What is a Wren boy?

The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,
St. Stephen's Day was caught in the furze;
Though his body is small, his family is great,
So, if you please, your honour, give us a treat.

The new year is represented by a robin, and the old year is a wren.

By National Library of Ireland on The Commons - December 26Uploaded by oaktree_b, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17816307

I'm talking about an old Celtic tradition involving a procession through the streets with a dead wren. This link explains everything: http://www.from-ireland.net/custetc/wrenboys.htm

Winter Solstice- The Tea Party (Cover)

Welcome to the Celtic New Year. This is a video I found of a very talented young guitar player. Enjoy!

The Wild Boar is Back!

BRIGID OF IRELAND is set in the 5th century. There are many things about ancient Ireland that do not exist today. However, the wild boar is not one of them. Once extinct in Ireland, the animal has been spotted in several counties. One of its primary predators in Medieval times was the Irish wolfhound, which does not roam around hunting boars anymore. Farmers and naturalists are concerned about the reemergence of this beast. You can read about it here or here.

photo via creative commons by Dylan

Instructions from St. Patrick

©Cindy Thomson

Continuing with St. Patrick, we find in his writings that he left a "suggestion" for us.

From my book, Celtic Wisdom:

"Patrick desired that his legacy would be passed on: 'I wish only that you, too, would make greater and better efforts. This will be my pride, for 'a wise son makes a proud father.'"

As I've noted in the book, this is a reference to Proverbs 10:1:

The proverbs of Solomon:
A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish son grief to his mother.

And Proverbs 15:20:

A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish man despises his mother.
(quoting from the NIV)

I wonder how many of us have thought of ourselves as being "sons" of St. Patrick. But we are sons and daughters of those who have gone before us. I wonder if I've done enough to bring joy, especially to my Father who made us all.

Celtic Voices

public domain via Flikr

Celtic Voices, the title I chose for this blog, refers to the voices St. Patrick heard long ago. Many people credit Patrick for bringing Christianity to Ireland. In principle this is true, but technically there were Christians in Ireland before he came, first as a slave at the age of 16, and later as a willing minister. The reason Patrick returned to a land where years earlier he had escaped captivity had to do with a dream.

In the dream a man, perhaps an angel, came to him. Quoting from my book, Celtic Wisdom:

"One night a man named Victoricus visited him in a dream, bearing many letters from Ireland. He gave one to Patrick that read 'The Voice of the Irish.' Immediately Patrick heard the voices of those he'd known in Ireland crying out together, 'We beg you, holy youth, that you shall come and shall walk again among us.'"

The result of Patrick listening to those voices and acting on what he heard was that Ireland was blessed with a valuable patron saint who ministered to the lost, many of whom went on to develop learning centers (monasteries) and teach others, both in Ireland and on the European continent.

I think these kind of Celtic voices (not necessarily in dreams but in legends and stories) speak to us today, and I wanted to explore this idea on this blog. I hope you'll join me!

Blessings,
Cindy

Music for the season

Passing of an Irish Legend

A few days ago the world learned of the passing of Liam Clancy, who along with the Clancy Brothers and Makem, was a legend in Irish music. But as this article explains, these folks (of whom he was the last living) were extremely important to Irish music because they saved and promoted the old traditional tunes. Without their efforts, the world might never know that tradition.




A great tribute to those Irish music preservationists is beautifully portrayed in Tommy Sands's BALLAD OF TOMMY MAKEM. I couldn't find a youtube video, but you can buy the song for just 99 cents.

I for one am grateful for those who kept the tradition alive, and for those like Tommy Sands who "keep on singing."