Trad Tuesdays (and other Celtic music)

Since Conn and his band Na Ealai Dubha (The Black Swans) are traditional Irish musicians I thought that once a week I'd share some Celtic music that they might play or listen to as a new feature on my blog. 

I thought I'd start off with Lukey's Boat, sung by Great Big Sea (a New Foundland folk group) and The Chieftains, one of Ireland's premier traditional bands. It's a very well done video filmed in Ireland. Enjoy!


 

Time to plan a vacation in the Oxford Hills!

The Black Swans takes place in the imaginary town of Antrim, Maine which is placed in the not so imaginary region of the Oxford Hills in western Maine. 

Conn and Taisie have their first date at the nearby Causeway which is based on the real Causeway in Naples, Maine which lies between Long Lake and Brandy Pond (on the way to Sebago Lake). It's a great area for families with a lot of activities for everyone to do. There's boating, jet skis, the Songo River Queen, tons of restaurants, golf and sea planes.

It's a great place to visit and to learn about the area that inspired Antrim, Maine.

Among the many restaurants is Rick's which in The Black Swans has been renamed Jimmy's

Capt Jack's at the Naples Marina has food and all sorts of water sports

The Songo River Queen will take the whole family for a ride up Long Lake.

Books in the Antrim Cycle

Here is a list of the books in the Antrim Cycle in the order in which they take place. However, each book may be read separately without having read the previous book as these are stand-alone stories.

The Story of Gilly Flowers 

A Short Story - Isabella MacDonnell lives in the small town of Antrim, Maine. Will she find mystery and magic when she visits her neighbor, Gilly Flowers, one summer morning?

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The Black Swans

**2015 Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree**
**2015 Finalist in the Wishing Shelf Independent Book Awards**
**2015 short list for the Drunken Druid Book Awards**

Taisie MacDonnell is a quiet girl who loves knitting and Celtic music. When a traditional Irish group moves to her small town of Antrim, Maine, she is thrilled. That the handsome pipe player she met at a fair is one of the band members makes it all the more exciting.

Conn McLaren and his siblings that make up the band, The Black Swans, are wanderers, moving from place to place. They have a secret that they must hide, a curse they have been under for many years, placed on them by the Fae at the behest of their step-mother, Aoife.

Taisie has no idea that becoming involved with Conn, the handsome pipe player, will enmesh her in magic, a centuries-old enchantment and pursuit by the Fae.

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Applegate Farm 

Jane Baxter has come to visit her aunt at Applegate Farm in the town of Antrim, Maine. She is tired of big city life and wants to know her relatives on her mother's side better.

Henry Maxwell works on the farm, but Henry has a secret. He is attracted to Jane, but worries about her reaction to his behavior. 

There is strange goings-on at the Farm and it is up to Jane and Henry, with the help of their friends and relatives, to solve the mystery. Their quest will lead them on a long journey to the 'other worlds' where they will encounter magic, battles, and new worlds.

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The Oak King and The Holly King 

A Christmas Short Story - Nola McLaren and Owen Campbell have settled down and made a new life in Antrim, Maine. Songs, stories, and secrets will be told when they gather with their friends and families to celebrate the Winter Solstice.

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Rory MacDonnell and the Brown Bull

In the tradition of the Irish story The Cattle Raid of Cooley, here's a short story about Rory MacDonnell's adventures in the ancient lands of Eire.

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Amazon

Book Sale!

The Black Swans is on sale for .99 - Get your copy now!
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Swans-Tale-Antrim-Cycle/dp/B00U6I9PUC/ref=sr_1_1_twi_2_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1427114622&sr=8-1&keywords=the+black+swans

Aran Knitting

Taisie is a knitter (as am I) and her favorite is the Aran sweater. Aran sweaters are knit by people from the Aran Island off the coast of Ireland. The designs are symbolic of the work they do and the area where they live.

For example, Cables represent fisherman's ropes, Honeycomb is supposed to be for luck, Diamonds represent the fishing mesh and a plentiful catch, and Basket is the fisherman's basket to hold his catch.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Here's an old Irish song - She Moved Thru the Fair - mentioned in The Black Swans, sung by Cara Dillon and backed by Solas (also mentioned in the book).

Sea Caves on Rathlin Island

Great Sea Caves of Antrim - Bruce's cave, Rathlin Island. This is the cave that Taisie lands in near the end of the book. It is called Bruce's Cave because Robert the Bruce supposedly hid out here while fleeing the English. He saw a spider struggling to make it's way up the wall and decided it was an omen for his own struggle. He went on to defeat the English at Bannockburn.