New Location with Wordpress for Celtic Story's site

I have been working on a new site location for my connect to the world and yesterday finally got the time to do a few transfers of info to the new realm.

From this day forward look for me at the following site:

    www.celticstory.com/b/                   

The new site has a better look and many more options than I could provide here....
Hope to see or hear from you soon !!

Cheers,
Linda

Autumn -Holidays-And a Shift in Perspective

As the weather shifts so do my thoughts and actions in the daily grind of life.
This time of year I spend reflecting on all that has come across my path during the year.
In the old Celtic Tradition my years tend to go from Autumn to Autumn. One year has just ended and another starts.
Samhainn (Halloween) being the end of the old. Each year starting like a child's life begins...with quiet reflection, limited activity and inner thoughts and growth.
Weather turns grey and there is little guilt involved, staying inside and lazing around. These things are near impossible when the sun is calling out to all species to frolic carefree while they can. 

The wild days of Spring and Summer will be back soon enough. 

I will be CLOSED at the Shop on Thanksgiving Day and the shop will be open for the Thanksgiving Day Weekend shopping as usual at 10am.
I have no plans this year for the holiday other than one....
I have not eaten turkey for 3 years running and have a hunger for it now. So I will be cooking up a bird in my house for the smell of it and the subsequent feast.
I trust you will all have a great feast of your own!

All the Best to you and those that care for you!

Linda
PS. I am sorry I left the Beltane story hanging...I have not had the time, energy or inspiration to go on with it...
that could soon change now, ... with things slowing down a bit.

Event for the Northwest-Celtic Style.....

What: Community Celtic Concerts off the Commons, 2^nd Saturday of the month

When: Saturday, November 13, 2010, 7:30pm

Where: Winona Grange #271, 8340 SW Seneca St, Tualatin 97062

Who: All ages

Cost: $10, 6 for $50

Featured artist November 13: Peter Yeates

Notes: Doors open 6:45PM, no alcohol allowed

S & Á Irish Entertainment and events in Tualatin - Celebrating 4 years

Sam Keator and Áine Doherty are excited about starting live concerts here in Tualatin from October – May! We hope that many folks, families of Tualatin and the immediate area, will enjoy our selection of different bands this season. Currently we are presenting concerts in Portland but want to share these great types of shows here in our home town of Tualatin!

The first concert will be Saturday, November 13 with world known Irish singer, PETER YEATES. Peter is a veteran singer/songwriter/guitarist from Dublin Ireland. He has toured the United States and Canada extensively and has also performed in Germany Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Romania, Russia, Mexico, Bermuda, Korea and his native Ireland. Peter now resides here in the Northwest.

Throughout the years, Peter has toured with some notable musicians Including James Kelly (Planxty, Patrick Street), Noel Hill (Planxty), Tommy Hayes (Stockton's Wing) and accordion player Paddy O'Brian. During the early 80's he was a member of "The Old Triangle", a group twice voted top Irish folk act. In 1989 he and former "Touchstone" fiddler Eddie Parente formed the much acclaimed Celtic/Rock Sextet "The Full Shilling" He has recorded two albums with this band.

Peter has toured as an opening act for the "Kingston Trio" and the "Limelighters". Bob Shane of the Kingston Trio called him "one of the best opening acts I have ever seen. He really primed the audience for us." He has appeared at the Milwaukee Irish Fest, the North Texas Irish Fest and many other Irish and folk festivals in this country and abroad. He was a featured artist on National Public Radio's "Mountain Stage".

Peter has ten albums under his belt, three of which are solo. His album "Back in the Middle" was produced by Billy Oskay, founding member of "Night Noise" and has been receiving rave reviews. Several of his compositions have been recorded by other artists.

Contact information, Sam Keator

Website - www.sandairishentertainment.com

Email - sam.keator@frontier.com

Phone - 503-691-2078

Holiday Season Events Around the Northwest

What: Irish Christmas in America - The Show

Where: Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

When: Friday, November 26, 2010, 7:30PM

Who: All family, community, Holiday entertainment

Cost: $22/$28 adv, $27/$33 Day of show, www.boxofficetickets.com

Notes: Starting the six annual, 15 show tour here in Portland, the only show in the NW

Press: www.irishchristmasinamerica.com/press/

Interviews are available directly with Oisin Mac Diarmada by contacting Sam Keator to arrange time and date

Celebrating its sixth year, the hugely popular holiday show “Irish Christmas in America” tours throughout the USA with some of Ireland's top traditional artists.  This fascinating performance features Irish music, song, dance and stories of seasonal Irish traditions.   An accompanying CD, “Irish Christmas in America,” is also now available.

