Circle of the Sun

Bord, Janet & Colin Bord
Earth Rites, Fertility Practices in Pre-Industrial Britain

Granada Publishing Limited, London, 1983

Burland, C. A.
Echoes of Magic: A Study of Seasonal Festivals through the Ages
Totowa, NJ: Rowman and Littlefield, 1972

Campanelli , Pauline and Dan
Ancient Ways: Reclaiming Pagan Traditions
St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1991

Campanelli , Pauline and Dan
Wheel of the Year: Living the Magical Life
St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1989

Day, Brian 

Chronicle of Celtic Folk Customs 

Hamlyn, London, 2000

Frazer, James George
The Golden Bough, A Study of Magic and Religion
Scribner, 1996 reprint edition

Freeman, Mara
Kindling the Celtic Spirit
Harper San Francisco, 2000

Green, Marian
A Calendar of Festivals: Traditional Celebrations, Songs, Seasonal Recipes & Things to Make
Rockport, MA: Element Inc.,1991

Heinberg, Richard
Celebrate the Solstice; Honoring the Earth's Seasonal Rhythms
Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 1993

Heilbron, John L
The Sun in the Church: Cathedrals As Solar Observatories
Harvard University Press,1999

Henes, Donna
Celestially Auspicious Occasions; Seasons, Cycles & Celebrations
New York, NY: Berkley Publishing Group, 1996

King, John Robert
The Celtic Druids' Year: Seasonal Cycles of the Ancient Celts
New York, NY: Blandford Press, 1996

Panati, Charles
Sacred Origins of Profound Things: The Stories Behind The Rites and Rituals of The World's Religions
New York, NY: Penguin Arkana, 1996

Rees, Alwyn & Brinley
Celtic Heritage, Ancient tradition in Ireland and Wales
Thames and Hudson, England, 1961

Sharkey, John 

The Ancient Religion 

The Crossroad Publishing Company, NY, 1975

Thomas, Keith 

Religion and the Decline of Magic

Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, 1971

Please email us if you would like copies of the other Gaelic songs that you heard on "Circle of the Sun." We are most happy to share them with you, A. aine@minogue.com

Fill It To The Brim 

by Mark Simos

Should the raven catch your hair
And seat a king of scarlet
Upon the heart's steep stair
Then oh, the sights will you see there
The breaking of the crystal
Under a dark green glare
A dark green glare from eyes on fire
From pools of deepest amber
Circle your castle round with briar
Still Pan will find your chamber

CHORUS:
Oh, fill it to the brim,
don't say when
Drink your fill and drink again
Hear the ocean roaring
Fill it to the brim, don't say when
That's Pan who keeps on pouring

Walnut hands and the eyes of a bear
He who seeks his sorrows out
May find the lion's share
With selfsame breath he tempts and warns
The fire that keeps the chill without
Is the very flame that burns
The flame that burns, the song the slays
When you hear what it is saying
It's Panic drives us through the maze
But Pan he's only playing

(CHORUS) 

Dark watcher with tangled brows
Puts his finger to his lips
Let's hear no more of vows
Of promises we'll never keep
Or of that secret dream that slips away
As we rise from sleep
As we rise from sleep, as we rub our eyes
To set the salt tears falling
You hide your ears to drown his cries
But Pan just keeps on calling

(CHORUS)

BILLBOARD MAGAZINE
...Celtic singer Áine Minogue is quickly outstripping any comparisons to Enya, but that's still a good place to start. Minogue's ethereal voice caresses her Gaelic lyrics like a breeze through Irish mists, but her sound is more organic, mixing her own Celtic harp with acoustic guitars, cellos, fiddles, flutes, and percussion from Irish bodhrans to Indian tablas. On "Máire Mhór," she gets earthy with some didgeridoo, funky plucked cello, and African djembe. 
...Áine Minogue is close enough to her Celtic sources to be nourished by them, but not so close that they root her to the spot.... 

LA TIMES
....blends traditional sounds with a cross cultural blend of live and studio textures....a musically compelling album..... 

TIME OUT, NEW YORK
....each piece is a rich collaboration, with various musical voices, fiddle, bass, table, djembe, even didgeridoo - layered like jewels on glass 

SONGWRITER'S MONTHLY
...exquisite Celtic music that encompasses the old and the new in a jaunt through the seasons. Very highly recommended..... 

DENVER POST
....exotic rhythms behind her whispery soprano..most attractive.... 

PROVIDENCE PHOENIX 
..captures the sparkle of a sunny morn after a snowy eve. ...part of a record that blends Minogue's consummate instrumental skills with her ethereal vocals...... 

NEWARK STAR LEDGER
...Minogue is a harpist and producer from County Tipperary, equally adept at shimmering new age or explosive percussion tracks..... 

NAPRA REVIEW
...a super offering not just for Celtic fans, but for aficionados of ethereal female vocals as well.... 

DIRTY LINEN
...lively and percussive, while at the same time it opens doors to contemplation....an unusual combination that the Irish native handles well...... 

MISSISSIPPI PRESS
..it is the way each piece confounds expectations that gives this album its considerable charm.... 

IRISH EDITION
...her silky voice sensually envelops the melodies against a patchwork quilt of all that is appealing in Celtic music today.....if you like this music, you'll love this album..... 

PATRIOT LEDGER, BOSTON
impressive....Minogue's singing is passionate, pure and respectful, ranging from mournful expressions to whispers...contemporary almost jazzy quality...lovely emotional instrumentals..... 

DAILY SOUTHTOWN, CHICAGO
....takes on a meditative stillness that leaves dancing behind.......

The Record (Waterloo Region)
Entertainment, Saturday
Robert Reid
Aine Minogue's Circle of the Sun (RCA/BMG) should be at the top of everybody's buying lists.

Circle of the Sun is Minogue's second release since she emigrated to New from her home in County Tipperary. It follows her superb 1997 debut Between the Worlds.

An accomplished harpist with a haunting voice, Minogue is one of the most exciting of Ireland's current generation of musicians. She combines a deep understanding of traditional Celtic music with a modern musical sensibility.

Circle of the Sun consists of a blend of traditional and original songs and tunes that trace the emotional contours of the Celtic calendar. While a few tracks consist of such simple arrangements as harp with guitar, cello or fiddle, most resemble what can best be described as Celtic chamber music.

Celtic Wave (RCA/BMG) is an excellent compilation that contains tracks from the aforementioned releases in addition to tracks from recent releases by The Chieftains (Long Journey Home and The Long Black Veil), Mary Coughlan (After the Fall), Clannad (The Best of Clannad) and Lisa Lynne (Daughter of the Celtic Moon).

© 1998 The Record - Kitchener-Waterloo. All rights reserved.
Doc. : news·19980314·KR·0061
This material is copyrighted. All rights reserved.

There are no fan reviews for this album.

Read about research carried out for the production of this album:

Read about research carried out for the production of this album:

The album 'Circle of the Sun' celebrates the ancient calendar, or the old Wheel of the Year. Fire festivals marked the changing of the seasons in a culture where the agricultural round of the year was central to peoples' lives.

There is a track (or series thereof) for each point on the old calendar.

The most important dates on the calendar were the four 'fire' festivals as follows:

Samhain (which has come down to us as Halloween) on Oct. 31st;

Imbolc (Feb 1st, saint of Bridget, Goddess of all creative things;

Beltaine (May 1, or May Day); and,

Lughnasadh (August 1)

(The spelling of these feasts can vary).

What is a Fire Festival?

(The spelling of these feasts can vary).   A bonfire, or the element of fire was almost always involved in a 'fire' festival!

  Do these Fire Festivals Still exist in Ireland?  

