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Showing posts from September, 2008

Recession? No, I think we are just changing

Are we doing more but buying less “things”? Of course, this is mainly a Europe, North America and Australasia thing but …. I’ve had this feeling for some time, that people are spending more on travel and attending events than filling their homes and covering their bodies with “stuff”. Manufacturing production is down and down but hotels and events are doing very, very well. Construction may be down but homelessness does not seem to be up. People are still living somewhere. I found an article in the Irish Times very interesting that seems to support what I have been thinking. This is an article about the upcoming re-opening of The Point in Dublin, one of Ireland’s leading entertainment venues. Well, now it will be the leading venue. Some of the facts I find interesting. They point out that not so many years ago a music performer earned 70% or his or her income from recordings, mainly cds, but now this is down to 30%. People are buying less things, maybe through lack of space to store t

Two Worlds Theatre : Samhain Open Day

On November 8 th this year we are holding a Samhain Open Day at our Two Worlds Theatre & Garden Labyrinth along with refreshments and guided tour of our restored thatched cottage. You will be able to try out our newly planted garden labyrinth that includes outer trees spelling the ancient Ogham alphabet and a living willow sanctuary cairn in the centre. Within the sanctuary is a ceremony fire pit and eventually a water blessing pool, but that may not be ready in time. From within the Two Worlds Theatre, Claire, John and others will perform a show that will be connected to our travelling “Veil Between Two Worlds” show with songs, harps, folk drama, story telling and maybe some dance. We hope this will also be our first online webcast too, but the broadband provider has not confirmed connection in time yet. Alternatively, podcasts and videocasts will be uploaded. More details will be provided here nearer the time but entrance is free, donations welcome and we can assist with any nee

Veil Between Two Worlds show

Claire Roche and myself, John of Celtic Ways, are developing and already touring with our “Veil between Two Worlds” show during March and October each year to various countries around the world. The content of each show is to fit the capacity and budget of each event so this is a show that can equally be performed in living rooms and small galleries as it can in theatres, concerts halls and outdoors in festivals. Claire sings songs that are mainly a combination of her original Celtic, Gothic and Inspirational stories, Irish poems set to music and ancient Irish songs along with popular songs, called traditional, but are from more recent Irish history. Claire accompanies herself with antique concert harps, an Irish harp and, where possible, grand piano too John’s passion is performance of ancient stories through folk drama traditions taken from ancient Celtic celebration rituals, sacred plays, fertility plays and mummer’s plays. John has also been know to write and sing songs from time t

Merlin, I enjoyed the opening episode

I thoroughly enjoyed the first episode of “Merlin” on UK’s BBC 1, which we fortunately receive her in Ireland. I gather this series has already been sold around the world before its first airing. In the USA it will be on NBC. What the BBC seem to have done is taken some Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, some Harry Potter effects and a Smallville type plot and script and it all seems to work very well. Like Smallville, the story of the young Clark Kent and Superman that is told totally against expectations with many twists and turns, this is the story of young Merlin and Arthur also told against what we imagine and expect. Young Arthur’s character is totally against expectations as he is portrayed as  spoiled brat without a care, a bit of a show off, almost a bully, little compassion and loves to party and get drunk. I do like Anthony Head as a cool Urther Pendragon but cannot help wondering when the queen will say they have run out of coffee and he pulls out a jar of Gold Blend or Taster’s

Fall Equinox in Ireland 2008

Loughcrew Perhaps the highlight of this time in Ireland now is the Fall Equinox sunrise at Loughcrew Cairn T, which I prefer to refer to as the high cairn of Carnbane East on Slieve na Cailleach Bearra, but that is a mouthful. The weather in Ireland at present is terrific with sun and clear sky and this is is forecasted to stay that way for the next 5 days at least. This means an extremely popular presence at Loughcrew over the next 2 or 3 mornings. Ireland’s Office of Public Works will have staff in attendance at Cairn T tomorrow morning, Sunday, September 21 st and on Monday September 22 nd , which is really the equinox day this year. They will open the cairn from 7.15am until 8.30am. There is no charge. The attraction of Cairn T is the sunrise beam following the path of sun symbols along the back stone as the sun rises. The passage chamber is smallish so only 5 or 6 people can be inside at a time. As it is likely to be popular this year those who enter are asked to take a quick loo

Claire Roche shows, Sept and Oct 2008

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Details provided here by our postings on Reverb Nation. September and October shows are around Australia and New Zealand i.e. Sydney, New South Wales, Brisbane and Kapati Beach near Wellington NZ You might need to wait a few moments for the widget to post itself here or if the widget does not pop up click this link

Harps Around Ireland

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A quick intro into a developing project by Claire Roche and Celtic Ways Partially, this is dedicated to a forgotten tradition of the travelling bard who sang songs and accompanied himself, later herself, with a harp. Perhaps the most famous singer harper in modern times is Mary O’Hara who inspired several women and some men to try the same. Most harpers, for the past 300 years, have employed a vocalist to sing their songs but Around Ireland there are wonderful singers who accompany themselves with the harp. Claire Roche would like to share some of the people with you. Then we also step back into the tradition, a mythological tradition, of how the harp arrived in Ireland. Stories of how the harp was a Veil Between Two Worlds, between those on earth and the larger circle of the otherworld, the faerie world. We aim to create Harps Around Ireland into a multi-presentation of concerts, workshops, media and vacations around Ireland that links you with singer harpists, their traditions and t

Is Ballymote Famous

…… I was just asked Yes, Ballymote and its surroundings famous for a lot of things. I’ll add photos and video clips to this asap …. Nearby Culfadda is the family home for both mother and father of Michael Flatley who often visits and attends mass at the church next to where I currently live, as well as play flute at local Ballymote and area sessions. Father Walfrid founded Ballymote Celtic football club and then in 1887 went to Glasgow to found Glasgow Celtic football club. There is a shrine to him here in Ballymote that attracts 1000s of Celtic supporters every year. 1391  Book of Ballymote was written at an abbey  by the monk scribes Manus O'Duignan, Solomon O'Droma, and Robert McSheedy, for the clan chief Tonnaltagh McDonagh but was seized by the O'Donnell clan who donated it to Trinity College, Dublin in 1620, but was stolen from there and mysteriously disappeared until 1785, thought to have been seized back by the McDonaghs. This book commences with a drawing of Noah&#