Marion Bridge ( gd, Drochaid Mhira) (2001 pop.: 1711) is a Canadian

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

community in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

Cape Breton Regional Municipality Cape Breton Regional Municipality (often referred to as simply "CBRM") is the Canadian province of Nova Scotia's second largest municipality and the economic heart of Cape Breton Island. As of 2016 the municipality has a population of 94,285. The ...

. The community is named for the

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

bridge that crosses the Mira River, Marion Bridge being approximately midway between the river's source in Grand Mira and its discharge point at Mira Gut. The current concrete highway bridge was constructed in 1982 as a replacement for an older bridge, which collapsed after an accident involving a snow plow. Marion Bridge was made famous through a popular song written by

Allister MacGillivray Allister MacGillivray CM, D. Litt (honors), is a Canadian singer/songwriter, guitarist, and music historian from the Cape Breton region of Nova Scotia. He was born January 17, 1948, in the coal-mining and fishing town of Glace Bay. Early life ...

. Entitled ''Song for the Mira'', it contains the

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the vi ...

''Can you imagine a piece of the universe,
More fit for princes and kings?
''I'll trade you ten of your cities for Marion Bridge,
''And the pleasure it brings.''

The area is a setting for the 2002 film '' Marion Bridge''.

Mira Gala

Marion Bridge plays host to the Mira Gala, an annual festival which is held every summer in late June/early July and lasts approximately 1 to 2 weeks. The first Mira Gala was held in August 1975 -- a one-day event with activities for children throughout the afternoon and concluded with a pageant and dance in the evening. The following year, 1976, the date was moved to July and included Canada Day celebrations. Since then, the Gala grew in size and popularity, encompassing several days and requiring many community volunteers. The 2023 Mira Gala is scheduled for June 30 to July 8. Events held at the Mira Gala often include family square dances, a street parade, auctions, beef barbecues, music entertainment in the evenings, a canoe race, a bathtub race, dinner theatre, a strawberry social, an antique car show and a custom car show, a flea market, a roast beef dinner, hay rides, sports events, children's fun days, and a boat parade along the waterfront followed by fireworks on Canada Day.

References

Marion Bridge on Destination Nova Scotia
* Communities in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality General Service Areas in Nova Scotia {{CapeBretonNS-geo-stub