Following Celtic Ways

Healers & Bards Gathering : June 28th

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:17:23 PDT

The Event

Update …..

4 people joined us,
two who had not been here before
a lady from Dublin
and a gentleman from Finland
Weather was relaxingly warm
and sharing the labyrinth was enjoyed by all.

Looking forward to next Sunday July 5th

A time for healers and bards,
and people who wish to meet them

Meet up here at The Thatch, Carrowcrory, Co. Sligo
at 2:30 pm, Sunday, June 28th

click here to get driving directions
which is a PDF file you can save and print

– refreshments on arrival
– healers and bards available for session and discussion
– sharing within our Two Worlds Labyrinth Garden Wheel
– optional transporting of guests to ancient Carrowkeel Cairns
– optional transporting of guests to Céis Coarran Caves
– current long range weather forecast is
warm, some cloud, a bit hazy, shower chance 20%

Sessions booked so far -

Four Paths to Wholeness : A Labyrinth Journey with John of Celtic Ways

€ 10 to help us cover
refreshment and transport costs,

You can RSVP and pay through this Meet Up Page

click here for optional B&B Accommodation
€40 per person

Claire Roche will not join us on this day due to private gig in Tullamore

What Is The Best Time To Tour Ireland?

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:20:14 PDT

A Question I Just Answered …

I recommend May and June myself. Usually this serves the best weather of the year, though May was an exception this year as it was quite wet and cool, but for most previous years it has been fabulous. Weather aside, the benefits are

longer daylight days
low cost air travel
better accommodation deals
abundance of wild flowers such as primroses, bluebells, orchids, cowslips and rare species
no or few midges and biting insects
a lot quieter, peaceful, ingredients for a perfect vacation

Late August and early September is very nice for the purple heather and often a return to warm summer weather.

Early October often serves an Indian summer and gorgeous fall tree colours but the shorter days are noticeable.

During the evenings of shorter days we offer sessions of music, song, dance, storytelling or offer you guidance for instantly publishing your journal and inspirations that you have written, photographed or even recorded on mobile devices.

Recommended Touring?

Start with our “Introduction to Ireland” tour that commences first couple of days in Co. Sligo.

I feel the worst thing anyone can do is land at Dublin and stay in Dublin for a couple of days to “catch up on jet lag”. Same story for landing at Shannon and heading straight to Limerick, Galway or even Killarney.

These cities and bustling places are best left until an end of a vacation when they can be fully enjoyed. This is especially true when visiting museums and galleries as you will see collections from places you have been to, and that is exciting, fun and meaningful.

Below is a video of our accommodation that we can serve for your first three days in Ireland, only €55 per night per person sharing for dinner, bed and breakfast.

Guide, driver and transport for the day is also €55 per person, including pic-nic lunch

After a couple of days here of catching up your sleep pattern, relaxing and enjoying our nearby sacred sites and coastline we can transfer you to a self drive car, motor home, self drive boat or an extended guided tour of Ireland.

However, some folks enjoy their Co. Sligo stay so much, they cancel the rest of their vacation to continue staying here and enjoy all we have to offer with scenery, Irish traditions, Irish community, Irish mythology, Irish music, song, dance and storytelling.

All that people come to Ireland for is here without the fuss of accommodation changes, travel and endless hours in cars, buses and trains rather than experiencing Ireland and having a vacation.

Summer Solstice Gathering June 20th

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 07:00:12 PDT

We are hosting a Summer Solstice Gathering, Sat June 20th

Here’s the current news

Meet up here at The Thatch, Carrowcrory,

at 6:30 pm, Saturday, June 20th

map below driving directions here

watch video of 2007 Carrowkeel Solstice here

– refreshments on arrival
– songs and harp by Claire Roche
– storytellers
– observations and sharing
within our Two Worlds Labyrinth Garden
– start transporting guests to Carrowkeel Cairns
from 8:30 pm
– sunset at approx 10:05 pm
– current long range weather forecast is

current forecast approx 80% sunny sunset

we will probably stay up at Carrowkeel Cairns
for about one hour

€ 10 to help us cover
refreshment and transport costs,

Please RSVP and pay through our Meet Up Page

We are also hosting Carrowkeel visits at 8:30 pm on these evenings …

Friday 19^th – current forecast is approx 60% sunny sunset
Sunday 21^st – current forecast is approx 20% sunny sunset
Monday 22^nd – current forecast is approx 90% sunny sunset

Each of these trips are also € 10 per person

(I normally charge €25 for a Carrowkeel guided tour)

Here’s the Google Map Link

View Celtic Ways in a larger map

driving directions here

Some more information …

Some folks are asking me, why Saturday 20th and not Sunday 21^st?

Several folks rigidly stick to the Roman Calendar date of June 21st for Summer Solstice, and in this area its a lively celebration including fireworks, but this year, based on astronomical calculations, the sunset of July 20th is more appropriate. For the studious the sidereal time of Summer Solstice this year in Ireland is after 5:00 am, on Sunday 21^st, though I am not sure of the exact minute.

A main advantage of visiting Saturday is that Carrowkeel will not be busy like on June 21st so observation by visitors should be quieter with more room for all. I cannot guarantee that because information of quiet times I have previously supplied through Celtic Ways have become busier times as word spread.

There are not enough accessed ancient sacred sites to go around for current increasing demand, hence why we have our Two Worlds Labyrinth Garden Wheel, which I also hope will demonstrate the sun setting in front of the vulva caves of Ceis Coarran, Morrigan’s Mountain, around Summer Solstice time. Its looking good at the present.

At Carrowkeel cairns there are two cairns that draw in the solstice sunset light.

The lower cairn K is small but the most dramatic as it still has its light box, quite near to its original placing. About 8 people can squeeze in at one time to observe this. Any more and it blocks the phenomenon.

The higher cairn N, is larger but as the light box has long gone the sun lights up the whole interior. About 12 people can squeeze in at one time.

On June 21^st when about 100 or more folks turn up to experience this, you can imagine problems with access to the cairns, as well car car parking.

Looking forward to meeting you at our
2009 Summer Solstice gathering

Why are our tours and retreat travellers 80% women?

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:05:20 PDT

Is Ireland a living Goddess?

Many of our visiting women believe this, and have good reason to.

Added to this is their belief that this age is an awakening time for women. 1000s of years of the suppression, esteem breaking and persecution of women is breaking away so that they once again become in total flowing balance with men.

I feel convinced that this age old suppression and persecution of women has also suppressed the flow, effect, purpose and good stewardship of masculinity.

The ancient tales I now share through stories and folk drama at ancient sites are from times when women were actively the earthly presence of the goddess. They were keepers of the flame while men provided the fuel that kept their flames alight. Without the flame of the feminine the masculine is not fired with courage, focus and destiny. It makes complete sense that women were also the earliest creators and providers of swords, a symbol of male and female flowing in constant balanced motion.

When I tell and perform these these ancient tales I treat them as they are messages for today, messages longed for today, especially by women.

Is Finding Your Celtic Story also Finding Your Celtic Goddess?

I am currently completing a book, “Finding Your Celtic Story – from the land and its sacred sites”, and by “the land and its sacred sites” I am indeed referring to what some may say is the expression and creation of the “goddess”.

Some good hearted evangelic Christian folks have recently questioned me about this, and will always question what I am meaning here, with questions about “two or more gods?”, “pagan worship?”, and they become quite confused when I say “neither!”.

Then I remind them of “their” trinity interpretation of “father, son and holy ghost” with the “holy ghost” part often being “holy spirit” and with many irish people understood as the “guiding spirit” . It is through this third element we embrace connection to the “goddess” who is the unique mother spirit of the earth but not creator of the universe.

I will quickly add that every evangelic Christian person who has challenged me with line of questioning, so far, has been male. If women now challenge me with the same I would like to question whether they are truly speaking from their heart or from a trained logic caused through ages of feminine suppression.

Sheela na Womb

A fascination for women visiting Ireland are the sheela na gig engravings, also found around the UK. These symbols are either of women with wide open vulvas inviting cautious entry into their womb, or women with a cross legged reminder that their womb is a one way passage of spirit.

These sculptured engravings were made by ancient male stone masons, perhaps as their own reconnection to female spirit during their own suppression by church monks and, later, fortress commanders. Today, there are many women artists re-creating sheela na gig images through their art on canvas, sculptures and in print and are dedicated to them being an important ancient symbol message for women today.

Around Ireland there are also sacred lakes on hills within mountains that are surrounded by the sacred sites of chieftains. I refrain from using the term “burial sites” as these sacred sites seems to be known in ancient times as a place of spirit transfer both into and out of this world.

Its as if these mountain based lakes also function as nature’s own sheela na gigs from where spirit is born, re-charged and returned. The Sheela is of the Sidhe, the woman spirit that brings life to earth and takes it away back home again back to its greater circle.

Some caves in Ireland seem to also inspire the same function such as our local Ceis Coarran caves in Morrigan’s mountain here. It is wonderful to hear women sing and make music within these caves, as a re-charge of their own hearts and strength of blessing.

Some women have told me that these caves, and some waters here in this part of North West Ireland, totally recharge them

Men need Cailleachs, and Cailleachs need men

While women seek the divine feminine within themselves through nature, sacred places, ritual, meditation, and love from others, men are also quietly seeking the divine masculine. Together I see the two as an essential flame to sustain all life on earth with women being the hearth of the flame and men being the fuel of the flame. The two cannot meet or function without the spark of “the fiery arrow”, the spark of Bhride, of Brigid.

In the Hebrides of Scotland I find it quite warming that the men often refer to their wives as their “Cailleach” in conversation. Many of them do not realising what they are saying but the word is some sort of recognition that their women are their goddesses, or at least their connection to the goddess. Bhride’s day is also that humbling day each year when men stop recognise this and humble to the flow of this spirit for the day.

Visiting the Guide, The Angel and even The Mother of All

Some women that come here to ireland believe that it is this land where the goddess will be awoken within them. Some arrive here with stories of their guiding angels, their spirit guides and their past lives, stories of a spirit or entity that seems to be like a shadow of themselves. These women clearly describe and seem to understand their “shadows” better than themselves, but I think that’s ok!

I love the movie, “Harvey”, with James Stewart, that invisible friend. Many of the women that visit Ireland seem to become at one with their shadow, become the shadow they know so well, and express this so well through new writings, poetry, songs and even drawings that they create here. Its as if these women totally embrace their shadow, their invisible friend, their guide, and become one. They are then totally empowered, sometimes almost like a character from a super hero comic.

Some women experience this union and transformation within the ancient stone structures that remain here, the cairns, the stone circles and the sacred wells. Some women experience this from embracing the spirit of nature here such as among the legendary greens, sacred waters and unique sounds that come from nature here.

Overall, many women who arrive here in Ireland with an “emptiness” find the emptiness is within their divine womb which becomes fertile and able to give birth again through divine creativity. Women that join us for retreat and sacred journey here seem to be sparked by the Fiery Arrow that ignites a new flame within, and reveals a sense of a more divine motherhood.

Suddenly Ireland, for them, seems like a place to feel loved, listened to and appreciated.

Finding Your Feminine Celtic Story

I would like to think that our sacred and story journeys and retreats here in North West Ireland are a pilgrimage for women to re-ignite the hearths of their divine wombs so that once again they feel loved and can then again give birth to more divine creations expressed through service, teaching, guidance and created arts. Journalling through writings, poems, songs and drawings are such an important part of this.

For men there is no more joy, motivation and raising of the divine libido when a woman’s divine womb is re-ignited. The divine libido seems to be something close to what Jung described as free creative, or psychic, energy a man needs for personal achievement.

Some say, behind every successful man is a good woman, a Chinese employer once told me in China they say behind every successful man is a surprised mother in law, but in “our story” beside every man’s ability to fuel achievement and sustain good stewardship is a well sparked divine womb of a woman, the Cailleach

….. and it looks like many women have experienced their rekindled hearth from the Fiery Arrow of Ireland, the spirit of Bhride, of Brigid.

Finding Your Celtic Story : The Journey

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 09:26:44 PDT

Here’s the layout of my latest book

Finding Your Celtic Story
from the land and its ancient sacred sites

I am writing this book, adapted from texts I have written before, which follows quite close to how our current guided tours and retreat flow.

Claire and I, on our performance tours, have met so many people seeking their Celtic Story, not just out of interest, but as a journey to fulfill gaps in their lives or following a calling to take their lives to another place that we may call Celtica

“Finding Your Celtic Story” is a book for all these people with a Celtic and even Shaman calling. The book also invites the reader to take further steps through advancing their calling into way of sharing with others by releasing the bard within.

