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Celtic Druid Temple, Indigenous Religion of Éire Policy Statement

24/8/2020

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Introduction
We, the members of Celtic Druid Temple, being indigenous people of the Land known as Éire, proclaim and exercise our rights to self determination and self government, to practice, revitalize and evolve our cultural traditions and customs, to celebrate our ceremonies on ancestral sacred ground and to be secure in the enjoyment of our own means of subsistence and development, to engage freely in all our traditional and other economic activities, to preserve, honour and share our wisdom traditions, to maintain our right to choose traditional medicines and the natural holistic health practices of our Celtic Forest Nation of Éire.


We are Celtic Gaelic people of Ireland. We remain living on our ancestral homelands and seek to develop and continue our living cultural traditions and customs. We honour the Celtic Calendar with celebrations at our ancestral sacred temples and burial grounds. We live as people under the guiding principals of Meas, Meitheal and Mead. Meas encapsulates the concept of respect for self, others and Nature. Meitheal is the mechanism for working together through sharing the responsibilities of producing food, fuel and shelter. Mead is a celebratory drink made from honey and water and is our symbol of celebratory abundance. We live by these principles of self help, co operation and co creation with Nature to provide food, water, medicine, shelter and fuel for our families and community. We promote the use and learning of our native language Gaeilge. Our livelihoods depend on healthy natural woodlands, springs, waterways, sea and sky. Our sacred ancestral lands are of fundamental importance to our collective spiritual, physical and cultural survival as an indigenous people.

We are determined to preserve, develop and share with future generations the abundance of Nature from the Land, Sea and Sky. This includes access to our sacred herbs and vital medicinal plants, animals, birds, fish and minerals. We are preserving, developing and will share with future generations our Celtic Gaelic identity in accordance with our own cultural patterns, social institutions and body of Living Laws without external interference or discrimination.
Principles

1. Indigenous Status of Celtic Druid Temple
2. Self identifying as an Indigenous Celtic Gael
3. UN Permanent Forum definition of “indigenous peoples”
4. International Human Rights Law
5. Overall Intention to proclaim define and exercise our rights as members of Celtic Druid Temple


1. Indigenous Status of Celtic Druid Temple
The Celtic Druid Temple is an organised group of Celtic Gaelic People and Druí (Spiritual guide, teacher and ceremonial leader) honouring Nature as Supreme Being and are determined to practice, revitalize and evolve our cultural traditions and customs by celebrating our ceremonies on ancestral sacred ground in accordance with our Celtic calendar.

Structure and chronology

  • 1993 Originally formed as the Heritage Awareness Group identifying indigenous sacred sites and providing educational seminars to the general public supported by local county councils and public libraries.
  • 22nd of November 2012 Incorporated as Celtic Druid Temple Company no. 520451
  • 30th of August 2017 Changed form to an unincorporated association named Celtic Druid Temple governed by a constitution.
Recognition

BUNREACHT NA hÉIREANN (Constitution of Ireland)

  • Article 44 Secures our freedom to practice our religion.
    2 1° Freedom of conscience and the free profession and practice of religion are, subject to public order and morality, guaranteed to every citizen.
Department of Health

  • The Department recognises Druidry as an indigenous religion https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/publications/socialinclusion/interculturalguide/traditional/
Department of Finance

  • On the 19th of May 2015 the Department recognised Celtic Druid Temple as an organisation established to promote the indigenous religion of Ireland with Nature as the Supreme Being and granted Celtic Druid Temple the following charity no. CHY20684
Dept of Social Protection

  • On the 3rd of February 2016 Solemniser Status was granted by the Department to Celtic Druid Temple. The legally binding marriage registration certificate states that the marriage ceremony is performed "according to the Rites of Passage of the Indigenous Wisdom Tradition of Celtic Druid Temple”
Department of Justice

  • On the 13th of June 2018 the Department recognised Celtic Druid Temple as an organisation established to promote the indigenous religion of Ireland and granted Celtic Druid Temple the following registered charity number RCN 20106003
  • The Druí of Celtic Druid Temple have jury service exemption status and have exercised this exemption.
  • An Garda Siochana have on four occasions provided protection for our public ceremonies

European Convention on Human Rights

Article 9(1) of the European Convention on Human Rights guarantees the rights of adherents to this policy document to full enjoyment of rights to thought, conscience and religion, including the ancient traditions of the Celtic Druid faith, and, more specifically, to our right of pilgrimage.
All comments and questions welcomed – celticdruidtemple@gmail.com

2. Self identifying as an Indigenous Celtic Gael

If just one of the following determinants is a 'yes' for you – then you can self identify as an Indigenous Celtic Man or Woman and become a member of our Celtic Forest Nation of Éire. This is a true identity even if you do not currently live in Ireland but wish to live here and to have your descendants live here as your ancestors did.

