Celtic tradition tells us that the cooler months, especially from Samhain to Beltaine (November 1st to May 1st), provide the best time for stories, and that it was unlucky or even dangerous to tell stories during the warmer months. In keeping with this tradition, the Oneida County History Center presents “Celtic & Germanic Stories, Songs and Poems of Antiquity” on Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 1:00 pm in the Main Gallery.
Terry McMaster will present traditional stories, songs and poetry from Irish, Welsh, Scottish and German traditions. Included will be the ancient “Song of Amergin,” which Robert Graves said should begin all “English poetic education.” Terry will teach Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky in German, as well as the c. 13th century “Charm Against the Night Mare,” and will perform in Medieval Irish the powerful chant attributed to St. Patrick known as “The Deer’s Cry/St. Patrick’s Breastplate.” The program will also include the Welsh tale of shape-shifting transformation “The Birth of Taliesin” and the sweet Irish tune of love and longing “Star of the County Down.” Rounding out the performance will be “The Parting Glass,” the roots of which go back to 17th century Scotland.
Terry McMaster is an independent researcher specializing in the immigration of Scots-Irish pioneers to the New York frontier and their participation in the American Revolution. He traveled to Celtic lands in 1997, 2016 and 2017, to research his McMaster ancestors in County Antrim, No. Ireland, and to visit Y-DNA cousins in Galway and Edinburgh. Terry is a photographer, artist, and an addiction therapist at Professional Counseling Services in Camillus, NY.
The Oneida County History Center is a private 501(c) (3) not-for-profit educational institution dedicated to preserving and promoting the history, heritage, and culture of the Greater Mohawk Valley. Admission to this program is free for the general public; donations are encouraged. Please contact the History Center at 315-735-3642 or visit the OCHC website (www.oneidacountyhistory.org) or Facebook.com page for additional information.