“Finding Your Celtic Story – from the land and its ancient sacred sites” has a content of 60 chapters, plus an intro and resources pages

Intro

Searching for Your Celtic Story

The Myths of Pagans

The Myths of Celtic Christianity

The Lost Years Of Jesus

Crossing The Veil Into Your Dreamtime

Angel Rays

Discovering Your Feminine Celtic Story

Discovering Your Masculine Celtic Story

Taking A Vacation to Find Your Celtic Story

Unity with The Land

When The Land Becomes Sacred

Our Precious Cailleachs

The Shaman’s Salmon Journey

The Deravid’s Journey

The Ovate’s Journey

The Bard’s Journey

The Healer’s Hearth

Sound Assent and Harmony

Morrigan the Morrigu

Bhride the Brigid

Making Brigid Crosses

We Are All Changelings

Fire

Water

The Labyrinth Journey

The Salley Sanctuary

The Weaving Trinity

The Four Paths To Wholeness

with the sword

with the stone

with the sickle

with the cauldron

The Medicine Wheel

Cultivating Our Tree Wisdom

Ogma’s Language of Ogham

The Scribes Wrote and The World Changed

Dean Cecht’s Well of Life or Death?

Airmed, the Daughter of Herbs

The Historical Way Today

Lough Key

Boyle Town

Ballaghboy Lodge of the Curlews

Carrowkeel, A Map Of Alignments

Donkeys of the Sathya Sai

Ceis Coarann, Ireland’s Sacred Mountain?

Ballymote Town

The Fiery Lough Arrow

Moytura Past

Characters of Moytura Myth

The Timeless Moytura Battle

Moytura Now

Unity with The Goddess

Lasir’s Well Of Vision

The Harp That Once

The Journey of Turlough O’Carolan

Sidhe Beg, Sidhe Mor

How to Share Your Celtic Story

How to Celebrate Imbolc (Brigid’s Day)

How to Celebrate Samean (Beltaine)

How to Celebrate Lunasa (Lammas)

How to Celebrate Samhain (Hallows Day)

Why Everyone Is A Bard

Our Celtic Bard School

How Being A Bard Could Become Your Profession

Resources, Maps for Your Journey

“Finding Your Celtic Story – from the land and its sacred places”
is an overall personal journal mapping workbook.

This book will take you from your homes to Ireland, and a touch of Gael Scotland, to experience enough to ignite your inspirations. I hope this book will provide insights into how ignite the divine womb and goddess within women and fuel the courage, passion and focus within men. For all people I trust this book will inspire the release the bard flow within anyone.

Future books, workshop and retreats from our Celtic Bards School will invite. readers of this book to take their journey into the deeper spirits of the subjects covered here.

Thank you for supporting “Finding Your Celtic Story”

A comprehensive introduction to the Celtic Story and Bardic Ways based on traditions of North West Ireland and some from Isles of Scotland. This book can also serve well as a sole tool for leading into valuable and new abundant journeys for many of its readers.

I look forward to sharing more with you when you visit and explore Ireland.

Meanwhile, may I request your support through an advance subscription to my book, ”Finding Your Celtic Story – through the land and its sacred sites”

When published the retail price will be €20, with an early buyer’s limited time discount of €15.

Meanwhile for a pre-published price of only €10

I will provide you with

an exclusive subscription to updates as they are created,

including audio and video clips

behind the scenes information

€20 deduction if you spend 3 or more days on one of our tours and retreats, if you also stay at least 3 nights in Ballaghboy Lodge

plus a final full print pressing when published for Samhain, November, this year 2009

plus shipping to any part of the world included.

about our Two Worlds Labyrinth

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Sun, 31 May 2009 14:17:32 PDT

Where?

Here’s the Google Map Link

View Celtic Ways in a larger map

Situated on Carrowcrory lands, 5 km from Ballinafad postal village in Co. Sligo, Ireland, aligned to Brigid’s sunrise and facing the breast paps of Morrigan’s Mountain our Two Worlds labyrinth was constructed from Samhain 2008, and took me about 2 months to construct in between guided tours, weather and a wee boughts of flu.

Our Two worlds circles within circles and tree wisdom labyrinth garden is very young but already abundant, blessed and spiritually vibrant.

What?

Our labyrinth is inspired by but transformed from ancient labyrinth designs to include relevance and reference to Celtic celebration traditions, the mating dance of sea birds, the four Celtic seasons, the trinity of union and continuity, and the ogham language of trees.

Our seven circle labyrinth is symmetrical, inspired by the spring mating dance of seabirds. The human mating dance, probably inspired by these sea birds, at Bealtaine is similar.

So far, visitors have used our Two Worlds labyrinth garden for the Celtic calendar celebrations of Imbolc, Bealtaine (Samean), Lunasa and Samhain, “letting go” rituals, calling on union blessings, rituals for reconciliation, personal meditations, relief from writer’s block, peaceful nature walks and hands-on tree and herb gardening and learning.

The inner circle is our meeting place encircled with young willows to eventually grow into a living willow cairn. Within this circle is a fire cauldron and water cauldron. Our water cauldron will eventually be replaced with a larger water feature during this coming winter.

The next three circles take on a trinity wave and folding experience of the unity of the universe, our physical earth and the spirit that flows life, along with the trinity of birth, life, passing, and then back to birth again.

The next two outer circles take us to the four points, the four “cities” away from our sanctuary centre. These four points are a reminder of the elements, the crucifix and the four spiritual schools of instruction. The four schools of instruction, especially essential for any bard for inspiration and communication, are the schools of unity, fertility, harvesting and the sharing. These were symbolised in ancient times by the sword, the stone, the spear or sickle, and the cauldron.

The final, seventh circle, is the bonding circle with its clockwise spelling of the Ogham alphabet by trees of each letter of this alphabet. The Ogham language is said to have commenced today’s human culture of “organised” systems such as laws, currency, political and religious administrations, corporate business administrations, duplicated languages that all can understand through voice and reading, measurements of time and space, and the teaching of all of these through organised education systems measured by qualifications and languaged documents.

Why?

However, the rest of the labyrinth is a reminder that our organised world is purely created by ourselves for ourselves for our convenience and attempts at greater knowledge and abundance. Our labyrinth reminds us that catching the entire salmon of wisdom is outside our grasp and right. Our labyrinth is a truthful constant reminder that the seemingly disorganisation of nature still commands and serves all. Accepting this can turn the deepest worry, depression and sadness into joy and provide the freedom to be children again.

Our mathematical and spiritually guided labyrinth is in constant challenge with nature’s choice of visits and residency of unplanned weeds, wild flowers, wildlife and insects, all harmless to us along with an invite to wonder and relationship. This creates a constant learning of tolerance and also, I believe, teaches a love of nature above a love of personal agenda.

We invite anyone to visit and use our Two Worlds labyrinth without commitment.

Our Two Worlds labyrinth does not survive from our toil alone but from the freewill contributions that our visitors provide in cash and/or labour which are always very welcome. We also like to return contributions by our visitors with some sharing of food, beverages, ceili and craic as a way of thanking you for making the continuity of our labyrinth possible.

Please visit us soon.

Accommodation and guided tours to our other local ancient sacred places can also also arranged. In fact, you’ll love our local eco farm accommodation. Our visiting bard, Robin Williamson, who has toured and stayed in 1000s or hotels and guest houses around the world, said to Karen our innkeeper landlady, “you are the loveliest, kindest, landlady of any accommodation I have stayed in, I will be back!”.

Contact us to say when you are travelling by

Finding Your Celtic Story From The Land

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 23:42:11 PDT

Your Celtic Story

As Claire and I travelled English speaking lands of USA, Australia and New Zealand during the past 12 months most people wanted to share, or hopefully discover, something of their Celtic Stories. We met aborigines, Cherokee, Navajo and other tribal people who sought for stories from Ireland and Scotland, even Wales and England, to help them rebuild their culture that was watered down and sent down the drain during Colonial times.

I find this is the same for everyone. The school system is a duplication of training that is a powerful brainwashing to prepare us to enter into a now worldwide economic structure that has evolved as the next stage after colonialism. The USA is a network of states that networked tribal nations to attempt to follow a duplicated constitution that is looked to as the leader of all thought and action. The EU is evolving the same way.

The World is also evolving the same way with dreams of combining nations in Africa and South America. China and Russia have also done this to extreme.

Doing this has provided us with huge benefits in comfort, nutrition, health, abundant and support, though all of those can be questioned too. However, the downside is that each extra comfort can also add to the worries we have in life and take away more of our awaking space, and sleeping space.

For example, 15 years ago most of us never worried about mobile phones and computers breaking down or having to spend hours a day commuting our children to all kinds of activities, yet how many emergency situations have our mobile phones been so helpful for?

Each lifestyle culture has taken more of the “story” away from us. Even our dream time is getting reduced and reduced as more and more people deprive themselves from more and more sleep. Without connection to our story we become empty, disconnected and wonder where our “roots” are. Depression, violence, even suicide, steps in. Look what happens to rock stars and film stars when they are forced into a “bubble” that detaches them from regular people as suddenly so many people want what they think they have. I will write about “the stage” later.

We wish to help you use your vacation time to re-visit your story

At our Celtic Bards School we invite you to space, guidance and support for you to find a week or two to re-connect to your story which you can take home as a new guidance for all things in your daily life. Too many people sacrifice following their story to become servitude to the “stories” of education system teachers, religious leaders, cult leaders, politicians (maybe), but perhaps worst of all today, media advertising and the news reports this sponsors. Being a downtime economically, all of these “systems” are packed into “multi level marketing” schemes and their lures.

Yet, all of the individuals in these “systems” having loving hearts that they attempt to share “undercover”, in “brown bags” and “in dark unseen corners”, and these are the people we speak of who inspired our lives. If the “system” discovers them sharing their “hearts” they are banished. The movie “Dead Poets Society”, a good example of portraying this.

We like to think that we are like that proverb, where you are the horses being brought to the waters of our Celtic Bards School, but what you drink is up to you.

Come here, be a child again.

To and fro we leap
And chase the frothy bubbles,
While the world is full of troubles
And anxious in its sleep.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

W.B. Yeats of course. (listen to Claire’s interpretation here)

From The Land?

I read a lot of motivational quotes “new age teachers” about how we are the “power, the divine, all is possible, we are in control” and so forth but “new age” is usually a re-cloaking of the “old age” that is in the business of creating fear and then stepping in with a resolve that invites you to have faith and trust in. The truth is, usually, don’t trust the fear, especially a new fear created!

I have noticed that during the last 20 years people have become more and more afraid of nature and the direct products of nature. For example, soap is no longer good enough for us. We are told it does not cover many of our “hygiene” needs, and bathroom cabinets are becoming bigger and bigger with all these things we are now told we need to be more hygienic, along with several herbal remedies and even drugs to take from worrying about being hygienic and nourished. Sadly when these new products hit the land and water through our sewerage systems they can take 100s, even 1000s of years to breakdown and re-join nature, whereas soap “rejoins its maker” at the same pace as rotting potato skins in a compost heap.

We have a garden labyrinth to dramatically allow people into the spirit of nature with safety with all kinds of distractions in smells, sounds, touch and colours. Labyrinth makers make their labyrinths uniform so as not to distract the walker from his or her meditation. That is not our design. We have a centre for that, once our visitors have entered and fully sensed and bonded with nature again.

We are surrounded by ancient sacred sites and trust their positioning as being focal points of the spirit of nature around us. It is from these points our visitors have been awaken themselves with spirits and guide of inspirations, fairies being a good name, and I like Harvey from the James Stewart movie, as an imagined friend can be a great guide until you learn and evolve to become that friend.

That’s what I believe a Bard is, a carrier of an imaginary friend born from the soil, rocks, waters and woods of the land. So what they share with others are lies, true lies. They are lies that bring truth to the beholder!

I’ll write a separate chapter/article on that soon.

Fear of nature is in the beholder. A venomous snake can bite and kill, but it does not mean that every time you meet a snake it will bite you. If you pay attention to the snake it is extremely unlikely that it will bite you. I don’t recommend you try this at home though, partially because having a snake at “your” home is not the snake’s home. That’s not paying attention to it.

We have no snakes in ireland, and I do not think we have anything venomous in nature or carriers of disease other than maybe flies. Even strings from nettles have nutritious value.

Why the Celtic Bards School?

I some ways this is a wee bit of satire on what folks envision as a school as we do not have much in the way of books, AV gear, tables, desks, research archives and the familiarities of today’s education “system”.

Yet, yes, we are deeply a school, very much in the sense of its original word, the ancient Greek word, “Skhole”, loosely meaning a place where one spent leisure time to share inspirations and discoveries. I was tempted to replace the word “School” with “Skhole”, but suspected it may invite many references to mis-spellings by the Bash Street Kids in the British Beano comic, but then humour is so important. I may use that word yet :-)

There is the Yiddish word “Shul”, said to be from a Germanic and probably ancient Gaul word which is for a place of learning that is much more serious than as a place of leisure. I do not think we’ll use that.

In ancient Sumerian times, the earliest of scribing there is a word that “scholars” say sounds like é-dub-ba-a and sort of translates as “in this place we start with the letter “a”, and was therefore a name for a school then. Hmm, we will not use that name either, especially as the Ogham alphabet starts with B, beith.

The Ogham Language?

I both love and despise the Ogham language. Its connection to tree wisdom and links to ancient mystery make the Ogham language a fascination and draw for people to Ireland, especially to our area where it was first taught in Ireland.

The outside of our labyrinth garden spells the Ogham language with trees.

I’ll write an adaption from the ancient Auraicept na N-Eces text on the origins of Ogham.