2010 Show

Produced by Oisín Mac Diarmada of award-winning Irish group Téada, the atmospheric Irish Christmas in America show once again features top Irish singer & accordion-player Séamus Begley in the 2010 touring line-up. After an incredible reaction from audiences during the 2009 tour, Séamus Begley from West Kerry, rejoins a host of top musicians and dancers on stage for an engaging performance rich in history, humour and boundless energy. He will joined for the National Geographic show in Washington DC on December 10th by Kerry vocalist, Éilis Kennedy. The magic of the Irish harp and uilleann pipes from leading exponents Gráinne Hambly and Tommy Martin augments the rhythmic pulse of Brian Cunningham's stunning old-style Irish dance. 


This family-friendly performance features evocatively-sung Irish ballads and holiday carols, lively fiddle tunes and thrilling Irish dancing. Narration brings to life ancient customs and stories, while evocative photographic images provide a backdrop of rich historical context. Take a memorable glimpse into the enchanting spirit of Christmas, as some of Ireland’s finest traditional artists bring you on a distinctively Irish journey during the holiday season of 2010. 


Show Origins

The holiday show was first conceived in 2005 by Oisin Mac Diarmada of Téada, a renowned fiddle-player from County Sligo.  Past tours have featured such stellar guest vocalists as Karan Casey, Cara Dillon, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Cathie Ryan and Michael Londra.  Mac Diarmada enthuses about the program as a way to bring traditional and often unknown Irish customs to the States.  "One of the most heartfelt themes of Irish Christmas is emigration," says Mac Diarmada.  "Music was a way that people stayed close to home."  
A sparkling tradition among holiday events, Irish Christmas in America is a special show to see this season. 

“Captivating” Irish Music Magazine
“Lively and reflective...a powerful evocation of the season” Folk Wax


“A celebration of family and good times at the winter season” Gather.com


Performance Venues 2005-2009 include
* Cerritos Performing Arts Center  Los Angeles CA * The Dana Center  Manchester NH * National Geographic Live! (5th consecutive year) Washington DC  *  Fox Theater, Tucson AZ *  The Egg Albany NY * Annenberg Center  Philadelphia PA * Kimo Theater, Albuquerque NM

Individual Biographies


Oisín Mac Diarmada – producer/fiddle

From Co. Sligo, a part of Ireland famous for its rich fiddle tradition, Oisín Mac Diarmada, is widely regarded for an individual and subtle stylistic approach to Irish fiddling. In 2003, following the release of his solo album, ‘Ar an bhFidil’ (On the Fiddle) on the Green Linnet label, the Irish Echo’s Earle Hitchner called him “one of the most gifted and creative traditional fiddlers playing today.” A graduate in Music Education from Trinity College Dublin, Oisín went on in 2001 to found Téada, currently one of Ireland’s best-known internationally touring bands, and currently is pursuing postgraduate research studies in the area of “Political Identity and Movement to Music”





Séamus Begley – vocals/accordion


Séamus Begley comes from one of Ireland’s most musically acclaimed families.  He is known for his sean-nós (“old style”) singing, hailing as he does from the Irish-speaking region of West County Kerry.  Equally brilliant on the accordion, Séamus plays with astonishing energy and spontaneity, belting out jigs, slides and polkas with rapid sprays of ornamentation. Begley has won numerous awards including Best Folk/Celtic Duo at the 2009 Ireland's Music Awards.  “Begley’s voice is buoyant…a joy” says The Irish Times.

Gráinne Hambly – Irish harp/concertina

Gráinne Hambly from County Mayo in the West of Ireland is an internationally recognised exponent of the Irish harp. In 1998 she completed a Masters Degree in Musicology at Queen's University Belfast, for which her main research topic was music collections and the harp in 18th-century Ireland. Since then, Gráinne has toured extensively throughout Europe and the United States, giving concerts, workshops and masterclasses, and has performed with ’Irish Christmas in America’ since 2005.

Tommy Martin – uilleann pipes/whistles


Originally from Dublin, now resident in St. Louis MO, Tommy’s rare musical talent and experience has brought diverse performances throughout the world varying from tutoring in New Zealand to performing with Riverdance in New York to recording with past members of rock band "Thin Lizzy". In January 2004 Tommy had the honour of performing a newly composed piece of music with the Chicago Virtuosi Symphony Orchestra and presently performs with the hit show, ”Celtic Woman”.

