Would you like a taste of what life was like 1,000 years ago?
There may not have been electricity or even steam engines, but the arts were flourishing in Scotland and Ireland way back then. The book illustration above representing Mathew, Mark, John and Luke as an angel, a lion, an eagle and an ox was created in about 800 AD in a monastery in either Ireland or Scotland. That illuminated manuscript is known today as the Book of Kells, as its home for hundreds of years was the Abbey of Kells in County Meath, Ireland, which was founded by monks from Iona Abbey on the West coast of Scotland.
And during that same era, musicians were composing and playing what today we call “Early Music,” an art form that is alive and well thanks to instrument makers and musicians such as Kate Fletcher and Corwen Broch.
Kate and Corwen specialize in instruments that were current in Northern Europe at around the time when the King of Scotland was Macbethad mac Findláech, also known as MacBeth. They play Viking, Saxon and Medieval music on contemporary versions of such instruments as the Bone Flute, Bowed Lyre, Kantele, Willow Flute, Reedpipes, Viking Style Panpipes and the six stringed Lyre. They live on Orkney Island in Scotland, and you can hear and see them play in person in about six months. That’s because Kate and Corwen will be special guests on our Sacred Scotland Tour July 23 – August 1, 2024.
But they’re not the only bonus that members of our small group will enjoy in Orkney. They’ll also get to meet Helen and Mark Woodsford-Dean.
Helen and Mark are residents of Orkney and organizers for the Scottish Pagan Federation. Helen is an experienced archaeologist and teacher, as well as a published author. Mark’s background is a combination of Druidry and shamanism. As well as being a qualified archaeologist, arborist and healthcare professional, Mark is also training through the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. When our group visits the Ring of Brodgar on Saturday, July 27, Mark will lead us in a guided meditation to help raise our awareness of the power of this enigmatic site, that pre-dates Avebury and Stonehenge.
Special local guests on our tours of Scotland, Ireland and Wales include authors, poets and musicians who give our travelers extra value in the form of special knowledge about the history, myths and legends of the places we visit.
In our April 29 – May 8, 2024 Enchanted Ireland Tour, one of the special guests will be Jack Roberts.
Jack calls himself a Samhildánach. That’s an Old Irish word that means “equally skilled in many arts.” An independent researcher, publisher and author, Jack is also an artist and designer, who creates jewelry, books and illustrated maps.
“My wide knowledge of the archaeological and historical heritage of Ireland is the result of more than three decades of research,” he said. “So you’ll find that my publications cover some of the more important and often less well understood aspects of Irish history and archaeology.” Jack is the author of The Sun Circles of Ireland, and Sheela-Na-Gigs of Ireland and Britain: The Divine Hag of the Christian Celts, as well as numerous local guidebooks.
To get more information and to book the Ireland or Scotland tour, go to the links below – there still only a few places left for both tours.
Image credit:
Book of Kells Four Evangelists folio: Book of Kells, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons