Scottish Relics: Craignethan Castle

The Castle Keep

Craignethan Castle in Lanarkshire was built around 1530.

 It overlooks the River Nethan and a great gorge. 

Lots of tunnels and corridors to explore here.

The River Nethan from a lookout on short hike from the castle. 

Magical Hawthorn in Bloom

On the hike below the castle

The Holly & The Ivy

Gathering the Greens

The holiday season is well under way. I hope amidst the usual busyness of December you take time to slow down and experience the beauty of the season, the dark and starry nights, the twinkling lights, warm hearts, fires in the hearth, traditions of old and new.

A quick note: Nearly everything in shop is 20 to 40 percent off and much of it comes shipped for free. Gathering the Green Print above is only $5.40 and the Yuletide Emerald Post is only $10.40 both with free shipping. 

Yuletide Emerald Post

Scottish Relics: Crichton Castle

"That castle rises on the steep

Of the green vale of Tyne;

And far beneath, where slow they creep

From pool to eddy, dark and deep,

Where alders moist and willows weep

You hear her streams repine."

- description of Crichton Castle in1808 

by Sir Walter Scott from Marmion

Crichton Castle rising from the banks of the Tyne below. Built around 1400 by John Crichton. This castle is unbelievably picturesque and grand. Cared for by Historic Environment Scotland and on their Members Pass, about 40 minutes from Edinburgh and well worth a visit.

It was the very end of May when we visited but the May Tree, hawthorn, was at her splendid height of bloom as you can see. The castle overlooks this incredibly lush river valley, a strategic outpost with near 360 degree views and would have held control of the river. 

Unique diamond faceted façade added in 1580 by Francis Stewart - inspired by journeys to Italy.

Inside of the Grand Stables

The Grand Stables

The Gatehouse

Crichton Collegiate Church - Built in 1449 by William Crichton, Chancellor and one of the most powerful people in Scotland at the time.

Happy Halloween

Today, Halloween is upon us. The ancient Celtic roots are just underfoot at Samhain (summer's end) as we tread across the threshold from the light half of the year to the dark half, a time of fire and ice, hearth and home. Explore some roots and traditions below and enjoy your celebrations. 

Macnas Parade Galway 
Halloween Origins
Derry Halloween Celebrations
Halloween from Ireland to America

Ireland - Land of Saints and Scholars

Trinity College Dublin - www.tcd.ie

Ever fancy moving to Ireland, enrolling at Trinity College and studying some Irish History? Well, you can have a little slice of that dream from the comfort of home if you wish. Trinity College Dublin has offered a FREE online course "The Book of Kells: Exploring an Irish Mediavel Masterpiece."  The course is super easy to join, did I mention free, and it has just begun - available until Nov. 18th.

Page from Book of Kells - www.tcd.ie

It is a self paced 4 week course. I've already been through the course material for week one. It is fascinating and well presented with articles, videos, and interactive media. The course is offered through www.futurelearn.com which offers tons of other free online courses (also of note Irish 102: An Introduction to Irish Language & Culture). So go sign up, sharpen you pencils and your wits for a journey through Medieval Ireland. Grab a scarf and a hot cuppa tea as you imagine with me - strolling through the Autumn grounds of Trinity College, into the Long Room Library to learn in the land of Saints & Scholars.

The Long Room at Trinity College Dublin www.tcd.ie 

A Little Scotland at Home

Wild thistles blooming on a cool foggy morning...It is easy to be transported to the Highlands, to imagine traipsing in fields around the misty lochs, exploring ancient battlements. The Thistle is the national flower of Scotland (as the Shamrock is to Ireland, the Rose to England, and the Daffodil to Wales). Though some may consider it to be a noxious weed, the thistle works perfectly to represent the Scottish people and land. It is beautiful, with its delicate purple bloom yet sharp with thorns and resilient. Legend holds that Vikings were attacking a Scottish settlement in the night; to be stealthy they crept in barefoot as the Scots were asleep in town. The barefoot Vikings unknowingly stepped into some thistle, laden with thorns, and shouted in pain, alerting the Scottish, who woke and readied for battle. The thistle saved the day and it is said that from then on it became an emblem for Scotland. 

This is one of my favorite souvenirs from our most recent journey to Scotland. It is a cast carving of a thistle done in a Celtic knot style. We picked it up at Canongate Crafts on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. It is a tiny little gift shop, in my opinion the best one in Edinburgh - if not Scotland. Everything in the shop is made is Scotland. I've also bought from there: a ceramic vase, carved wooden coasters, a handmade button, a Celtic bronze necklace, and a stained glass medallion. They have even filmed some scenes from Outlander just outside the door! Check out my favorite wee shop HERE and HERE. They do take orders over the phone or email if you can't get to Edinburgh. 

A Summer Sale

Everything in SHOP is on sale now through August 3rd as we near the Celtic festival of Lunasa (or Lughnasadh) marking the beginning of the harvest season, inklings of Autumn, and a turn toward the cool and the colorful bounty that awaits us (I can't wait!). Also newly added to the shop are some vintage travel guide books and pamphlets. Check them out HERE.

