The Iona Heights Inn

Céilidh Matinee
2026-05-30 17:00 - 20:00, 2026-06-06 17:00 - 20:00, 2026-06-13 17:00 - 20:00, 2026-06-20 17:00 - 20:00, 2026-06-27 17:00 - 20:00, 2026-07-04 17:00 - 20:00, 2026-07-11 17:00 - 20:00, 2026-07-18 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Halifax) and 1 more date | The Frolic’n Folk Pub & Grill, 4115 HWY 223, Iona, Nova Scotia, B2C 1A3, Canada
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
2026-05-31 16:30 - 19:30, 2026-06-07 16:30 - 19:30, 2026-06-14 16:30 - 19:30, 2026-06-21 16:30 - 19:30, 2026-06-28 16:30 - 19:30, 2026-07-05 16:30 - 19:30, 2026-07-12 16:30 - 19:30, 2026-07-19 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

Trivia Night at The Frolic
2026-06-04 20:00 - 22:00, 2026-06-11 20:00 - 22:00, 2026-06-18 20:00 - 22:00, 2026-06-25 20:00 - 22:00, 2026-07-02 20:00 - 22:00, 2026-07-09 20:00 - 22:00, 2026-07-16 20:00 - 22:00, 2026-07-23 20:00 - 22:00
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

Garrett Mason
2026-06-06 20:00 - 22:00
Garrett Mason is a Juno and Maple Blues award winning artist from Truro, Nova scotia. Widely regarded as the greatest guitar player in Canada, Garrett’s one man show is a unique blend of blues, soul, funk, rock n roll, country, and psychedelic. It is one show you do not want to miss.

Maggie’s Wake
2026-07-01 20:00 - 22:00
Multiple award winning Maggie’s Wake is a mod-trad, female-fronted folk-celtic crew creating an exciting splash in the roots music scene. Showcasing a fiery fusion of Celtic tradition with roots swagger, expect driving jigs and reels, soaring whistles, double fiddle, flashes of country twang not to mention Cajun/global roots twists that’s pure joy from start to finish.
The acclaimed quartet came together in late 2022 and quickly took Ontario by storm — selling out dates on their very first “Spirit of the Season” holiday tour. Since then, they’ve showcased at major music industry events across Canada, the US and UK, have whirlwind 2026 & 2027 tours on the books, won the 2025 Canadian Folk Music Award (‘New Artist of the Year’) for their debut CD, launched a Holiday EP, and have a sophomore CD on the way… not bad for a band just a few years in!
United in their passion for triumphant tunes, soaring vocals and poignant storytelling, Maggie’s Wake embraces their wide ranging influences and have built an exciting, new sound. The band features award-winning songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tara Dunphy and award-winning violinist/fiddler/songwriter, Lindsay Schindler, backed by powerhouses Andrew Kosty on bass and Kenneth Palmer on guitar.
Their work is 100% original, penned by Tara and Lindsay, and their first single, Bridget O’Brien, won the NERFA Songwriting Award.
After their NERFA showcase, they were told that if Maggie’s Wake was a soup, it would be a hearty bowl of everyone’s favourite folk styles finished with a dash of Loretta Lynn and a pinch of Nick Lowe.
Doesn’t that sound delicious?!
Dale Watson, the Texas honky tonk legend, says “You can’t grow if you rip your roots out of the ground” and Maggie’s Wake have taken that to heart. They are honouring tradition while forging their own path in roots music.

Pretty Archie
2026-07-15 20:00 - 22:00
Pretty Archie is a Cape Breton-based roots band with a sound built on honest songwriting, warm harmonies, and the kind of East Coast charm that feels like an old friend pulling up a chair. Blending folk, country, bluegrass, and Americana with stories that hit close to home, the band has spent years earning a loyal following through countless shows across Canada and beyond.
Known for their energetic live performances and songs that carry both heart and grit, Pretty Archie has a way of making the personal feel universal. Their music is full of road-worn stories, kitchen-party spirit, and melodies that stick with you long after the last chorus.
Their new album, Wherever You Are Tonight, arrives July 24th. Recorded live, the band’s sixth studio album captures the warmth, chemistry, and raw honesty of Pretty Archie in its most natural form — a new chapter that stays true to the sound and spirit that have made them a standout voice in East Coast roots music.
Open in Spotify
Open in Spotify

The Town Heroes
2026-07-21 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 Cape Breton, Mike Ryan and Bruce Gillis have played together for the past 16 years—touring 9 countries, releasing 7 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 throughout their career. 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.
Open in Spotify
Open in Spotify
Open in Spotify

The Town Heroes Redux
2026-07-22 20:00 - 22:00
