The Iona Heights Inn

Trivia Night at The Frolic
2025-05-22 20:00 - 22:00, 2025-05-29 20:00 - 22:00, 2025-06-05 20:00 - 22:00, 2025-06-12 20:00 - 22:00, 2025-06-19 20:00 - 22:00, 2025-06-26 20:00 - 22:00, 2025-07-03 20:00 - 22:00, 2025-07-10 20:00 - 22:00 (America/Halifax) and 1 more date | The Frolic’n Folk Pub & Grill, 4115 HWY 223, Iona, Nova Scotia, B2C 1A3, Canada
Come test your wits & win prizes!
3 Rounds – 12 general knowledge questions each round.
Play solo, or form a team. Funniest team name gets showered with accolades.
Hosted by your man – Ruarí Aonghas Lonce Murphy, every Thursday Night

No Ceilidh
2025-05-24 17:00 - 20:00
No ceilidh this day

Stand Up Comedy Night
2025-05-30 20:00 - 22:00
Featuring:
Ian Black, originally from the west coast, Ian Black went against the traffic and moved east to Halifax, where he fell in with the wrong crowd and was pressured into trying standup. Since then, he has been voted Halifax’s Funniest, reached the semi-finals in SiriusXM’s nation-wide Top Comic competition, appeared twice at CBCTV’s Halifax Comedy Fest, and broadcast on CBC radio’s LOL. From theatres and clubs to retirement home dining rooms and boardwalk bandshells, Ian is a favourite across the Maritimes and has opened for such varied acts as Bob Saget, Tig Notaro, and Doug Stanhope.
Clare Belford is a comedian and a very nice person. Born and raised in the most blue collar parts of oil-country Alberta, she cut her teeth early on by forcibly telling deeply personal jokes about womanhood to drunk tradesmen. Nowadays she is a veritable fixture of Canadian comedy.
Clare has performed at festivals including Just For Laughs, the New York Comedy Festival, the Halifax Comedy Festival and she appears on CBC’s New Wave of Stand Up. She writes for This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and her debut album, The Entire Cabbage, plays regularly on SiriusXM and was named one of the Best of 2021 by Bullseye on NPR.
Originally hailing from PEI, Dan Hendricken is one of the top comics to come out of the Maritimes. He cut his teeth in comedy at comedy clubs in Halifax and in just a few short years was featured on CBC TV as part of the Halifax Comedy Festival. Dan was the winner of the 2015 HubCap Comedy Festival’s CBC Open-Mic Contest and has since gone on to tour all over the country as a headlining comic. Dan has been seen on CBC TV and heard on CBC Radio (with CBC’s LOL) and has performed on the Halifax Comedy Festival and Hubcap Comedy Festival. Fans find Dan charming and hilarious. He draws in the attention of every audience he preforms in front of with his charm and likeability and keeps them laughing and entertained the whole time. He recently recorded his debut album “Last Call” which is available online.

Aaron MacDonald - Céilidh Matinee
2025-05-31 17:00 - 20:00
Aaron MacDonald
Get a taste of local celtic music & culture with our Saturday ceilidhs (kay-lee).
Expect to see world-renowned talent & budding entertainers from all over our native Cape Breton.
General admission seating usually $5 cover
First come first serve at the pub. No reservations. Minors allowed up until 10PM

Howie MacDonald and Beverly MacLean - Céilidh Matinee
2025-06-07 17:00 - 20:00
Howie MacDonald and Beverly MacLean
Get a taste of local celtic music & culture with our Saturday ceilidhs (kay-lee).
Expect to see world-renowned talent & budding entertainers from all over our native Cape Breton.
General admission seating usually $5 cover
First come first serve at the pub. No reservations. Minors allowed up until 10PM

Hearts of Kin
2025-06-13 20:00 - 22:00
Hearts of Kin is an emerging East Coast Americana band fronted by sisters Danielle MacDonald and Shellie Ann Tobin. The singer songwriters have been capturing audiences with their sweet sibling harmonies and signature slide guitar. Well known for their soulful songwriting, the darling duo’s style has been flavored by the early influences of Sheryl Crow, Jewel, The Chicks and the late great John Prine. Recently reunited in their Cape Breton hometown, the sisters have wasted no time establishing the band as an up-and-coming force. Their debut album, “Beautiful Burn”, has received significant recognition, winning Music Nova Scotia’s Country Recording of the Year 2024.
With several songs claiming top positions on east coast and national radio charts, Hearts of Kin have earned invitations to showcase for the East Coast Music Awards, the Stan Rogers Folk Festival, and the largest outdoor concert in Atlantic Canada, the Cavendish Beach Music Festival.
After sharing stages with names like Serena Ryder, Michelle Wright, and Lennie Gallant, the duo is touring locally, while working toward their next album.

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Jonathan Andrews - Céilidh Matinee
2025-06-14 17:00 - 20:00
Jonathan Andrews
Get a taste of local celtic music & culture with our Saturday ceilidhs (kay-lee).
Expect to see world-renowned talent & budding entertainers from all over our native Cape Breton.
General admission seating usually $5 cover
First come first serve at the pub. No reservations. Minors allowed up until 10PM

Céilidh Matinee
2025-06-21 17:00 - 20:00, 2025-06-28 17:00 - 20:00, 2025-07-05 17:00 - 20:00, 2025-07-12 17:00 - 20:00, 2025-07-19 17:00 - 20:00
Get a taste of local celtic music & culture with our Saturday ceilidhs (kay-lee).
Expect to see world-renowned talent & budding entertainers from all over our native Cape Breton.
General admission seating $5 cover
First come first serve at the pub. No reservations. Minors allowed up until 10PM

Cape Breton Celtic Trad Sessions
2025-06-22 16:30 - 19:30, 2025-06-29 16:30 - 19:30, 2025-07-06 16:30 - 19:30, 2025-07-13 16:30 - 19:30, 2025-07-20 16:30 - 19:30
Come and enjoy a casual gathering of musicians who have come together to play traditional Cape Breton celtic music.
Anyone is welcome to join in, or just sit back and enjoy the tunes.
Sundays at The Frolic 430 – 730pm
Full kitchen and bar service.
Minors allowed till 10pm

Lucy MacNeil & Band Redux
2025-07-08 20:00 - 22:00
Lucy has been performing with the Barra MacNeils for 37 years. They come from a long tradition of Cape Breton music and dance that has been the foundation of creative pursuits over their musical career.
Alongside her brothers she has travelled to Europe, Scotland, England, Wales,Ireland, the United States, Barbados, throughout Canada from Fogo Island, Nfld. To Iqualuit and a northern Quebec community, Puvirnituq.
The Barras recorded their first self titled album in 1986 and have continued making music, touring and recording throughout the years. During the 1990’s they were signed with record label Poly Dor and Opened for Celine Dion, Kenny Rogers and were special guests on two of Rita MacNeils’ Christmas specials.
The Barras made several appearances on Rita MacNeil’s CBC variety show from 94-97. In 2005 were guests on Rita’s beloved National Christmas tour in Canada. After separating ways with their label years later they continued on with recording and touring. Their lastest album is “On the Bright Side” recorded in 2017.
In 2015 Lucy was one of the artists in residence for the “Celtic Colours International Music Festival”. Here she was paired with Liz Doherty from Buncrana, Ireland to help select musicians and musical selections together for performances during the festival. It was a wonderful experience for both Lucy and the audiences who came to Celtic Colours and those that watched the online streaming shows.
In 2014 and 2017 Lucy was a special guest with Symphony Nova Scotia for their Rita MacNeil tribute concert. Here she performed with conductor Scott MacMillan, Symphony Nova Scotia and The Men of the Deeps.
During the pandemic which was a very quiet time for many Lucy started working on a solo album. Something she had wanted to do but the time never presented itself. She also felt in these uncertain times watching a world that was going through immense change and upheaval she wanted to leave something behind of herself and her lifetime attachment to traditional music and song.

