Happy Solstice Celebrations

This year we have really been lucky with our Summer Solstice celebrations. As the Solstice is falling on a weekend, the number of people taking part in ceremonies and celebrations is much larger than it would be when the date is set in mid-week.
And fortunately the weather is currently quite good here in Ireland as well. (While last year most of our 'summer' was drowned out by constant rainfall and rather cold weather, this year both climate and temperature are so far back to 'normal' expectations.)

Many Celts gathered already on Saturday evening at stone circles and other suitable spots in the countryside and celebrated in a traditional way through the night. (All Celtic festivals start on the evening before the actual date, and the moment the new day begins - midnight - is always of special significance.)
Then, with the local time passing the 4 a.m. mark, Druids and Bards got ready and the groups of people assembled in closer proximity to them. Very slowly the sky turned lighter and lighter, announcing the arrival of the Sun on this Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year.

At precisely 4.58 a.m. BST the first ray of golden light came over the horizon, breaking through a slight set of whitish summer clouds and starting the main Solstice celebrations. This is always a special day, and in particular for those who respect and cherish the powers of Nature.

There are groups of Druids and Bards, Wiccans, Pagans and other traditional Celts all around Ireland, Britain and many continental countries out to celebrate and to welcome the Sun on this day of the greatest light.
Some do it on their own (as anyone can have a solitary Celtic celebration), while others join their neighbours, friends and fellow followers of the Olde Path in public gatherings and more organised and elaborate ceremonies.

The largest crowd always assembles at the world-famous circle of Stonehenge, in the county of Wiltshire in England, which has become a great international symbol for the revival of ancient traditions and Celtic culture (even though Stonehenge - like all the stone circles - is not of Celtic origin and was built more than 2000 years before the Celts arrived on these shores).
But in the same way as the ancient Celts accepted and adopted the Olde Path of the Druids, who were the guardians of lore and wisdom for thousands of years, so modern Celts are taking their symbols and gather at their sacred places to celebrate the powers of Nature and the passing stages of the year.

I like to take this opportunity to wish everyone - in Ireland or abroad - a very happy Summer Solstice. May the bright light of this day fill your life and shine for you at all times.

The Emerald Islander

New Irish Gold Mine discovered

A massive untapped gold mine has been discovered in County Monaghan. The mine, found by Conroy Diamonds & Gold, is believed to be the biggest gold mine ever found in Ireland or the British Isles.

The company has issued a formal announcement to the London Stock Exchange that an area outside Clontibret in Co. Monaghan has more than one million ounces of gold. Although the grade of the discovered gold is relatively low by world standards, the sheer size of the find and the surging world prices of gold mean it could still be hugely profitable.

Company chairman Professor Richard Conroy said it was a substantial amount of gold by any standards and that he was delighted. He added that a feasibility study is now under way and that at current gold prices, he believes it should make economic sense to mine at Clontibret. Work could begin in less than two years' time.

Costs of building and running the mine are estimated at around two-thirds of the value of the unexploited resources. At present prices, the operation could see a return of about € 190 million.

Although there has been very little mining in Ireland for centuries, the island was known as the main source of gold in northern Europe in ancient times. The main mining area was then in the Wicklow Mountains, close to Dublin.

Orders of Irish Druids organised and oversaw the mining, melting and refining of the gold and established a network of trade routes, from the east coast of Ireland across Britain, France and central Europe as far as Scandinavia and the Baltic countries in the North, and Spain, Italy and Greece in the south. Druidic gold from Ireland was highly priced and desired in those days and made the Celtic wise men also the first real group of international bankers. The eventual depletion of the Irish mines in the early Middle Ages also led to a decline in the power and influence of the Druids, whose symbol was a golden sickle.

The Emerald Islander