What are the place, time, person, and cause of the invention of the Ogham (Ogam)?

In the time of Bres, son of Elatha king of Ireland, was the time it came to Ireland and was adapted for here. Its person of introduction and teaching was Ogma son’ of Elatha, son of Delbaeth, brother to Bres.

Ogma was a harper bard well skilled in speech and in poetry, and developed the Ogham language from Sumerian and Babylonian, maybe also Hitite, scripting, as a means of musical notation. Alas, to put music into notation takes away its bardic communication spirit.

The ingenuity of the Ogham language was then developed by Ogma as a means of capturing speech from a moment of time so that moment of time may be learned by others and spread to others exactly as scribed, or in early days, exactly as hand, arm and body gestured.

This brought about a system of learning where people could elevate themselves to a “higher order” that excluded rustics and herdsmen until they dedicated their lives to learning this exact language.

What is the first name that was written by Ogham, in what letter it was written, and why is b the first letter of the Ogham alphabet?

Ogham from Ogma, was first invented in respect to individual sounds in relation to matter. Bardic poets began to preserve moments of time of their poetry so that the same words can be used again by either themselves or others. Of course, this led to the early days of detaching from the true spirit of bardic inspiration and into bardic performance from script. Having said that, the Gaelic language, for a long long time, remained the main language of poets while the Ogham language became the language of scribes, and later, through evolved alphabets, the printers texts.

It is said that the father of the Ogham language was Ogma, but the mother of the Ogham language was the guided hand, then later the scribing knife of Ogma.

It is said that the first thing scribed by Ogma was the letter “b”, and its remarkable that the anglicised name of the tree of that letter today also begins with “b”, Birch.

It is said Ogma inscribed the letter as a warning to Lugh to be kind to his wife, his Cailleach, his link to the goddess or she will be taken away from him into faeryland, and with seven “b’s” be ordered to receive seven strokes of the Birch. Ogma ordered that women will be protected from mistreatment by their men with a birch. If their men failed to honour the birch they will be punished with it.

That is why the “b”, now Birch, takes precedence over the entire Ogham alphabet, for it is in birch that Ogham was also first written into.

So we begin with “b” for birch to protect women on earth, then came “L” for Luis, the mountain ash, the Rowan, the tree of Morrigan, the tree of courage, virility, bravery and focus on men. Luis from Li sula, meaning delight of eye, the quicken tree, the tree of flame, with every berry hiding the star of David, the Deravid, the Druid, below.

It is to the flaming tree the men, the stewards of earth call upon, to also learn how to be at one with the Beith, the Birch. And so, the Ogham language formed into union into a circle to capture moments of time and archive them and eventually be texts.

I believe Texts are to Inspire, not Teach

I treat texts like maps, as signs of tracks, that are wonderful records of alignment to any place or thought we may find ourselves in. They are the words of people who have been here before and what they discovered, saw, sensed and recorded.

At our Celtic Bards School we invite you to create more tracks for people to refer to, create more texts and today we can also add photography and video that capture moments of time.

This text, itself, is a map, maybe a psychic or dream map that we hope will inspire some of you to come here, and then let the inspiration of land, nature and the greater spirit to take over and charge up your bard within.

To keep it simple, this is a place to respond, write, photograph, film

and even perform and publish

These tasks will bring you back on track into your own story rather than live within the stories of others and trapping them into their own, often destructive, bubbles.

The Stage?

Though I have already written about this, I think I’ll hold off due to the vast input here.

“Finding Your Celtic Story From The Land”
“and its Ancient Sacred Sites”

is my book in progress, release date is Samhain, this year, 2009

In addition to expansion of info above there will be lots of hands on suggestions and recipes such as making Brigid's crosses, labyrinths, tree crafts, straw crafts, and all crafts as tools to explore and express the bard within rather than just make things that “look nice”.

There will be all kinds of tree wisdom, geology wisdom and spiritual guides wisdom such as insight and encouragement for the fairies, angels, goddesses, gods, and even “Harveys” that many of us have, keep secret and too hidden. Several humourous stories on that theme to share too.

A bit about tracing both your recent and ancient Irish ancestry included to.

Publishing price will be €20 plus shipping, with a limited time post publishing discount of €15 plus shipping.

Review : Robin Williamson - Moytura on Moytura

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:19:09 PDT

After breakfast Robin commenced …

Ever dear to me
The silent place in the
heart of hearts ever
Where time began, begins
and will begin

Ever dear to me
The silent place amid
the holy mother of oceans
in the land of souls where the
gates of the world await
who ever dares them

Oh, May that primary silence
be that source of the voice in me
that I raise now in the name of the maker of all

I make reverence to the ancestors
and the spirits of the unborn as I begin
May it bring good to whomsoever may here it

This teaching tale from ancient Ireland
This tale from the magic lower of Erin
This tale of the Deeds of the Tuatha De Dannan

The Bard Visits

Robin Williamson, founder of The Incredible String Band in the 60s, Merry Band in the 70s, singer harpist troubadour in the 80s, storyteller and chief of the Order of Bards, Druids and Ovates in the 90s, and a combination of all these since the millennium …. came back to his Celtic roots to share a set of Gems Of Celtic Story, The Deeds of The Tuatha De Dannan, on the ancient sites of Moytura, Co. Sligo, where most of his set of stories actually happened.

This event was also launching our Celtic Bards School, a place where anyone can learn from the bards, become bards, and be led to those ancient silent places in the lands of souls who are always open to engage, inspire and restore those who visit them.

The Journey to Moytura

As we were not a Lough Corrib, the first tales were told from the hearth of our cottage

The Dwellers of Ancient Times

The First Battle Of Moytura

The Birth Of Bres The Beautiful

and from our Two Worlds labyrinth garden Diancecht, Miach and the 365 herbs of healing

Onto Lugh’s Seat above Moytura

On our way to Lugh’s seat was a stop to the vulva caves of Morrigan, on the end of Ceis Coarran Mountain, then a stop by a bridge of a beautiful part of the River Unshin, Morrigan’s River, where a family of two swans with nine cygnets huddled together and fed.

Robin shared his tale of Dagda and the Morrigan, and the bed of Morrigan that conceived the Birth Of Bhride.

Soon, along a winding road hill rising above and away the Lough Arrow, from the waters of Morrigan, named after her daughter Bhride, the Fiery Arrow, we parked to hike the remainder of our climb.

Towering over the 360 degree vista around where Lugh once watched the battle of Moytura raise to victory and from where he spied the approaching Balor of The Evil Eye.

All of Moytura and the mystical landscapes clearly seen around. Robin was clearly moved by being there.

The spirit of Lugh’s Seat fired burning spirit through every cell and vibration of Robin Williamson as he passionately shared and engaged us in his stories of

The Birth Of Lugh

Lugh at the Gates of Tara

and the Kingship of Lugh The Lamh Fada, the long arm.

We were all moved and lifted to a state of fearlessness and joy. After the tales shared a silent glimpse and pastel colours of the lakes and mountains that surrounded us through this special moment of being passed through a circle of time and back again.

The Well Of Dian Cecht and Lake Of The Eye

Robin reminded us of the Formorians each carrying a stone to not only fill Diancecht’s well but created a mount over it too. After some time of quiet in this cairns surrounded of daises and other wild flowers.

Robin then shared with us some tales of Dagda

Dagda and the Porridge

Dagda and the daughter of Indech

We then moved onto Lough na Sool, the lake of the eye, where Balor’s Eye fell, created a hole in the earth and up spouted a lake. We could see over to Lugh’s Seat where we had come from

From here Robin shared with us the full tale of

The Second Battle Of Moytura

The Stanes Of Samhain, The Eglone Stone

Our last site of Moytura was a line of huge volcanic stones that locals call Balor’s Teeth, but storytellers call the Stones Of Samhain, and each Halloween some people still celebrate around its largest pillar shaped stone, The Eglone Stone

Here Robin completed his final tale of The Deeds Of The Tuatha De Dannan,

The Stone of Destiny

Farewell To Music

As a thank-you to Robin we completed the journey at the remains of Kilronan Abbey where bard, Turlough O’Carolan lays to rest. Here Robin had a quiet moment and played two of O’Carolan’s tunes on his harp with passion and gratitude

Loftus Jones

Farewell To Music

For Robin this was a moving thanks you to the spirit of a past bard that had guided him

A few of the travellers finished with some quiet time by Lasir’s well of vision before we set off to share a picnic lunch at our Celtic Bard’s School cottage.

Bringing Moytura To The Present

After lunch Robin led us through an afternoon of symbols workshop, which included a very detailed mythological formation of the Celtic Cross and a very moving meditation. I usually groan when people ask us to close their eyes and be led into meditation but Robin Williamson does this so, so remarkably well! We were all taken to another place and back again.

We then took a two hour evening meal break, though many of our travellers had to return as some were from Achill Island, Connemara and Belfast. Robin and his driver, went for a hidden pub meal while the rest of us went to Ballaghboy Lodge.

We returned to the cottage for an evening intimate concert, where more folks joined us.

…… and the concert to finish

We shared a long very entertaining story, with harp music, of more story of Conal Croppy

A song on harp, I think called “Doolin Shore”

On guitar Robin then performed

“Just Like A River”

“Jordan Is A Hard Road”

“Loan Of A Glass Of Beer”

“The Fair”

“Billy And The Scrapper”

Wow! Quite a full, stunning 12 hour day! much better and much more fulfilling than I ever expected.

Would you like to become a bard or share ancient inspirational sites with bards?

Find out about out Celtic Bards School

You can purchase, from us,

Gems Of Celtic Story – Vol. Three

A Tale of The Deeds of the Tuatha De Dannan

told by Robin Williamson

Following The Animals

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Mon, 25 May 2009 10:23:52 PDT

Today the cat is well

A few days ago a neighbour’s cat was lying in a basket, sniffling and choking leaving us with a wonder of what was ailing the cat, was it just a cat flu, and how the ailment may develop. I may be wrong, but somehow I don’t think the cat was thinking those things.

I would think the cat was fully aware of its condition and made the most of it, through each moment, calling upon all it could for strength and continuity. A few days later, the cat was up and about prowling around our garden labyrinth as if no illness had happened, and if it had, it was of the past and had no reference to the current action in the labyrinth.

The cat, as usual, was living in the NOW… no grudges, no motives beyond the next minute or so, just experiencing life to the full with sense perceptions all alert, and I imagine a bit of inner contented fun too.

Can we be like that cat?

Of all of the Celtic, and all shamanistic mythologies, I love the changeling stories the best.

This is not exclusive to some distant shaman that we may spend $100s or $1000s buying cds, dvds, books and workshops to learn from as most of us are changelings without realising it.

Most common is going up to a dog, imagining we are a dog with a bit of smiling silliness, as an attempt to make friends. We approach cats by arousing all of our sensuasness to get the “snooty, standoffish” cat’s attention. We get alert and even psychic as we attempt to get entry into the mystical world of the horse behind its bold challenging yet luring eyes. With the horse, and the cow, we either choose to surf the beam of its eyes and become one or stay coldly human, show our fear and develop a possible dangerous situation as our sense of their threat actually translates as us being a threat to the horse or cow.

Animals are part of the surface of this earth, just like we are, but somehow we cannot accept this as we are blinded by a need to plan, organise and control. Where did we get this instinct from, surely not from nature of this earth?

Like all humans I love to do a bit of planning, arranging things, and try to make things happen within a certain time frame, time being a total and very handy human invention. I could not run a travel and guiding service without some of this, and being on a PC is a total manifestation of design, planning, arranging and control. Its why a cat does not use a PC, even though they seem to try to sometimes.

Animals around, I find, are lovely teachers to remind us where we are rather than where we think we should be, because thats how they live. Dogs remind us how to love, cats remind us how to serve, horses remind us of patience, flow and respect and wild animals forever teach us lessons of negotiation and tolerance.

and we survive, thanks to the birds

Ancient faiths were not based on idols and “god chosen” leaders but largely on the teaching of birds. Many of our ceremonies such as weddings, and the now almost extinct rituals of mating engagement came from the instinctive rituals of some birds. Defence, especially martial arts, largely came from the movements of birds, and then the rituals of nesting, birthing and raising young are so much like the birds more than the animals.

Maybe we did come from somewhere else and we have this instinct to look above just in case someone passes by to take us home. Maybe its birds in flight that inspires us to believe they can teach us how to be above the earth.

An almost dead, but so, so important ritual, is the taking of first harvest up a mountain at Lunasa to feed to the birds, who are believed to either be messengers of the goddesses or the goddesses themselves. As much as we know about agriculture and horticulture its always that special ingredient of fertility, synthesis and growth that’s in the control of the greater spirit that we see as goddesses or God. Our own bodies were created and maintained in the same way.

I need reminders

I am very lucky being around a lot of nature, plants, trees, animals and all kinds of birds, Each day I get caught up in very human things like getting irritated when plans do not work as visualised, worrying about what will be or what might not be, obsessed with getting something just right instead of moving onto something more fun. Fortunately, each day I also often ask, “How would the bird do this? What would the cat think of this? Would this be better for the plant, the tree?”