* When Christianity was introduced into Ireland, new feasts were superimposed on the old ones e.g. February 1, or Imbolc, originally a celebration of the Goddess Bridget, became Saint Bridget's Day.  However, old remnants of the tradition lived on even during my youth.  In the film "Dancing at Lughnasadh,' you'll notice there is a bonfire scene towards the end.  In more modern times, these fire festivals are often referred to as 'pattern days.'

May 1 later became a feast dedicated to our Lady. I have fond memories of the nuns teaching us how to make a Maypole. It was great fun! Lughnasadh (August 1), originally celebrated the god Lugh (Lugh of the long hand - a sun god).

Samhain morphed into Halloween over time and was replaced with All Souls Day and All Saints Day.

  How was the Year Divided?

* The year was divided into two halves, the dark half and the light half.  For the ancients, the dark always came before the light.  Day began for them at dusk, not dawn, and so the year began with the 'dark half' on October 31st or Halloween (Samhain).

* Halloween (or Samhain) was like New Year's Eve and marked the beginning of the New year. 

*May 1st (Beltaine) marked the beginning of the "Light half"

* They believed that the "light Half" belonged to the people.  This was the time for planting, harvesting, marriages and all human pursuits.

* They believed that the "Dark half" belonged to the 'otherworld,'  the time to stay indoors while the world was sleeping....

What was special about a "Fire Festival"?

* The central belief was that the 'veil between the worlds' was thinnest at these power times of year.  Since Samhain (or Halloween, as it has come to be known), was new year's eve, it was thought to be an auspicious time to make contact with the otherworld.  Initially, it was considered an excellent time for divination.  In my youth, we were bobbing for apples, a fruit that is a central part of the harvest celebrations of many cultures.

*Similarly, the other fire festivals, although not as powerful as Samhain, were believed to share these same attributes.

  What does "otherworld" mean in the Celtic word?  

* The world "Celtic" can be tricky and mean many things to different people but let's assume we're referring to ancient Irish practices.   * There were several 'otherworlds.'  At the risk of over-simplifying, one might say there were three

1.  "Tir na nOg" or "the Land of Eternal Youth."  This might be compared to a type of heaven, where a minute in time might equal decades on earth.  Tir na nOg appears in many mythology stories of Ireland.

2.  The land beneath the waves.  Believe it or not, there are selkies (seals that come to life and live as humans) and mermaids in Irish lore and music.  (See "The Twilight Realm" - track 3 " The Selkie" and "the Mermaid" 

3.  The land beneath the ground, or the world of fairy (faerie).  This is perhaps the most misunderstood area of Irish folklore!  (See The Twilight Realm" album; King of the Faeries and Dance of the Fairies)

CREATURES OF THE  OTHERWORLD

When you mention the world faery (fairy) or sprite, people tend to think "Disney," or worse - stage Irish!  (little green men!). It's always a great surprise to people to discover that most of the stories from the middle ages originating in Western Europe were all about fairies.  Many folklorists think of fairylore as tools for symbolic thinking.  When you consider that our forefathers lived in a pre-psychology era, often without the benefit of the written word, fairylore was often a way of coming to terms with the unexplainable difficulties of life.  

What about the Solstices and Equinoxes?

These were also considered quite important, although it it thought, not quite as important as the fire festivals. However, going back even further, about seven thousand years to be exact, we have proof positive that some early Irish dwellers (per-Celtic) placed great importance on the Winter solstice, as evidenced by Newgrange. (see article on "Newgrange and the Winter Solstice")

 

Read about research carried out for the production of this album:

CELTIC WHEEL OF THE YEAR POETRY

SPRING

TO WELCOME IN THE SPRING by Tommy Makem

As I walked out this morning, the air was sweet and clean
bushes all along the road were showing tips of green
I leaned against an oak tree to hear if it would sing
It's pulses throbbed and raced like mine
To Welcome In The Spring

There's music in the west wind that's blowing from the sea
there's music in the lambs bleat; the droning of the bee
there's music in the tree tops, the mountain streams all sing
a symphony on earth and air
To Welcome In The Spring

The Song of Fionn

May-day, delightful time. How beautiful is the color.
The blackbirds sing their full tune. Would that Laeg were here!
The cuckoos call in constant strains. How welcome is the noble
Brilliance of the changing season. On the margin of the branchy woods,
The summer swallows skim the stream; swift horses seek the pool:
The heather spreads her long hair out; pale bog-myrtle thrives;
The sea is lulled to calm, flowers cover the earth.

