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News & Views
We talk about the beauty of the season and explain that this episode is about an hour long being a special episode. We reassure new listeners that the normal episodes are only 25 minutes long. We also play a Promo for Mary Jones, whose amazing website provides much of the source material that we use in bringing you these stories: www.maryjones.us.
The May Festival by Lady Wilde
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We start with a brief biography of Lady 'Speranza' Wilde, who was born in 1821 and was the mother of the famous Oscar Wilde.
We then read a section of her book, Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland about May Day festivities and belliefs.
You can find this text here on Sacred Texts and also in Library Ireland. |
| A young Lady Wilde |
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| The older 'Speranza' |
The plaque added n later years |
The Hills They Are Hollow
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Perhaps one of our all-time favourite tracks based in Celtic Mythology by Damh the Bard.
Damh is a modern-day Bard whose spirituality, and love of folk tradition, is expressed through his music, storytelling and poetry. Drawing on the Bardic traditions his performances are both entertaining and educational, weaving a tapestry of myth, peace, and anthems that speak directly to the heart, but never without a good splash of humour. Damh is a musical storyteller who works within the world of myth that cannot be proved; where the Faerie really do dance on Midsummer's Eve, where the trees talk, and the Hollow Hills take you into the realms of Annwn. Where the Goddess rides her horse, guiding you to magic, and the Horned God of old calls us from the shadows of the Greenwood. |
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| You can find his music on iTunes, Woven Wheat Whispers or from his website, Pagan Music. He is also the voice behind Druidcast, the official podcast of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD, for short) - modern day Druids. You can find Druidcast here and find out more about OBOD here. You can find out more details about Damh on his Contributor page on this website. |
Castledore, 23 AD from The Lily by Simon Mitchell
| We start with a short biography of Simon Mitchell, whom we know as Simon the Scribe, a regular contributor to our website. We introduce to his ecologically basded work and to Secrets of the Valley book 1: The Lily. We then read Chapter 2 to you to introduce you to the story. We'd like to give Simon special thanks for his permission to bring you this story and, if you enjoyed it, urge you to read his book. |
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| You can find out more about Simon here or here and you can read the first 5 chapters here. Some of Simon's wonderful recipes, green thoughts and other articles and advice can be found here. |
Haghole
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Our second musical treat for this special is the theme music to our show, 'Haghole' by the amazing San Francisco band, Culann's Hounds.
Name a musical act after one of the great warriors of Irish legend, and you’d better be prepared to crank out some energetic, larger-than-life performances.
That’s precisely why Culann’s Hounds has been a favorite on the San Francisco scene for six years—and is now bringing their self-described punk-Irish-hoedown sensibility to a larger audience. The melodies of Steve Gardner (fiddle) and Renee de la Prade (button accordion); harmonies of Mike Kelleher (guitar); and rhythm of Scott Marshall’s bodhran meld with rich vocals that are a staple of the Irish tradition.
The Hounds connect with their audience because they are as adept with traditional arrangements as they are with bringing their eclectic artistic backgrounds to an original brand of Irish-inspired music.
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The band boasts an impressive musical pedigree: Gardner played Red Rocks with Grammy winning favorites Blues Traveler; and wows crowds with his work on fiddle, guitar, mandolin and vocals. Kelleher’s ability to connect with and uplift a crowd with raucous humor and hard driving songs is a key; Marshall’s years drumming for punk band The Nuns gives him the straight ahead power that he harnesses on the bodhrán (and instrument he learned at the beginning of his stint with the Hounds); and de la Prade the Berklee graduate (barely, she says) started her love affair with the Cairdin Irish button box backstage at a Pogues show. |
Their main home on the web is here but you can also find them on Myspace, where you can hear more music, see a video and find out their tour dates.
You hear more of their music here and buy their albums here. You can find out more details about the Hounds on her Contributor page on this website. |
May Day Superstitions
We finish off with another piece by Lady Francesca Wilde about some of the superstiitions observed over time in Ireland.
Feedback & Comments
Huh? What, no feedback? Send us your feedback, your voice comments and your emails. Let us know what you think about the show and we can tell others what you think. It is lovely to receive feedback because it lets us know that there are listeners out there who are actually enjoying the show - or not, as the case may be. We have been able to fine tune the show thanks to some negative feedback - so all feedback is appreciated.
Special Thanks
For incidental music: Diane Arkenstone The Secret Garden. See the Contributor page for details.
Kim Robertson, Angels in Disguise. See the Contributor page for details.
Time Ticks Away by Jigger . See the Contributor page for details.
For our Theme music: Culann's Hounds, http://www.sfhounds.com. See the Contributor page for details.
Sources
Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland, Lady Wilde, Sacred Texts
Library Ireland
Damh the Bard
OBOD
Simon the Scribe
And, of course, the Awen - inpiration and imagination!
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