I find this very balancing and much more effective than calling on an idol or human by prayer, though I think the imaginary friend as guide is ok, and our very own “Harvey” (James Stewart) even better, but that’s another article.

This is home

Maybe we came from somewhere else and for 1000s of years built pyramids, tall standing stones, church spires, tallest buildings, and tall sculptures like that huge needle in the middle of Dublin that I swear was built to let all the heroin addicts know where to meet and score. Isn’t heroin and those other drugs an attempted path to the skies? – what a parallel!

I feel somewhere else is a false and heartbreaking illusion. This is home now, among the plants, trees, fishes, animals, birds and bugs, and if you open your heart they are not challenging you to become extinct and to go away but to be part of their present, much more than their future. By joining their present they have endless lessons to teach with absolutely no “learning curve” needed.

The Deeds of the Tuatha De Dannan to be shared by Robin Williamson this Thursday, May 28^th, will be a wonderful day of personal transition from being a member of a distant audience into a world where the ancient tales are actually of the world now, where the animals, plants and trees will guide you on.

Do come and join us Thursday, at any time convenient for you.

The Messiah has arrived!

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Sun, 24 May 2009 05:25:04 PDT

You are the Messiah you have been waiting for

Today, I was quite taken by a short message posted by Facebook friend and fairly local Jonathan Pipe, as I could not agree more.

Since US President Bill Clinton released the internet from the clutches of a closed network of military and universities and into the domain of every person on the planet, during the early 90s, the world has changed.

During the last few years when the concept of internet forums married advances in digital multimedia, management of huge storage capacity and wider bandwidth of data transmission, this change has accelerated.

The old world of human pyramid structures that control power and money structures and where each individual stands within this has been shaking and crumbling.

At present, I cannot interpret how the current buy-out guzzling by Google, Yahoo, now Facebook, etc. will go towards control over this new platform of communicators, but change has truly happened through our cultures. Its seems nothing is entrenched anymore and many people are scared of this.

A person at the keys or voice of a pc, apple, laptop, iphone, blackberry, mobile phone, cell phone, is suddenly in command of many things that they were deprived of due to entrenched power of them by the few. People can do things a lot cheaper too such as book vacations online, download music, videos and text, and create media for others to share. These tasks and more have taken so much control from few, and its also taken a lot of paid jobs away, but I feel this is only temporary.

John O’Donohue said, “everyone is a priest”, Jonathan Pipe said “you are the Messiah you have been waiting for”, and I say “everyone is a bard” and all these things made so possible online.

I like this change

The human pyramid power structures and their aligned money structures thrive on predictability and control and starve and crumble without them. This is why CEOs of newspapers, record companies, movie studios etc., even the school and education systems, try to lecture us about how the internet is destroying our quality of life, our quality of communication and so called focusing on trivia rather than issues of the world.

The truth is the Internet is a problem for “them” and not for us. They try so, so hard to convince us of the harm that the internet will do for us. Religious leaders will also condemn the internet as their congregations become exposed to stories, writings and teachings of other leaders of faith. Fortunately, many religious leaders have also wonderfully embraced this mixing of faiths when they recognise its power of creating tolerance and peace.

There are very debatable concerns, especially by parents, as it is now possible for their children to learn multiple positions for having sex when before many children did not know how to kiss before they were 18 years old. I’ll not enter this debate on this posting other than to say this new freedom, to me, opens up the challenge for parents to share love and encouragement with their children so that when they are exposed to loveless images online they make the right choices in the way they respond. I feel this is even more important when exposed to violence online. A simple lesson may be “if it truly hurts someone physically, mentally and psychically then its to be avoided”, but this is not clear cut, another article …..

I just love how “The Internet” is driving the “powers that be” absolutely crazy as it opens up everyone to new glimmers of hope, new true friendships and outlets for expression, creativity, teaching, learning and love that they can be in charge of and not ask for permission or ask requests to others, “elders”, due to “strict orders”.

For quite some time to come, people in governments, entertainment, newspapers, education and churches will demand and try to capture this new Wild West of Internet and reform it into something orderly and controlled, just like in Colonial times. This is because order and control creates an immensely profitable pipeline for a chosen few.

Rather than a world of pyramids, towers and spires I see the internet has become a place where individuals network and a “clan” is as good as it serves. It is no longer as good as it controls.

Even the Borg like enterprises like Google and Facebook are now only as good as the people they serve. We have already jumped over the years through AOL forums, Yahoo Groups, MySpace and now Facebook is the big social meeting place, but Facebook is only as good as it can serve us. It cannot control us. Google know this too and is tempting us more with the easy advantages of their takeovers.

Sadly, these online dinosaurs have to find ways to collectively collect our cash to survive as they are under the strings of the former pyramid power venture capitalists. If we like them I believe we have to pay them a bit somehow, but retain our freedom to leave when we want.

When you are next told the internet is bad, what authority has that person over your choice?

The internet allow you to share yourself as the Messiah you have been waiting for

…. seeking how you can network to serve others rather than lure them into a structure you can control.

The stories of Christ, Moses, Mohammed etc. were, at their roots, about their sharing of love and service. Now online everyone can do the same, have the freedom to do the same, in their name and not in the names of these great people.

Will you now be your Messiah online?

You may also like a vacation at our Celtic Bards School as a medium for this

Playing with Tumblr

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Sat, 16 May 2009 07:29:12 PDT

A friend recommended Tumblr.com blogging service

One of a surge of multiple social network services that now seem to be offered daily, but this one did get my attention.

It is advertised as being the easiest way to blog on the net but I quickly found that anyone who follows through with its quick to use defaults ends up with quite an ugly blog template.

However I can see that folks who have a little CSS and HTML skill can tweak this service with far greater ease than with the other social blog services out there such as Blogger and Wordpress and so far I have not found any restrictions with using code, but I have not begun my tweaking yet so I’m writing from observations.

I use BlogJet to post my blogs onto Blogger and have not checked to see if it can post onto Tumblr yet. If not, it will not be long before they update this software to do this. However, I am not worried as the blog composing and editing utility on Tumblr is so easy to use and much, much better than on Blogger.

Tumblr provides fast and easy multimedia posting, hosting and archiving

What could make Tumblr huge, and its already very popular, is its dashboard of many media options that appear to be so, so easy to use and could attract millions of people seeking simple and free audio, video and chat hosting. Audio can be uploaded, one track a day, YouTube videos can be embedded and Tumblr has a direct hook up with Vimeo video service. I think folks will invent all kinds of ways to mix and match to create very imaginative blogs that are truly broadcasting clips.

Blogs written and hosted from other services can be fed in too.

No direct posting onto Facebook, Blogger or other services, which is a disadvantage but I am sure these hook ups are coming soon, but it does post automatically onto Twitter

The directory service for searching for blogs under search categories and keywords is cool.

Though Tumbler provides a secondary domain name easily it is also easy to configure in one of your own unique domain names. I directed my celticways.org domain to it. As I write the Tumblr tester says I have it configured right but it has not propagated around the net to work yet

My future using Tumblr?

Not sure. For me it seems to be useful as a service for distributing notes and multimedia clips that are too large for Facebook and Twitter posting but may not be of rich enough content for something like Blogger or Wordpress. It could sit in between as a useful notification service.

As it does not automatically post a headline on my Facebook Wall is a serious downside for me, but I am sure that will come very, very soon.

Also today I read from blogs that Facebook are about to launch live video and some more enhanced multimedia tools and configuration options which may dampen what Tumblr offers here.

Priority for me is trying to keep up to date on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, my blog and my web site, and now Artist Data. Though Tumblr is one of the best of the new social media services I have seen recently I just may not find the time to handle it, yet I hope I will.

http://www.tumblr.com

and for my starter, which does not look great, if it has propagated to your servers,

http://www.celticways.org

Our Ireland Vacation now lower cost, again!

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:14:10 PDT

All thanks to Ballaghboy Lodge

We have just had two small groups enjoying guided tours around our sacred sites and fun things like our donkey sanctuary and labyrinth garden.

What I believe has turned this into a fabulous vacation is our local farm accommodation, Ballaghboy Lodge with outstanding hospitality kindness and good food from Karen and Eddie.

Our folks have wanted to stay longer than the 2 or 3 nights they booked.

Before they arrive, folks just think there could not be enough to do here for more than a day.

Once here, they are surprised by all that we have to offer along with their own experience of growing peace and relaxation while staying here.

Its a vacation here! Its also real Ireland here!

The Vacation Deal

Karen and Eddie have just offered me an wonderful dinner, bed and breakfast rate that I can integrate into our guide and teaching services, touring transport, retreat facilities, activities and now popular picnic lunches.

There’s also our Celtic Bards School option too for those called to writing and harps, no experience required!

We can now provide a very comprehensive vacation experience that I’m starting to call eco-spiritual, as its about restoring the spirit of our visitors through connection to nature and ancient sacred sites that stirs the senses and inspiration along with choice opportunities for solo or with partner retreat solace, team activities and performance that is listened to and appreciated.

I’m being brave and offering a flat fee for all of this of € 120 per person sharing per day and night

or if you stay 7 days and 7 nights € 750 total per person sharing

Single supplement, non sharing is €20 extra per day

Listing what you get per day

gourmet home style three course evening meal with wine

bed in beautiful bedrooms or chalets

all you can eat full Irish breakfast

a choice of morning touring, retreat, workshop, learning, activities or time out

picnic style lunch

a choice of morning touring, retreat, workshop, learning, activities or time-out

ceili style evening entertainment, if desired, with harps where possible

Themes

Our core vacation service is introducing visitors to our local sacred sites of stone circles, ancient cairns, sacred wells, goddess legend rivers, mystical caves along with stirring views from hilltops and coastlines.

Each site visit is a blend of storytelling followed by personal time for interpretation and the invitation to let this flow into personal journalling, poetry, songs and art, or simply timeless private memories.

These are places where the mind, body and spirit can flow with the freedom, sensitivity, passion, trust and fearlessness of our moments of romance, love and gratitude.

I share how the tradition of storytelling is not bound by the archive writing of universities but is a flowing synthesis of oral stories past down though centuries and millenniums combined with our intimate response to the geology, flora and wildlife that surrounds the setting where the story was born.

Reactions and Interpretations can then flow through a choice of channels ranging from private and retreat solace to spirited team activities and through performance and publishing, hence why we have also founded The Celtic Bards School as an extended option for our visitors, as we believe “everyone is a bard”.

Sharing nature as much as possible is something we also encourage through such things as through our tree wisdom inspired labyrinth garden, a visit to a remote donkey sanctuary, the making of Brighid's crosses, and our picnic lunches which include wild foods gathered from nature where possible.

For our visitors we do not present Ireland in the Paddyland image of leprechauns, Guinness, orchestrated music tunes and poker-up-the-backside dancing, though all these things are fun and not be dismissed, as we do include them … in moderation :-)

We aim to invite our guests to truly explore the spirit of tradition, celebration, wisdom, love and inspiration that is the heart of Ireland set in its truly green nature.

Add to that good home food, good accommodation, maybe horse riding, boating, hiking and cycling along with some real ceili craic of sean nos singing, dancing, stories and harper bard songs and music.

In short, I think our main theme is to allow our visitors to become children again, a time when wild imagination inspired and motivated us. Also its ok to have that unseen friend with you here, that fairy, that angel, that goddess, that warrior, that Green Man, because here that friend is a real friend and guide you should never have lost,

……. but he or she is still waiting for you to come here in North West ireland and be friends again.

€ 120 per person sharing per day and night

7 days and 7 nights € 750 total per person sharing

Accommodation video

Women Love Facebook & Blogs, Why?

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Sat, 09 May 2009 06:13:29 PDT

Interesting article on Web Pro News of women’s current online habits

I took a lot of interest this May 9^th article because 80% of our touring and retreat clients are women so we have to know where they read.

One clear trend is women’s mass exodus from traditional printed media to online media.

One surprise to me was that though women are about 50% of the population they now handle about 85% of all buying decisions. Though there are jokes about shopaholic women I personally find women are generally extremely shrewd value for money, quality for money shoppers, so I should not be surprised at this purchasing statistic. Men may still lead with attracting revenue but women seem to still lead with how this revenue is handled. Not much has changed since primitive times, though I hasten to add this is not clear cut considering the many super revenue attracting women out there along with some very shrewd resource management men. Its good to have these modern freedoms to be what we can be.

Politics aside the Web Pro News article revealed a survey as showing that women love blogs and Facebook but are not so keen on Twitter. We all see a lot of women on Twitter but in this survey it seems only 20% use Twitter compared to 53% that use Facebook or something similar and over 50% use blogs

The kicker here is that women tend to totally separate how they respond to social media and how they respond to blogs.

The survey found that 75% of the women who use Facebook, and similar, purely use them for social exchange rather than as information sources and nearly all of these women desire all of their social exchange, such as chat, photos, video, games, music, to be under one network, which Facebook serves very well.

For information and buying decisions women love blogs, more than 64% of them in this survey!!,

In short, the trend seems to be

women use social media to keep in touch

women use blogs for information, making decisions and doing business

45% of women said they made buying decisions based on a blog post

70% of women trust blog info above all others

It seems 80% of women cannot identify how they can either intimately keep in touch or acquire useful information from Twitter.

