What are round towers? Fewer than two dozen round towers stand mostly intact in Ireland today. It’s estimated that about 120 were built. They are associated with monasteries between the 9th and 12th centuries. They were likely bell towers but may have also served as safe towers where monks could hide when under attack. Some…
Author: Cindy Thomson
September 2024 Newsletter Giveaway
*If you are reading this, you have followed the link from the Rafflecopter giveaway. Leave a comment here by answering the following and be entered to win one of two Celtic Cross keychains. US shipping only !. What do you like to see in an author’s newsletter? (Choose all that apply and add additional info…
The Legend of the Mermaid
There is an Irish legend about a mermaid named Liban that appears the Book of the Dun Cow. This book, Lebor na h Uidre in Irish, is the oldest of the ancient book of legends believed to have been written in the late 10th to early 11th century. The photo above is of a wall in…
The Swan Woman
Taken from The Wonders of Ireland by P. W. Joyce, 1911 Once there was a poet who, while journeying across the country, came across a flock of wild swans as he stood on the banks of the River Boyne. They flew very near him so he picked up a rock, took aim, and threw it. It struck…
O’Dangal’s Vision
I read about this in The Wonders of Ireland by P. W. Joyce, 1911. During Ireland’s Golden Age of Christianity pilgrims would journey to religious centers such as Rome and Tours. They greatly venerated Martin of Tours, probably because of the association that they believed had existed between Martin and St. Patrick. One day while a man…
Celtic Song Part Two
This continues my talk featuring my book Celtic Song. You can find Part One here. This poem is found on page 35 in the book. The Sacred Three My fortress be Encircling me Come and be round My hearth and my home. ~From Anam Cara by John O’Donohue These types of circling prayers did not…
Celtic Song, Part One
This is a talk I gave this summer based on my book, Celtic Song, From the Traditions of Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales. Celtic Song is not a book of musical scores. You will not find sheet music inside. What it is is a historical exploration of why music was so important to the ancient…
Research Trip to Johnson’s Island
Johnson’s Island is a very small island in Sandusky Bay in Lake Erie in Ohio. Never heard of it? Many people who live nearby haven’t either. As I was searching for inspiration for my next novel, I learned that a Confederate Prison was in place here during the Civil War. I went to nearby Fremont,…
St. Abban
He was tending the cows belonging to his foster family when he was but a lad. A wolf approached. Abban communicated with the animal and learned that he was starving. He allowed him to eat one of the calves. Later, the family was distraught over this. Abban told them that if God could create the…
The Scribe and His Cat
A monk sits among his brothers in a spacious hall filled with slanted writing desks. Although it is daytime, his desk bears its own candle for additional illumination. He has several pots of ink, the fruit of the labor of other monks who gather bark, berries, and minerals from the earth to produce vivid colors for…
