Moments of Bliss Now Seem Rare but the Magic Is Still There for Those Who
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ISSUE 27 VOLUME 5 Proudly Serving Celts in North America Since 1991 JULY/AUGUST 2018 HIGHLIGHTS INSIDE THIS ISSUE Moments of bliss now seem rare but the magic is still there for those who seek By MAURA DE FREITAS JIM KELLY, Ireland’s Ambassador to Canada, recently sat down with The Celtic Connection to discuss Ireland’s current posi- IDSUMMER, a tion in the Eurozone and its evolving relationship with Canada, time of revery in particular the new Consulate of Ireland which will open in and enchant- Vancouver this September. [Pages 10 & 11] Mment when na- ture is ripe and filled with abundance in an- ticipation of the coming har- vest. In the folklore of former centu- FAIRY LIGHTS by Margaret Tarrant [1888-1959]. Margaret was ries, midsummer was a time born in Battersea, a suburb of south London. She studied at when fairies and their mischief the Clapman School of Art and later at the Guildford School of were afoot. It is also a time of Art. In the 1920s, Tarrant helped to popularize fairies in a long- romance and the supernatural running series of titles on the theme such as ‘The Forest Fair- ...and wonderful memories. ies’, ‘The Pond Fairies’, and ‘The Twilight Fairies’. As a child, I remember lying in the long grass on a warm summer’s day when I ished and buzzed with energy, while home the realization that time is fleet- lived on a farm in the country. the intoxicating fragrances of summer ing and these moments of bliss are rare. filled my senses. BREXIT CHAOS: British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has My whole being was filled with peace But the magic is still there dear friends, resigned following a contentious Tory Cabinet meeting over EU and contentment as I watched the Those days seemed endless – time felt and my wish for you this summer is exit strategy on Friday, July 6. The news follows the resigna- clouds drift through the sky overhead. still and a moment could be eternity. that you find it and savour that child- tions of Brexit Secretary David Davis and his deputy Steve Baker. like wonder and enjoy the beauty of I was aware of the natural world around The troubles of the world seemed very the season. The announcements have plunged Prime Minister Theresa May’s me alive with movement as it flour- far away then, but realities today bring government into crisis. Jeremy Hunt, who had been serving as health secretary, will be the new foreign secretary. Davis was replaced by staunchly pro-Brexit lawmaker Dominic Raab. Pic- tured above (L-R): David Davis, Boris Johnson, Theresa May. [Read more on page 9] Win Free Tickets or an Irish Breakfast Basket • Win a pair (2) weekend passes to the Canmore Highland Games in beautiful Canmore, Alberta on September 1-2 (see page 3 for more info). Entry by July 27. Mark your entry ‘Canmore’. • Win all the traditional fixin’s for a real Irish Breakfast in a basket from Black Pudding Imports in Langley. Check out their weekly sales on Facebook. (See page 7 for more info). Mark your entry Black Pudding. Entry by July 27. Mark PAT HARTNETT, captain of the your entry Irish Breakfast Fraser Valley Gaels, was pre- Entries by e-mail only (only one entry per person). sented with the Senior Men’s Send to: [email protected]. trophy – Tom Butler Cup – by John O’Flynn at the Western Canada GAA Championships in OVER half a million people are expected at Pope Francis’s Regina in 2016. Read more Mass in the Phoenix Park on August 26 – but gardaí say they about the GAA and this year’s 40009398 will be ready if a million turn up. It will be one of the biggest Championships to be held on Publication security operations undertaken in Dublin for 30 years. the weekend of August 4-5 on Agreement: Mail [Read more on page 13] pages 18 & 19. PAGE 2 www.celtic-connection.com JULY/AUGUST 2018 Unseen Change Tips the Balance of Autumnal Days to Come HEsummer Meanwhile, those who remain rational By CYNTHIA WALLENTINE in the U.S., and those abroad, can only solstice has watch the signs. passed. At June Children taken from parents, devas- tating policies enacted on a whim, in- 21, the bright sipid, childish name-calling from the T highest office. year begins to dim, even as most celebrate the start A looming trade war between America and Canada is born of the small-minded of the summer. So it is ignorance and powerlessness of a hand- IN ADDITION to a successful music career, singer Annie Lennox that change occurs quietly ful of people who have the ability to has also worked to raise awareness of numerous humanitarian push a deceitful agenda