IRELAND: MYTHICAL, MAGICAL, MYSTICAL By Christy Nicholas Giveaway Excerpt and Guest Post

IRELAND: MYTHICAL, MAGICAL, MYSTICAL

By

Christy Nicholas

BLURB:  

Do you find yourself drawn to the magic of the Emerald Isle? Would you like to see places beyond the typical tourist traps? Come, join me on a journey through the mists of legend, into the hidden places of mystery. Immerse yourself in the legends and myths, the history that has made this island precious in the hearts and minds of millions. Along with the tales and history, there is practical information on planning your trip, budgeting your costs, and finding the best places to while away the magical hours of your holiday.

  

Excerpt 

The Magical Facet The Fair Folk

Everyone has heard of fairies, of creatures with supernatural powers to curse, to bless, to find gold, or to cause mischief. Literature and art is full of them from Shakespeare to contemporary artists Amy Brown or Jasmine Beckett-Griffith. Western culture, especially in the US, is bred on Disney’s Tinker Bell, children’s books of flower fairies from Victorian artists, and grim tales of the darker side of these Fae folk.

In Ireland, fairies, known as the Sídhe (pronounced shee) or the Good Folk, originate from the Tuatha Dé Danann, the people who immigrated to the island before the Sons of Míl. Supposedly full of powers, the Tuatha Dé Danann could not bear to be near iron, and therefore their superior skills were for naught. Rather than leave the land they loved, they agreed to reside below the earth. For this reason, caves are said to be entrances into their underworld homes. Traces of this legend can be seen in the classic film, Darby O’Gill and the Little People, where Darby is led under a mountain to the Fairy King’s palace. 

Ireland has countless portals, be they hills, hawthorn trees, caves, wells, or other sacred places.

A more Christianized origin of these creatures claim they are angels which fell to Earth before humans resided there. They live beneath the waves or gardens, and while some are evil, others can be helpful as long as they are treated with respect.

While many modern legends show the fairies to be sweet, kind, magical creatures, this is really a Victorian creation. The traditional views in Ireland and Scotland show the Sídhe to be mischievous to the point of cruelty a force to be reckoned with. They are not sought out by the wise. In fact, most of the herb and spell lore of an almost forgotten era is meant to instruct how to keep you from coming to the Folks’ attention.

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

My name is Christy Nicholas, also known as Green Dragon. I do many things, including digital art, beaded jewelry, writing and photography. In real life I'm a CPA, but having grown up with art and around me (my mother, grandmother and great-grandmother are/were all artists), it sort of infected me, as it were.  I love to draw and to create things. It's more of an obsession than a hobby. I like looking up into the sky and seeing a beautiful sunset, or a fragrant blossom, a dramatic seaside. I then wish to take a picture or create a piece of jewelry to share this serenity, this joy, this beauty with others.  Sometimes this sharing requires explanation – and thus I write.  Combine this love of beauty with a bit of financial sense and you get an art business. I do local art and craft shows, as well as sending my art to various science fiction conventions throughout the country and abroad.

Find Christy here:
www.GreenDragonArtist.com

www.facebook.com/greendragon9

www.facebook.com/greendragonartist

www.facebook.com/greendragontravel

www.facebook.com/music-from-ireland-for-your-pleasure

www.facebook.com/musicfromscotland

www.twitter.com/greendragon9

Find Christy’s book here, and at other eBook stores:

http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Nicholas_Christy/ireland-guide.htm

 Guest Post from the Author:

As I was growing up, my mother, like many mothers, told me bedtime stories.  Some of these she read from books, such as Water Babies, or The Hobbit.  Others she made up as she went along.  Those she made up, for some reason, always had a Celtic element of some sort – a fairy, or a hidden world under the hill, perhaps a goddess disguised as a helpless maiden. 

I don’t know if it was due to these tales, or the fact that she had some albums that I listened to when I was young (The Unicorn by the Irish Rovers, for instance), but I’d always had a special love of all things Celtic.  Celtic myths, Celtic music, Celtic art, Celtic history; it all sung to my soul.

When I first started planning my own vacations, the first place I went was Ireland.  England, Scotland and Wales were next, but always the Celtic nations.  As soon as I arrived on the Emerald Isle, I felt grounded, at home, as if I had found the place I belonged.  It was mo anam bhaile, my soul’s home.

Since that first memorable trip, when the land sung to me, I’ve returned as often as I could, every couple of years – often when I could ill afford it.  The place draws me back, inexplicably, and I must heed the call.  Could it be a racial memory?  I do have some ancestry from the isles, but most of mine is actually German.  Could it be a soul memory?  I was conceived in Britain, it’s possible my soul came from the Celtic pool.  Perhaps it’s just a strong affinity, one that cannot be ignored.

I know many people share my affinity, so I decided to write a book to help them.  I started with some myth and history, so the reader can get a sense of what has gone on before, and what people believed.  Then I give some practical tips about planning your own trip, including what to do about car insurance, how to get Euros ahead of time, discount website for airfare, that sort of thing.  Then I have some lovely stories of the kindness of strangers, to help you feel at home.  I finish with a large section of hidden places.  The mystical hidden holy well off to the side of the road, the Neolithic stone circles you have to walk through a dense forest to find, the sea caves you have to walk through the sand dunes to get to.  These are all wonderful places filled with mystery and magic, part of the draw of the isle.

I also have many of my own photographs in the book, to help your imagination take flight.  And perhaps, someday, you can take your own flight and visit the magical land that is Ireland, and see what the love is all about.

http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Nicholas_Christy/ireland-guide.htm

www.greendragonartist.com

www.facebook.com/greendragonartist

www.facebook.com/greendragontravel

Twitter:  greendragon9

Christy will award a $20 Amazon gift card to one randomly drawn commenter.

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/07/name-before-masses-ireland-mythical.html