Celebrate Beltane with Fairies, Music and Celtic traditions!

Always great to hear from you! Email garyandruth@celticmythpodshow.com, or Speakpipe

Show Summary:

We celebrate the ancient Celtic Fire Festival of Bealteinne with some pieces about Celtic and Fairy traditions, a fascinating short story set in ancient Cornwall and some wonderful Celtic music. Come join in the fun!

More resources over at our main Website at http://celticmythpodshow.com

Running Order:

We hope you enjoy it!

Gary & Ruthie x x x

 

 

News & Views

We talk about the beauty of the season and explain that this episode is about an hour long being a special episode. We reassure new listeners that the normal episodes are only 25 minutes long. We also play a Promo for Mary Jones, whose amazing website provides much of the source material that we use in bringing you these stories: www.maryjones.us.

 

The May Festival by Lady Wilde

from "Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland"

We start with a brief biography of Lady Francesca 'Speranza' Wilde, who was born in 1821 and was the mother of the famous Oscar Wilde.

We then read a section of her book, Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland about May Day festivities and beliefs.

 

Memorial to Lady Wilde and her husband located in Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin

 

The Hills They Are Hollow

by Damh the Bard

Perhaps one of our all-time favourite tracks based in Celtic Mythology by Damh the Bard.

Damh is a modern-day Bard whose spirituality, and love of folk tradition, is expressed through his music, storytelling and poetry. Drawing on the Bardic traditions his performances are both entertaining and educational, weaving a tapestry of myth, peace, and anthems that speak directly to the heart, but never without a good splash of humour. Damh is a musical storyteller who works within the world of myth that cannot be proved; where the Faerie really do dance on Midsummer's Eve, where the trees talk, and the Hollow Hills take you into the realms of Annwn. Where the Goddess rides her horse, guiding you to magic, and the Horned God of old calls us from the shadows of the Greenwood.

You can find his music on iTunes, Woven Wheat Whispers or from his website, Pagan Music. He is also the voice behind Druidcast, the official podcast of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD, for short) - modern day Druids. You can find Druidcast here and find out more about OBOD here. You can find out more details about Damh on his Contributor Page on our website.

 

Castledore, 23 AD by Simon Mitchell

from "Secrets of the Valley 1: The Lily"

We start with a short biography of Simon Mitchell, whom we know as Simon the Scribe, a regular contributor to our website. We introduce to his ecologically based work and to Secrets of the Valley book 1: The Lily. We then read Chapter 2 to you to introduce you to the story. We'd like to give Simon special thanks for his permission to bring you this story and, if you enjoyed it, urge you to read his book.

Secrets of the Valley, a Cornish trilogy. An ancient matrix of energy lies hidden in the earth, its existence and purpose all but forgotten. One strand, named 'The Dragon Line' passes through Cornwall, a land steeped in history and mystery since the dawn of time. Here the line passes through the valley of the River Fowey. A lone ghost, abandoned in the valley of his birth, tells how the line of energy has been usurped, unbalancing the whole planetary energy matrix. In 'The Lily', the first novel of this extraordinary trilogy, we share his lives as he tells his tale of 2000 years in the Fowey valley. He sets a crucial task, to mend the Dragon Line and restore the balance of power, before time itself runs out. About the author - Simon Mitchell is part of the 'green wave' working in Cornwall UK. " I find an authentic and meaningful life by researching, writing and publishing my own, and other people's media, on the themes of sustainable living, nature and ecology. This trilogy of books under the heading of 'Secrets of the Valley' celebrates the wonders of nature in providing us with all we need." [source]

You can find out more about Simon. Some of Simon's wonderful recipes, green thoughts and other articles and advice can be found here. The Lily is now available on the kindle at a really low price - grab it now! :)

 

Haghole

by Culann's Hounds

Our second musical treat for this special is the theme music to our show, 'Haghole' by the amazing San Francisco band, Culann's Hounds.

Name a musical act after one of the great warriors of Irish legend, and you’d better be prepared to crank out some energetic, larger-than-life performances. That’s precisely why Culann’s Hounds has been a favorite on the San Francisco scene for six years—and is now bringing their self-described punk-Irish-hoedown sensibility to a larger audience. The melodies of Steve Gardner (fiddle) and Renee de la Prade (button accordion); harmonies of Mike Kelleher (guitar); and rhythm of Scott Marshall’s bodhran meld with rich vocals that are a staple of the Irish tradition.

Their main home on the web is http://www.sfhounds.com/ but you can also find them on Myspace, where you can hear more music, see a video and find out their tour dates. You hear more of their music here and buy their albums on CD Baby. You can find out more details about the Hounds on her Contributor Page on our website.

 

May Day Superstitions

by Lady Francesca Wilde

The young Lady Wilde

We finish off with another piece by Lady Francesca Wilde about some of the superstitions observed over time in Ireland. You can find this text on Sacred Texts and also in Library Ireland.

 

Sources Used

Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland, Lady Wilde, Sacred Texts

Library Ireland

Damh the Bard

OBOD

Simon the Scribe

And, of course, the Awen - inspiration and imagination!

 

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Special Thanks For our Theme Music:

The Skylark and Haghole, the brilliant Culann's Hounds. See their Contributor page for details.

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 permisssion 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.

We'd like to wish you 'Hwyl fawr!', which is Welsh for Goodbye and have fun, or more literally Wishing a Good Mood on you!

 

 

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