This survey was taken from the results of 2,821 women in the general USA population, 1,008 women in the BlogHer network, and 788 women in the iVillage network.

This is an important survey for me, as I have a business that attracts women as my majority clients and has caused to to re-think about my content in future blogs and Facebook posts so that they are useful to these majority women readers.

How important is this survey for what you do?

How Will You Celebrate Bealtaine?

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:23:59 PDT

At Celtic Ways, now Celtic Bard School, we are celebrating on Sunday May 3^rd.

There are various interpretations on both name and date for this time. The name has various spellings and pronunciations so I believe its bad manners to try and correct how another person calls this time. Spellings can include Beltane, Bealtine, Baltaine, just to name a few variations, but these all seem to refer to the ancient European Celtic or Gaul God Belenos, a God of the Sun symbolised by horse, fiery wheels and chariot. Through tradition Belenos was also known as the “shining one”, the bringer of heat, healing and even passion.

Belenos is also related to a British slang word, well used in Ireland, which has an intriguing relationship to mating, an important ritual of this time, but I will explain this later. In fact you may even quietly use that slang word after reading all of this :-) . If you are a reader of Asterix comics you’ll already know what I am referring to here.

Overall, this causes me to believe that Beltaine is actually a recent name in ancient terms as it is referring to a male driven diety. I personally like a more ancient name of this time which is Cetsamon, meaning beginning of the time of heat, or simply the beginning of summer, opposite Cetsamhain as the beginning of the time of cold. Many people know of Samhain as the time of early November but few know of Samon as the time of early May. Both of these times are related to goddess guidance, so perhaps Belenos, Bealtaine, was brought in to create a balance as early May is opposite early November.

This would put the Celtic Calendar in tandem with the oriental Yin and Yang, the dark followed by light. From Samhain to Bealtaine is the dark side of the year when for much of the time night is longer than day, also a time of snows and water and colder time, a time of Yin, the feminine. From Bealtaine to Samhain is the light side of the year with most of the days longer than night, a time of fire and heat, a time of yang, the masculine.

I have not found evidence of it, but the name of the fish, salmon, seems very close to the ancient names of Samon and Samhain. Interestingly the salmon head up rivers in May attracted to the warmer water and then again in November for spawning.

A symbol of May for me is this being a time of blooming of the blossoms of the “trees of protection”, i.e. hawthorn, blackthorn, crabapple, dog rose, rowan, and we can include elderflowers here too.

During this blossoming time bees and pollinating insects become active and it was during this time the mating of humans became very active too with the intent of ensuring births at Imbolc, after the winter has passed.

The dating of Bealtaine also varies in opinion and I do believe in ancient times this was a moving and flexible date. Certainly there was some reference for setting this date to the exact midpoint between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. Archaeologists have discovered ancient moon charts indicating moon positions at this time added importance. The usual landing date for Bealtaine using these calculations is around May 5^th or 7^th, but church and Roman calendar influence has moved this to May 1^st.

We are having our celebration on Sunday May 3^rd, as Sundays are so handy for many people.

Water Blessing

A tradition of this time, as with all of the 4 Celtic Celebrations, is to collect the morning dew in a cloth and use it to bless our family, animals and maybe even the land of our crops.

At Bealtaine this has expanded to using the sacred water of the nearest sacred/holy well as soon as possible after dawn. Farmers would let their cattle drink from these wells at this time, which I think is still a practice on some farms in Tipperary and Limerick counties. It seemed to have phased out in Kerry about 15 years ago.

We intend to bake Bannock Bread on our Bealtaine Day so our water blessing will probably be the making of the dough and the pouring of water and some milk at dawn as the best Bannock bread is from dough that has settled awhile.

Though our big water feature is not built in the labyrinth our ballaun stone does collect rain water for those who seek an early blessing in the labyrinth.

I tend to think the water blessing at dawn at Bealtaine is a kind of ritual for letting go of the dark goddess who has been mother and protector during winter and who we thank for survival so that we can enjoy the abundant days ahead. This is our annual day for flying from the nest again.

There is also a tradition in our area that says Lasir, a ancient teacher, would attend local sacred wells, that could be visited by single women the day before Bealtaine. The woman would be asked to eat a little wild sorrel, which is shamrock with white flowers that looks like white buttercups. Then the woman could look into the well and see a vision of the man she would attract and mate with on Bealtaine Day.

Fire Cleansing

The Bealtaine fires are probably the best known ritual of this time. Perhaps this was made famous by the tale of St. Patrick who lit the fires early at Easter on Slane Hill and was brought before King Laoghaire to explain, which he did with the Shamrock, and supposedly converted Laoghaire to Christianity. Shamrock is, intriguingly as indicated above, is a Bealtaine symbol. More about this in the food section shortly.

Running the cattle between fires of Bealtaine is also a well known tradition. Add this to bringing the cattle to the holy well at dawn makes sense on another level, as Bealtaine day is in the middle of Taurus within the year.

We have a fire pit in the centre of our labyrinth garden so at dusk, maybe a wee bit before, this will have an important cleansing function in some way, probably through some traditional food we may prepare through it.

Food and Drink

Bannock Bread

Nice easy recipe, traditional for Scotland, where a batter is made not unlike biscuits in the USA, scones in England, crepes in Brittany and soda bread in Ireland. Throw together 3 cups of flour to a teaspoon of baking powder, add a couple of eggs, moisten down with some water or milk or mix of both and you’ll know when you mix it with a hand whip or fork when you have enough liquid in it.

With biscuits, scones and crepes you would throw on a couple of table spoons of batter onto the pan or griddle, but with Bannock Bread, put the whole lot in the pan, brown it then turn it over.

One important thing missed out. By itself its quite boring so add more things. For a sweet treat add dried fruit and some spices like cinnamon and nutmeg and maybe a bit of honey, yes honey is very Bealtaine. Another choice is to go savoury and throw in cheeses and dried tomato and maybe crushed olives. Fortunately, tomatoes and olives head into the Bealtaine spirit.

We hope to make some of this inside the labyrinth garden on Sunday.

Wild Garlic Soup

How I love wild garlic! Its so abundant right now. So its off to the woods to gather some then mix with potatoes and a wee bit of onion to make a soup for the day, and maybe some savoury Bannock Bread to dip in.

Salmon with Sorrel

I have not seen this recipe, anywhere, but to me this throws together two Bealtaine symbols, wild sorrel and salmon.

Ancient Celtic herbal writing mention wild sorrel as being a prescription for raising affection and enhancing attraction, two vital ingredients for the young and single young at heart at Bealtaine.

A blender will work for this but to be authentic its worth finding and using a mortise and pestle. You will need a mix of wild sorrel leaves, parmesan cheese, pine nuts, almonds is an option as is wild garlic or a garlic clove, then mix with extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.

Pour over your strips of salmon and bake. Some folks like to bake the salmon awhile before adding the pesto and some like to bake each peace of salmon in foil. The important thing is that this is not an ideal pesto to eat raw due to oxalic acid in wild sorrel that is neutralised during heating

Bardic Celebration

Of course, this is the fun part and possibly the most important for Bealtaine.

On Sunday afternoon Claire Roche will song and play harp in the middle of the labyrinth or in our little theatre, depending on weather and comfort of the guests at the time.

Though Bealtaine is a time for boys to meet girls, girls to meet boys, and once upon a time an abundance of mating to follow, this time in Ireland is now a celebration of the arts, of creativity, of people of all ages.

At Carrowcrory we will certainly encourage those present, those who have been inspired, to share their writings, poetry, stories and song.

This is also a festivity of flowers. In France the Lily Of The Valley is honoured, in parts of the UK the yellow Iris is revered, along with the hawthorn blossoms, the May Flowers. In Ireland its still May flower blossoms along with buttercups.

After Bealtaine in ireland its has become a time to showcase and show off gardens that are now starting to be adorned with blooming flowers.

Mead

A drink of this time, a combination of Spring blossom that has made honey and into a drink that by tradition was served to enhance affection, passion, fertility and new creativity. For those not seeking the mating dance of Bealtaine this is also said to be a brew for inspiration and guidance.

Will we meet you here?

Go to my contact form
and we’ll make arrangements, especially if you need some transport and accommodation.

Cover charge is by freewill contribution that you decide against the value you place on the company, nourishment, beverage and entertainment you receive.

Looking forward to you visiting us

Something To Look Forward To

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:28:09 PDT

It is becoming quite common for people who have booked tours and retreats with us to write and share their economic “downturn” problems with us, and this includes suggesting postponing their visit to Ireland or even cancelling it.

These people have lost fortunes within their investments and some have lost their jobs, though, fortunately, most of the job losers have saved some kind of “nest egg” during their more affluent times.

My first response is “well what else have you got to look forward to?”

I believe we must always try, try so hard not be become victim of being deprived of some carrot of joy ahead of us to give us colour, joy and purpose for the present.

This year, I am finding more and more ways to cut down the cost of a visit to Ireland.

First, I am fortunate to be living in a part of Ireland that is lesser known, yet stunningly beautiful and so, so full of mythology, legend and the elements of inspiring celtic stories. It is also one of the lowest cost places for a vacation in ireland!

The “secret” for keeping your costs down when you visit Ireland is to base yourself in a singular accommodation and fully experience Ireland, its mystery and its culture.

This deep and warming experience of Ireland just cannot happen if you schedule to race around the country like a relay race or treasure hunt that “must” include kissing the Blarney Stone, racing around the Ring Of Kerry and wondering “what was that all about”, gruelling your way bumper to bumper, around the Dingle peninsula, only to find the sea mist come in, spending a small fortune to get to the Cliffs of Moher, if only the darn security men would get out of the way so you can take the picture postcard picture, looking forward to the traditional music session in the Galway pub only to find yourself wanting to crawl into your hotel bed before the musicians turn up at near midnight, then in the morning finding your hotel stay there finally maxed out your credit card before you even had a chance to try out Dublin.

We can help you escape the tourism race and have a real vacation that lifts the spirits, is kind to your bank account, and provides something of deep value to return home with that will help you conquer the “downturn” without depression.

I personally like economic downturns because this is when human inspiration and creativity flows best.

It is the time when new ideas form into new enterprises and spirit that creates the next upturn. Its a time to “look forward to something” rather than experience that “something” but not knowing it is happening because we take so much for granted during the good economic times.

During downturns some industries actually do their best.

Look at how McDonald's, Tescos and food store profits are soaring. Seems like we eat more then.

During downturns people love to do courses to better themselves for themselves and not just for their careers

People love to travel more during downturns, because there are so many bargains then :-)

May I offer that you look forward to some time with us in Ireland?

May I offer you “something to look forward to”?

Once upon a time there were Bards, and they were the poets and messengers of the court of kings and leaders of clans and tribes. A Bard’s purpose was both to speak truth without fear and to entertain everyone.

Thanks to Columcille, St. Columba, around 570 AD, an Order Of Bards was formed in Ireland to teach bards how to be inspired by nature and spirit to create writing, poems and songs that were truthful, uplifting and inspiring.

Bards were taught to be connected spiritually to nature and develop as libraries of cultural knowledge. Their code was to live lives with no bias to class and race and their "vices" should be none. By the 8th century, when monastic city living reached a boom time, the time of Monastaboice, Kells, Drumcliffe (Sligo) and many others, the bardic schools were everywhere.

Today, our main intent here at Two Worlds is to create a kind of vacational bardic school in the spirit of the ancient Bard schools but not as rigid in order. Most important is to encourage women to be bards as it is not an exclusive male domain. Also should these folks be smokers and enjoy a Guinness etc., we will not hold these "vices" against them

This process is simple.

We guide folks to ancient sites like Carrowkeel, Keash Caves, Shannon Pot and a selection of many other ancient sites here.

Share the mythological stories that have been told by bards and storytellers for many centuries

Allow the folks to make their own interpretations and record them in some way, writing, drawings, photos.

Introduce the labyrinth and other images of nature to mix in with their inspirations as I feel touching and sensing nature is what brings honesty to inspirations and take away fear. This is essential for becoming a bard, and everyone can be a bard !!!

I also show people how to make Brigid crosses, not as a craft, but as a process of calling on inspiration along with personal calm and healing.

Invite visitors to share their inspirations as performance to the group through a house ceili of some kind, such as those shared with my singer harp partner Claire Roche

Invite visitors to instantly publish their inspirations online such as through blogs as a boost of self esteem, recognition and the gift of knowing that someone listens.

Proof is in the publishing

During our tour in the USA through March a lovely lady, and CEO of a major food distribution company, handed us books she had written and published after she shared a vacation with us here. Its a wonderful example! I must see if we can supply this online here.

So how about several things to look forward to?

We can help you look forward to

experiencing the spiritual magic of Ireland

arousing inspirations that provide solutions to your worries

a place where people will pamper you, listen to you and recognise you

and the “course work” to commence a creative and fulfilling new hobby and even income puller

Just get back to me and I can explain more to you

Vacations based in Co. Sligo for 8 days are accommodation and breakfast around $350 per person, guided tours, transport and courses, around $500 per person, evening meals lowest cost if you self cater, and return air fares from USA now as low as $400 return each based on small group rates.