My Heart's in the Highlands

Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North,
The birth-place of Valour, the country of Worth;
Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,
The hills of the Highlands for ever I love. 

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here,
My heart's in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer;
Chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe,
My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go.

Farewell to the mountains, high-cover'd with snow,
Farewell to the straths and green vallies below;
Farewell to the forests and wild-hanging woods,
Farewell to the torrents and loud-pouring floods.
My heart's in the Highlands,

-Robert Burns

I've recently returned from the very heart or the Scottish Highlands, an absolutely stunning landascape as sublime as it is romantic. I love the diversity of the landscape, the personality of each mountain range, each soft valley.  Hover photos for caption.

Back From Beyond

Huntingtower Castle, Perth, Scotland

Just back from an epic ramble across Scotland, in full bloom, under sunny clear blue skies, walking ramparts of bygone eras, through ancient woodlands. I'll be sharing more here soon. 

From a Wanderer's Eye

Happy May Day

Happy May Day! Spring has finally blossomed here, though on the ancient Irish wheel of the year today marks the beginning of summer,  as we cross over to the light, sunny, fecund and green part of the year. To celebrate, look back at some May Day posts from here and there (links below) exploring the ancient and enduring festival of Beltane and May Day customs in Celtic lands.

Emerald Post May Day 2017

Wild Folklore from Myth & Moor

Folklore of May Day from Myth & Moor

Rites of Spring from The Hermitage of Rima Staines

Also, enjoy the many sales going on in The Emerald Post Shop. But if you do nothing else today - Go outside! Enjoy the birds, blooms, breeze and the ever greening world. 

Beltane - May Day Parcel - now only $6

Dare to be Wild

Plan Sketch for the Mary Reynolds' Celtic Sanctuary

While there is one designated "day" to celebrate Earth (it was yesterday), Earth is obviously something that should be celebrated "daily." Celebration of the wonders of the natural world, our planet, our home, and even just your neck of the woods is something that gives greater meaning to one's life. It is something everyone should take part in.

For Mary Reynolds, an Irish visionary of the Natural Realm, celebrating the wild and raw side of mother nature is her life's work. I learned of Mary's work in a film that just recently popped up on Netflix (though the film is from 2015). Having an affinity for both nature and Ireland, I watched it and loved it. "Dare to be Wild" is the true story of Mary Reynolds and her somewhat anti-garden that won, against all odds, the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show. It's not a film about flowers or gardening or accolades but a film about the magic of nature and wild places and Mary's passion to instill that in others. 

Mary is actually not a proponent of what most of us call flower gardens. They are actually unnatural things (ever wonder why so many things we plant fail miserably.....?). She urges us to be inspired by the wild places of untouched wilderness around us, to protect these places, to make new places of wilderness. They are often much more moving and inspirational (not to mention important to ecosystems and habitat) than manicured lawns and color coded flower beds. Wild places are those places, often found in youth, often by accident that feel otherworldly because they are. They weren't made by man but by the spirit of the Earth, by whatever name you call it. They awe us, inspire us, bewitch us. So, by all means, get out there, knee deep in wonderful weeds (they are wildflowers!) and be enchanted by some wild places. 

Mary's Garden - The Celtic Sanctuary that won the Chelsea Flower Show. 

If you are so inclined, Mary's also written a book - The Garden Awakening which offers ways to create a wild garden in harmony with the Earth. 

Also HERE is a podcast with Mary Reynolds, interviewed by Mindie Burgoyne of Thin Places Ireland.

Irish Spring

A little bit of color while Old Man Winter makes one more visit to the Midwest. I plucked these blooms to save them from the cold and nestled them into an Irish tea tin I brought back from travels a few years back. 

The Secret of Kells

Blog of Kells

Arguably one of Ireland's greatest treasures, the 9th century illuminated manuscript, The Book Of Kells, is an ornately decorated edition of the four Gospels in Latin. Highly skilled scribes produced a book so full of vibrantly colored inks and stunning gold leaf that it is still an object of beauty and awe after so many years. It also illustrates the convergence of Christianity with the culture of Ireland, which you can see by the use of Irish motifs like knotwork interlacing, spirals, and zoomorphic designs. It is on display (well, two pages of it at a time) at Trinity College Dublin. After all these years it is still a source of inspiration.

Source

Created in 2009, the Irish animated film, The Secret of Kells, tells the story of the famed book. It also displays a vibrant tapestry of Irish Christianity and ancient customs that have endured in Ireland. It tells the story of the creation of the Book of Kells through Brendan, a young monk living at the Abbey of Kells. It is a charming, historical, yet highly creative look at medieval Ireland and the story behind one of the most famous books in the world. The stunning animation mimics the artistry of the Book of Kells, with spirals, knotwork, arches, and mystery. And true to the culture of Ireland, it also intertwines the ancient ways and beliefs of Ireland by way of mystical woodlands and mythical creatures. It has the essence of a fairy tale but so much more. If you've yet to see this stellar film it is surely worth watching for the knowledge it provides, the mesmerizing artistry, and the magic that Ireland does so well.