Boarding Limerick

This week Roberto Carcelen, Peru's only world-class nordic skier and his country's best hope for the Winter Olympics, qualified for Vancouver 2010 in races in British Columbia. Can our Irish snowboarders be next? Here's a quick clip from some University of Limerick lads testing their form in yesterday's white stuff:

Double Take

Homegrown Montana lad, photographer, and devil-on-a-skateboard Kevin Michael Connolly will appear on tomorrow's TODAY show, live from An Úll Mór, to talk about his unique perspective and his book Double Take: A Memoir. Kevin's got a great sense of humor, if his promotional video is any indication:

Double Take Trailer from Kevin Michael Connolly on Vimeo.

He'll charm them in Gotham. Maith thú féin, a Khevin!

Darkest Day

No sun set the chamber at Newgrange afire this morning, due to cloudy skies over Ireland's Brú na Bóinne. But Victoria Quay in Dublin was alight--there was a small fire at the Guinness Brewery, which has been celebrating 250 years of the velvet mouthful. It's under control now, in a building unused at the current time. Good thing, since the brew's already smoky...

The Enniscorthy Carol

Swans float down the brown River Slaney, A. W. Pugin's great cathedral rings with the sounds of the season, and a humble song--the Wexford Carol--hovers in the winter air. Collected from the Southeast of Ireland, this 12th-century tune tells of Mary and child on an ancient morning. Here are the handsome sounds from Alison Krauss and Yo-Yo Ma:

Call for Trad

Traditional artists in all media--including Irish artisans and craftspeople of all stripes--are invited to submit works for the marketplace at this year's National Folk Festival in Butte. It's the last year of the Montana fest, so now's your chance. The festival will take place July 9, 10, and 11 in uptown Butte, with as many as twenty-five artists selected by jury to sell their wares. Deadline for applications is March 31. Get guidelines and application forms here.

A Smidge of Cranberry Sauce

Life's just no good if you can't laugh--and sometimes, the laugh's on us. Here are French & Saunders:

Navel Gazing

No place in Montana likes to gaze at itself as much as Butte does, and with good reason: the city's a marvel. Proof comes in the form of a photo blog--Lisa Wareham's Butte Daily Photo is a gorgeous example of images from the Mining City. And she did a bang-up job with the Feis photos, too--scroll back to November to see those onsite. 

Hounds of Harmony

Here in the outlands, we can't get much Irish radio, but along with the live feeds from Dublin via LiveIreland, those of us with the speedy computers can access a few sites online. This week I'm plugging Scott Cranmore's fine weekly Celtic music program--67 Music--which comes out of Portland, Oregon. Here's the website, with free program downloads and a way to sign up via iTunes. The site's barking good, with nice compilations around a weekly theme.

Just in Time for Feasting

It roars, it snarls, it's the king of beasties--the Celtic Boar, just back for feasties. Here's a news story from the BBC that reports a rise in wild boar sightings throughout the Irish midlands, and here's a Celtic roots website that elevates the creature a bit. That's no ordinary javelina.

In Bethlehem

Here's an old Irish carol heard mainly on the harp these days, but ever so lovely when sung in Gaelic as Altan do here:

The lyrics, thanks to SportyMike on YouTube:


Don oíche úd i mBeithil,
beidh tagairt ar ghrian go deo
Don oíche úd i mBeithil,
go dtáinig an Briathar slán

Tá gríosghrua ar spéartha,
's an talamh 'na chlúdach bán
Féach Íosagán sa chliabhán,
's an Mhaighdean á dhiúl le grá

Ar leacain lom an tsléibhe,
go nglacann na haoirí scáth
Nuair in oscailt gheal na spéire,
tá teachtaire Dé ar fáil

Céad glóir anois don Athair,
i bhFlaitheasa thuas go hard
Is feasta fós ar talamh,
d'fheara, dea-mhéin síocháin.

Don oíche úd i mBeithil,
beidh tagairt ar ghrian go deo
Don oíche úd i mBeithil,
go dtáinig an Briathar slán

Tá gríosghrua ar spéartha,
's an talamh 'na chlúdach bán
Féach íosagán sa chliabhán,
's an Mhaighdean á dhiúl le grá

Translation:

I sing of a night in Bethlehem
A night as bright as dawn
I sing of that night in Bethlehem
The night the Word was born

The skies are glowing gaily
The earth in white is dressed
See Jesus in the cradle
Drink deep in His mother's breast

And there on a lonely hillside
The shepherds bow down in fear
When the heavens open brightly
And God's message rings out so clear

Glory now to the Father
In all the heavens high
And peace to His friends on earth below
Is all the angels cry

I sing of a night in Bethlehem
A night as bright as dawn
I sing of that night in Bethlehem
The night the Word was born

The skies are glowing gaily
The earth in white is dressed
See Jesus in the cradle
Drink deep in His mother's breast

All the World's a Stage

Irish greasepaint goes global--just ask the Druid Theatre Company, which had three plays going in three cities at one point this fall. Here's a story from the Irish Times about troupes worldwide and their Irish sponsors. We've had our own share of celtic drama in these hinterlands--but we'd like some more, please.

Some Get Drunk on Demon Rum

From Gráda, an An Rí Rá flashback: their song "John Riley," which will show up on the new CD due out in January:

Snowtopia

Green Ireland has shot down a 100-million-euro plan to create an indoor winter wonderland near Blanchardstown. Go figure. Not to worry, Irish skiers--there's always Big Sky. Come to the mountains. Here's the story about Snowtopia Lost from Grainne Cunningham in the Irish Independent.

The Mouse That Roared

Here's David O'Reilly's vision:

Old Fangs, New Venue

Congratulations to Irish directors Adrien Merigeau and David O'Reilly, whose animated short films Old Fangs and Please Say Something just made the cut for International Animated Short Films at Sundance Film Festival 2010. Old Fangs was another of the Galway Film Fleadh options last summer. If you missed it there, here's the trailer from YouTube, which I found a bit glitchy and slow to load, but it will give some small idea of the film, the tale of a wolf and his family fortunes: