That was the order of the day as we went to the 24th Annual Celtic Festival in Furnace Town Md. Now some of you may be saying "Celts on the Eastern Shore?????" and the answer is YES!!!! It seems that when the British wanted to colonize Virginia they needed people who were not aristocracy. In short the lowest of the kingdom. So of course the first to go were the Irish and the Scots.
And they brought with them their love of freedom, vibrant music and art, and their deep respect for the rights of individuals. A culture that goes back to before the rise of the Roman Empire.
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| Lots of Celtic Music |
Two terrific Celtic bands performed separately and then jammed together at the end of the day. The first band we listened to was Iona (www.ionamusic.com). They have a unique acoustical way of weaving traditional music of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany together to create a rich tapestry of vocals and instrumentals. Add in vocals sung in Gaelic to complete the experience.
The other band was Moch Pryderi, which is Welsh for "Pryderi's Pigs" (www.mochpryderi.com). They also have a strong Traditional Celtic melody and have blended it with music from Turkey and the American Appalachians.
And what would a Celtic Festival be without Step Dancers?????
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| Traditional Step Dancers |
The Footsteps Dance Academy performed toe-tapping and heart-stopping dances throughout the day.
Of course no Celtic Festival would be complete without Traditional Celtic delicacies such as Pasties, Birdies, Meat Pies, Fish & Chips, Haggis, Shepherd's Pie and Lamb Burgers. Not to mention some Eastern Shore favorites like Oyster Sandwiches and Funnel Cake. Being back on diets after our Niagara Falls trip, we tried to control ourselves, and did a pretty good job of it. The hardest part was turning down a pint of Guinness to wash down my Lamb Burger. I just hope that i will be a better, if not lighter person for it.
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| Folks at the Festival |
Many of the folks at the festival wore their traditional Celtic finery. Whether Irish Leprechauns, British ladies, or kilted Scotsmen, all wore their best. Being 88 degrees here i decided not to wear my family tartan wool scarf that i found in Niagara on the Lake last week. I mentioned this to a vender and found out that he owns the shop i bought it in. Better than that, he sells reasonable priced kilts and has them in my family tartan. SOOOOOO a kilt may be in my future.
Now you know what we did for fun, what are you doing this weekend??????
Grenville
7 comments:
this i would love love love to see and hear.. i am hearing the music as i stare at the girls dancing.
Celtic music is rather nice I think. Our little town is having a fall festival today - scarecrow competition, chili cook off, etc. We're going to go check it out. It's only a block away. lol
What a fun vacay you had!
A fun day indeed ! I love Celtic music . Wonderful photos ! Thanks for sharing the day with us ! Have a good Sunday !
looks like a fun day!! i am bird watching right now, i haven't been paying much attention to my feathered friends!!
i am enjoying this quiet time!!
My dad played bag pipes. I also go to the event when it is in town. They come from all over the world. Plus they have kilts of course. The dogs herding up the sheep. The log cutting.
Great. Food of course.
This year the event was not possible . Not sure why not.
Your festival looks like fun, and as you may know I quite like Celtic music and gave the fiddle a shot for a few years. Unfortunately, I had no talent for it, but I had fun anyway. We have a local style of Celtic dancing around here, aside from the Irish style. It's a little more free form.
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