And this is really something to look forward to

Please check out our unique workshop with chief bard Robin Williamson in the middle of May

Discovering your Deravid within

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 10:56:31 PDT

Most of our tour and retreat inquiries express an interest in the mythology and traditions of the goddesses and the druids

These folks are surprised to learn that origin of the druid tradition came from the middle east where in ancient times a regional or clan king was appointed by his, usually his and not her, abilities as a visionary which was shared through poetry, as song, and music performed on a harp.

Though I cannot find reference to it on the internet, any more, I was once told by a Ancient Phoenician scholar from Lebanon that there was once an ancient word that described these leaders as “deravids”.

The “vid” part of this word is quite obvious as being part of the word video and visual we use today so within the “deravid” word it makes sense that it could mean visionary. These ancient languages were not like our latin and teutonic based languages of today that are constructed out of an order of logic and mathematics, but we languages of vision where even a single word could tell a little story. The problem this creates is that interpretation by one person can be so different by another person. This still happens with the very colurful Gealic language today.

Now the “dera” part can go in all kinds of directions.

In Ireland we have the “dara” and “dera” as the sacred oak, and from the middle east, the origin of this word, this appears to expand into meaning sacred wood. Of huge interest is the word “deru” in the ancient Hindu language meaning flow of water and many say that a race of people in ancient Southern India were known as “dravids”

In ancient Hebrew, and probably other ancient languages, when words were scribed on wood and stone vowel sounds were omitted and I speculate that this was because it was assumed people would remember them or even make up their own. So “deravid” would have been written as “drvd” leaving us to invent deravid, dorivad, darived, etc. I am sure the name David came from the “deravid” word, or similar, so its no surprise that as king he is also symbolised with a harp.

Its does seem that as kings became overseers of larger populations their work as judges, ambassadors and taxation administrators left little time for their visionary, teaching and medicine work so a deravid, or druid, was appointed to become a kind of lieutenant to look after these other matters.

As these positions involved more and more work the king appointed larger groups of administrators, and so did the druid, and among these came the “ovates” and “bards”. In modern pseudo druidry the ovates are regarded as the people of divination, the psychics, while the bards are the people who spread the news, while the druids maintained their leadership over education and medicine.

I personally like to think of ovates and bards being of balancing masculine and feminine spirit.

The other meaning of “ovate” is egg shaped so this is very feminine, and I would like to take this to the height of being a term for “goddesses” or “angels” on earth. We still have them , the women, and the men with healthy feminine expression, who look after the process of life and death, the arrival and passing, the midwives, nurses and hospice workers. With this work and spirit there has to be spiritual guidance which must also open up a channel of two world wisdom, the connection with this world and the other greater spirit world.

The “bards” are the men and the women with healthy assertive masculine expression who create, communicate and share expression through words, poems, songs, and accompanied by musical instruments. I passionately and symbolically feel the harp is most fitting for this, but that is purely personally bias and preference.

I find this is like where there was once “science”. They that became mainly chemistry, physics and biology. Biology developed into zoology, botany and microbiology, then later into more divisions such as botany drifting off into tree pathology, taxology, morphology, virology, and nutrition.

Today its hard to think of a nutritionist, electrical engineer and chemical engineer as all being just being one profession, “scientist”, and even harder to imagine our teacher, priest, doctor, lawyer, and local busker as all being one, a “druid”

Anyway, I would like to play around with the Deravid Tradition.

I don’t think it important if it was real or not but components of its name do go back into very ancient times. I invite you to join us. A Deravid would need to live a personal life story that brings together the elements of ovates and bards too.

I do not want to turn this into a cultish thing. I don’t want to set up an agenda and regime where people work towards certificates. I believe this has to run on both oral tradition and trust.

When a person believes it is their time to be a deravid, or simply and ovate or bard, then that’s when they offer themselves as servants to serve others with these “callings”.

Through our Two Worlds tours, retreat and events here at Celtic Ways the core theme is to serve people with the freedom to let the Deravid within be inspired and shared with others, with full support both spiritual and from others in our company.

I will leave this post here, to let any comments and discussion roll with this.

To join us here in Ireland please chat through this contact form

Robin Williamson : Moytura on Moytura

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 06:40:13 PDT

Celtic Ways and Two Worlds Theatre are proud to present

Robin Williamson - Moytura on Moytura

… through an evening show and a unique day's workshop.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience much more than a Robin Williamson concert but to actually share and experience the world of Robin Williamson from which he creates from.

Robin Williamson is a legend
bard, poet, songwriter, storyteller
harp player, guitarist, fiddler, whistle player and much more.

Millions have been moved by Robin's words and music for over 40 years and Robin Williamson is still touching peoples hearts.

We are so privileged to have Robin as our guest for

1 day workshop, Moytura on Moytura on Thursday May 28th
1 evening concert on Wednesday May 27th

Here are the details.

Moytura Workshop

Two Worlds Theatre, Carrowcrory, Ballinafad, Co. Sligo, Ireland, Thursday May 28th

Here’s the Google Map Link

View Larger Map

Meet there 10:00 am, earlier arrivers get some brekkie,
commence with walk on Moytura to sites

where Robin can share ancient tales on location such as

Cheis Coarran, the mountain of Morrigan
and her sacred river Unshin (Inshin)
where she was Washer of The Ford where Dagda discovered her

Labby Rock where De Dannan king Nuada fell

Lugh's seat on the Hill of Giants from where Lugh threw his spear

Lough na Sool, Lake of the Eye where Balor fell

Stones Of Samhain, that froze the Formorians in battle

Lough Arrow of Morrigan's waters from where Bride was born

Lough Key from where the flow of life healed the lands again

then a trip to O'Carolan's grave where we will share
some of Turlough O'Carolan tunes from Robin

followed by lunch at our Two Worlds Kitchen
late arrivers at 1:00 pm ok too for an afternoon of bardic initiation and wonder
and closure of the day from the centre of our labyrinth garden.

Being a workshop, participants become part of these tales to evolve as bards themselves by the end of this remarkable day.

The harper bard tradition is the core of Ireland's spirit and founding.

This is an extremely rare experience to share this with a passionate bard, Robin Williamson, who's underlying life's work is to continue and pass on this tradition and spirit

This is a very unique once off experience that cannot be missed.
We will probably never be able to arrange this with Robin again,
and this workshop is severely limited to 18 people

To ensure a place for yourself, partner and friends

for more details, directions and booking online plus accommodation and transport info
contact me

Workshop fee, May 28th is only € 50
Sorry no price reduction for arriving later
as we have to raise € 900 from 18 people to cover costs
We are doing this event as a non-profit function.

lunch is € 15 extra
accommodation choices available and can be arranged by us from € 25 to € 100
plus tent and sleeping bag facilities too if budget is tight

You can also phone me landline 071 966 6480
or text me 087 206 5708

Outside of Ireland text me +353 87 206 5708
and I will phone you back

Moytura Concert

Cromleach Lodge, on Moytura, Co. Sligo Wednesday May 27th
doors open 7:30 pm to start concert 8:00 pm prompt

Through this concert Robin shares a selection bardic tales, poetry song and entertainment from his career of over 40 years.

book this concert online now

for more details, directions and booking online
contact me
as we have a limit of 50 seats to ensure this is a close up intimate event

Concert fee, May 27th is only € 20
or concert plus workshop for discounted € 60
accommodation choices from € 25 to € 100
plus tent and sleeping bag facilities too
pre-concert dinner € 35
(but Robin will not be there as he will be getting ready)

You can also phone me landline 071 966 6480
or text me 087 206 5708

Outside of Ireland text me +353 87 206 5708
and I will phone you back

Introduction to Robin Williamson

Robin has an inexhaustible catalogue of songs, music, stories and comedy to provide us with an outstanding show and day's workshop on being a bard.

Robin's catalogue has been built from ….

his early Scottish folk club days with Bert Jansch

founding of the colourful and delightful Incredible String Band

time in the USA entertaining with his Merry Band

fun shows on BBC television

his journey into Celtic mythology and stories and past 25 years as a bard

including time as Chief of the Order of Druid, Bards and Ovates

and now a variety of events solo, with John Renbourn

and sacred events with his beautiful talented wife Bina.

There are at least 14 Incredible String Band albums featuring Robin, 3 Merry Men band CDs, award winning CD with John Renbourn, countless solo CDs, at least 25 of those, and several books published plus a beautiful CD, soon to be released, with his wife Bina that includes some of the beautiful Psalms set to ancient music.
Also lets not forget Robin's paintings, prints for sale at the concert and workshop, where you can also book and order originals too.

Robin has many celebrity fans including unexpected such as Mick Jagger and the late Princess Dianna

Perhaps the most devoted celebrity fan is Robert Plant who is said to have wanted Led Zeppelin to do a cover of one of Robin's songs to which John Bonham said "feck off!", or similar. So Robert Plant grew a beard to look like Robin then tried to write a song like Robin and from this "Stairway To Heaven!" dominated world music.

Here's a variety of video clips that introduces some variation on Robin Williamson’s past catalogue.

A Half Remarkable Question

First Girl I Loved

At Woodstock Festival

The Banks Of Sweet Italy

Young Girl Milking The Cow

The Parting Glass

for more details, directions and booking online
contact me

You can also phone me landline 071 966 6480
or text me 087 206 5708

Outside of Ireland text me +353 87 206 5708
and I will phone you back

Also consider staying longer for a complete short break
in our part of Ireland to experience more of the
De Dannan, Formorian, Morrigan, Brighid and Lugh legends
and the ancient sites of these legends that will inspire and
release your own bardic talents.

Facilities for instant recording, publishing and distribution
of your inspirations, while here, are also available.

Again, this is not an experience to miss!

1 day workshop, Moytura on Moytura on Thursday May 28th
1 evening concert too on Wednesday May 27th

The legendary Robin Williamson
sharing the legends of Moytura
among the mystical sites and landscape of Moytura
where you too can also become bards
and even record and publish your work as it flows !!!

for more details, directions and booking online
contact me

You can also phone me landline 071 966 6480
or text me 087 206 5708

I don't think this experience opportunity will happen again !!!
Please do not let it pass you by.

contact me

Arranged by John of Celtic Ways
with considerable help from Claire Roche
a singer harpist also passionate about sustaining
and encouraging the tradition of the singer harpers in Ireland

2009 USA Tour : Conclusion

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:29:48 PDT

Reflection

Our USA tour through March was a wonderful success due to the incredible gift of devotion, service and hospitality of the hosts and we are back here in Ireland with glowing gratitude and a deep love for the USA people we met and shared with.

Despite its severe challenges and systems in place that attempt to breed and spread fear and stress among its people the USA is a stunningly beautiful country with millions of people eager to be good stewards of it and sustain it as a great country.

Claire and I do like the USA’s president Obama as we feel he fits into the spirit of community America which we shared in all over the USA. There’s possibly not much Obama can do on a national policies level and is bound to put his foot in deeply in the wrong places due to the quagmire there but he reminds me a lot of Britain’s Prince Charles. On the surface Charles can seem like a complete idiot and I think that will happen to Obama sometimes too, but behind the scenes Charles has been an extremely powerful force in driving and inspiring community creativity, action and successful enterprise. I think that will, in time, be Obama’s legacy, guiding people to believe in their communities as solutions much more than any national government policy can provide.

It was this experience of community that Claire and I enjoyed so much everywhere we went. It was community, often centred by a local church or gathering, that made it possible for us to be there and was a driving force behind the lovely lives of the people we met.

Looking Back At Where We Were

Just about everywhere we were there was a singular person who took the lead in communications and arrangements, who was accompanied by a spouse or close friend who remained fairly nameless through the whole event yet applied outstanding service and even sacrifice while remaining fairly anonymous. Sometimes we left a venue asking ourselves “who was that”, so here’s a huge hug and thank you to those anonymous people without whom this tour would not have happened!

First was Ormond Beach FL, where extreme music fan Chuck Spano and his wife, Pat, run a series of fine house concerts and a beautiful dedicated part of their home. We turned up a little late and unprepared with Claire hot having looked at her rented harp and me not even looked at my script, but I believe it was a good show. Pat did a superb catering job for the break and end. Shame Jenn Weidley did not make it and it was too much arrive, perform and then go, but we thank Chuck and Pat, a lovely time.

Next was Robert LA hosted by Jamie Haeuser, a very lively event in their remarkable LA southern style home and beautiful small farm, attended by renaissance and Marc Gunn fans, where hospitality and celebrations were the flags, and Jamie’s husband John keeping the settings and elements together while Jamie sustained as a brilliant MC. This was one of those shows where the audience flowed with the moment and were totally with whatever was happening.

We had hoped for more for Birmingham AL but a gig did not materialise here, but a lovely visit to their vast Botanical Gardens did. It was a wet day but we learned a lot for our future gardens, especially from the Japanese Gardens.

