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Thin Places Travel Podcast

Thin Places Travel Podcast

Di: Mindie Burgoyne
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 A travel podcast with Mindie Burgoyne about Ireland - exploring places where the veil between this world and the eternal word is thin.All content copyright by Travel Hag Tours, LLC unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Use only with permission. Mondiale Scienze sociali Scrittura e commenti di viaggio
Episodi
  • 017 Thin Places in Celtic Brittany

    017 Thin Places in Celtic Brittany
    Sep 8 2018
    Segment 1- Mindie Welcome to Episode 17 of the Thin Places Travel Podcast. This episode features Brittany France – an area with one of the largest collections of pre-Christian monuments in Europe. And these monuments are the run of the mill dolmens or passage tombs. The monuments in Brittany, in many instances, predate those in Ireland and the UK. Many believe the people who created the first of the monuments in Ireland and the UK came from Brittany. It was the Breton culture that established this pattern of erecting these ancient monuments. We are so lucky to have the Brittany expert, Wendy Mewes on the podcast today. If you search the internet for guides in Brittany or books written on the ancient Breton landscape, you will find Wendy's name and her website…. Wendymewes.com She is a prolific writer and lecturer. On her website, she has a quote that reads, "My personal identity lies in the landscape." Her books and writing speak to the concept that the landscape is alive and that there is an inherent "sense of place" unique to the Breton landscape. Wendy lives in Finistere – with its deep forests, sweeping shorelines and ancient stones – an amazing place for walking. Wendy has a background in ancient history, she is the author of numerous books about Brittany, and her articles have appeared widely in the press. In France, she has been filmed for TV and contributed to radio broadcasts on historical subjects. She has worked extensively in promoting Breton history and culture to English-speaking visitors through talks, courses, and guided visits. Wendy now concentrates on landscape writing, most recently with Spirit of Place in Finistere (2017). She is currently working on two new books: one about the Breton saints and the other on walking ancient paths in the region. Now … on to our interview with Wendy. segment 2 – interview with wendy mewes What is it about BRITTANY that is most compelling? Brittany has a very beautiful and unspoilt landscape, full of hidden sites beyond linear time where eternal elementals still share their presence. It also triumphs in economies of scale with a wide variety of natural surroundings – secret river valleys, open moorland, deep forest, wild coast – within a relatively short distance. Many point to the power of granite, a stone forged from fire, for the strong atmosphere – it seems to affect people both well and badly! There is nothing excessive here: the scale of Brittany is so in tune with human scale that one can perfectly identify with the environment. What is the background - history of the site or topic? Brittany was well-populated in the Neolithic period and has the greatest density of megaliths in Europe, with standing-stones and burial chambers widespread. These sacred places continued to be revered by succeeding Bronze and Iron Age inhabitants. The arrival of Celtic Christianity with evangelists from Great Britain after the fall of the Roman Empire saw many of these sites taken over and Christianised in the rivalry between Nature and God. Are there any legends or mythology tied to the site or topic? Brittany is the home of a vast treasury of legend, especially in the Celtic oral tradition. The megaliths in particular have their own stories of origin (usually involving giants or fairies), and there are hundreds of varieties of little people active in the landscape, as well as countless tales of the Breton saints with all their miracles and triumphs. One of the striking themes of oral culture here is the ubiquitous presence of Death (personified by Ankou, the Grim reaper). Do you think those stories have a deeper meaning? Stories inevitably spring from humans' interest in themselves and our need for explanation and 'certainty'. Many legends are self-referential and self-reverential. Often they resign us to our lack of control over life and death, making chaos less frightening. Here in Brittany they often reflect the early foundations of society as well as universal experiences. We look for intermediaries and intercession. Is it possible to pull back the curtain of culture and see a deeper state of being beyond? When you can reach out to landscape as a living thing rather than human being, magic can happen. What surprises travellers about the site? …. something one wouldn't expect? Visitors to Brittany are often surprised by the continuing power of oral culture today and the manifest pride in local heritage at all levels of society. Native language and traditional costumes are distinctive. Sacred processions, pilgrimages and boundary-walking (based on legend) still tie people to the land, and memory is regarded as a vibrant tool to preserve the past and animate the future. What are your thoughts on thin places or liminal places where the physical and spiritual worlds seem to cross? For me personally these are usually places where the elements of earth (stone), air and water combine in a ...
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    1 ora e 1 min
  • 016 Achill Island History and Things to Do with Patricia Byrne