1 Do you have Gaelic Celtic ancestors?
2 Do you live on or wish to live on the land of your ancestors?
3 Do you seek to live by the Celtic Calendar?
4 Do you want to learn / speak Gaeilge?
5 Do you wish to provide food for your family directly from the Land, Sea and Sky of Éire?
6 Do you wish to preserve, develop and transmit our connection to our Land, Sea and Sky of Éire?
7 Do you wish to restore our Celtic identity, cultural patterns, social institutions and lawful ways?
8 Do you wish to restore Ireland as a Celtic Forest Nation?


3. UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues 'working' definition of “indigenous peoples”

* Self-identification as indigenous peoples at the individual level and acceptance by the community as their member;
* Historical continuity with pre-colonial and/or pre-settler societies;
* Strong link to territories and surrounding natural resources;
* Distinct social, economic or political systems;
* Distinct language, culture and beliefs;
* Form non-dominant groups of society; and
* Resolve to maintain and reproduce their ancestral environments and systems as distinctive peoples and communities.

Excerpt of a legal opinion by an international law expert who addresses indigenous issues. “Members of the Celtic Druid Temple have the right to self-identification as indigenous; there is historical continuity of indigenous-ness from prior to British invasions; the Temple’s members are tied to territory and resources; indigenous Irish do possess distinct social, economic and political systems and distinct language, culture and beliefs; and it is clear that the Temple and its members are resolved to “maintain and reproduce ... ancestral environments and systems as distinct peoples and communities” (in a modern setting). At end, according to the Permanent Forum document, “the most fruitful approach is to identify, rather than define indigenous peoples.” The Temple is clearly asserting distinct rights.”

4. International Human Rights Law
The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations as General Assembly Resolution No. 61/295 (13 September 2007). Courts can apply the declaration in decisions and legislatures and other bodies can cite it to support positions to uphold and enforce specific provisions in the Declaration.

“The Declaration addresses both individual and collective rights; cultural rights and identity; rights to education, health, employment, language, and others. It outlaws discrimination against indigenous peoples and promotes their full and effective participation in all matters that concern them. It also ensures their right to remain distinct and to pursue their own priorities in economic, social and cultural development. The Declaration explicitly encourages harmonious and cooperative relations between States and indigenous peoples.”

Article 24 of the Declaration provides (in full):

1. Indigenous peoples have the right to their traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices, including the conservation of their vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals. Indigenous individuals also have the right to access, without any discrimination, to all social and health services.
2. Indigenous individuals have an equal right to the enjoyment of the highest standard of physical and mental heath. States shall take necessary steps with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of this right.

Article 1 of the Declaration states the right of indigenous peoples, both individually and collectively, to enjoy all human rights as stated by the U.N. or otherwise.
Article 3 secures the right of self-determination, meaning the right to “freely determine” their political status and “freely” pursue and secure their own economic, social and cultural development.

Article 24 addresses the human right to health with this language:

1. Indigenous peoples have the right to their traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices, including the conservation of their vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals. Indigenous individuals also have the right to access, without any discrimination, to all social and health services.
2. Indigenous individuals have an equal right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. States shall take the necessary steps with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of the right.
Excerpt of a legal opinion by an international law expert who addresses indigenous issues. “There is no specific language in the Declaration that addresses the right to refuse specific health measures or procedures, including vaccination. However the language about “their” health practices assumes a right to define what those might be, and the language “highest standard of physical and mental health” assumes that any given “standard” is the “highest” or most appropriate. Inappropriate standards include procedures or practices that are harmful or repulsive to a given indigenous group. I note that the Celtic Druid Temple is in fact engaging in an ongoing debate over the appropriateness of vaccination, and the right to reject it, and there is a right to speak to that — and be acknowledged in positions. I think that one of the most important points for the Celtic Druid Temple’s word is that the obligation is on the state (i.e. government) to deal with complaints of violations of human rights without requiring any person or group to “prove” their right. It is a matter of asserting a given right, e.g. the right to refuse vaccination, and compelling the state to engage. The right to refuse vaccination is a difficult subject, however, there is a right to articulate that right in general terms and compel the state to address it.”


5. Overall Intention to proclaim define and exercise our rights as members of Celtic Druid Temple

Celtic Druid Temple is officially recognised as the indigenous religion of Éire. Celtic Druid Temple presents a modern expression of the indigenous spiritual tradition of this island. Every man woman and child can choose to openly practice the indigenous spiritual traditions of this island. We can now openly show reverence to Nature as the Supreme Being and acknowledge the Spirit of our Celtic Ancestors without fear of censure. The dignity and inherent divinity of every man woman and child can be honoured and nurtured to its fullest expression.

We are in contact with indigenous peoples / groups in Europe, Russia, Australia, North America, South America and throughout the island of Ireland. It is our intention to share this statement with these groups seeking a declaration of acknowledgement and support from them with a view to developing relationships with and acknowledgement from other indigenous groups around the world that respect Nature. The first paragraph from the top of this page is on the back of the new CDT membership identity card. This replaces the Celtic Gaelic Oath that was shown on the back of the CDT identity card. The Oath will continue to be used and will appear on our Almanac, CDT website and in our social media as graphics/script.

Celtic Gaelic Oath
Respecting Nature as Supreme Being -

We honour the idea of
Gods and Goddesses
as the Source of all creation,

We celebrate the
Gaelic Pagan Festivals on
the cycles of the Sun and Moon,

We acknowledge the inherent
lifeforce in all things.
This proposed change is considered as very important. Our membership identity card has photographic ID and declares our status as a state recognised religion when we show - “RCN 20106003” this means ‘Registered Charity Number’ – a charity for the advancement of religion – but this is not immediately clear to first time readers. A modification to the front of the ID card includes - “Indigenous Religion of Éire”. To obtain an ID card, a real address is required with a recent photo of head and shoulders.
See https://www.celticdruidtemple.com/membershipcards.html
Members that choose to carry and use this card will have the ability to refer to a complete description / information page (i.e. this document) on our website of their rights as members of an indigenous religious group. This includes the “right to choose traditional medicines and natural holistic health practices” and can be used to politely and respectfully decline any vaccination or drug containing human foetal tissue, mercury or any other known or unidentified toxin/s. Members have the right to ask for a full list of ingredients in any medications / vaccinations. Because we hold Nature as Supreme Being we reject all unnatural or abnormal medications and we choose a healthy lifestyle with fresh air, living water and organic food as the means to creating and supporting a healthy immune system in tune with the natural order. The Celtic Druid Temple reaffirms is position that Nature is the Supreme Being and our members may decline all or any unnatural medications on religious grounds.

This policy statement of the mission and intent of the Celtic Druid Temple sets out some of the rights that are inherent in the beliefs of an ancient discipline that is the way of life for the Celtic Druid tradition.

Non-members of the Celtic Druid Temple who hold Nature as Supreme Being may also choose to decline all or any unnatural medications on religious grounds as explained here but without a Celtic Druid Temple Identity Card.
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24th August 2020
The above policy statment can be downloaded as a doc or pdf here
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Candlefield Community Forest

16/5/2019

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Go Fund Me Fundraiser by Niamh Connor
We've planted a forest in the West of Ireland and now we are opening it up to the community. Trees give us so much. They are the foundation of our Culture. Co create and share the abundance of the Candlefield Community Forest. Read more on our Woodland Page.
#celticforestnation
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Fairy Tradition in Ireland and Meath by Kristofer Mc Cormack

14/7/2017

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Introduction This essay will explore the origins of the fairies and how fairy tradition has changed over time. It will also look at the fairies of County Meath and how the tradition there compares to the rest of Ireland.
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Image - The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania by Noel Paton

Who are the fairies?

