CMP Special 09 Imbolg 2009

The Festival of Imbolg, all about Brighid and the Celts vs the Romans In this our first show of 2009, celebrating the festival of Imbolg, we bring you some great music, two pieces of research on the festival, a wonderful Celtic story for young adults and a visit to the fictional Highland pub, The Dragon's Head. You'll hear music from Brocc, Skully, Laura Powers and Kellianna along with a fascinating history of Bridget, the Goddess of Imbolg. We also have some research on the festival itself. Full show notes, details and Contributor pages over at our main Website at http://celticmythpodshow.com/spring2009 Running Order: Intro 0:41 News & Views 1:44 Brighid: The Triple Goddess of the Celtic Irish by Patricia Monaghan 3:25 Lyonesse by Brocc 9:10 Anait, Queen of the Shee in Alba by Andy Guthrie 15:30 Scarborough Fair by Skully 25:44 Celts v Romans: Diarmid's 1st Battle by Conor 29:08 Morrighan's Quest by Laura Powers 42:36 Imbolg, from Land, Sea & Sky by Shae Clancy and Francine Nicholson 48:07 Listener Feedback - Matt 1:04:39 Brighid by Kellianna 1:07:22 Promo - Druidcast 1:10:15 Promo - The Mark of a Druid 1:13:22 Promo - The Fox 1:14:13 Outtakes 1:16:05 We hope you enjoy it! Gary & Ruthie x x Released: 8th February 2009, 1hr 19m   We love to hear from you! Please email [email protected], or call us using Speakpipe News & Views We talk about our first year of Podcasting and send thanks to all those listeners who have joined us on this marvellous journey. We also mention that we'll be including a surprise in the feed for all of those loyal listeners who have subscribed as a way of saying a big Thank You.   Brighid: The Triple Goddess of the Celtic Irish by Patricia Monaghan An avid traveler, Patricia has researched earth spirituality and goddess worship on three continents. She has traveled widely in Europe, especially in Ireland; she holds dual US/Irish citizenship and has edited two anthologies of contemporary Irish-American writing. She is at work on an Encyclopedia of Celtic mythology and folklore as well as a book of poems based on Irish myth. Here we have an excerpt from Goddesses and Heroines about the Goddess of Imbolg, Brighid. You can read more about Patricia on her website or her Contributor Page.   Lyonesse by Brocc Brocc came into being over the summer of 2008 - a product of gales and rain in the woods and a badger who came to stay and has become our symbol. The songs this group weaves tells tales of myth and legend and the old beliefs of our lands and peoples. We embody the history of this land ... and we want to give something back. Our music is timeless, evocative of earlier, simpler times. The instruments reflect our love of forgotten timbres - we play english & swedish bagpipes, woodwinds and recorders, the medieval hurdy-gurdy, mandola and bandurria, and a host of percussion. This is our offering............... You can find out more details about Brocc on Myspace or on their Contributor Page on our website.    Anait, Queen of the Shee in Alba by Andy Guthrie   We are incredibly privileged to have Andy as a Contributor to the show. He tells stories that are alive in his family today and that have come down through the ages. He says: The old Legends are a passion and a Joy, and the writings of Fiona Macleod are inspiration, in all I do. I have been a Head gardener of 31 years for large house, and sill working, I see the years come and go from spring to winner, and love it all. I retell the old stories. You can read more about Andy on his Myspace page or on our Contributor Page.   Scarborough Fair by Skully Skully has graciouslly allowed us to play his rousing version of Scarborough Fair from his album Irish Makeover. The vocals on this track are by Annette Buckley. "These are songs that have been performed and sung for generations", says Skully, "from the sean-nos singer beside a fire in an old thatched cottage to grand orchestrated versions, these songs have been passed down through the years". You can find out more details about Skully on Myspace or on their Contributor Page on our website.   Celts v Romans: Diarmid's 1st Battle by Conor Diarmid is a Briton form the Cantiac tribe of the South East. He and his friends are preparing to face their adult rituals when a threat comes from across the channel, a threat of the very worst kind. The news from the Gauls is that the Romans plan to invade the Britannic Isles, once they have conquered Gaul. A force must be sent to Gaul to help them in a great battle, to drive the Romans Out. But there are traitors at home, who must be dealt with quickly. But which tribe are they? What is their plan? Will Diarmid and his friends be brave enough to face these trials? Will Aedan the Druid have the wisdom to guide them? OR will the life, and the people, they love be destroyed by the Roman power? You can find out more about Conor on our Contributor page or get his book from Amazon.   Morrighan's Quest by Laura Powers Step into a world that is steeped in the imagery of another era. Reach through the portal of time with a mystical experience at Stonehenge (Circle of Stone), fly on the raven's wing as Morrighan prepares to meet her destiny (Morrighan's Quest) and journey to the quiet place "in-between my thoughts and my dreams" (My Avalon) that so many of us seek. There is something at work here beyond the usual scope of imagery and songs. You're invited to experience the musical journey now… You can find out more about Laura at her website or on our Contributor page.   Imbolg, from Land, Sea & Sky by Shae Clancy and Francine Nicholson   Shae Clancy and Francine Nicholson have collected essays from Celtic scholars to form a fascinating book that helps to explain the difference between Celtic fact (what we actually know) from Celtic fiction (what we speculate). Sadly, the book has never been published and Francine passed away in 2003. Shae has enabled the book to be published on the web. Francine Nicholson, M.A., was a librarian in New England and scholar of all things Celtic. The loss of her passing, perhaps appropriately on 1 February 2003 (Imbolc), is poignantly crystallised by fellow Celtic scholar, David Stifter: 'It is very sad news to hear that Francine Nicholson has left us. She had a vast and astounding erudition and knowledge of Celtic mythology and folklore, and her contributions . . . were a great source of enrichment and information. I feel it as a heavy loss that she will no longer contribute to our discussions.' You can read Land, Sea and Sky on Shae's website.   Listener Feedback Matt We read an email from Matt, who raises a question about identifying the characters from Irish Mythology.   Brighid by Kellianna Kellianna can be found on Myspace, but her own website provides lots of useful information, including the lyrics to her songs, another chance to listen to more music as well as being able to buy her two CDs. Her music can also be purchased through iTunes. You can find out more details about Kellianna on her Contributor Page on our website.  The track she has given us permission to play is called Brighid, and you can find the lyrics on her site. About the track she says: This is another song where the lyrics were written by Heidi Couture for an Imbolc gathering in February of 2002. I wrote the guitar part and again it was another perfect marriage! On the CD Laney Goodman adds some beautiful woodwind tracks and Tina Horn kicks in on the djembe.   Promo - Druidcast Damh the Bard & OBOD Druidcast Your host is Damh the Bard and each episode he will feature poetry, story and song offered by Bards throughout the world. There will also be interviews with people from the Druid tradition, seasonal thoughts, explorations of Celtic mythology and history, reviews, and competitions. You can hear the full podcasts at: http://www.druidcast.libsyn.com/ or subscribe through your podcatcher, or through iTunes.   Promo - The Mark of a Druid Rhonda Carpenter The Mark of a Druid When twenty-six-year-old Eve McCormick awakes, the images from her nightmare are indelible. The dream feels so real she must force herself to get a grip. This experience is just the beginning for Eve, a Los Angeles clinical hypnotherapist and researcher investigating whether reincarnation is fact or fiction. Unstoppable visions of an ancient lifetime steal days from her. The danger escalates when she wakes up physically injured and marked with a strange symbol. While Eve battles the past to maintain her sanity and safety, her project is jeopardized as another researcher’s attempts to take over. One partner dies and another is accused of inappropriate conduct. Eve and her friend, Dr. Andrea McMurray, don’t believe in coincidence and probe their shared visions for answers. On the other side of the Atlantic, Welshman Ryerson Sanders is haunted by his dreams and believes Eve’s research project can help him. For both of them, an ancient Celtic prophecy and long-sought revenge entangles the past with the present. A druidess and a shape-shifter must join to save the druid way of life, while a queen conspires to kill Erin’s only high king. Will the oaths and agendas of the past reach across the centuries to strengthen or to destroy? Find the book at Podiobooks.com and at themarkofadruid.com. Find out more about the author at rhondacarpenter.com.   