Sylvarwolf's Blog

Sunday, April 02, 2017

CMP Special 25b Irish Mythological Cycle Summary Pt 2

Second half of our summary of the Irish Mythological Cycle

In this show, we finish off our summary of the Irish Mythological Cycle as we've met it so far in the first 29 story episodes. Not only is this show finishing off a whole branch of Celtic Mythology, but it also celebrates the Autumn Equinox for 2011, so we've made it a real cracker and split it into two halves. In the first half, you heard an epic poem, 4 great songs and we took a look at the Origins of the Manuscripts which these stories come from and highlight some of the the themes we've noticed in the stories.

We conclude our examination of the Irish Mythological Cycle in this Second Part of this show by looking at the main characters in the stories, finishing the epic saga of Greenwood the Bard's epic poem, and yes, another 5 great pieces of music!
We also introduce you to the newest member of the team, play another Pentacle Drummers track to let you know that the deadline for competition entries is the 20th Novembers

Full Show-notes, with all credits, can be found on our main Website at http://celticmythpodshow.com/irishsummary2

Running Order:

Intro 0:44
News & Views 1:08
The Old Man & the Fairy Queen by The Bards of Mystic 2:07
The Book of Invasions Pt.3 by Greenwood the Bard 13:26
Elven Home of the Chapel Halls by David Helfand 23:10
Main Characters in the Myth Cycle 28:16
I'll Meet You in Ireland by Kray Van Kirk 39:18
The Book of Invasions Pt.4 by Greenwood the Bard 43:07
Rumblin' Thunder by The Pentacle Drummers 56:22
Competition End-date 58:02
Land of the Ever-Young by Damh the Bard 59:17

We hope you enjoy it!

Gary & Ruthie x x x

Released: 2nd Oct 2011, 1h 10m

It's always great to hear from you! Email garyandruth@celticmythpodshow.com, or leave us a message using Speakpipe

The Old Man & the Fairy Queen

by the Bards of Mystic

William Widmaier is the “Captain” of the Bards of Mystic. William is the founder and the driving force behind the Bards. He is also the writer of all the stories, and that's his voice you hear narrating.

Find out more about the Bards of Mystic on Myspace. More details will also be found on our Contributor page.

The Book of Invasions, Pts. 3 & 4

by Greenwood the Bard

Greenwood the Bard, aka Stephen Cole, has written much wonderful poetry and we're very privileged to bring you his "Book of Invasions" epic saga that re-tells the story of the Invasions of Erin.

"After a lifelong love of myth and magic, fairytale and folklore, and brought up in a family where faith and a Godly lifestyle were more important than religion, I was named as a Bard at a Gorsedd in Glastonbury. I am deeply in love with my Creator and His Creation, I have a passion for music, poetry and storytelling, and I live to build bridges between Christian and Pagan."

That is such a wonderful quest and so sad that any bridges need to be built. Good luck, Stephen!

Check out his Facebook page for more of his wonderful poetry, the poetry pages on paganspace.net and mysticchrist.co.uk where we're waiting for his posts to start appearing.

Elven Home of the Chapel Halls

by David Helfand

David Helfand composes and performs original and traditional music on Celtic Harp, mandocello, guitar, keyboards and percussion. Many of David's compositions were born through improvisation and drawn on the inspiration found in the power of music from many wondrous cultures.

"As I returned from my maiden voyage from the land of Britain full of awe, unspeakable joy and deep reservoirs of inspiration, slowly the music started to speak. From the high craggy cliffs where the ruins of Tintagel castle lay overlooking the dark waters off Cornwall's shore, to the ancient majestic ruins of Glastonbury Abbey and the dark mysteries of the Tower of London, the swirling maze of the city's streets and the magic of the standing stones on Salisbury Plain, I swam deep in the waters of imagination.

"Shortly after returning home and embarking on creating "At the Edge of the Cornish Sea", I soon shared with the world, dark grief and immense sadness as the two towers crumbled to the earth creating it's deep grave of shattered lives and dreams. What once seemed important became insignificant against the dark clouds of sorrow."

This wonderful track comes from his At the Edge of the Cornish Sea album. You can find out more details about David on his website or on his Contributor Page on our website.

I'll Meet You in Ireland

by Kray Van Kirk

"I have a different approach now to writing and performing music. I no longer record CDs, as I want to reduce the waste headed to our landfills, and I don't charge money for my songs as a deliberate movement away from the bottom line that seems to govern so much of our daily lives. Every now and then someone asks me how I am ever supposed to make a living as a musician when I don't make CDs and I give my songs away, since most performers make more money on sales than concert fees. I confess: I have no idea! Footsteps in the dark.

"So I keep writing my songs, and I sing them when I play a show, and I give them away to anyone who wants them. My graduate work takes me to interesting places on rather short notice sometimes, and I try to plan concerts around that travel, although the short notice can make it difficult. But if I don't make it to where you live, or even if I do, the Downloads page on my website is full of little digital penguins waiting to march their way across the world, leaving no footprints in the snow."