Fairies are otherworldly creatures that inhabit an world invisible to humans[Dái06]. Most European nations have their own fairy tradition with each having their own unique origins stories. Fairies first appeared in Ireland in the early 12th century[Nor20] and seem to be heavily intertwined with the lore of the dead, some of the first tales of fairies evolve from the belief of the dead living on in their burial chamber[Dái06]. This might explain the use of the word sí to describe both fairies and the mythical other world. The Ancient Irish believed that fairies were the first settlers of Ireland. These people were known as the Tuatha de Danaan. The De Danaan conquered all of Eire until they were defeated by the Milesians. The Milesians were believed to be the ancestors of the modern Irish people. Not willing to cooperate with their conquerors, the De Danaan went into hiding and lived in the hills leading to them gaining a new name, Aes Síde or Sí which in this context means mound[Nor20]. The Tuatha De Danaan were often depicted as living in raths, mounds and lakes in the tales of Fionn Mac Cumhaill and in the Book of Invasions. The Tuatha De Danaan or fairy people were described as being the same height as normal people and dressed in elegant green clothing. They had many different abilities such as turning invisible and changing their appearance. The fairies were seen as godly to mortal people, hence, there lifestyle were often associated with the interests of the time. Interests such as music, war and chase were the occupation of the fairies. Their musical abilities were revered, and some of the best musicians of the time credited their best works to the fairies[Nor20]. The other origin tale was the Christian perspective on fairies, the existence of a Christian origin story for the fairies displays the strength of the belief. According to the church, fairies are angels who were thrown out of heaven by God. The tale depicts God opening the floor of heaven and casting Satan and other angels out, when he closed the floor, the angels that had fallen with Satan became his servants, Angels that had landed on the surface become land fairies, the fairies that landed in the sea became sea fairies while the fairies in the air become the air fairies. These exiled angels spend their time trying to get back into heaven by stealing children blood. The fairies are known by many names as there was a folk assumption that you should not refer to the fairies by their name[Joh00]. The fairies are also known as “the good folk” or “the noble folk”

Fairies in Modern Belief

In contrast to the early accounts of fairies in Ireland, the fairies of the 19th and 20th century had a much more volatile relationship with their human counterparts. The fairies were still associated with a lot of good in Ireland, such as music. In the documentary, “The Fairy Faith” a family of musicians recounts how their grandfather came to the acclaim to the people for his musical skills. The grandfather attributes his talents to the fairies, claiming that he played music for a fairy wedding and met two famous fiddlers who thought him the skills he had now[Joh00]. However, the fairies were feared by the people of Ireland and were normally the ones blamed for bad things happening, people were afraid to interfere with fairies on superstitious nights such Halloween, or Hallow Eve. An interesting element of fairy tradition that became popular was changelings. Changelings are fairies that resemble the human that they replace. It was believed by the rural Irish that a changeling was odd and wise beyond their years. The changeling would eventually disappear, if the changeling was discovered during the time it was alive, it would bring back the person it replaced. The presence of changelings were quite common, however, I haven’t encountered a tale where the subject has the person that was taken from them return. One particular tale that was quite disturbing was the burning of Bridget Cleary in 1895. Bridget Cleary was recently wedded to her husband Michael Cleary in County Tipperary. They had lived a happy marriage until her husband noticed his wife acting strangely. The exact details of how his wife was acting strange isn’t told, however it does say that he first suspected his wife being a changeling when she took sick for a few days from a cold. An old man visited the house and told him that the woman in the bed wasn’t his wife. When she didn’t get better, Mr. Cleary became convinced that the woman he was married to was a changeling. He sought a fairy doctor who gave him a cure for expelling the changeling. That night a large number of the Cleary family gathered to witness the expelling of the changeling. When Mrs Cleary refused to take the cure, she was forced to do by a hot poker. She was constantly question and shook as the family attempted to get rid of the changeling. Eventually they placed her over the stove and continued to ask her questions. Eventually the occupants of the house were sasified that Mrs Cleary was not a fairy. Michael Cleary remained unconvinced and the next day when his wife refused to eat he threw her into the fire and poured lamp oil on her. His house went on fire and with it went the supposed changeling. Weeks pasted and his wife did not return which led to Cleary growing remorseful. The occupants of the house were eventually charged with man slaughter[Tho82].

Fairies in Meath

The Schools collection of Co. Meath suggest that fairy belief was quite weak, there is few stories referring to fairies. The three accounts I have included with this essay are entitled Fairies Football, Fairy Reel and Fairy Fort, I chose these particular tales because they were the most common themes of fairy stories in Meath. Fairy football is a about a boy called Seamus who was sitting on Piercetown Hill. He heard shouting and looked down to see a fairy football match taking place. He was impressed by one of the players who wore a red cap and at the end of the game, he shouted out “well done red cap”, when he spoke he was surrounded by a troop of fairy soldiers and was imprisoned and never seen again. Fairy Reel was about fairies unique musical talents, two girls were walking home when they saw dancing fairies in a field, they were struck by the wonderful music of the fairies’ and rush home to tell their mother what they saw. The tale continues with the farmer who owned the field believing that the fairies had a pot of gold buried in his field, he ploughed the field but the grass grew back in a day and he “left the good people to their spring dance”. Unsurprising, fairy places were quite a prominent subject, Meath has many famous burial chambers and scared sites such as Tara and Newgrange which were the preferred dwellings of the fairies. The story I chose described a fairy fort called Rath Maeve near the Hill of Tara, It claims that a fairy with an apron took all the clay from a hill and made the mound with it. The tale also says that if you were to walk under Rath Maeve you would end up on the Hill of Skryne. Modern fairy stories are quite prominent in Meath, from my personal experience there is still a silent belief in fairies in Meath. On the Hill of Tara there is a hawthorn tree known as the fairy tree. I regular walk past this tree on my visits to Tara and it is often covered in ribbons, gifts and sometimes wishes to the fairies. After the construction of the M3 motorway, activist Carmel Divine claimed that the construction of the M3 motorway through the Tara-Skyrne valley angered the fairies and that the woes of Ireland since July 2007 was the fairies taking revenge[Gui11].

Interviews

My interviews were quite successful and I uncovered some interesting perspectives on fairy lore in Meath. My objective with the interviews was to get a contrast between old and modern fairy tradition to see if it had changed since The Schools Collection was taken. My first interviewee told me about some tales of people who have interfered with fairies and were punished such as a man who bulldozed a fairy fort in Oristown County Meath. He was beheaded by a broken saw blade soon after. My second interviewee provided a lot of information I had never encountered before. He described fairies as energy forms that can take on humanoid forms if they wish to. My interviewee had seen fairies before and he said that they would appear only in your peripheral vision. They would usually be about 40-50 yards away. He told me that fairies were misunderstood creatures and were often blamed for bad things such as storms, rain and deaths or behaviour changes caused by illness. He also talked about different fairy types such as the banshee, which was a fairy that sings before someone dies. Both interviewees agreed that fairies were neither good nor bad, they were like us.

Conclusion

Fairy tradition in Meath is quite odd, I found it quite difficult to find tales of fairies in the Schools collection despite the presence of the Hill of Tara in a lot of the children accounts. In my interviews, one of my interviewees said there was a stigma in the belief of fairies and I suspect that this stigma might already have begun in the 1930s in Meath. There is a wealth of tradition and lore about the Battle of the Boyne, local cures and weather lores in Meath. The Battle of the Boyne is a clear source of pride among the children with a lot of descriptions and followed on stories in their accounts. Fairies do not receive the same treatment, the stories about fairies are isolated and often seem outplace with the other traditions that the children associate with their local town. I believe this might the setting in of the stigma about fairies in Meath and the stories that do remain are the ones that the past generations had told their kids. This provides quite a contrast with modern fairy tradition with that of the past. As I mentioned above, there are many stories and mentions of the fairies in modern Meath folklore, especially the fairies of Tara. Both my interviewees told me that there is a select group of people who believe in fairies and many live in Meath which I find interesting as this belief appears to revival of an old tradition. However the stigma still exists and becomes an interesting topic in itself when we consider whether a stigma is healthy for the tradition or killing the tradition. On one side, you could claim that a stigma on believing in fairies is leading to people being too afraid to speak about their fairy stories. However, if the stigma was non-existent would Irish fairy tradition become commercialised like the depictions we see today. It seems that the only thing certain about fairy tradition is that it isn’t going anywhere anytime quickly.

Bibliography
Guidera, A., 2011. Fairytale of New Ireland. [Online]
Available at: http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/fairytale-of-new-ireland-26796272.html
[Accessed 7th April 2017].

hÓgáin, D. Ó., 2006. The Lore of Ireland. Cork : Collins Press.
McGrath, T., 1982. Fairy Faith and Changelings: The Burning of Bridget Cleary in 1895. Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review, 71(282), pp. 178-184.
O'Connor, N. J., 1920. The Early Irish Fairies and Fairyland. Sewanee Review , 28(4), pp. 545-557.
Súilleabháin, S., 1942. Handbook of Irish Folklore. s.l.:Folklore of Ireland Society.
The Fairy Faith. 2000. [Film] Directed by John Walker. s.l.: s.n.
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Brigid's Day Cross Making Festival, Saturday 28th January 2017

17/1/2017

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This year we will celebrate Brigid, daughter of Dagda on Saturday 28th of January. We host an open and free ceremony for Imbolg at 1:30pm followed by our traditional Brigid's Cross making afternoon. Special designs such as three legged and spinning weave will be demonstrated and taught by Ard Druí Red John.
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 The ceremony and workshop will be held in the comfort of the Hemp Hall. Places are limited so forward booking is important to secure your place - contact us at celticdruidtemple@gmail.com Some people are unsure about variations on the 4 legged version so we took some pictures in the Armagh Museum and the Ballina Festival to show the wide variations that exist.
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The crosses above with the blue background are on a display board seen at the Ballina Salmon Festival - they are copies of the Brigid's Crosses on display at the National Museum for Country Living in Co Mayo. The crosses below (cream background) are on show in the Armagh Museum in Co Armagh, Ireland.
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The white table cloth below shows what we made here at the Celtic Druid Temple last year.
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Attending our ceremony for Imbolg at 1:30pm followed by our traditional Brigid's Cross making afternoon is open and free of charge - but as places are limited = you must make prior contact at celticdruidtemple@gmail.com
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The War Horn of Finn McCoole at the inaugural gathering of the Celtic Druid Alliance at Temple Crom 23-25 September 2016

14/10/2016

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A short video clip of "Ancient Music Ireland" playing in Temple Crom during the Gathering of the Celtic Druid Alliance 23-25 Sept 2016. Many will not know the significance of the three blasts on the long horn but it is a powerful event in our Gaelic Celtic Culture. The Hill of Allen is called Dún Ailinne (Knockaulin) and has special relevance to all on an Irish Celtic Path. The great hero Finn McCoole would use his war horn Borabú to call the warriors of Ireland to defend us from foreign attack. Borabú was played for Irish soldiers in May 2016 and again for the Celtic Druid Alliance in September 2016 - may the Celtic Spirit continue to rise...
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Finn McCoole in the night sky

Finn McCoole and his Borabú war horn are visible in the night sky right now throughout October. Commonly referred to as the star group Orion we see this Winter champion as Finn McCoole. Right now there is a meteor shower from October the 2nd to November the 7th 2016 peaking on the 20th of October emanating from the mouth of Borabú. Look to the Skies and connect with the ancestors. They are always there - you just have to look up and if you see shooting stars just say "Borabú" and recall the great warrior of Celtic Ireland - Finn McCoole!
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Connecting with Nature and Restoring Culture

16/9/2015

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Peace and tranquility in the wilds of North Roscommon
When people come to stay with us, they generally fall in to two categories of reactions. The first, and of course my favourite is when they are completely amazed at our lifestyle and become inspired to take on their own projects at home. The other, not so favourite reaction is one of complete and utter astonishment that we don't fit some pre-imagined picture or set of expectations usually along the lines of where's the castle or why don't you do this or that. These reactions are sometimes a little difficult to manage, and sometimes you just have to call it....you're projecting your idea of Druid on to us, this is who we are....take it or leave it.......

Anyway........within these two main reactions both generally agree that our home is very peaceful with an air of tranquility and deep calm. We work hard at making sure that this peace is always with us, and of course we as the humans in the equation don't always get it right, thankfully it's not just us, there's the rocks that the house is made from dotted with sparkling quartz, the living water circulating in our underfloor heating system, the hemp supplied by friends on the walls allowing the house to breath and the sheep's wool in the attic, our woolly hat in winter. We don't have many electrical appliances whizzing or buzzing constantly and at night time the silence grows much deeper. I've found that some people relax into this space immediately whilst others who live in cities, take awhile to tune in.

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Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) and a visitor
We have a deep respect for Nature, this means that we are conscious of our connection to Nature. At every moment with every breath we are interacting and connecting with Nature. If you look at a dictionary definition of Nature, you'll find something along the lines of "the physical world and everything in it (such as plants, animals, mountains, oceans, stars, etc.) that is not made by people" Fair enough, but the definition and mindset doesn't really allow for the full concept... that people are part of Nature, we are not above Nature, below Nature, in control of Nature or separate from Nature. Even when we're inside an apartment block on the 17th floor of a sprawling city- we are still with Nature, this is who we are. It's the over analyzing, categorizing, specializing and all the other iizings that encourage us to believe that we are separate from Nature, that it is something we must care for.....it is, but come at it from the view point that we are Nature, how does that change your understanding?

We can communicate with other parts of Nature quite easily. We share the same space, we share nutrients, water, minerals, we depend on each other and we communicate on such basic levels that it's way too simple for our categorized, segmented brains and egos to allow! I have often found plants by smell alone. Hidden in the long grass or thorny hedge the most delicate of flowers can call out to pollinators, and what a joy it is to locate these plants through their aromatic touch. If you're just saying hello, you don't need to know it's latin name and all it's properties, all you have to do is appreciate it and know that it has just spoken to you in it's language! When I forage for berries in the hedges my intuition tells me only to pick berries in the height  or space from my knees to my shoulders.....to leave berries for the birds and smaller creatures. Most people who spend a lot of time outdoors with plants and trees have little rituals or understandings particular to them and their immediate environment, when Ard Druí Red John and his family visit the fairy tree on Tara, they respectfully check in from a distance to feel if the tree is open for a visit.....respect.

PictureAmanita muscaria in the neighboring fields
Culture, can be defined as shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs and understanding that are learned by socialization. It can be seen as the growth of a group identity fostered by social patterns unique to the group.

Apparently the the word "culture" derives from a French term, which in turn derives from the Latin "colere," which means to tend to the earth and grow.

We also see the word used in a scientific sense to describe groups of bacteria and fungi, we know of beneficial cultures of bacteria and fungi everywhere; in the soil promoting growth, in fermented foods like cheese, krauts, kimchi, and all manner of condiments.

I have a great belief that even though we lost our Forest Culture in the 1600's the bacteria and fungi necessary for forest growth is still here in the soil. I also feel that our sense of separation from Nature comes from a decrease in beneficial culture in our diets and immediate environment.

I approach a solution to this this from a few different angles. I try my best not to intentionally destroy beneficial bacteria....cleaning products in our home are all natural. We have a reed bed system for our waste water so I can visibly see how I'm doing....strong growth of reeds, iris', willows in the reed beds means I'm not killing the good stuff.......bleach kills good bacteria...so no bleach. Similar when I'm outside, no weedkillers, no poisons, same with my own body....no poisons....refined white sugar, dextrose and similar manufactured products are the equivalent of bleach in my mind, sure they do a great job, in that they taste great but oh wow the consequences..


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Spirals in the Cleaver plant (Galium aparine)
I plant and care for lots of trees and plants, I'm playing a conscious part in the growth of the native culture of our local ecosystem.

I make and eat lots of culture i.e.fermented food products from veg grown locally. And my favourite way of restoring culture is to make herbal mead elixirs.....(local honey, local flowers, local yeast) a recipe for delightful culture.

I came across this blog when looking for ideas for meads; I make my meads in quite a similar way to this blog post: http://www.gallowaywildfoods.com/?page_id=1862

So, you are Nature, where ever you are, Nature is with you. You can feel more connected by becoming aware of your personal connections.....what products do you use, can you change any? Supporting the growth of one potted plant in your home changes your immediate ecosystem- you can practice conscious connection with this plant. Make fermented food- sourdough bread, sauerkraut, mead.....start looking around you. Even in the cities there are nooks and crannies of wonderful and vibrant culture.

Most importantly, have fun.....if you approach this from a guilt perspective, you've already changed your inner culture and guilt is not the approach you want to take........fun, love, exploration, adventure,gratitude and Love, did I say that one already.....Love, love yourself, love your world.....that's all you have to do. If you can't love yourself and consequently the world around you then decide to go on a fun filled adventure of change!

Grá
Niamh

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What's in a name?

4/3/2015

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In my heritage classes I always ask the children their name. Most recently one little girl, gave me her full name, followed by her parents names and where she was from. The rest of the class laughed but I thanked her as she had brought me nicely into my next segment that 1000 years ago in Ireland we didn't have surnames. There's no youtube video of our ancestors introducing themselves, so it's impossible to know for sure. What most people agree on these days is that it was the Normans who introduced the concept of surnames(as we know them today) to Ireland. In my classes we try out different ways of introduce ourselves like our ancestors may have done, without surnames but family names and ancestry line- for example, the girls introduce themselves as Niamh daughter of Rose, daughter of Kathleen, daughter of Roseanne, and keep going as far back as they can. The boys may have given the paternal ancestry line. How far back can you go? This used to be a sign of education, that you could list your family genealogy. This coupled with where you were from would give the other person the full picture of who you are, they would know the stories associated with your family-the good, the bad etc. Our names today do not reveal so much of our family history or about where we've been. Our names now play a role in a very confusing legal system. Our names are not rooted in place and community any more. They are most likely attached to a number and it is this number that gives your information to the questioner, but it is only the system that established the number that can have the full understanding.They want to know about your financial lineage as opposed to cultural and family events.