Promo - The Fox Arlene Radasky The Fox The Fox is a historical novel that contains adventure, ancient Celtic beliefs, sacrifice, love of family, ancient and modern culture, and divorce. Have you ever wondered who your ancestors were? How did they live? How did they die? Most of us do. In The Fox, you will follow the lives of Jahna and Lovern, two people who lived in what is now Scotland, during the time of the invading Romans. The Romans threatened Jahna and Lovern, their clan and most importantly, the life of their child. They struggled to find a way to stop the coming invasion and in doing so, left traces of their lives. Aine is working to rebuild her career and is led by instinct, or a vision (or is it a ghost?) to a hilltop in Scotland. Follow their stories in my podcast novel The Fox, you can also buy this book at Amazon.   Get EXTRA content in the Celtic Myth Podshow App for iOS, Android & Windows Contact Us: You can leave us a message by using the Speakpipe Email us at: [email protected]. Facebook fan-page http://www.facebook.com/CelticMythPodshow, Twitter (@CelticMythShow) or Snapchat (@garyandruth), Pinterest (celticmythshow) or Instagram (celticmythshow)   Help Spread the Word: Please also consider leaving us a rating, a review and subscribing in iTunes or 'Liking' our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/CelticMythPodshow as it helps let people discover our show - thank you :) If you've enjoyed the show, would you mind sharing it on Twitter please? Click here to post a tweet! Ways to subscribe to the Celtic Myth Podshow: Click here to subscribe via iTunes Click here to subscribe via RSS Click here to subscribe via Stitcher Special Thanks For incidental music: Green Djohn, The Journey Home from Nights & Days. See the Contributor Page for details. Diane Arkenstone The Secret Garden. See the Contributor Page for details. Kim Robertson, Angels in Disguise. See the Contributor Page for more details. Jigger, Time Ticks Away. See the Contributor Page for more details.   For our Theme Music: The Skylark and Haghole, the brilliant Culann's Hounds. See their Contributor page for details.   Additional Sources And, of course, the Awen - inspiration and imagination!   Extra Special Thanks for Unrestricted Access to Wonderful Music (in Alphabetic order) Anne Roos Extra Special thanks go for permission to use any of her masterful music to Anne Roos. You can find out more about Anne on her website or on her Contributor page. Caera Extra Special thanks go for permission to any of her evocative harping and Gaelic singing to Caera. You can find out more about Caera on her website or on her Contributor Page. Celia Extra Special Thanks go for permission to use any of her wonderful music to Celia Farran. You can find out more about Celia on her website or on her Contributor Page. Damh the Bard Extra Special thanks go to Damh the Bard for his permission to use any of his music on the Show. You can find out more about Damh (Dave) on his website or on his Contributor Page. The Dolmen Extra Special thanks also go to The Dolmen, for their permission to use any of their fantastic Celtic Folk/Rock music on the Show. You can find out more about The Dolmen on their website or on our Contributor page. Keltoria Extra Special thanks go for permission to use any of their inspired music to Keltoria. You can find out more about Keltoria on their website or on their Contributor page. Kevin Skinner Extra Special thanks go for permission to use any of his superb music to Kevin Skinner. You can find out more about Kevin on his website or on his Contributor page. Phil Thornton Extra Special Thanks go for permission to use any of his astounding ambient music to the Sonic Sorcerer himself, Phil Thornton. You can find out more about Phil on his website or on his Contributor Page. S.J. Tucker Extra Special thanks go to Sooj for her permission to use any of her superb music. You can find out more about Sooj on her website or on her Contributor page. Spiral Dance Extra Special thanks go for permission to use Adrienne and the band to use any of their music in the show. You can find out more about Spiral Dance on their website or on their Contributor page. Save