Lögberg-Heimskringla - 21.09.1984, Blaðsíða 3

WINNIPEG, FOSTUDAGUR 21. SEPTEMBER 1984-3
Mrs. Heather Alda
Jóhannesdóttir Ireland
on a visit to Ieeland
"The name Ireland has very little
to do with Icelandic, it is indeed Scot-
tish, and a name I have carried since
I got married," said Heather Alda
Jóhannesdóttir Ireland earlier this
summer as she spoke to a reporter of
Morgunblaðið.
"Recognized a face in the crowd"
She lives in Vancouver and is a
singer by profession. "But I am an
Icelander and was raised as one. Both
my parents were Icelandic and my
grandfather was the great poet, Gut-
tormur J. Guttormsson. As I grew up,
everyone in my district spoke Icelan-
dic and relatives from Iceland who
often stayed at our home certainly
added to that picture. Unfortunately
I never learnt the language and I
often wonder why. My only explana-
tion is that while growing up,
thousands of people immigrated to
Canada and everyone was encourag-
ed to help in creating one nation from
all these different nationalities. In
order to do so one language had to be
used. However, our home was
always very Icelandic and during
holidays I lived with grandfather.
Many distinguished Icelanders came
to visit and I still recall how proud I
was when someone knocked on the
door and asked for the poet.
I have never visited Iceland before
but it has been my dream for so long
to see the country which my grand-
father described, sometimes for
hours. The feeling I had once I set
foot on Icelandic soil is indescribable.
I will not go so far as saying that I
know myself better now but two
weeks in Iceland have certainly
made me more Icelandic. It is fan-
tastic to walk down Laugavegur in
the rain and hear nothing but Icelan-
dic. It brings back wonderful
memories from my childhood. I also
found it interesting to spot a face in
the crowd that reminded me of a
friend in Vancouver. The Icelandic
people are also very friendly but that
I knew before."
How did you spend your visit?
"The constant rain did bother me
somewhat but I managed to tour the
country. I thought I'd be washed
away by the rain at Þingvellir but I
was luckier in Vestmannaeyjar
where the sun greeted me.
In Reykjavík, I have been most im-
pressed with all the choirs. It is amaz-
ing how many there are and the high
quality. I heard the Mótettukór prac-
ticing and the Operukór performing
at Gamla bíó and I am convinced that
both these choirs would fare well in
a competition abroad against profes-
sional choirs. The same can be said
about the Icelandic opera. I was
given the opportunity to entertain my
"fellow countrymen” through the
radio with Mr. Albert Ólafsson
pianist. I sang both Icelandic and
English songs, among them Sandy
Icelandic Club of Calgary
Hjörtur G. Einarson
New President
by Carol Finnbogason
We are proud to present the Presi-
dent of the Leif Eiriksson Icelandic
Club of Calgary, and would like to
tell you a little about him.
"Art" Hjortur Gisíi Einarson was
born May 5, 1929 in Gimli,
Manitoba to Kris Mindar Lars Einar-
son of Reykjavik, Iceland and Inga
Bjarnason of Gardar, North
Dakota. Art's mother Inga is living
in the Ladner Nursing Home in Van-
couver, B.C. He has a brother Inge
also in Vancouver, and a sister Gud-
run who resides in Delta, B.C. His
father is deceased.
A carpenter by trade, Art moved-
to Calgary from Saskatchewan in
1969, and has his own company,
Einarsons Construction Ltd. His
hobbies are piaying the harmonica,
carving, and gardening. He also
prepares the hangikjot, for which he
is always highly praised, for the Ice-
landic Christmas parties each year.
Back in 1971 when the Calgary
Club was started, Art played a major
part in beginning this organization.
"Art" Hjortur
Gisli Einarson
Apparently much time was spent in
the calling of Icelandic names, most-
ly at random from the Calgary
phone book. Today we have approx-
imately one hundred members.
Art and his wife Pat have four
sons, Gerald, Allan, Kevin and
Owen, and one granddaughter, Son-
ja. Presently they reside in their Dal-
housie North West Calgary home.
Frú Heather Alda
Jóhannesdóttir Ireland
Bar which of course was composed
by my grandfather.
I studied music at the University of
Manitoba and The Royal Con-
servatory of Toronto which is the
best music school in Canada. I sing
solo with choirs all over Canada but
Canadians do not import soloists to
any degree. I also sing messo-soprano
with the Chamber Choir, which con-
sists of twenty professional singers.
We have travelled far and wide, con-
centrating on Chamber Music. I have
not done much opera, since my voice
is better suited for choirs and that
kind of work appeals greatly to me.
I also perform at many Icelandic
cultural and social events organized
by The Icelandic Association of Van-
couver for example Þorrablót.
What surprised you the most in
Iceland?
As I said before, the high quality of
the choirs. But I am also most im-
pressed with the small restaurants
scattered around the city. It is often
said that when you can choose from
a large number of different
restaurants you are in a city of many
millions. According to that Reykjavík
should have several million in-
habitants but fortunately such is not
the case. Somehow, Reykjavík re-
minds one of a big city, yet it is not
and therefore Icelanders do not face
problems common in such places."
Morgunblaðið/transl. J. Th.
GLASGQW
LONDON
ICELAND
AMSTERDAM
LUXEMBOURG
-0 FRANKFURT
PARIS
VIENNA
MUNICH
--------ICELANDAIR.-------
YOUR BEST VALUE TO EUROPE.
Lowest airfares to Luxembourg—the heart
of Europe—from New York, Chicago,
Detroit and Baltimore/Washington.
DETROIT
CHICAGO
NEW YORK
BALTIMORE ’i
WASHINGTON
ZURICH
ALSO LOW-COST ROUNDTRIP SERVICE TO PARIS, FRANKFURT,
________________________NICEAND GLASGOW.______________________________
And, remember, only Icelandair flies you to the breathtaking beauty of
Iceland. And includes all these extras:
■ Free bus service from Luxembourg to Frankfurt, Dusseldorf,
Cologne, Bitburg, Mannheim and Wuppertal, Germany; and select cities
in Belgium and Holland. ■ Bargain train fares to Switzerland and
France. ■ Free wine with dinner, cognac after. ■ Bargain stopover
tours of Iceland. ■ Car rentals at $69/week in Luxembourg.
See your travel agent. Or write lcelandair, F.O. Box
105. West Hempstead, NY 11552, or call 800/555-1212
for the toll-free Icelandair number in your area.
ICELANDAIR
NOWMORE THANEVER YOURBEST VALUE TO EUROPE