Of course names still have personal meanings to us but in the broader sense of culture, how we name ourselves and how we let our names be used has a huge impact on how we structure ourselves as a society and in turn our collective identity. Names like identity have to change over time, the baby name your parents used may not be appropriate for your grown up self. You may have had a nickname in your teenage years that stuck.
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When I was in school, years ago, teachers would make up Irish names for those of us with English surnames or first names. My maiden name of Eustace- got changed regularly into Eustach (pronounced ewestash!) this was completely made up. similarly many Irish names and words have been made into English by a process of welding English words onto Irish words or taking an Irish word and finding an English word that sounds similar and simply changing it.
I'm an Irish person learning Irish as a second language, it is a deep hurt that I cannot speak my mother tongue fluently. It is indicative of our society and how much we had to bend that we made an English name for ourselves and they we use this name to describe who we are to the rest of the world. I'm not anti any culture, I celebrate diversity in my own country--it's just that we haven't been ourselves for a very long time now and it is so important to know who you are----this goes for countries as well. We have a choice to how we name ourselves. I'm trying to understand our national identity, sometimes I feel as if we're a country that doesn't realise it's actually free to make it's own choices and decisions, we were oppressed for so long( I know I know, don't mention the war.......but maybe our past traumas need to be spoken about and discussed, knowing that they are in the past and we are not trying to resurface the old tensions but become a proud and free people) that we are still displaying signs of that long learned behavior.

Ireland is a made up Irish into English word-what does that say about our identity?......... not a judgement, just a question, a place to look from or at for awhile, would we want to change our name, if we did, would we go back to Eire, which is still used at times, or what if we could choose our own name---could we do it as a country?

Grá
Niamh
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Irish Indigenous Heritage

18/2/2015

2 Comments

 
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Why is this so difficult for Ireland. The concept of indigenous is ridiculed here, ah don't talk about the war, we've had that many waves of invasions, sure who's really Irish? This line of thought brings you right up to where we are today, a nation with a false sense of freedom unable to stand up and be proud because they don't know what it means. We don't want to be seen as anti British, we don't want to be seen as racist, we don't know who we are or what an indigenous heritage might mean to us. If we don't know our rich past how can we share a rich future with other nations?

I visit national schools as a heritage specialist, I have designed workshops for children to explore what Ireland was like 1000 years ago (give or take a couple of years!). The history taught in schools today is appalling.......it is the same old sh1 that has been presented for years i.e. propaganda and false histories of the church and other empires that tried to conquer. Children are never encouraged to question history, to ask who wrote this and why?

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Anyway that's me being totally naive, which I am accused of regularly! But, I'm part of the change and doing my bit. As a specialist I get to write my own workshops for children, so I ask them lots of questions and when they have a question for me I get them thinking to see if they can come up with their own theory........I had a wonderful class the other day.
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We were exploring what the landscape was like in Ireland 1000 years ago..what did we have more or less of. One child asked did we have more trees, I led a quick visualization of what type of trees we had back then....i.e. giant oak forests that go on for miles, walking for days without leaving a forest, then I asked the question how would life be different, what would you do if you lived in or near such big trees and forests?
One child asked me would they have lived in big tree houses. Well, I said, the archaeologists have never found one, and there hasn't been any documents found yet stating that there was giant tree houses in giant trees, but does that mean they didn't exist? Ahh, the cogs in the mind started whirring....what if what if..............this is how we need to educate ourselves........not drilling ourselves with facts and figures written down by the fox news of the day.......one school I visited had heard so much about vikings in Ireland a thousand years ago that they literally couldn't grasp the concept that there was Irish people in Ireland at that time too.....another child in another school quickly realised and asked ............so does that mean there were Irish people living normal lives in Ireland? He asked me why are they not in the history books, why does he have to learn only about the Viking way of life.......ah the wisdom..I have hope for our little Island, the children are bright and inquisitive, it is our job to nurture this and not tell them to shhhuussh. Lets collectively explore what our indigenous culture is and what it means to us today. This isn't about being exclusive or thinking you have to go back 20 generations to call yourself Irish. It's about our country's self esteem, we have to feel worth something, proud of something, we have to know who we are and love who we are. Right now we're a fearful bunch bending over backwards for the biggest bully. Stand up Ireland, get to know yourself, dig deeper into your histories, find the glorious nation sovereign and proud.

Grá
Niamh
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    Authors

    Niamh and Con are founding members of Celtic Druid Temple and walk the path of Celtic Druids in Roscommon, Eire.

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