Pic: Tucson Celtic Festival

Celebrate the history and culture of Scotland, Ireland and Wales just as it’s been done for centuries… with lots of great music, dancing, food, athletic events and way too much fun! Enjoy great Entertainers all day long, massed Bagpipe Bands, great Food, unique Celtic Merchants, Scottish Clans, Heritage & Cultural Booths, Historic Re-enactments, Highland Athletics & more. Stop by the Dance Stage for Irish & Scottish dance performances. You can even join in for a workshop! Cheer on your favorites in the Celtic Music, Highland Dance and Solo Bagpipe Competitions! There are games, crafts, jumping castles, storytelling, a petting zoo and even a Junior Highland Games Athletics for the kids! New to the Festival this year is the life-sized Board Game, Quest of the Castle Keep, in the Urchins’ Corner. Did we mention Sheepherding demonstrations?

So says the website of the 2008 Tucson Celtic Festival which starts tonight and lasts all weekend. I’m definitely up for the Urchins’ Corner Continue Reading »

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Pic: The Times

The Times Online reports that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight at the Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield is only awarded two stars by its reviewer. He says: This narrative poem of chivalry, Arthurian myth and romance ought to cut a considerable dash on the stage, particularly when the version of the text involved is Simon Armitage’s sinewy, witty translation of the original northeastern-inflected Middle English.

But the adapter/director Daniel Buckroyd’s touring production for New Perspectives fights shy of the work’s darkest and most intriguing aspects and feels awkwardly unsure of its audience. No potentially thrilling moment has the faintest shiver of danger; no instance of romance or eroticism is allowed to pass without a snigger.

The juvenile tone is set by the show’s four performers, who, wearing modern dress and the bland grins of a quartet of kids’ TV presenters, share the narration and role-playing. Their task is not a small one: the story calls for a terrifying verdant giant, new year carousing in Camelot, horseback hunting expeditions and a climactic confrontation in the leafy Green Chapel, where the young Gawain must prove his courage and purity.

Unfortunately Buckroyd’s approach proves sadly pedestrian and singularly lacking in wonderment. Juliet Shillingford’s set - a simple platform semi-surrounded by a forest of wooden poles - while not especially exciting, offers a serviceable space for theatrical invention

Read the full review at The Times Online.

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The Website of Unknowning reviews this book and says: This big, gorgeous book with Patrick and Brigid on the cover belongs in the library of any lover of Celtic Christianity. Edward Sellner is a natural storyteller, a worthy successor to the great Irish bards of old. In this book he collects together folklore and tales concerning the lives and miracles of over 25 holy men and women from the golden age of Celtic Christianity — the sixth through the ninth centuries — featuring saints both renowned (David of Wales, Kevin of Glendalough, Brendan on Clonfert) and lesser known (Declan of Ardmore, Petroc of Padstow). Introductory chapters on the nature of Celtic spirituality help to orient the reader to the mystical world of the Celtic saints, and gorgeous illustrations by Susan McLean-Keeney add to the charm.

Sean on Amazon tells us that:

Sellner, an associate professor of pastoral theology, brings historical interest and spiritual insight to his fine book on the celtic saints. Continue Reading »

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Pic: The Irish Image Collection/Corbis

Tarawatch reports that the Hill of Tara features in a new book entitled ‘500 Places to See Before They Disappear‘, published October 20 by Frommers, and written by Holly Hughes. This is further evidence of how negatively the international community still views the M3 motorway works. Tara is currently on the 100 Most Endangered Sites List published by the World Monuments Fund in 2008, and will remain on the watch list until 2010. The entry in the Hughes book for Tara reads, in part: “Hill of Tara, Co Meath, Ireland: The ancient seat of Ireland’s high kings is threatened by the proposed M3 highway which runs close by and is due to open in 2010″ The Frommers web site catalogue reads as follows:

500 Places to See Before They Disappear enables passionate travelers and the eco-conscious to learn about and plan a visit to see rare cultural, historic, and natural places before they are irrevocably altered or even gone forever. Here are one-of-a-kind landscapes, fragile ecosystems, rare bird habitats, places to see the last remaining species of big game in the wild, cityscapes in peril, vanishing cultural kitsch, petroglyphs, and more—500 thoughtfully- chosen treasures that will inspire and enlighten travellers of all ages. Each entry explains why it’s been included, gives its history, the nature of the threat against it, brief practical information on how to visit, and what visitors can to do protect it. A Geographical Index allows travellers to locate attractions across the world.

