Happy St. David's Day to all you Brythonic Traditionalists of the Christian stripe.

And here's your bara brith recipe http://historicalfoods.com/5288/bara-brith-recipe/ .

Anyone have a good recipe for teisen bach?

Go here http://www.gfo.org/insider/insiderMay09.pdfLook for American Welsh Heritage. I'm going to send the editor a note with the direct link to the Eisteddfod page here and asking her to drop the last "d""AMERICAN WELSH HERITAGECelebration Coming to PortlandThe Left Coast Eisteddfodd (sic) will be held in Portland, Oregon on August 22, 2009 at the McMenamins Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W. Burnside. An Eisteddfodd is a celebration of all things Welsh including an online talent competition. To view the various talent categories, such as poetry, short story , visual images, etc, or to purchase tickets, visit the events web page by Googling Left Coast Eisteddfod."

My husband Frank is a true Renaissance Man. He's a Geek, Historian, Professional musician, Silversmith, and Woodworker. He's also the Enterprise Architect for Columbia Sportswear; that's what's not-so-euphemistically referred to as 'a day job'. Columbia is a great place for artists to work and they sponsor an art show once a year for their artist-employees to be able to show their work. Frank sold several bracelets and Absinthe spoons this year.Anyway, we're both really into our cultural heritages and genealogy. His is mostly Scottish, mine is more diversified ( Welsh, Cornish, Irish and Scots-Irish). While he was working on his latest CD, An Bithrn, which came off the presses just today, I mentioned I was helping out with the Eisteddfod. Now I see he's put a cut on the CD for me. What a sweet guy! You can hear it here http://www.myspace.com/fblair - pick #5 - Six Jovial Welshmen.The Second Sight runs in both our families, and I see a special batch of my famous oatmeal cookies in his near future.

