Canadian History – Teacher Joseph's Sound Archive

Neil McTaggart’s Crossing (9): A Story of 1920s Scottish Emigration to Canada (Podcast 1125)

Part 9 of Neil McTaggart’s Crossing. Neil visits town, meets Mrs Brant, and begins to feel that Canada might become home. A historical fiction audio story about Scottish emigration, Canada, family, and belonging.

Episode 9: The Town

The frost had lifted a little by the time Robert said,
“You’d best come with me to town today, lad.”

Neil was glad to go. The farm had begun to feel heavy with silence.
They loaded the cart with eggs, a sack of oats, and a few jars of honey that Robert traded each month. The horse stamped in the cold, eager to move.

Neil McTaggart’s Crossing (8): A Story of 1920s Scottish Emigration to Canada (Podcast 1117)

Part 8 of Neil McTaggart’s Crossing. A dead deer and a warning at the door expose danger around Thomas and the Keating conflict. A historical fiction audio story about Scottish emigration, Canada, family, and belonging.

Episode 8: The Deer at the Door

The morning began with a strange sound.
It was not the stove, or the wind, or birds.
It was something heavy, bumping against the front door.

Neil McTaggart’s Crossing (7): A Story of 1920s Scottish Emigration to Canada (Podcast 1113 )

Part 7 of Neil McTaggart’s Crossing. Neil struggles to write home, receives Esther’s help, and learns the wound behind Thomas’s anger. A historical fiction audio story about Scottish emigration, Canada, family, and belonging.

Neil McTaggart’s Crossing – Part 7: The Letter Home

News of Joseph Brisco’s departure rippled through the settlement like a thawing stream. By the month’s end, he would sail east across the Atlantic, returning to Scotland on family business. He had agreed to carry letters for anyone who wished to send word home, and the announcement stirred the community.

Neil McTaggart’s Crossing (6): A Story of 1920s Scottish Emigration to Canada (Podcast 1110 )

Part 6 of Neil McTaggart’s Crossing. Neil attends the Gaelic kirk and sees faith, language, and community binding the emigrants together. A historical fiction audio story about Scottish emigration, Canada, family, and belonging.

Neil McTaggart’s Crossing – Part 6: The Gaelic Church

Sunday broke with a sharper cold than the day before, a frost that glittered over every fence post and pine bough. Neil woke to the sound of voices moving quietly in the kitchen, the muted clatter of crockery, and Agnes’s low tones urging the children into their best clothes. By the time he came down, the house was alive with the preparations of Sabbath.

Neil McTaggart’s Crossing (5): A Story of 1920s Scottish Emigration to Canada (Podcast 1106)

Part 5 of Neil McTaggart’s Crossing. Neil hears Gaelic again, meets the MacLeods, and begins to feel the pull of shared heritage. A historical fiction audio story about Scottish emigration, Canada, family, and belonging.

Neil McTaggart’s Crossing – Part 5: A Sound of the Past

Saturday came with a softer light, a pale sun hanging low over the snowy fields. The usual rhythm of boots on floorboards and tools clattering was absent; instead, the household moved with an easy quiet. Agnes set bread to warm on the hearth, and Robert announced, over the steaming mugs of morning tea, that there would be no work today.

Neil McTaggart’s Crossing (4): A Story of 1920s Scottish Emigration to Canada (Podcast 1104)

Part 4 of Neil McTaggart’s Crossing. Neil begins farm work, senses the family’s grief, and takes his first steps toward writing. A historical fiction audio story about Scottish emigration, Canada, family, and belonging.

Neil McTaggart’s Crossing – Part 4: First Morning

The small back room smelled faintly of pine boards and woodsmoke. Its single window was frosted at the edges, letting in only a sliver of moonlight. A narrow bed, a wooden chair, and a shelf were all it held, but after the ship’s hard benches and the cold hall in Halifax, it felt like his own corner of the world.

Neil McTaggart’s Crossing (3): A Story of 1920s Scottish Emigration to Canada (Podcast 1101)

Part 3 of Neil McTaggart’s Crossing. Neil reaches Robert Jefferey’s farm and meets the family who will shape his new life. A historical fiction audio story about Scottish emigration, Canada, family, and belonging.

Part 3: The Road to Halton Hills

The wagon creaked as it left the little platform behind. Neil sat beside his uncle, suitcase at his feet, fingers wrapped around the smooth stone in his pocket. The road stretched ahead in a long, frozen ribbon. Pine trees lined the edges, bare branches brushing the sky.

The Real Neil McTaggart (Bio.) | The Man behind the Story Podcast 1099

Companion background for Neil McTaggart’s Crossing: the real family history, Kilbirnie mill housing, and Scottish emigration context behind the fictional story.

Right, Today we’re going to talk about Neil McTaggart.

Now, some of you know that I’ve been writing a story, and you’ve been reading it on my blog and hearing it on YouTube.

Neil McTaggart’s Crossing (2): A Story of 1920s Scottish Emigration to Canada (Podcast 1097)

Part 2 of Neil McTaggart’s Crossing. Neil arrives in Halifax, travels west, and meets his uncle Robert in Ontario. A historical fiction audio story about Scottish emigration, Canada, family, and belonging.

Neil McTaggart’s Crossing – Part 2: Arrival

by Joseph McTaggart

The ship groaned as it pushed into Halifax Harbour, cutting through a pale morning mist. Neil stood near the rail, coat buttoned high against the cold, his fingers wrapped around a small stone in his pocket. The stone was smooth and grey, polished by sea air and worry — a gift from his mother.

Neil McTaggart’s Crossing (1): A Story of 1920s Scottish Emigration to Canada (Podcast 1093)

Part 1 of Neil McTaggart’s Crossing. Neil leaves Scotland for Canada and begins the crossing that changes his life. A historical fiction audio story about Scottish emigration, Canada, family, and belonging.