    016 Achill Island History and Things to Do with Patricia Byrne
    Aug 28 2018
    Segment 1- Mindie This episode is focused on the largest of Ireland's islands – Achill Island. It lies of the coast of County Mayo, and can be accessed by a bridge. It's an island of stories, of sorrow, of powerful women, and it has some of the most beautiful scenery is all of Ireland with sheer cliffs, amazing mountains, bogland, sandy beaches and historic villages. Achill Island - as my friend Ruth O'Hagan says, "… is one big, fat, giant amethyst sitting in Atlantic Ocean. And it's true that amethysts were mined here, and one can still see the veins of purple in the gray rock cliff faces. Achill is old landscape. Inhabitants of the island are said to go back 5000 years. The Belfast born painter, Paul Henry visited Achill Island with the intent of staying a few weeks, but found that he couldn't leave. He said of Achill Island, "Achill … called to me as no other place had ever done." He ended us staying for years. Patricia Byrne is a writer who currently lives in Limerick, but is from County Mayo and has Achill Island ancestors. The stories of Achill Island and her ancestors captured her imagination so strongly that she has spent years researching and writing narrative non-fiction about the island's history and people. She is a graduate of the NUI Galway writer program. Her most recently historical non fiction books are: The Preach and the Prelate: The Achill Mission Colony and the Battle for Souls in Famine Ireland And The Veiled Woman of Achill: Island Outrage and a Playboy Drama In our conversation today, Patricia and I talk about the stories in her books, but also about Achill Island itself and many opportunities for travelers to the island. Segment 2 - GUEST INTERVIEW What is it about Slievemore Deserted Village that is most compelling? It is the mountainside remains of a village that was deserted during and after Ireland's Great Famine in the mid-nineteenth century. It includes the remains of over 80 cottages and also potato ridges – lazy beds. What is the background - history of the site? When the potato famine struck in 1845 the movement of people form the village started through a combination of famine death, emigration, evictions and movement of the people towards the sea. This movement continued after the Great Famine and the settlement developed into a 'booley' village – with people using the village for summer grazing of their animals on the mountain slopes and moving down to the villages of Dooagh and other areas by the sea in the winter. Are there any legends or mythology tied to the site? The people tell stories of suffering associated with the village; of losing their lands on Slievemore and being forced to build new soil from sand, seaweed and peat closer to the seashore. The 'lazy bed' potato ridges are clearly visible to this day and evoke memories of the trauma of suffering arising from the failure of the potato crop. Do you think those stories have a deeper meaning? The place and the stories carry the people's memories of their history and their suffering. The historical trauma is buried in the soil. What surprises travelers about the site? …. something one wouldn't expect? People are surprised when they come close to the site and observe the detail of the houses and their construction methods as well as the still evident shape of the potato ridges dug into the mountain slopes. The Nobel Laurate writer Heinrich Boll had a cottage nearby in the 1950s and spoke of his astonishment on coming upon this village, 'a skeleton of human habitation'. What are your thoughts on thin places or liminal places where the physical and spiritual worlds seem to cross? The landscape carries powerful memories of our ancestors' lives and their traumas. We can walk upon the ground where they lived, toiled and suffered. The place is a poignant image of leaving – through death and emigration – and absence. What advice would you give to a traveler who is seeking out thin places or sites with spiritual energy? Learn what you can of the place's history and stories. Then go to the place, walk there quietly and reflect on what the place and landscape conveys to you. LINKS BOOKS BY PATRICIA BYRNE The Preach and the Prelate: The Achill Mission Colony and the Battle for Souls in Famine Ireland The Veiled Woman of Achill: Island Outrage and a Playboy Drama Patricia Byrne's Website www.patriciabyrneauthor.com Twitter @pbyrnewrites Achill Heritage Center Slievemore Deserted Village sEGMENT 3 – mindie on achill island Additional commentary Other Sites and People Mentioned in this podcast Francis Van Male and the Red Fox Press Visual Poetry on Achill Island - by Mindie Burgoyne Amethyst Hotel - - Now Amethyst Bar Heinrich Böll – Irish Journal St. Dymphna's Holy Well The Atlantic Drive Artists who fell in Love with the Rugged Beauty of Achill 2019 Ireland Tours – ...
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    54 min
  • 015 Accessing the Celtic Otherworld

    015 Accessing the Celtic Otherworld
    Aug 18 2018

    Segment 1- Introduction

    Dolores has always been a teacher and educator. And she's one of the most educated people I've ever met. At one time she was a biochemistry lecturer holding a Master of Science degree from Trinity College Dublin. Now she is an author and lecturer on spirituality and also leads pilgrimages to the sacred places in Ireland and Iona, Scotland. Dolores has written extensively on education, creativity and Celtic Spirituality. She has facilitated workshops and retreats in Celtic Spirituality and personal empowerment for over 25 years.

    Her most recent book is Ever Ancient, Ever New: Celtic Spirituality in the 21st Century explores the wisdom of the Celtic tradition through the Celtic Year calendar and co created a perpetual Celtic calendar with US artist, the late Cynthia Matyi.

    Dolores loves to share her passion for the wisdom held within the Celtic Year calendar which celebrates the festivals associated with the seasons of the Celtic year . Her work has been featured on RTE Radio and on RTE Television Nationwide She is a co-founder of both The Brigid of Faughart Festival now in its 10th year and the Brigids Way Pilgrimage which is in its 5th year.

    segment 2 – Dolores whelan interview

    WEBSITE: Dolores Whelan website http://www.doloreswhelan.ie

    AUDIO CD: Journey through the Celtic Year CD by Dolores Whelan

    CALENDAR: Celtic Calendar – Dolores Whelan and Cynthia Matyi

    BOOK: Ever Ancient, Ever New: Celtic Spirituality in the 21st Century

    BOOKS: Dolores Whelan's other titles

    Brigid of Faughart Festival

    Newgrange

    Beltany Stone Circle:

    Beltany a Thin Place in Donegal

    Bridge to the Otherworld: A Rainbow at Beltany

    Sliabh na Calliagh - Loughcrew

    Sean O'Duinn – Where Three Streams Meet

    Sean O'Duinn – The Rites of Brigid, Goddess and Saint

    Hill of Uisneach – Walking Meditation on the Hill of Uisneach

    Hill of Tara

    St. Brigid

    SEGMENT 5 - CONCLUDE

    Several of the sites mentioned by Dolores Whelan will be sites on our 2019 tours of thin places – in particular the Hill of Tara and Newgrange and Beltany Stone Circle. Stay tuned in our next episode for the announcement of dates and destinations for 2019. It looks like we will have 4 tours next year – Scotland – 2 in Ireland and one in North America
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    51 min
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