About this track, I'll Meet You in Ireland, he says: "One of my favorite poems is Yeats' Song of Wandering Aengus. All of us get old, but inside there is a place that never changes. We may wake up in bodies long gone frail, but the person who looks out is golden-eyed, barefoot in the grass, heady with the light and smells of a Spring that is endless, and generally wondering what the hell happened."

Find our more about Kray on his website or check out his Contributor Page to find out a little more about him.

Competition (Chatterbox Show)

We then talk about the Competition about the Pentacle Drummers we set in the Chatterbox Show SP24 and set an ending date of the 20th October 2011 for competition entries.

Rumblin' Thunder

by the Pentacle Drummers

"The Pentacle Drummers from Eastbourne, East Sussex were a small group founded in 2001 to perform at the Lammas Festival to accompany the Eastbourne Giants, 'Herne the Hunter' and 'Andred', Saxon Goddess of the Weald. We have since grown from a small group to a troupe in excess of twenty. The Pentacle Drummers actively support Eastbourne Bonfire Society at bonfires throughout Sussex but are happy to appear on our own or in support of other Bonfire Societies when invited!"

You can hear the thundering track Rumblin' Thunder, which is from their album Life in Tatters! You can find out more about The Drummers on their website at The Pentacle Drummers or on their Contributor Page.

Land of the Ever-Young

by Damh the Bard

We can do no better than finish the show with Damh singing us out with his song about the realm of the Celtic Gods, the Land of the Ever-Young, Tir na nOg, from his superb album The Hills They Are Hollow.

You can find out more about Damh on his website at You can find out more about Damh on his website at Pagan Music or on our Contributor Page. You can find out more about the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids that he represents on their website at druidry.org.

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Special Thanks

Kevin Skinner for From the Time Before, Shaman's Night and At The Gates of Dinas Afferon from his album Fire Walk With Me. See his website for further details of check out his Contributor Page.

John Burge for his entrancing Celtic rhythms from his Echoes album. See his Contributor Page for more details.

Diane Arkenstone The Secret Garden. See her Contributor page for details.

Kim Robertson The Hangman's Noose. See her Contributor page for details.

Jigger Time Ticks Away. See her Contributor page for details.

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 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.

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!

Check out this episode!

Wednesday, March 08, 2017

CMP Special 26 Samhain Holiday Special 2011

Hallowe'en traditions though the years

In this Hallowe'en or Samhain Holiday Special we bring you two fascinating accounts of Samhain traditions: one modern and one Victorian, and an amazing story by a talented story-teller, Chris Joliffe - and we hope to be hearing more from Chris in the future - and 5 of the best pieces of music we reckon you'll hear for this year's Samhain! This one's a corker!

Phew!

Full Show-notes, with all credits, can be found on our main Website at http://celticmythpodshow.com/halloween2011

Running Order:

Intro 0:41
News & Views 1:32
The Cauldron Born by Damh the Bard 2:40
Samhain: Lowering the Veil by Jennifer Emick 9:58
Realm of the Free by Cindy Spear & Colin Mold 22:33
Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland by Lady Gregory 28:06
She is Crone by Kellianna 43:40
Forget Me Not by Chris Joliffe 47:58
The Cheshire Souling Song by Kate & Corwen 41:10
Competition Winner 57:05
Samhain Story by Chris Joliffe 58:26
The Shores of Wales by Kray Van Kirk 1:09:09
Outtakes 1:16:53

We hope you enjoy it!

Gary & Ruthie x x x

Released: 19 Nov 2011, 1h 19m

It's always great to hear from you! Email garyandruth@celticmythpodshow.com, or leave us a message using Speakpipe

The Cauldron Born

by Damh the Bard

We can do no better than start our show with Damh singing us in with his song about the Goddess that stirs the cauldron of Awen or inspiration. She is central to the story of Taliesin - possibly the greatest bard - and Damh's song reminds us that in search for inspiration we are all "the Cauldron Born".

You can find out more about Damh on his website at Pagan Music or on our Contributor Page.

Samhain: the Lowering of the Veil

by Jennifer Emick

Often controversial, Jennifer Emick has kindly written a fascinating piece about Samhain traditions for us. Jennifer Emick is an artist, writer, and religious educator. She has promoted religious understanding in the internet community for over a decade. She is the About.com Guide to Alternative Religions, the most popular source for Celtic spiritual symbolism on the internet. Ms. Emick lives in the San Francisco Bay area.

She is also the Author of The Everything Celtic Wisdom Book which you can find on Amazon which looks at Irish, Scottish, and Welsh traditions. See her Contributor Page for more details.

Realm of the Free

by Cindy Spear & Colin Mold

Cindy Spear

Cindy has written another amazing poem that has been set to music by Colin Mold called "The Realm of the Free". To find out more about Cindy Spear go to her website or visit her Contributor Page.