at the expense causes, particularly on behalf of women and children. long before it is apparent of decency, thoughtfulness, and vision. to the visible world. Sniff the air, trust your gut, have and Because pattern recognition is a pri- show respect for others. The signs of Lughnasadh, the mature mary function of the brain, it makes If there is positive movement on the Annie Lennox is the new year, are apparent in ripening crops, good sense that a human, as a whole, restless seed, and a certain change in horizon, it will come from those who has the capability to understand at a resist erosion of honesty, intelligence, the air that humans recognize as au- gut level far more than literally meets chancellor of Glasgow tumn. and compassion when faced with threat the eye. to self and others. Sometimes it arrives in a glance over We sometimes know enough to step the water, a scent on the breeze, a curl- Like the autumn, change occurs long Caledonian University or move away, or take a different route, before it is visible in the physical ing leaf, or a slightly cooler moment or simply not go there today. If not GLASGOW – Annie Lennox has been when class boundaries, economic iden- world. during the dog days. Though you would our lives, often intuition saves our san- installed as the first female chancellor tities and gender roles were very firmly be hard pressed to explain why, you ity. We cannot see where this will go, but of Glasgow Caledonian University. established. know that autumn, or something, is we can sense it. We cast our vote with Since the advent of the Trump admin- The singer-songwriter and social activ- “Young women from working-class coming. our own beliefs and behavior every sin- istration, the receding superpower of ist said she was “humbled and awed backgrounds gaining university degrees gle day. As it is with the seasons, so it is with the United States has become a maca- beyond measure” to be appointed to were as rare as kangaroos in the Ant- the senses. When pressed to the core, bre carnival. Take in the restless seed at harvest, the position at the university. arctic.” we live by intuition, by gut sense of plant it deep, and wait for spring. When a narcissist is at the helm of home She pledged to use her ceremonial lead- Students and staff were joined by in- who or what we can trust. • or country, the goal is chaos, simply ership role to further the university’s vited guests including Olympic rower Cynthia Wallentine is based in the Intuition is a mixey thing, it gets scram- for the sake of chaos. mission to promote the common good Dame Katherine Grainger, singer-song- bled into religion and fate, when a sud- United States. She has been writing during a special ceremony at its Glas- writer Midge Ure OBE and Scottish den thought or feeling holds us back Whether civility in the U.S. can be re- mythology and social commentary col- gow campus on Monday, July 2. actor Martin Compston at the cer- from a step, journey, or decision that stored when this bizarre episode is umns for The Celtic Connection since emony. over remains a question. 1993. The Eurythmics star succeeds Nobel would have otherwise proven difficult Peace Prize winner Professor First Minister Nicola Sturgeon gave a from which to recover. Muhammad Yunus in the role of chan- speech while Scotland’s Makar Dr. Depending on your narrative, you have Prayer for Refugees cellor. Jackie Kay, the nation’s official poet, your own stories as to why you inex- read a specially-commissioned poem plicably avoided injury or worse. She said, “I am humbled and awed be- to commemorate the occasion. and Migrants yond measure. I only wish my par- Sadly, on the list of tips passed around WILDERNESS God, whose Son was a displaced person in Bethlehem, a ents, grandparents and great grandpar- The singer has sold more than 83 mil- by experts to avoid active shooters is refugee in Egypt, and had nowhere to lay his head in Galilee. ents could be here today to witness lion albums worldwide during a musi- the age-old admonition to “Trust your this special occasion, as it would have cal career spanning four decades. As gut instinct.” Bless all who have nowhere to lay their head tonight, who find themselves filled them with pride and disbelief, well as her time as part of Eurythmics, strangers on earth, pilgrims to they know not where, facing rejection, closed It is a horror that we have returned to proving in some way that miracles can she has had a solo career and has been doors, suspicion and fear. sometimes happen. After all, it’s with recognised with numerous musical such a barbaric age that each cell must thanks to them that I am here in the awards.