Tristan Rosenstock – narration/bodhrán

From Glenageary in Co Dublin, Tristan's bodhrán playing encompasses a distinctive musical sensitivity, evident on a number of recordings and tours with which he has had involvement in recent years. Prominent in Dublin musical circles, Tristan has also completed a Masters in Film & Television Studies from Dublin City University, and presently combines freelance media work alongside performing with Téada.



Brian Cunningham - dancer


Brian Cunningham is one of the most exciting sean-nós or 'old-style' dancers to have emerged from Ireland in quite some time. At 23 years of age, he has won all the major dance competitions in Ireland, and was honoured with an invitation by the President of Ireland to perform during an Official State visit to Japan and South Korea in 2005. Brian has appeared on Ireland's most popular television show, 'The Late Late Show' with vocalist Seán Keane, and currently produces his own show in Ireland called  ’The Cunningham Sound’.

Radio Interview from Seattle's KEXP Sept. 2010

Linda on KEXP.mp3 10049K   Play   Download

A promotion from 67 music- Battlefield Band-from Scotland-NW Tour

The Amazing Battlefield Band from Scotland is coming to the Pacific Northwest and will perform in Portland at The beautiful Alberta Rose Theatre  on Sunday, November 14th , 2010 at 8pm. Tickets are only $25 and can be obtained here.  This is a rare appearance and is not to be missed!
67 Music is assisting in promoting the show- we’ll be there getting interviews and videos. To that end, we’re launching our “Battlefield Band Giveaway Contest“!  Each week, leading up to show day,we’ll be giving away BB goodies, with a different contest each week where that last week’s winner will pick up their prize in person at the concert. A random winner will be chosen each Sunday up to show day.
Here’s all you need to do this week:  This week it’s a twitter campaign! Seek us out on twitter (@67Music) and look for our tweets that specifically mention “Battlefield Band Contest”- that’s your cue! Re-tweet that for your entry! Re-tweet as much as you like & often to increase your chance to win!  We’ll choose another random winner next Sunday & notify you.  The following week we’ll have a different test for you! Have fun & good luck!!

Hope you're one of the winners!

Cheers,
Linda

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Samhainn- The Celts Great Festival (Halloween)

The End and the Beginning of the Year, when the veil thins between the two worlds. The gates open and your ancestors walk the earth. Soon the traditions became....The day when Christians would pray for the dead, stuck in Purgatory, where souls would linger, suspended between heaven and earth. Prayers would urge their forgiveness for the souls and their swift ascent to heaven. Now, ...we greet the ghouls, ghost and goblins on the doorstep with a smile and handful of candy.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!

A good single malt for a good price-Scot-Whisky at Dooger's in Seaside

Hello again,

For 3 years now Dooger's has kept a bottle of 12 yr. old  of  the MacAllan in the backroom with my name on it.
Prior to this you could only get the drink if you happened to accompany me into the restaurant.
As of a couple of weeks ago, (when the new menu came out) it is now available to the public...for a very good price.
So next time you're in Seaside and are looking for not only a real good meal...but a decent dram of good whisky too....stop in at Dooger's and tell them, ..."Linda sent me!"

The winds are whipping and it's been hailing and raining all day...makes it easy to stay inside and work on desk projects.

All the Best to you,
Linda

Now that things have quieted in my life

This has been a very brisk year for me. So many strange occurrences in my life have taken place.

But now, things are quieting and I'm beginning to have a clear mind and path for going forward.

My house guests (of 14 months) have moved out (about 8 weeks ago), and now that the house is tame and calm...the Muse is starting to awaken in me again. Writing is slowly moving to the forefront and old projects that need completion will be on the slate of "things to do".

If you have a particular item (from the shop) that you'd like to purchase through the mail....I am open to taking orders from this site, and posting them out (for your convenience). I will have more time to make a trip to the Post office for posting items. The important part in all this is for you to be able to describe the item to me well enough for us to make it happen...and the availability of stock is key as well.

My son had set up a Wordpress site for this blog to shift into....and I will be working on that throughout the slower months...(now if I can just remember all the details of 'how to do this" ).

I once again had 9 inches of hair cut off and no one has noticed...'cause my hair is so long on a regular basis...it would take a shaven head (I suppose) for a reaction from the friends and public....which is not likely to happen...as it is my back has been a bit colder than normal. ha, ha,ha.

The wind is blowing like crazy here and has been for about 12 hours. Looking forward to this weekend...and lad that used to work for me when he was bot a sapling of a teen...is coming back into town. I will be attending a Pirate party in his honour....r-r-r-r-r-r-r-g.

Cheer the now,
Linda