Lucy MacNeil & Band
2025-07-09 20:00 - 22:00

Ben Caplan
2025-07-16 20:00 - 22:00
A Singular Voice in Contemporary Folk Music
Ben Caplan is a genre-defying troubadour whose deep baritone voice, theatrical stage presence, and poetic songwriting have earned him a devoted international following. Blending folk influences from Eastern Europe with the grit of North American blues and the sensitivity of confessional songwriting, Caplan has carved out a space that is uniquely his own.
His work is grounded in the folk idiom, but he is not a traditionalist. Instead, he treats tradition as a living thing—something to be interrogated, reimagined, and re-enchanted. His live performances are cathartic experiences, marked by intensity, humour, tenderness, and bold vulnerability.
Career Highlights
● Over 2,000 live performances across 27 countries including Canada, the USA, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, Spain, Australia, the UK and more.
● Five studio albums, including the forthcoming The Flood (May 30, 2025), and the critically acclaimed Old Stock (2018), a theatrical concept album exploring migration, identity, and resilience.
● Festival appearances at international events include Glastonbury, Cambridge Folk Fest (UK), Haldern Pop (Germany), Byron Bay, Woodford, and Sydney Festival (Australia), SXSW (USA), Into the Great Wide Open (Netherlands).
● Extensive theatrical collaboration, including co-creating and starring in Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story, which toured extensively (over 400 performances) in North America, UK, Europe, and Australia. The show won multiple awards and the Off Broadway production earned Caplan seven Drama Desk Award nominations, including Outstanding Actor in a Musical and Outstanding Musical Score.
● Multiple awards and nominations, including a Nova Scotia Music Award and East Coast Music Award wins. Caplan’s work has also been featured on CBC, NPR, BBC Radio, and in The Guardian, Rolling Stone Germany, and Songlines magazine.
Touring & Live Performance
Ben Caplan is known for transforming rooms. Whether performing solo in intimate performance spaces or with a full band in clubs, theatres, and festival stages, he commands attention and connection. His concerts combine storytelling, songcraft, and a magnetic theatricality that leaves audiences moved and changed.
He is currently booking tours in support of The Flood, a new album that deepens his sonic palette, integrating dark, textural electronics with his signature lyrical force and folk roots.
What Makes Caplan Unique
● A theatrical musical presence, bridging the night club, the concert hall and the theatre.
● Deeply engaged storytelling that fuses history, politics, mythology, and the personal.
● A borderless sound, drawing from klezmer, folk, gospel, blues, and Balkan traditions, without ever becoming pastiche.
● Independent artist ethos with international touring infrastructure and a proven record of drawing audiences worldwide.
“Caplan roars like a hurricane and whispers like a ghost… one of the most singular performers of his generation.” — Songlines Magazine
“A giant bearded folk god… capable of coaxing laughter and tears in equal measure.” — The Guardian
“With a powerful, booming voice that vibrates your very soul long after the record draws to a close, Ben Caplan doesn’t just write music – he crafts emotions that leap from the song and on to the listener.”
— Americana Highways
“Caplan’s music is freewheeling stuff — he’s been described as a cross between Tom Waits and Gogol Bordello.”
— NPR’s World Cafe

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The Town Heroes
2025-07-22 20:00 - 22:00
Whether a sweaty rock show or an intimate acoustic environment, The Town Heroes want you to be entertained. Born and raised in small town Nova Scotia, Mike Ryan and Bruce Gillis have played together for the past 15 years—touring 9 countries, releasing 6 critically acclaimed albums, raising over 30k for charity, and winning an array of industry awards (13 Music Nova Scotia Awards, 5 ECMA’s).

Anthemic choruses, danceable arrangements, and tender falsettos highlight their catchy yet thoughtful songs. At heart, a perfect soundtrack for contemplating life with a bounce in your step. Musically, the band blends their 90’s alt-rock influences with singer-songwriter stylings in the vein of Neil Young or Ryan Adams. On stage they move like intense caricatures—soaked in sweat, pushing every chord, note and beat to the limit. A structured wall of sound emerges; familiar yet distinctive.

The Town Heroes have shown dedication to their craft and prolific output over the past 12 years. Each album has garnered them an increase in fanbase, industry recognition, and bigger stages and venues. The band won Music Nova Scotia’s “Entertainer of the Year” in both 2021 and 2022—the only act to ever win two years in a row. They have risen to be one of the most popular and sought-after bands on the East Coast of Canada.

In addition to their music, the band has become known for their ability to make people laugh. Through comedic videos gone viral, online bingo, unexpected wardrobe, operating late night sandwich stands at music festivals, amusing acceptance speeches and interviews, the band has earned a reputation for making people laugh.
Though vastly different, the band has found a way to balance these two sides in a seamless, cohesive manner. They see it as a crucial, necessary part of what they do. In a world where so much negativity fills the news, where the media endlessly focuses on the bad, The Town Heroes want to bring something positive into it all, as small as it may be. They see it as necessary because it is: it’s who they are. That’s something they’ll never change.
Since 2018, The Town Heroes have raised over $30,000 for various charities. Done entirely through grassroots initiatives on their social media, the band’s philanthropic side has supported groups like Feed Nova Scotia, The Red Cross, various animal shelters, and even paid for life saving hospital treatment for a young Colombian boy who singer Mike had met on his travels.
The band released their 7th full-length album SINGIN’ on June 21st, 2025. The album is a 9-song collection of songs that each reflect memories of the past—both the good and the bad. Each track serves as a vignette, offering listeners a journey through the corridors of time and nostalgia.
From “Hockey Fights” — a fun, youthful recollection of falling in love at a hockey game while fights are taking place on the ice in front of you—to “In Your Head” — a song about zooming out and looking at your life from 30,000 feet and seeing that the little things that bother us often aren’t that big a deal. Each song looks at how we perceive memories and how the past comes to shape who we are. Sometimes it’s a warm nostalgia smothering you in all the best ways, other times it’s a punch in the gut you’re still trying to come to terms with.

Ultimately, the album is a reminder of our shared humanity. It reminds us that despite our unique stories and backgrounds, we all navigate the same fundamental emotions and experiences. Through its honest and heartfelt exploration of the human experience, SINGIN’ fosters a sense of empathy and unity, encouraging us to embrace our commonalities and support one another through the ever-changing journey of life.

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The Town Heroes Redux
2025-07-23 20:00 - 22:00
