastern Townships of Québec.
I was honoured beyond words to be part of something so meaningful… and even received a thank-you mention in the book.
For those who don’t know, Martyn was a true musical pioneer — born in Canada, raised between Newfoundland, Québec, and Scotland, steeped in Gaelic tradition through his mother Margaret, and later redefining Celtic music by blending pipes, fiddle, and song with modern electronic sound. Albums like Bothy Culture, Hardland, and Grit changed the landscape of Scottish music forever.
He also lived for years in Marsboro, Québec — the same small place my grandfather called home. Funny how these Gaelic threads keep weaving our stories together.
Gone far too young, but never forgotten.
Martyn Bennett (Feb 17, 1971– Jan 30, 2005)
A fearless musician. A cultural bridge. A lasting legacy. more info about Martyn Bennett
