Having recently witnessed an amazing concert by the Teetotalers (Martin Hayes, Kevin Crawford, John Doyle), I am once again astounded by both the soul and technical prowess of Irish musicians. Granted, these three are at the top of their craft as individuals and together are over the moon (in my opinion, the greatest band performing today not to have a website or a CD!). But is there something unique to Irish music tradition and culture that fosters a level of musicianship beyond the ordinary? Perhaps so.

What Ireland Can Teach the World about Music

Fans of Fiona Ritchie’s Thistle and Shamrock show will certainly appreciate this segment focusing on the guitar in Celtic Music.

Click here for a listen.

In this rapidly changing world, is it any surprise that we can now join a MOOC (Massive Open On-line Course) on Irish Identity? Here is the link and below that is a description from their website. Looks like it will be an interesting 8 weeks – anyone care to join me in a virtual study group?

Explore Irish Identity MOOC

This year, the year of the Gathering, communities throughout Ireland are showcasing and sharing the very best of Irish culture and tradition. Hibernia College, in association with the Gathering, is taking this online by launching the first Irish massive open online course (MOOC) on the theme of Irish identity in April 2013.

The Exploring Irish Identity MOOC is available to everybody completely free of charge, no matter where you are in the world. All you need is access to the Internet and a desire to find out more about Ireland’s culture and heritage. Designed and created by Hibernia College, Ireland’s leading online educator, with contributions from prominent Irish academics and cultural icons, this course seeks to discover the threads of identity that weave through Irish history, culture and society.

Through an exploration of Irish history, literature and poetry, theatre and film, language, art, sport and landscape, this open online course aims to start a conversation that will continue in cities, towns and villages across the globe. Each week of the 8-week course will embrace one of the themes above. You can discover how each aspect is permeated through Irish identity; how they are interpreted and perceived.

Yesterday was a good day. A day of friendships, of music, of sunshine, of appreciation. A full day. A day full of blessings. Wedged among planning trips to Clare and Dingle, of appreciating the just right instrument for you, of aromas of chocolate and tea, of scholarships to Swannanoa, of tunes with friends new and old, were the mundane tasks of buying salt and withdrawing cash. Fortunately, thanks to my favorite driving companion, NPR, I stumbled upon a gem of an interview with John O’Donohue, a poet from County Clare. He was new to me. But as I listened to him talk of the landscapes of the Burren, of Anam Cara, of music and poems, of beauty and mystery, and even of corporate leadership, the mundane became the sublime.

If you have a few moments, I invite you to listen to his poem, Beannacht. The words are also provided below.

If you have an hour or more, enjoy the entire interview. You may need to stop now and then to fully savor a few of his comments. Or perhaps, just hearing his lovely Irish accent will suffice.

Beannacht

On the day when
The weight deadens
On your shoulders
And you stumble,
May the clay dance
To balance you.

And when your eyes
Freeze behind
The grey window
And the ghost of loss
Gets in to you,
May a flock of colours,
Indigo, red, green,
And azure blue
Come to awaken in you
A meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
In the currach of thought
And a stain of ocean
Blackens beneath you,
May there come across the waters
A path of yellow moonlight
To bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
May the clarity of light be yours,
May the fluency of the ocean be yours,
May the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And may a slow
Wind work these words
Of love around you,
An invisible cloak to mind your life.