What a busy time

I guess summers in the north are when every event in the world is planned. Seems like only enough time to get to the basics. But my dad always said I have 24 hours in a day just like everyone else, and my daughter always says you sleep when you die.

So I guess I better get something posted here again.

First, we are at nearly 17,000 hits on our main page, which equals all of last year. We still have the balance of August, then September, October, November and December – so we will most certainly exceed last year's readership . . . by a long shot.

Secondly, our Facebook page has around 8,500 likes and it will easily hit 9,000 if not 10,000 likes by year's end. We often have a weekly reach on Facebook of 30,000 or more readers.

Third, the Celtic Guide digital version is ALWAYS FREE. Don't let anyone tell you different. We are now offering print copies AT COST through Amazon, as a service to those many readers who requested them. We don't control the cost and no money is returned to Celtic Guide coffers. Sometimes Amazon puts issues on sale, but they normally charge based on number of pages. Even we don't know when the sales will come along. Nearly all past issues have been uploaded, except a few of the earliest, which will be online soon.

We are busy working on our 21st issue. It will stray a bit from the typical non-fiction narrative style and focus instead on the artistic. Our lead story, we are proud to say, is an interview with Natalie MacMaster who has been called the most dynamic Celtic performer of our lifetime.

So September is all about artistic endeavors. October will be our second Halloween edition. November will be a catch up issue with an anything-goes theme. December will be themed "the end" and will feature articles on the end of dynasties, cultures, movements, lives, etc. That should get us through the year for themes.

The Celtic Guide is all volunteer. Our authors come from all over the Celtic world - Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, the U.S., Canada, and even Portugal and Poland, where there are remnants of early Celtic cultures. We've been lucky to have some world's experts, some cutting edge analysis of Celtic and Norse cultures, many a great story of heroes and villains, cultures and theories, lots of great photos and illustrations, and lots of great reader feedback.

Our unofficial motto is - stay tuned!

Jim

Wow, was that ever busy!

Left at the end of March for Peru and a visit to Machu Picchu. Returned mid April worn out and behind on the May issue of the Celtic Guide. Lucky for me lots of people were waiting with articles and I scrambled for the next couple of weeks to fit it all in. The result? A 42-page jam packed issue on Celtic Vacations.

Finally settling down and looking forward to the next few Guides. For June we have a theme of Celtic Chronicles – sources of Celtic history and family history, and expect our usual "twists" on the theme. For July the theme is Celtic Villains. And for August we are toying with the idea of Celtic Images - photos (drawings or paintings) of family, of the famous, as long as it has a Celtic twist to it.

We are so happy and proud of the Guide and also so very thankful for all those who contribute and all those who read our publication. We get many wonderful comments and our Facebook hits keep on climbing.

This is all organic and homegrown. There is no big corporation behind us, just lots of Celtic fans of all kinds. We hope to always keep it this way.

Your Celtic Guide 

Vacation!!!

April's issue is posted early and ready to view. Remember, for May we are featuring Celtic Vacations so don't hesitate to send in your story and especially your photo(s) and we'll use as much as we can fit in. The email to send these to is:

Celtic Guide

The hits just keep on coming!

At the rate we are going we will likely double the number of hits we receive this year, compared to our first year. Looks like we may reach 35,000 or so by year's end. We have had many a week on our Facebook page where our "reach" has been 30,000 or more. We also just went over 5200 Likes!

The April issue for 2013, much like it's counterpart from 2012, focuses on Celtic Freedom. As with all our themes we get quite a variety of interpretations. We have a few items on Robert Bruce, as would be expected. We have an official position expressed by the Yes Scotland movement, the leaders behind the 2014 vote for Scotland's independence. We have an original ballad and a poem, and also an article that ties Lucille Ball and George Washington to two Scottish kings.

Our cover and our lead story are focused on the Highland Clearances, and immigration. There's just one great article after another, so look for it to post around April 24th (a wee bit early this month due to a busy end of month.)

Meanwhile enjoy this weekend celebrating St. Patrick's Day and BE SAFE!!

Click here to find your Celtic Guide

Think Spring!

It's our only hope. Ha!

So March already has had over 1500 hits and it is only the 6th of the month! And stories are pouring in for April . . . some really good ones, too. I think April will go "live" almost a week early - probably on the 24th of March, because of other responsibilities towards the end of the month. The theme is Celtic Freedom and like I said we already have some great articles coming in, plus a poem, plus a ballad, plus original artwork . . . all kinds of special things unique to the Celtic Guide.

Remember, May's theme is Celtic Vacations so if you have some special story you'd like to tell, or a photo to send in, feel free.

our email

our e-mag

It's March . . . well almost.

The March Guide is now available for your viewing pleasure. Thanks to a great group of writers we have another jam-packed issue, with some very interesting and new discoveries. I just love opening my inbox to see what new type of article has arrived.

Enjoy

Click here for the Celtic Guide

Getting close!

We are within a week of going live with the March issue of the Celtic Guide, and once again it is jam-packed with unusual and well-researched stories. . . all available for free.  Though I spend countless hours on this project, I don't do it alone. It takes serious, dedicated authors and photographers, and an avid readership, neither of which we seem to lack.