California Celtic Colloquium #31Celtic Studies Association of North America Annual Meeting12-15 March 2009370/371 Dwinelle HallUniversity of California, BerkeleyTHURSDAY4:00-4:15 Welcome by DeanSession 1:4:30 Aled Jones, "Towards the Genre of Prophecy"5:00 Tina Chance, "A Dream that was Rome: Reading Breuddwyd Maxen Wledig . .."5:30 Antone Minard, "The Waterfowl Wife in Early Irish Literature"6:00 Charles MacQuarrie, "The Nature of Manawydan"6:30-6:45 BREAK6:45 Dorothy Bray, ""The Life of Resurrection: The Trope of Raising the Dead. . ."7:15 Kassandra Conley, "Cid dochuaid mo dalta? Affective Piety and St. Ite"7:45 Cheese & WineFRIDAY8:30 Coffee and Pastries9:00 First Plenary Session: David Howlett, "Dating the Life of St. Samson"10:00 - 10:15 BREAKSession 2:10:15 Eva Guillorel, "History, Memory and Breton Ballads . . ."10:45 Matthieu Boyd, "The Legend of Ys in Comic Books . . ."11:15 Elissa Henken, "The Proverb Legend in Ireland and Wales"11:45-1:30 LUNCH (Local Restaurants)Session 3:1:30 Lenora Timm, "Language Contact . . .in Brittany & England 1100-1500"2:00 Francois Louis, "Is Vannetais dialect of Breton peurunvan compatible?"2:30-2:45 BREAKSession 4:2:45 Barbara Hillers, "Gaelic Ballads? Child 274 in Gaelic Scotland andIreland"3:15 Maggie Harrison, "The Twa Sisters (Child 11) in Scottish Gaelic"3:45 Georgia Henley, "Irish Mirabilia in Gerald of Wales"4:15-4:30 BREAK4:30 Jessica Hemming, "Folk Narrative Names in 4 Branches"5:00 Mabli Agozzino, "Cath out of the bog: Welsh monster cat"5:30- 5:40 BREAK5:40 -6:40 Alan Dundes Memorial Lecture: Diarmuid O'Giollain, "X inFolksomething"6:45-7:30 Wine & Cheese ReceptionSATURDAY8:30-9:00 Coffee & Pastries9:00-9:15 GreetingsSession 59:15 Joseph Nugent, "The Human Snout: Pigs, Priests, and Peasants in the Parlour"9:45 Edgar Slotkin, " Oidheadh Chloinne Uisnigh and the Glenmasan MS."10:15-10:30 BREAK10:30-11:30 CSANA SEMINAR: Breton Folktales of the Sea, from Helias.(Leaders: Anthony Vitt and Myriah Williams)11:30-1:15 LUNCH (Local restaurants)Session 61:30 Robin Chapman Stacey, "Learning Law in Early Ireland"2:00 Sarah Zeiser, "Is scith mo chrob on scribainn and the language ofwriting"2:30 Deborah Hayden, "Anatomical Metaphor . . .in Auraicept na nEces . . ."2:30-2:45 BREAK2:45-3:45 Second Plenary Session: Ruairi O hUiginn, "Dating Some Ulster Tales"3:45-4:00 BREAKSession 74:00 Burrillo & Mozota, "Celtiberian Horse Representations"4:30 Joseph Eska & Rex Wallace, "Script and Language at Voltino"5:00 Mark Hall, "Ironworking Styles in Early Medieval Ireland5:00-5:15 BREAK5:15-6:15 CSANA Business Meeting7:30 Banquet, Anh Hong Restaurant ($25)SUNDAY8:30-9:00 Coffee and Pastries9:00-10:00 Third Plenary Session: Eric Falci "TBA"10-10:15 BREAKSession 810:15 Frederick Suppe, Sizing up 'Sais" in Dyffryn Clwyd . . ."10:45 Stephen Jones, "(Post) Colonial Discourse of Land . . .in Saunders Lewis's Cymru Fydd"11:15 Patricia Malone, "What saist mon? Dialogism and disdain . . ."11:45 Meagan Loftin, "Mapping the Divine, Geographic Anxiety . . .in Chester Mystery Cycle"12:15 Bon VoyageTRANSPORTATION: Oakland Airport (OAK) is closest to the Berkeley campus, but more flights are available via San Francisco (SFO). San Jose and Sacramento airports are an hour or more away. The Bayporter Express Shuttle (door to door) may be taken to Berkeley from either SFO ($37 one way) or the Oakland Airport ($25 one way). To make a reservation call (415) 467-1800, or go to BART rapid transit is available from either airport: www.bart.gov. Other shuttle companies also serve the airports, and taxis are readily available, but at least twice as expensive as the shuttles. Rental cars are available at both airports, but parking on the Berkeley campus is scarce. For parking information and maps see:ACCOMMODATION:BERKELEY HOTELS:For lists of hotels, contact information and reviews see:http://calparents.berkeley.edu/visit/stay.htmlhttp://www.tripadvisor.comhttp://caa.collegehotelsguide.com/-The following are some local hotels in Berkeley. We suggest that youreserve early as some hotels will be booked for competing UC conferences. Prices are current, but not guaranteed. [Notes: the Shattuck Plaza, which appears on many lists of Berkeley hotels is temporarily closed for renovations. Motels on University Ave. and in the Berkeley Marina have easy transportation to campus via the #51 AC Transit Bus.]Bancroft Hotel Bancroft Hotel2680 Bancroft Way, BerkeleyA National Landmarks Hotel, located across the street from campus (noelevator or internet access). Complementary Continental breakfast. 22rooms. All rooms $149 (plus tax).Reservations: (510) 549-1000; (800) 549-1002; FAX: (510) 549-1070. Seehttp://www.bancrofthotel.com/hotel.htmlBeau Sky Hotel2520 Durant Ave., BerkeleyTurn-of-the-century rooming house (2nd and 3rd-story building; no elevator) just off Telegraph and close to campus. Parking available for a fee. Informal Continental breakfast. 20 rooms, $119-169.Reservations (510) 540-7688; FAX (510) 540-8089. Seehttp://beauskyhotel.citysearch.com/Hotel Durant2600 Durant Avenue, Berkeley,Berkeley's only full service, boutique hotel, Hotel Durant, is a unique blend of classic Spanish Mediterranean architecture and modern conveniences. 144 rooms. $154-$305 (lowest rates promotional: AAA/AARP/"Spring Break").Reservations: 510.845.8981, Fax: 510.486.8336. See:http://www.jdvhotels.com/hotels/durant/Rose Garden Inn Rose Garden Inn2740 Telegraph Ave., BerkeleyBed and Breakfast (price includes a full buffet breakfast). 13 styles of rooms ranging in price from $154 - $219 (call for pricing). Complementary parking on a space available basis. 7 blocks from campus; AC Transit buses, plus taxi service available. See http://www.rosegardeninn.com/Reservations (510) 549-2145Piedmont House2434 Piedmont Ave., BerkeleyA Berkeley hostel that offers affordable daily rentals. It is a "single room short-term occupancy" guest house that is 3 blocks from campus (shared facilities with "bathroom down the hall" and communal kitchen). Rates start at $55.00 per night per room, but ask for their "get acquainted" price with a 10% discount, to $49.50 per night. Reservations: (510) 849-4800 and forinternet reservations, http://www.BerkeleyHostel.com/For additional information, please email Daniel Melia at dmelia@berkeley.edu