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Hungate excavations project director Peter Connelly said:

To find these timbers so well preserved is very exciting. Viking cellars were used in different ways by different people, much in the same way as cellars are used today. Craftspeople appear to have worked out of their cellars as well as using them for storage, with the living quarters on the floor above.

The trust is carrying out the excavations in York over a five-year period on behalf of Hungate (York) Regeneration Ltd, a joint venture between Crosby Lend Lease, Evans Property Group and Land Securities, which are creating the new Hungate neighbourhood.

Read the full story at The York Press.

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Pic: gary

In this story, which is part 2 of the 2 part story of Fintan, we hear the tale of the oldest and greatest Seanachi or Story-teller of Ireland and how he meets his end. Before he does however, he meets the world’s oldest Hawk, an old friend never before seen, and they share their life histories. It was the job of the Shannachie to travel the land of Erin and collect stories from far-flung corners and this tale tells of his long life and his place in the history of the magical Isle of Erin. He first appears in the Histories before the great flood and the first settlers of Erin and doesn’t disappear until well into the historical period, this tale taking place around 600 A.D.

We are very fortunate to have again been given permission to use the amazing harp music of Anne Roos for the Story of Fintan and you can hear three of her tracks when Fintan picks up his harp and begins to tell his tale. You can find out more details about Anne in the Shownotes for this episode or on her Contributor page.

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Pic: BBC

The BBC reports that the chief executive of MG Alba will ask the BBC Trust to consider allowing the broadcast of the new Gaelic digital television channel on Freeview. Programmes, launched a month ago, are available on Sky and Freesat, but it was not planned to show them on Freeview for another two years.

Culture Minister Linda Fabiani said the Scottish Government had been very impressed at the reaction to the programmes. She added:

As we consider the recommendations of the Scottish Broadcasting Commission’s report, it’s great that BBC Alba has launched with such distinctive and high quality programming.

The culture minister said she would support efforts to secure the coverage.

[Source]

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Pic: CESNUR

The Center for Study on New Religions (CESNUR) has released a report about Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF), one of the most widely spread forms of modern druidry or druidism. This paper called A Pathway to Druidism is the text of a paper read by Michael T. Cooper, Ph.D. (Trinity International University, Deerfield Illinois, USA) at the 2006 International CESNUR Conference. Unfortunately, I do not have permission to quote from it but hopefully my introduction will prompt you to head over to CESNUR and read it. My introduction and paraphrase follows:

The Introduction to the paper examines Druidism as one of the expresses of the Neo-paganism movement, whose ideals can be expressed as egalitarianist, pantheist and environmental responsibile. He defines ADF as a typical example of North American neo-paganism that meets these ideals as well as the spirituality of North Americans. Continue Reading »

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Pic: Orkneyjar

Orkneyjar reports that it’s been a fine summer for stone age artwork in Orkney. After examples turning up almost daily at the Ness of Brodgar, now a large piece of decorated stone has been discovered at one of Orkney’s most threatened sites — the Links of Noltland prehistoric settlement, in Westray. Returning to Westray, for the Historic Scotland sponsored excavation, was a team from Edinburgh-based EASE Archaeology. The archaeologists concentrated, this year, on the unusual structure discovered last year.

The exterior of this building had been carefully “decorated” using neatly-laid horizontal bands of masonry. While other houses of the period tended to be created with function, rather than looks, in mind, the Westray structure was built using dressed stone and was clearly meant to look impressive from the outside.

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Pic: Metro

It may look like a grubby bit of rock but this ancient carving has caused a stir among archaeologists and hedgehog lovers, Metro.co.uk reports. It is a prehistoric toy hedgehog and was unearthed from a three-year-old child’s grave at Stonehenge in Wiltshire.

Thought to be about 2,500 years old, it is the earliest known depiction of a hedgehog in Britain.

Amid the aura of gloom that surrounds Stonehenge, it comes as a beam of light to find a child’s toy.

said archaeologist Dennis Price.

[Source]

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