Saluda SC, invited and hosted by Cindy Willis along with remarkable arrangements provided by her husband Tommie. This was our biggest and most attended event in a stunning preserved community theatre with superb professional lighting and sound, including total wireless sound plus even our names lit up on the neon exterior marquee. A highlight of this day was some time with Beala a local retired teacher well loved by the town, and retired is not really the appropriate word. She is still teaching.

Hot Springs NC, though not near the town but way up to the top of the NC mountains. An evening of mountain folk, and experience few would ever experience whether they were visiting the USA or even living in the USA. This was a very, very special evening of stories and tradition and of culture that is so important to keep alive.

Bryson City NC, was another show in a remarkable small town community theatre. Co-ordinated by local travel agent Caroline Russell, who was a thrill to meet and then arranged by her local pastor and musician husband David. Cd sales here were remarkable with everyone seeming to buy 2, 3 or 4 cds. Best part here was Claire performing with a harp that David had built. The sound of this harp was the most superb we had heard on a Celtic harp, and this was David’s first harp building job!

Onto Nashville included a beautiful ride over the Smokey Mountains, but Nashville gig was cancelled and our experience in Nashville downtown was not the best though our bus driver was a superb guide. Not sure if we will visit here again. Well set up for touring visitors though. Hollywood CA could learn some lessons from Nashville. Best part of this day was on the journey where even Cherokee people were eager to share information on their Irish ancestors.

Urbana IL and to the wonderful Heartland Gallery hosted by the tireless Jan Chandler, a remarkable woman of visions and who knows how to make them happen. Again we were treated to and gifted by dedicated service and sacrifice to make this event happen. Again a large attendance and very warm audience. I enjoyed a later encore featuring a local dancer.

Into Springville and thinking we would be following the old Route 66, but ended up following a series of beautiful Missouri country lanes. Lunchtime at St, Louis did not happen but it was a lovely day and we enjoyed our drive and stay at State Park near Salem

Onto Tulsa OK and it was Route 66 time during another beautiful warm sunny day. This was a late afternoon performance at the contemporary The Collective, a wonderful custom venue for performances. Hosted by the very kind and generous Paul Marshall, a gathering of Facebook friends and good hospitality by owner Colleen. Very relaxed. We enjoyed it here.

Some serious Route 66 following from Tulsa through Amarillo to Albuquerque with a sunny day but ferocious wind hammering our RV sides. We really did get our kicks on Route 66 and just as well Albuquerque cancelled. We arrived late. Surprised to discover this to be a huge city.

Continuing roughly west on Route 66 to Gallup we turned off north into the red mountains for 3 days of wonderful landscapes including Valley of The Gods, Monument Valley and other wonders within the Navajo Nation. This was our glorious time out.

Hoping to resolve being gigless in Denver we encountered hostile weather from 20 miles before Denver with a challenging mix of blizzarding snow, high winds, no visibility and eventually turned the road into a skating rink. Hats off to the Colorado state who’s gritter and snow plough vehicles were plentiful and tried their best. We could not even reach our campsite so kept going for awhile through this weather towards Nebraska.

In Nebraska the weather was wonderful, sun, moderately warm and we loved travelling through this mainly prairie grain growing state. South Sioux City Library event was a relaxing joy hosted by the wonderful motivated Dan Nieman and equally served by his enthusiastic wife Jamie who together worked and lived a powerhouse marriage. Apart from the “whisper whisper” behaviour of the people, because of the library instincts we all seem to have embedded, this was a delightful show. I think I gave my best folk drama performance here.

Then onto our final show at Sauk City, Wisconsin, which was performed as a true grand finale. Folks were here from two groups I had guided in Ireland so this was quite a re-union. The venue of the Unitarian church was quite a gift in itself, but on top of that was the superb leadership and team co-ordinating of Marita Kelter with great help from Jeanine, Gabrielle and others. On top of all this the evening became a superb variety show with its array of performing guests, including the beautiful singing and songs of Marita. This was like a mini-festival.

Showcasing The Bards We Meet

As well as being performers we wish to also be hosts of others in performance. The biggest delight is hosting those in performances inspired by our tours, retreats and performances, people who have been inspired and went off to do their own writings, songs, music, dance and craft.

Our Co. Sligo Two Worlds little theatre is almost on red alert for this and Claire’s Woodford venue in South Dublin should be ready by mid-Summer.

Its a little awkward that we cannot share the same kind of market, USA population which must be reaching 300 million and here in Ireland with 5 million. We are linked up with a house concert network in the UK so maybe we’ll learn how to expand with that.

Now To Plan For USA Tour 2010

Well we now know that the formula of this past tour works. The RV in March helps well with costings. Next time we will try to keep all venues within 300 miles apart to enable comfortable travelling between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. This helps keeps costs down and sustains our energy too. With all of the folks now inviting us we may need to expend to 4, maybe 5 weeks next time. I’ll have to see if Claire can sustain that.

Regarding show format there are mixed opinions about folk drama and mythology content. Some folks seem to think it should be thrown out and others think it should be expanded to include more, which was especially a common comment at South Sioux City. However, I was at my best there too.

The design of the folk drama is merely to add a frame around some of Claire’s music and not dominate it. We have found this has generally worked well and provided a more intense focus on Claire’s music, compared to gigs where it has just been Claire performing. Hopefully, this also says something about what we present on tours and retreats in Ireland.

Next year we will have to have new releases to share with you.

Claire is finishing off a new CD and DVD of personal songs, an intense and passionate ongoing personal project of her’s right now.

Claire also has a lot of songs of Ireland she now sings regularly that are not on CDs yet. I hope to arrange a studio and some local backing musicians to make this happen so she has a delightful new CD of this music by the end of this year.

I also have several unfinished books so maybe I’ll have “Seven Tales Of Celtic Ways”, “Walking The Labyrinth” and “Harps Around Ireland” released by then too.

Provisionally, our next 2010 USA tour will be March 8^th until April 13^thbut Claire is keen to add in some Japan and Hawaii dates in then. Anyway, please let us know your hosting interests as soon as you can and we will try to map out something. We will do Jacksonville to Chicago again but would like to include some Pacific North West this time.

If you would like to host us or know someone who will host us in the USA please let us know

2009 USA Tour : April 1st, Back Home In Ireland

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 03:30:31 PDT

Flight

Not the usual Aer Lingus plane with the multi channels of personal entertainment but still a pleasant flight. I enjoyed my tofu, rice and veg meal followed by an amazing movie, “Australia” which will surely be in my all time top 20 favourites for certain. This was Nicole Kidman at her very best and the photography right through was unique and surreal. Long movie but seemed to be a smooth transition of 4 or 5 separate movies. Very tight script too and never faltered or got boring for a moment. Quite a feel good movie, quite spiritual too.

One surprise is that Aer Lingus had changed us from an evening flight to afternoon flight and this earlier flight landed for an hour in Shannon before flying onto Dublin, a little tiresome. However, it was also a half empty flight so plenty of room to stretch out and sleep on the seats.

Dublin

Though the flight from Shannon to Dublin was viewless due to cloud, Dublin was quite sunny and warm. Getting through customs, picking up baggage and getting a taxicab into Dublin all went very smooth and fast.

The taxicab dropped me off at Connelly Station and then drove Claire onto her home. Quite odd to say farewells to her after our tour adventure. Claire is now going to be very busy on her little theatre/studio/workshop project in South Dublin, has a UK trip planned and completing a new cd so I am not sure when we will meet again, could be awhile.

It was about 90 minutes wait for the next train to Boyle so I enjoyed a quiet breakfast in a lovely traditional restaurant tucked into the rail station and did some online work.

Also read some newspapers stuff, with features about Obama secretly visiting ireland to meet up with relatives here in Co. Offaly before heading to the G20 Summit in the UK. You have to look at the date of this story to validate its level of accuracy.

Train To Boyle

I am thrilled that the train to Boyle is one of the more modern sets with lots of leg room, powerpoints and wifi. However, I doubt I will do much more than this blog. An hour’s nap is very welcome now.

I do have a friend meeting me at Boyle Station to take me home to Carrowcrory Cottage and then i will take the rest of the day off.

I’ll let you know how the Labyrinth Garden is doing tomorrow along with news of what’s coming up soon with Claire and myself.

2009 USA Tour : March 31st, Bye Bye USA friends until next year

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 03:09:10 PDT

G’Morning Chicago

Woke up this morning in Chicago, the blue skies drifting from my head

Warmer day but raining and windy, the traditional condition, we are told, of Chicago. I did not explore, like I intended, but caught up on emails and blogging. Claire continued to lay in.

We were booked on a flight departing in the evening but Aer Lingus moved us to an afternoon departure flight. After some breakfast it was clearly time to make our move to O’Hare airport.

Chicago O’Hare Airport

I had always had good experiences at O’Hare airport but this visit to O’Hare seemed to be very thin in amenities.

Checking in and and passage through security was fast. We were warned that past security services were thin so we had two lovely wrap sandwiches before entering.

Yes, on the other side of security was very minimal, but also very quiet. We were disappointed to find that Aer Lingus moving us from the evening flight to afternoon flight will mean a stop at Shannon on the way, which is not a fun thing to go through. The evening departure flight is direct.

I also discovered that the airport WiFi at this terminal is not working, so I could not post last minute blogs and emails.

Bye Bye USA

So here’s almost closing this blog with a huge broad bunch of hugs and thank yous for lots of lovely folk all over the USA who allowed us to make this year’s tour happen so that it was a wonderful success for us. So many lovely people and situations come to mind and I hope they have all been duefully mentioned during these past blogs.

Its almost boarding time now.

I will close the blogs of this tour when we arrive in Dublin in a few hours.

2009 USA Tour : March 30th, 21 Days, 25 States, 7600 Miles Later

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:22:21 PDT

Off To Chicago

Surprisingly, today took more working out than any day of our tour, and it demonstrated the incredible convenience and time saving that being online and using satellites can be.

We had to have our RV returned by 1:00 pm and harp returned by 3:00 pm and find somewhere to stay tonight. RV was to be dumped near Crystal Lakes well north of Chicago and harp left at Joliet well south of Chicago, about 7 miles apart.

We left Smokey Hollow WI around 6:30 am and first job was to rent a car to replace the RV. We found a Hertz depot just 10 miles away from the RV depot and was delighted to be able to book this at short notice online.

Also many thanks to the Sat-Nav GPS that trustly led us to awkward destinations through today.

After quickly picking up the Hertz rented van and unloading our luggage from RV into it, We made it to Crystal Lake just in time at 1:00 pm where return back was served well, quite fast and efficient.

Next we hastily drove south to Joliet and asked the harp centre to open a bit later to return the harp. We arrived 3:00 pm. The harp workshop was so fascinating where beautiful ancient pedal harps are being restored, even from the 18^th century.

After our guided tour of harps it was off to lunch then Starbucks, because they had WiFi, to select and book a hotel for the night. We settled for Blackstone Hotel due to its very high ratings on Trip Advisor, very low rates, just over $120 a room and promise of view over the lake. What a terrific choice that turned out to be.

As our trusty GPS took us down 55, which covers the old Route 66 into Chicago, we discovered, what everyone had told us, that Chicago is a beautiful city. Not being a fan of cities this is a big thing for me to say. I think it is delightful, very clean, very well spaced and seemingly not pressured.

At The Blackstone, once the HQ of gangsters and visiting presidents

Our room in The Blackstone gave an incredible panoramic view of the lake and its piers in the sun, plus the exotic park between the hotel and Lake Michigan. The room is large, beds comfortable, so it was down to a room service meal as it had become dark and inspiration to tour the city at nice was not willing.

I did explore the Art Hall, a spectacular Alice In Wonderland kind of setting. I was the only one there, Some doors opened, some did not, some stairs went somewhere, some did not plus several illusions as you walk around. I took photos there. A fascinating find.

We settled into a lovely restful night in this hotel of past gangsters and presidents.

2009 USA Tour : March 29th, Sunday Concert in Sauk City WI

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 08:09:16 PDT

Awaking In Smokey Hollow

I awoke early to morning Wisconsin Sun and about 2 to 3 feet of snow around our camper. No photos yet, I thought, but the snow was melting quickly. After a pondering while I was winterly dressed and photo session and campsite exploration began.

Its amazing what’s here. I have never seen such a variety of accommodation in one place. On the upper scale are cottages and apartments then down to log cabins of different sizes and residential mobile homes. Then a novelty collection of rentable yurts and beautiful authentic canvas covered wagons like used by the pioneers but with some additions to make them weathertight and waterproof, along with hitching rope and lifesize lifelike horse statues. The amenities are very imaginative with a novel mobile little theatre, a swimming pool made to look like a lake with a beach, surreal picnic spots, games rooms, function rooms, business centre, and a very well stocked general store.

Unfortunately, so far, wifi seems to be off, business centre is closed and so is laundry, but its so beautiful here, we are not too bothered by this.

Marita and Bob called, as I was exploring to announce they were five minutes away, inviting to collect Claire’s wireless mic to hand to the audio lighting man for the concert later and to have a visit. Claire was still resting so we had a bit of a ceili meeting near the general store. They were full of joyful news about the folks coming along this afternoon. Sounds like a grand final concert of this tour coming up.