A naysayer, in only my second month, said – “That’s fine, until you run out of things to write about.”

Och! After fifteen issues of the Guide published so far . . . boy was she wrong! My email inbox is loaded with hundreds of emails containing stories, ideas, photographs, and offers of volunteer help . . . and from all over the world!
                                         
Can’t never did nothin’!

March-ing onward

We have a new item for the Guide in March – an epic poem, complete with a great graphic that will serve as our front cover.  Also, we have an extensive article on the Scythian beginnings of the Celtic race as mentioned in the Declaration of Arbroath. There's much more in store, speaking of which, we are thinking hard about starting a store on our site for Celtic and Viking related items. That's down the road a bit as we figure out the logistics.

Also, I am just beginning to link my other websites to the Guide website. I have years worth of articles on many subjects that need to be rounded up and put in one corral, so to speak. TIme is the most valuable thing we have and I don't have quite enough of it at the moment, but I make the minutes count.

One a slightly different note, I just had a paper accepted by the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum on some information I found that they are eager to read. I also submitted a copy to the Robert Jackson Center, personally. Jackson never graduated law school, and yet he will be the only person in history to serve as U.S. Solicitor General, Attorney General, Justice of the Supreme Court and Chief Prosecutor of an international war crimes tribunal - namely the Nazis trials of 1945 and 46.

There aren't many flies on this old geezer.

Take care and enjoy.

The Celtic Guide

Special Appeal

THE PIER is an award winning film, featured at over 30 International film festivals, about an Emigrant son's return to his ailing father....and it's on kickstarter for distribution so that it can be seen on the screen. Organizations and even Irish clans see the importance of telling stories of the diaspora and have come out to support in droves. You can see on the link to our kickstarter our partner/supporters who are spreading the word:http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1610111536/the-pier?ref=live They include (from us and world wide...all united to support Irish Culture). Irish films are far and few between and organizations are uniting to help new voices.

The Irish Film Board http://www.irishfilmboard.ie/


The Irish American Cultural Institute www.iaci-usa.org/


The Irish Film Institute http://www.irishfilm.ie/


New York Irish Center http://www.newyorkirishcenter.org/


Centre for Creative Practices www.cfcp.ie


Irish Abroad http://www.irishabroad.com


The Driscolls of Canada - http://www.odriscoll-canada.com/


The Power Clan Gathering http://powerclangathering.com/


McAuliffe Clan Gathering Facilitator


Irish Gathering www.irishgathering.ie

.... however despite these supporters we are at 37% with 4 days left. We need to spread the word far and wide and hope to have your support with a link to our kickstarter. Feel free to use any information that is on the kickstarter link as well. Thanks so much for your consideration.

"In The Pier, it was important to me to stay honest and show humble people bravely facing their lives. I wanted to honour the part of the world I come from - a place which is generally glossed over by a cloud of vapid clichés in Hollywood movies." --Gerard Hurley, THE PIER Director/Writer/Actor

It's here folks . . .. February 2013

. . . and it's a great issue with stories from Canada, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Galicia in Portugal and Spain, and even a sprinkling of Colonial America. I think for a sole editor, publisher, layout artist, contributing author and floor sweeper, along with a wonderful, great, fabulous bunch of volunteer authors from all over the Celtic world, we do a pretty damn good job of it!

I have already received five stories for our March issue so I better get busy on that while you folks enjoy the Feb issue at:

The Celtic Guide

February 2013 issue almost ready

By early next week you'll be treated to our latest FREE edition of Celtic Guide. We have a somewhat surprising front cover and accompanying story, I just don't want to give it away too soon. Our theme is Celtic Ceremonies and we have information on coronations, funerals, weddings and more. There are some very detailed articles on Gaelic kings, and on Pict kings. The fire ceremonies of Europe, begun in the ancient days when Celts were considered the "first Europeans," help explain more modern Yule Log fires. There are stories from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Galicia (Portugal/Spain), and even a quick look at "Irish" customs in Colonial America.

Once again our great group of authors have taken the theme of "ceremony" to some interesting destinations. Watch for the newest issue of Celtic Guide any day now.

Jim

Click here for The Celtic Guide

A Concrete Example

We always read about "ancient knowledge" and how there may be more of it yet to discover. For those who scoff, I offer this concrete example, and I do mean concrete. I was watching a show on ancient buildings and the subject of concrete and cement came up. I spent til 1:30 in the morning reading up on it and found that the Romans had concrete that could dry or set up under water, but after their civilization collapsed that knowledge was hidden until the mid 1750s when a Scotsman (of course) rediscovered it.

 The Romans used volcanic ash. This gentleman used the slag left over from iron smelting. Turns out both substances had silica in them and that is what made the under water drying possible. So anytime anyone says there's no such thing as ancient knowledge being rediscovered . . . NOT!

 I will be covering this story in our "game changers" issue for March.

A New Year

Here we go! The world didn't end, the sun is shining (at least in a few places) and our New Beginnings website and January issue has already garnered a couple thousand hits.

We have lots of plans for this year, and, as this is just my part time hobby, it will take a little time . . . but we never let our guard down. Anyone who want to participate, just give me an email holler.

Very excited about what is on its way and if we grow anything like we did over last year - look out!

Jim

The Celtic Guide