TITLE: Celtic Harmony and CeIlI HIgh JInks AUTHOR: Sean O’Seasnain ABSTRACT: Sean O’Seasnain is a former Irish Dominican priest and employment counsellor now harmonizing spirit and work with his Anamcara Workwise Education - a consulting company which specializes in WCB-WSIB Return-to-Work Facilitation, Coordination and Training. ARTICLE: if music - according to Beethoven - is the mediator between the life of the senses and the life of the spirit, and dance - according to Chetwynd - reflects the patterns and threads of energy which bring order into chaos, then Seoda ‘gus Ceili (which roughly translates as “gem of Irish music and dance”) is true Celtic harmony. It is also having a bloody great time for yourself ! Cairde, the Gaelic word for friends, is an abbreviation for Friends of Irish Culture. This group organizes ceilis - Irish dances - and other events showcasing Irish culture and local talent in the Kitchener-Waterloo area under the general title

Seoda ‘gus Ceili. some wit said it means ‘ Show Us How To Ceili ’ - and it does. But it means much more. Gems of Irish music, song, and lively dancing is a descriptive translation of Seoda ‘gus Ceili pronounced: show’da-gus-kay’lee, consists of skillful music-making with fiddles, flutes and the fleeting feet of feis-trained dancers. And there’s more. It is not simply precision performance on the tin whistle, harp and uilleann pipes or the inviting intonations of the melodeon. It’s participation. Did someone say Participation? It is that too! Participation is the most significant part of Seoda ‘gus Ceili. A Ceili is not only a great musical performance which is magical and magnificent in itself, it is a social gathering where everyone participates in the dancing and the entertainment. A ‘Caller’ is on hand to give directions and instructions on the dancing steps so that taking part is fun-filled and enjoyable for young and old alike. The numerous events that followed were go iontach - just wonderful! But whether it’s Kitchener or Waterloo or even Derry Bawn (County Everywhere), these rearranged words of what lively lilting tune sung by Joe Lynch many years ago are still in the air: “Come to the Ceili down at Derry Bawn. Forget all your troubles as you pass the door. The long road’ll be shortened. You’ll be foot-light and easy and be feeling fine. When you come to the Ceili down a Derry Bawn. There’ll be a Cead Mile Failte. And a cruiscin lan (a glass of good liquor). It’s there you’ll find music to your heart’s desire. If your heart isn’t anchored you will lose it there.“

So come to a Ceili .... Anywhere !

This article was originally published in Cross Cultures Magazine in Volume 7 - Issue 1 - 1997. Unauthorized copying, distribution or other usage without express written permission of the publisher is prohibited.