Gŵyl Fair y Canhwyllau

Legavrik wanes and there’s no need of candles to put the cattle to bed.

A fine Imbolc, St. Brighid’s day, Candlemas, St. Mary’s feast, or Groundhog day, as you prefer!

GROUTED. Also Martin Hayes.

Yes, that’s right, the bathroom is grouted.

Also, we went and saw Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill at the Queen last night, which was excellent. Four pints of stout and a superb Celtic session really helps you relax after a day rubbing the floor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkxtRbQ_0ZE
Something that’s really obvious live, and becomes noticeable about halfway through this video, is that a set of Irish brogues and a hardwood stage can be substituted for a bodhran.

Martin Hayes fiddling about

This is what it’s all about. The “Sasanaigh nua darbh ainm Éireannaigh” (new English named the Irish) can keep their nakedly opportunistic IFSC, their race to the bottom low corporation taxes while the divide between rich and poor grows bigger each year, their “too cool to be Irish” Anglo-American mid-Atlantic affected accents, their embrace of the unquestioned dogma of free market capitalism, their incessant promotion of consumerism, their obsession with commercialised sport, commercialised music, commercialised everything, their rejection of the Irish tradition and its replacement with tv-led English sports where in Ireland a few green jerseys is enough to redesignate is as the new “Irish sport”. This great delusional rejection of Irishness by the modern “Irish” will be seen for what it is in generations to come. Is daoine stoite iad anois, gan ceangal eatarthu agus le glúnta anuas, leis an traidisiún Éireannach. Without Irish culture, a sovereign Ireland has nothing to differentiate itself from its conquerer. It has no point. (from a youtube comment signed “Eoghan Rua Ó Néill”)

The British and Irish Archaeological Bibliography is online

Science is increasingly on the web, and traditional gatekeepers are increasingly cast in the role of buggy whip makers.

-> The Online British and Irish Archaeological Bibliography.

Arrrgh, matey.

Put John Huff’s version of “High Barbaree” on and read about 17th Century Irish Pirates.