Another big "Whew!"

November has just gone live. Over the next couple of days minor changes may be made if errors are found, but generally we proof the heck out of this. Very excited to have two new authors, one from Portugal and one from England, plus many returnees.

I have noticed a pattern amongst our authors in that they generally delve into stories beyond the normal tales one might normally hear. Not every facet of Celtic life can be covered in one issue, and we already resign ourselves to the fact that we will never reach bottom. Luckily, there is a wealth of tales to choose from, to investigate further, to theorize about. That seems to be what all the authors, including me, are about - taking the deeper look.

I am so happy with the response, both from our readers and our authors. We'll keep it going just as long as the demand is there, or fate allows.

The Celtic Guide

2014 and 2013

It was announced yesterday that Great Britain has cleared the way for Scotland to carry out a vote in 2014 as to whether Scotland should become a free and independent nation again. Emotions are high on both sides of the issue. I was told that much of the establishment would like to see Scotland remain part of Britain, while many of the average Scots want it to become free. 

Alex Salmond, the first minister of Scotland's semi-autonomous parliament said it was a historic day for Scotland. The agreement setting out the process of the referendum was a major step forward in Scotland's home-rule journey, he told a news conference: "Do I believe independence will win this campaign? Yes I do, and I believe we will win it by setting out a positive vision for a better future for our country both economically and, crucially, also socially."

It is probably a good thing to have another couple of years to look at all angles of this important step in Scotland's history. At least some of this nationalistic movement was prompted by, or at least brought to the surface by the movie Braveheart, followed closely with Sean Connery's involvement, although, there has been a nationalist movement for a long time in Scotland, perhaps even since Edward walked off with the Stone of Destiny.

However it works out, Scots will be Scots 'til their dying breath.

In 2013, Lake Erie will be the scene of a re-enactment of the Battle of Lake Erie in which Commodore Perry's fleet of ships, built or gathered at Erie , PA, took on the British fleet near the Lake Erie Islands off Sandusky, Ohio and defeated them in one day. I have an article about a double un-sung Celtic hero in the November issue of the Guide, who was directly involved in this battle.

The celebration will be both of the battle itself and the peace that has persisted with Great Britain ever since, and with Canada along the longest border in the world.

We celebrate the bravery and courage of many past warriors while still hoping for peace in a much more enlightened world. As long as personal freedom comes out on top, that is what is most important.

October is going gangbusters as November is being built

Hits as of today are around 2700 for the October issue, and it's only October 9th! Very happy with these results. Seems every issue is bigger in page size and number of views. If anyone has any trouble with a slow download, please let me know. I could always split the issue into two smaller files if these larger issues get to be too slow to view or download. I'd like to keep them as a one piece PDF if possible but I also don't want anyone having trouble accessing the file.

November is starting to build nicely with a handful of great articles on Celtic Heroes already having been received. It looks like another interesting, fun issue on the way.

Many thanks to the readers and the authors who make this possible.

Click here to go to the Celtic Guide website