Colin Mold

Colin is a talented musician who not only plays the band Karnataka in the UK, performs as a session musician and has two solo albums to his name.

His latest project is a forth-coming album, Girl On the Castle Steps, on which will you will also hear this track as well as another one with lyrics written by Cindy called Green and Gold.

Find out more about Colin on his website or on his Contributor Page.

Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland

By Lady Augusta Gregory

Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory (15 March 1852 – 22 May 1932), born Isabella Augusta Persse, was an Irish dramatist and folklorist. With William Butler Yeats and Edward Martyn, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, and wrote numerous short works for both companies. Lady Gregory produced a number of books of retellings of stories taken from Irish mythology. Born into a class that identified closely with British rule, her conversion to cultural nationalism, as evidenced by her writings, was emblematic of many of the political struggles to occur in Ireland during her lifetime. Lady Gregory is mainly remembered for her work behind the Irish Literary Revival. [Wiki]

She said:

"The Sidhe cannot make themselves visible to all. They are shape-changers; they can grow small or grow large, they can take what shape they choose; they appear as men or women wearing clothes of many colours, of today or of some old forgotten fashion, or they are seen as bird or beast, or as a barrel or a flock of wool. ..... There are two races among the Sidhe. One is tall and handsome, gay, and given to jesting and to playing pranks, leading us astray in the fields, giving gold that turns to withered leaves or to dust. These ride on horses through the night-time in large companies and troops, or ride in coaches, laughing and decked with flowers and fine clothes. The people of the other race are small, malicious, wide-bellied, carrying before them a bag. When a man or woman is about to die, a woman of the Sidhe will sometimes cry for a warning, keening and making lamentation. At the hour of death fighting may be heard in the air or about the house-that is, when the man in danger has friends among the shadows, who are fighting on his behalf. ....

This is the news I have been given of the people of the Sidhe by many who have seen them and some who have known their power.

A.G.

The full text can be found on Sacred Texts at Sacred Texts.

She is Crone

by Kellianna

Kellianna is an American pagan artist internationally performing song and chant inspired by myth, magic, sacred places and ancient times. With guitar and vocals she brings to life the stories and sagas of the Gods and Goddesses. With frame drum and chant she honors the Earth and the Ancestors via primal drumming and powerful vocals.

This track, the incredibly powerful summoning of the Crone, is from her latest album "Elemental" - well worth checking out. You can find out more about this enchantress on her website or on our Contributor Page.

Samhain Story & Forget Me Not

by Chris Joliffe

Astoundingly, Chris is an undiscovered talent - that is, until now! This amazing bard has given us permission to use some of his amazing stories and poems in the show and we're sure that you'll love them just as much as we do.

In this show, you can hears his short poem Forget Me Not and his mythically-rich story, Samhain Story. We hope to bring you much more of Chris in the future and in the meantime check out his Contributor Page to find out a little more about him.

The Cheshire Souling Song

by Kate Fkletcher & Corwen Broch

Kate and Corwen are more than just folk musicians. They are also instrument makers and workshop leaders who perform folk music and drama, recreate Ancient music and instruments, make crafts, run workshops for schools and demonstrate at museums and other events. In some ways, they have become folk music's scientists in that their research is delving deep into the past to discover the songs (one of Kate's specialities I believe) and the instruments (definitely one of Corwen's!) of the past. We've seen Corwen demonstrate an ancient lyre on YouTube! Hold on, let's see if I can find it...

You'll find the link to their YouTube channel on their Contributor Page and it really is worth listening to more of their music and finding out about some of the instruments used by the Celts and how they sounded! I think one of the most amazing things I've read about them is on their website where it says: Never afraid to sing all the verses of a long ballad, or play newly composed material on long forgotten instruments, our music has been described as 'hypno/folk'. We aim to make music that their ancestors would understand and appreciate.

You can find out more about Kate & Corwen on their website at Ancient Music.co.uk or on their Contributor Page.

The Shores of Wales

by Kray Van Kirk

About this track, The Shores of Wales, he says: "Every time I play this, someone comes up to me almost frantic to hear what finally happened in the story. I don't think there's a real answer- the beach is empty, the horse is alone, and William rides still. I do like the Faerie King, though- although he is careless of William's fate and casually cruel, he also lays his own soul on the line when challenged."

Find out more about Kray on his website or his Contributor Page.

Competition Winner

We announce the winner of our competition set in the Chatterbox Show SP24 and wish you all the best of the season and a very Happy New Year!

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

Help Spread the Word:

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:

Special Thanks

Psicodreamics for Spirit of Nature and Earth Prayer from the album Ancient Wisdom. See his website for further details of check out his Contributor Page.

Green Druid for the enthralling lay, Celta. See his Contributor Page for more details.

Adragante, for his track Chanson a la Marie from his album, Harmonie Cosmique. Check out his Contributor Page for more details.

Grégoire Lourme, for 1DSENS - Musee virtuel - Evasion from his album Shorts Works. See his Contributor Page for more details.