Arrangements were made and I was back to blogging and then some advance packing ready for our release of RV and harp in Illinois tomorrow. Hard to believe that we will be flying back to Ireland in two days.

Off To Sauk City and Final Concert Of Tour

This church, A Unitarian Fellowship church is a remarkable building with a warming origin and history of the first German community congregation that founded it. How I failed to take photos of this remarkable building, I do not know, but that often happens when I am awed by something, one reason why I still do not have the best shots of Claire yet.

Inside and out this church is a delight, a traditional period wooden building with lots and lots of space and light along with lovely audio.

About 70 people here including most of the a group that we guided last May, the wonderful Sound Accord group that have since become quite a loving community of their own. Also the lovely Shroeder girls were there, a family group we enjoyed guiding around and sharing Ireland with.

This also turned into a delightful variety show, Bob Kelter opened with a lovely talk, Claire opened and I burst in the the folk drama show of X Marks the Spot. Judy Skog finished this set with a very fitting and appropriate meditation.

Local family band Wrannock were stunning, stunning, stunning! Here is a trio of superb multi-instrumentalists and outstanding voices sharing surreal harmonies. It must be this region of USA. If anyone has seen Marty and Brian of Fitzgerald of Switchback, you’ll understand what I mean. Wrannock leaned on Scottish songs, music and style more than Irish which I found delightful. I loved their interpretation of Twa Corbies. They are amongst the best I have seen do either music due to their freshness, arrangements and freedom of expression, so, so alive!

Marita Kelter also shared a couple of songs on piano and you would think you are in the presence of a world superstar due to her presence, remarkable songbird and soul voice, beautifully arranged and worded songs, total originality and overall dynamic charisma.

I must also mention the remarkable Melanie and her family. Melanie is a local harpist who loaned Claire her Irish harp to play in addition to the concert harp that Claire has been travelling with. Her father, who was at the show, made the harp too and this day was her mother’s birthday.

Melanie is also a labyrinth builder and she showed me a photo of her own labyrinth garden, so, so much like our own even with the same alignments. She shared a photo taken November 6^th, sun rising in the same spot as it does on our labyrinth. Melanie also excitedly told me some wonderful healing stories from there too.

This is one of the most outstanding evenings of songs, music and words I have every experienced, including Claire in top form.

Due to the variety and quality of other performers Claire’s set was shorter than at other venues, yet still very pleasing and so, so angelic

Sitting In A Green Field

Dedication

Fields Of Fasseroe

Brigit’s Song

Brian Boru’s March

Suil A Ruin

Ard Ti Cruin

Robin’s Jaunt

Isle of Inishfree (Quiet Man song)

Medley of O’Carolan tunes

Star of The County Down

He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven

Cockles And Mussels

Danny Boy

After The Show

The Sound Accord Group flowed into the church basement to join together for a pot-luck supper meal re-union where we were also joined by the wonderful Wrannock musicians and singers. What a feast! What fun! For us a wonderful way to close this remarkable tour too.

The dedicated team work at this event humbled me with every member of the Sound Accord group taking on a duty to put this day together as a whole such as Bob on sound and light, Gabrielle on decor arrangements, Jeanine sorting out and arranging the pot luck food event and photo gathering, collection and arrangement, Marita joining it all together and I know I missed some names such as those who put the set break reception together, Mary and Jim Dix were among those co-ordinating folks I believe.

After the fun and celebrations Bob Kelter took me and the RV to the fire station he works with where we gave the RV a good sudding and hose down ready for its return to owners the next day.

Finally we returned to the Kelter home and walked their labyrinth garden and had a guided tour of their healing prayer room and music room. I hope that next time the music pleasures also include Bob and his band.

Then it was over, a return to Smokey Hollow for a good sleep before early rise for a lot of hand back action around Chicago the next day.

2009 USA Tour : March 28th, East To Wisconsin

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:26:57 PDT

After A Good Rest

No need for early rise and early depart this morning so it was a wonderful relaxing time to recover from the exertions from our Colorado expedition. Ahead today was about 440 mile drive into Wisconsin but with no gig tonight there was no pressure on arrival time. We departed North Sioux City around 11:00 am as the day was quickly turning from bitter cold to a pleasant sunny spring warmth.

Before leaving, a chat with the campground manager revealed that the USA now has a huge mobile workforce who have leased or sold their homes, bought RVs and now travel the country to where work fitting their trade is still current. He said that almost all Nebraska KAO campers were in that category.

On The Road Again

This was such a pleasant calm journey. The Sat-Nav GPS had somehow changed its mind out sending us route 40 east but sent us north east onto a freeway that crossed just north over the border into and along Minnesota. Traffic was very minimal, roads were dry, sky sunny and best of all absolutely no wind, so a relaxed smooth drive it was.

However, at a lunch stop on the way, with wifi, we read email and facebook warnings of snow storms ahead in Wisconsin. Will this be another Colorado experience?

Our lunch stop also reminded us of the excellent USA facilities for travellers and how they seem to get better and better, even compared to our travels last year. We wondered how any of this could be introduced or improved in Ireland.

There seem to be several wonderful one stop businesses combining accommodation choices of, lodge type hotel that is more comfortable than the old motels, log cabins, full service camper and RV sites, and even some tent camping spots. All this combined with multi fuel filling stations that go beyond gasoline and diesel into bio-fuels and gas plus extremely convenient combined general store and fast food deli providing extraordinary choices from well known favourites to gourmet delights and very healthy choices. Add to this vehicle washing, laundry and full shower services that many also offer too. Oh, I cannot forget good fast free hassle free easy log on wifi service too.

All this in attractive compact ergonomic buildings often in the country in lovely locations but extremely convenient to popular highways.

Into Wisconsin

Suddenly, the wheat plains landscape turned into beautiful wooded hills, they call bluffs here, that fell into winding roads and then about 8 miles along the coastline of the Mississippi River. Its probably stepping on some pride here, so please forgive me, but this was the most beautiful section of the river we had seen so far. This is near La Crosse. We did not have the time to investigate La Crosse downtown but it seemed that this would be a treasure of a town. I would guess that once upon a time there was a paddle steamer service between here and New Orleans. What a journey to revive? Theme for our next USA tour maybe?

Over the bridge into Wisconsin we noticed an immediate culture change, and temperature change as it suddenly seemed warmer. One culture change was the return of seeing the tall flashing colourful digital signs with promotional messages. This has amused Claire and I on our journey and I wish I had recorded some of them. The first one that hit us here was above a pet store where the sign flashed up, without any punctuation, “50% off live snakes grooming”.

I then gave our hosts, Marita and Bob a call to report our news of being fairly close by. They generously had a spaghetti supper waiting for us but we were ready for camping and rest. They also warned us of impending snow but did not think it would be as vicious as the weather services reported.

Sure enough, about 20 miles before Sauk City we drove into fast falling drifting snow that was quickly covering and hiding the roads.

Before going to the campsite we had to take a sneak peak at the church venue of the concert the following afternoon. WoW! So different to what we expected. This is one of the most stunning buildings we have yet seen in the USA. More about that on concert day.

Onto the Smokey Hollow campsite through thicker snow. It was about a foot deep on arrival, but even at night time this looked like a beautiful place to arrive at. We have a lovely site here.

2009 USA Tour : March 27th, A New Day in Nebraska

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 06:56:13 PDT

The Light At The End Of The Icy Gauntlet

No idea when we fell into slumber but at 5:00 am we were back on the road as there was 650 miles to go to get to South Sioux City for the concert that evening at 7:00 pm. In good conditions this is an 11 hour drive including lunch stop. Will be achieve this today?

Alas, snow had drifted to try and bury the RV. Wheels totally buried and snow climbing the sides to bury us. Switched on, revs up to max, peddle to metal and pray.

We blasted through our snow wall, rejoined the freeway skating rink and prayed.

About 100 miles later, daylight well and truly abound we spied the first visibility of a road marking followed about 5 miles later with real gripable tarmac and even a bit of sun breaking through the clouds. Another 20 miles later dry roads and not a hint of snow.

Hooray we had arrived in Nebraska …… but Nebraska is notorious for wind so it was like being back on Route 66 again.

And Onto South Sioux City

Another couple of hundred miles on and our trusty GPS Sat-Nav picked up congested trouble ahead and led us into the country roads of the prairies. The wind reduced, the sun was stronger, the day became warmer.

The igloo walls of the RV started peeling way and dropping as iceberg chunks into the road but leaving their trace all over the walls. After miles of passing multi fields, windmills, silos, railways tracks, we found a delightful state park. Time for lunch in the still and sun.

Lunch and sun returned a new joy and soon we arrived in South Sioux City to the library hosting the gig of the day. Yes we made it, and in terrific time, just after 5:30 pm after breaking a multitude of speed limits for the last 250 miles.

Live At South Sioux City Library

Dan Nieman, our host at South Sioux City, is someone I have wanted to meet for some time after following his posts on Twitter and Facebook. Dan is an incredible dynamo and example of the power and benefits of community action. He is a baptist minister, involved in the creation and direction of the outstanding South Sioux City Library, is working some creative and beneficial missions for disabled people such as a local cafe enterprise and currently setting up a community online radio and media service.

Then we met his wife Jamie, equally spirited in community action, spirit and love, a true, true angel. What a partnership, wonderful marriage of two people.

First, let me tell you more about South Sioux City Library. It is modern, an outstanding feat of fundraising, but built with caring, and what seemed like guided design, to create a warm ambient building of peace, inspiration and learning.

There is even a bird aviary within to add some spirit of nature and ambiance plus a perfect teenage, young spirit, lounging area.

Our performance area was perfect, an intimate semi circle of chairs and a very useful alcove style performance area. Nice positioned table for presenting cds and literature too. All so wonderfully perfect here.

About 20 people turned up and I think this was the first house concert style performance Dan and Jamie had arranged for the library so this was a good start. It just needs a few people to get it started, word will spread and a good core of people will support this in future.

During the performance the audience was quiet and I think this had a lot to do with our instilled library etiquette of always being quiet in libraries no matter what. Even the clapping seem to have a mute control. Again, it will take more events to overcome this and show people that a library can have both a time of silence in respect of others and a time of joyful celebration when all can join in.

There was a very enthusiastic meet and greet after our show, but even that flowed in almost whispered conversation and even whispered and sometimes what even seemed like mimed laughter.

We loved doing a show here though.

Claire performed

Sitting In A Green Field

Dedication

Fields of Fasseroe

Brigit’s Song

Here Comes The Bride (yes really!)

Brian Boru’s March

Suil A Ruinn

Eillean A Ruin

Medley of O’Carolan tunes

Star Of County Down

Lake Isle Of Inishfree (Quiet Man song)

Lake Isle Of Inishfree (W.B. Yeats)

Ard Ti Cruin

Medley of Irish Dance tunes

Cockles and Mussels

Danny Boy

We left for our camp site after the show to a KAO site in North Sioux City which led us into South Dakota. This is another wonderful well managed and maintained KAO site with good facilities for through a very cold, 12 F degrees night, but we stayed warm.

2009 USA Tour : March 26th, Over Desert & Mountains to Denver

noreply@blogger.com (John of Celtic Ways) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 12:20:10 PDT

Sunrise?

I am kicking off writing this post at sunrise unsure of how the day will flow. Even the sunrise is indicating a confusion with a mix of mist, fog, cloud and break in the sky. Will there be sunrise or a complete fog?

We were to arrive in Denver and perform tonight but so far 4 venues there have invited us then cancelled us and we do have some people there who would love to meet us. I have not checked emails for over 2 days and will not be able to for several hours yet so we wonder if there is a last minute venue?

So the results of this day is much like the nature of the sunrise or no sunrise that is happening here right now. There’s a sprinkle of snow on the desert as we leave.

To Denver

So far, so good and on the main freeway towards Denver, but we took a break for fuel and lunch at a place with WiFi and messages warning us not to arrive in Denver because of the weather. We are 100 miles before Denver, and yes there is now snow falling but s, visibility is ok and I took lovely scenic photos on the way.

Denver Arrival

20 miles before Denver, oh dear, just as warned, snow toppling from the sky, visibility almost zero and wind swirling round us like a constant tornado.

To the campsite as fast as possible to settle down, no gig tonight!

Campsite entrance, blizzards strong and drifted banks several feet deep and we unknowing drove into one and was caged in it. Wheels spinning back and forth we escaped with surprise and wonder along with visions of escaping Denver asap.

Denver Escape

Severe need of gasoline, pulled into a gas station to view our RV with hanging icicles and long icicles parallel and stuck to our wheel nuts like rotating swords threatening anyone who came close to us.

Back on the road, destination unknown, passing what seemed like a gory Hollywood set of upturned cars, fallen trucks on their side huddled in fetal positions and more vehicles in banks, ditches and even hanging over bridges. At this point the road was a very thick ice rink. Were we going to survive this winter gauntlet?

Not far from the Nebraska border we were defeated, yet safe, crept into a freeway rest area, parked anywhere, dived into bed, and prayed gratitude for our safe guidance and survival as I think we were the only vehicle that made it so far along the road without falling off of it.