Translated by Caitlin Matthews

Welcome to you, sun of the seasons;
turning,
In your circuit of the high heavens;

Strong are your steps on the unfurled heights,

Glad Mother are you to the constellations.
You sink down into the ocean of want,

Witout defeat and without scathe;

You rise up on the peaceful wave

Like a queen in her maidenhood's flower

SUMMER

The sun is shining

The sun is shining
That is the Magic.
The flowers are growing-
the roots are stirring.
That is the Magic.
Being alive is the Magic
being strong is the Magic.
The Magic is in me-
it is in me.
It’s in every one of us.

From the Secret Garden
by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Midsummer Night's Dream

Act 2, Scene 1

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,

Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,

Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,

With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine:

There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,

Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight;

And there the snakes throws here enamell'd skin

Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in.

Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 2, Scene 1

A mermaid on a dolphin's back

Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath

That the rude sea grew civil at her song

And certain stars shot madly from their sphere
To hear the sea-maid's music

Midsummer Night's Dream

Sweet Moon, I thank thee for thy sunny beams,

I thank thee, Moon, for shining now so bright.

The Haymaker's Song

In the merry month of June,

In the prime time of the year;

Down in yonder meadows

There runs a river clear;

And many a little fish

Doth in that river play;

And many a lad, and many a lass,

Go abroad a-making hay

And when the bright day faded,

And the sun was going down,

There was a merry piper

Approached from the town;

He pulled out his pipe and tabor,

So sweetly he did play,

Which made all lay down their rakes,

And leave off making hay.

Then joining in a dance

They jig it o'er the green;

Though tired with their labour

No one less was seen.

But sporting like some fairies,

Their dance they did pursue,

In leading up, and casting off,

Till morning was in view.

Anon

The Fairy Ring

George Mason and John Earsden

Let us in a lover's round

Circle all this hallowed ground;

Softly, softly trip and go,
the light-foot
Fairies jet it so.

Forward then and back again,

Here and there and everywhere,

Winding to and fro,

Skipping high and louting low;

And, like lovers, hand in hand, 

March around and make a stand.

AUTUMN

THROUGH SUNNY DAYS AND YELLOW WEEKS,
WITH CLOUDS THAT MELT IN TEARS,
THE GLORY OF THE HARVEST SPEAKS
IN ALL THE SILKEN EARS.

J. HAZARD HARTZELL (Farmers Almanac)

The dead (old) leaves fall like noiseless rain,
The air is calm and warm and sweet;
Upon the woodland and the plain
The ghost of summer rests her feet

Clinton Scollard ( Farmers Alamanc)

Autumn Fires

Robert Louis Stevenson

In the other gardens
And all up the vale,
From the autumn bonfires
See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over
And all the summer flowers,
The red fire blazes,
The grey smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons!
Something bright in all!
Flowers in the summer,
Fires in the fall

WINTER

Winter by Tommy Makem

WINTER, a sharp bitter day
the robin turns plump against the cold
the sun is week
silver faded from gold
he is late in his coming and short in his stay

Man, beast, bird and air all purging, all cleansing,
earth already purified awaits the rite of spring
Her bridal gown a virgin snow and frosts in her hair
A snowdrop by the road today bowed gracefully and high upon the wing up in the sparkling nothingness,
a lone bird began to sing
Can gentle spring be far away? It’s in every one of us.

Read about research carried out for the production of this album:

The Celtic Wheel of the Year. Fire Festivals