The Men of the Deeps is a choir of working and retired coal miners from the island of Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, Canada. The musical repertoire of the Men of the Deeps is gathered from mining communities around the world. Many of the group’s songs are “home grown” – composed by contemporary Cape Breton bards, or traditional songs which trace their roots to their Celtic fore bearers in the old country.

Organized in 1966 as part of Cape Breton’s contribution to Canada’s Centennial Year (1967), the group’s inception was an effort by the people of Cape Breton to preserve in song some of the rich folklore of that island’s coal mining communities.  In 1976 they became the first Canadian performing group to tour the People’s Republic of China after diplomatic relations between the two nations were restored in 1972. The Men of the Deeps received a unique honour on May 13, 2000, when the University College of Cape Breton bestowed an honorary doctoral degree on the entire group in recognition of the group’s contribution to Cape Breton culture over the past thirty-four years.

Today, the Men of the Deeps are more than a singing group - it is a social institution. There is a comradery amongst the members of the group that carries over to their audiences wherever they perform. We are pleased to welcome this well-loved group back to Under the Spire for our 30th Anniversary season.