Though much of Ireland has joined the modern era, it can be pleasant to join in celebrating during one of the ancient festivals, reliving the times before electricity and technology. Listen to the music and evoke the spirits of the past.

from Gathering Stones

The gloaming deepens, grows dark
and cold. Staring into the sky,
the stargazer’s mind wanders
far from British Belfast back
to Celtic crosses and beyond —
nights entrenched in bonfire light
pastures aglow and faces mesmerized
with delight — days, weeks, months
of labor left behind.
The bodhrán
thumps in his blood, brings his thoughts
back to the fields filled with phantoms
in rhythm with his soul.