So, I was thinking about this the last several days. I participated in a count of homeless people here in our county (Yamhill County, Oregon) and many among them are veterans.The mythologies of the Gaelic and Brythonic cultures, are all commonly lumped into the catchphrase "Celtic." I wish they wouldn't do that, but, there it is. Semantic peculiarities and peccadilloes aside, these myths, and the archetypes they describe, are particularly apropos for homeless veterans.The particular archetype I have in mind is the Celtic "mad" man or woman. These are men and women who forsake "settled" society after battle, or after trauma, or being cursed in association with battle, or some kind of violent struggle. Such characters to be found in the literature include, but are not limited to, Merlin in his maddened state (Myrddin Wyllt), Lailoken, Mad Sweeny (Suibhne Geilt), and Mis, to name only a few who appear in these Traditions. The Woodwose appears as a cultural cognate in Anglo-Saxon traditional culture ( see Durer's "Woodwose". ) Older still is the figure of the wild-man Enkidu, finally tamed by music, in the epic tale of Gilgamesh.In the case of Mad Merlin, long before he became the advisor to young King Arthur, he too lost his mind and gained a vocation. In the 12th century Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote in Vita Merlini "I set myself to sing of the madness of the bard of prophecy."In this case Merlin was a king, who went mad after seeing the carnage and loss in battle of so many friends and family. He too flees and becomes "wood-wild" in the forests of Caledon (Scotland) - a gray wolf his only companion. He suffers the elements as they come, foraging for food in the harshest winters, and hiding from theoccasional traveler who might catch a sighting of him. He takes refuge in an apple tree which seems to have magical properties and, conveniently, a Romulan cloaking device. None of the search parties can see him when he's hiding in the tree, and the tree itself seems to convey onto him the gift of prophetic poetry.The Apple Tree Poems he composes are full of dire prophecy of the doom which the English would exact up on Wales. But he also made these poems intimate and tender by addressing them to his other adored friend, a wild pig:"Oh little piglet,oh blissful sow,don't take your morning nap,don't rummage in the undergrowth,if you sawthe sheer violencethat I saw,you wouldn't sleep in the morning"(Many of the Celtic Saints follow this same practice, and it would be a good research project to hunt down all of them who had been warriors and took the tonsure after a psychic break herein described. It should also be noted that Myrddin may also have been a title referring to a specific grade of religious functionary or even the style of tonsure by which that was signified. )To continue, Merlin's brother Rodarch tries to get him to come home by sending a musician out to sing to him,"Little by little as he played, he coaxed the madman to put by his wild mood under the sweet spell of the zither,"And for a little while Merlin recovers himself enough to be able to travel back to his brother's court. Sadly, the crowds of people and their enthusiastic greetings were too much, and he,"went mad; and once more his derangement filled him with a desire togo off to the forest, and he longed to slip away."Hijinks ensue until he finally drinks from a holy spring and recovers his mind fully, to go on to mold a future High King.To use Sweeny as an example, he was a tribal king and as he entered a battle, he was tormented by terrifying visions,"Huge, flickering, horrible aerial phantoms rose up, so that they werein cursed, commingled clouds tormenting him hovering, fiend-like hostsconstantly in motion, shrieking and howling"Sweeny flees the battle field by rising up into the air, flying away to the deepest part of the forest, there to "turn his back on mankind, and to herd with deer, run along with the showers, and flee with the birds, and to feast in wildernesses." His mind shattered and in completely stark isolation, he is also opened up to visionary poems and seership. He is now able to fly as would a bird into "the upper world" where he makes a nest in an ancient Yew tree dressed in a feathered cloak (or covered in a feathered pelt which grew onto him in some versions). And in that state of alternating clarity and madness, God speaks to him, "every morning and every evening," and in so doing, grants him the gift of prophecy.And that is pretty much the standard pattern for all of these archetypes. They flee the war, their homes and their families, and wholly abjure and abdicate their hitherto established social roles. In these archetypal scenarios, they present with a described symptomology that we know in post-industrial 21st century terms as PTSD with all its accompanying psychic detritus: depression, paranoia, schizoid behaviors and breaks, psychoses, panic attacks, violence, drug and alcohol addiction, and etc. All are considered emotional and psychological disabilities today. All have ancient roots in Celtic cultures, many of which were warrior cultures. Likely, with a bit of anthropological digging, cultural cognates could be found in most world cultures.The trajectory of these mythologies is that these folks take off for extended wanderings in The Wilds, often literal isolated wilderness landscapes without, and, as often concomitantly, within. An urban wilderness is these days as, or perhaps even more, potentially unfriendly and lonesome as any primordial scape.The length of these wanderings were such that after a time these archetypal figures became to be perceived by the "sane" as having morphed into part-animal, part-bird, or even transgendered or non-gendered "creatures," many with fur or feathers rather than clothing. It is as if The Wild is absorbing them, and they in turn, are surrendering themselves to that dissolution in an effort to escape, or exorcise, the soul-level pain of their vastly changed post-war existence. In a very real sense, they come to find a new ecological sense of self, from living in intimate proximity to Wild Nature's elements. In any event, they are forever changed, and the success with which some manage to live out their lives depends on how much they are accepted and made room for by the "sane and settled."And yet, "not all who wander are lost." These archetypes - mad poets - are also intimately connected to "visions," visionary experiences, prophetic abilities, poetry, and music, particularly thanatalogical genres. They hang in the in-between spot between this life and the Otherworlds, and their blasted minds catch all of the psychic windsthat blow, but they seem unable to close those doors at will, as opposed to the formally trained and initiated Bards or Filidh.In some cases, they manage to heal themselves sufficiently, through these new Arts and their splendid isolation, to be able to, if not completely rejoin society, then at least to be able to positively contribute to it with poetry, vision, prophecy, music, various media arts, compassionate understanding of Otherworlds & forms of non-human existence, and wise guidance. In so doing, they are then able to help others, and society as a whole, heal themselves from similar afflictions, and were often sought out and revered.In these figures, Spirit and Madness intersect and that nexus becomes a vortex of creativity, expression, and healing; a spirituo-psychological Black Hole that connects the two bar-bell ends of separate but related existences. These archetypes demonstrate how to live many lives in one mortal span by housing more than one Soul through the catalyst of trauma and war.In almost all cases of success, it was the "mad" who managed to reintroduce themselves, when welcomed and allowed to by "society."In almost all instances of failure, these tragic figures died miserable and violent deaths after being subjected to the tender ministrations of those who kept attempting to reincorporate them back into their old societal roles.Just my tuppence.Yr. Obed. Scrvnr.,Kathleen

I wonder what's happened in the last 8 years? - KathleenFrom this article http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/2755217.stmResults of the latest census show a significant increase in the numbers of people speaking Welsh.Full census figures published on Thursday reveal that more than 20% of people in Wales now speak Welsh. Figures revealed that 20.5% - more than one in five - of the population are Welsh speakers. This compares with 18.5% of Welsh speakers in the 1991 census.In addition, more than 28% able to understand Welsh.Statistics on families, health, ethnic background, housing, work and travel were also published, to add to the population figures, which were revealed in September 2002.Those figures showed that 2,903,085 people lived in Wales on census night in 2001 - up 2.4% on 10 years previously - but the latest statistics will paint a far more detailed picture of Welsh life.They show that one third of people in Wales prefers to describe themselves as British rather than Welsh.But the build-up to the census was dogged by the controversy over the lack of a tick-box allowing people to identify themselves specifically as Welsh, without having to write the word 'Welsh' in the box marked 'Other'.In fact, those living in Wales are more likely to consider themselves as British (35%) than Scotland, (27%) but less likely than those in England (48%).# Census information made available includes: Population, household and family make-up.# The proportion of people able to speak, read and understand Welsh.# General health information including limiting long-term illness.# The current ethnic make-up of the country.# For the first time, the religious make-up of the country.While figures show an increase in those speaking Welsh, data shows that the language is losing ground in its rural heartland, while gaining strength in urban areas.Welsh historian, Dr John Davies, told BBC Wales: "Welsh is becoming not a rural language, but an urban language and it's gaining strength in places like Cardiff."In the 1950s only about 5% of Welsh speakers lived within 10 or 20 miles of Cardiff, now it's 10%."A total of 96 per cent of the population of Wales gave their ethnic origin as White British.In Wales, there were increases (compared with 1991) in the proportion of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Chinese people, and 0.6 per cent classified themselves in 2001 as mixed ethnicity.In terms of health, the census found that rates of poor health were higher than the average for Engalnd and Wales.The south Wales Valleys county of Merthyr Tydfil has the highest (18.1%) followed by Blaenau Gwent, Neath Port Talbot, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Caerphilly, Carmarthenshire and Torfaen.The census was held during the foot-and-mouth crisis of 2001, but organisers said neither that, nor protests over the absence of a tick-box for people to register that they were Welsh, affected the numbers who supplied information.In all, 41 questions on areas ranging from housing to ethnic background were asked.The results of the census will be used to determine how public money should be spent and the needs of the population in different areas of Wales.The population figures already released showed that Wales is more populous and marginally more elderly than a decade ago.And they revealed that some areas of Wales were growing rapidly, while the population of some rural and valleys areas was shrinking.The population of Ceredigion grew by 19.5%, Cardiff's by 7% and Denbighshire's by 7%.Merthyr Tydfil lost 5.6% of its population in 10 years with Blaenau Gwent, Anglesey and Neath Port Talbot also recording fewer inhabitants than a decade previously.The census also showed that Cardiff is becoming a younger city with 24.1% of its population aged between 20 and 34, compared to 18% in Wales as a whole.