This article appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune July 20th, 1945

My father and his five brothers were all WWII veterans.

 

 

SAVE THE DATE! MAY 10, 6 – 9 PM FREE!
AT THE UTAH CULTURAL CELEBRATION CENTER 1355 W 3100 S, West Valley City, UT
Opening Reception with artists, light refreshments, and live entertainment by Idlewild! Join us as we play music from the period that was prevalent here in Utah. Dave Sharp - Claw-hammer Banjo, Mountain Dulcimer, Mandolin and vocals, Carol Sharp - Whistles, Tambourine, Krista Baker - Fiddle and Steve Keen - Accordion. Pioneer Folk songs, Railroad Songs, Old Time... American dance reels and several original pieces written by me in the Old Time American genre. In particular we honor the memory of my Ancestor John Sharp the Railroad Bishop. His work accomplished the Union Pacific side of the Transcontinental Railroad and all of the Southern and Central Utah Railroad completed in that time. There were other groups that also contributed greatly from the Central Pacific side of the Transcontinental Railroad and we honor their incredible contributions as well. We would like to thank the Utah Cultural Celebration Center and Music Performance Trust Funds for the continuing support of music and culture in our community.

Our Family has served Home and Country and made many contributions to society.

We have many veterans in our family and I have much to look up to and be proud of in looking back. I was in the Navy and my ship was the USS Ticonderoga, shown here on it’s way to Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin. We made two WestPac cruises to the Tonkin Guld, and picked up Apollo 16, 17 and SkyLab 1 while I was on board her. I came home to earn two BFA's in Drawing and Painting and Sculpture, with a minor in Art History. I worked as a commercial artist in the television and aerospace industry for twenty years and later went to graduate school in sculpture and became the Business Agent of the Musicians Union for twenty plus years at Utah's local 104. My wife and I have a recording label, Idlewild Recordings that has produced 31 albums by us and I am now showing my sculpture around the region with many commissions and gallery sales.

 

 My Father Dr. Byron Sharp was a Glider Pilot in the early morning hours landing behind the beach head on D-Day in Normandy France. He flew members of the 82^nd air born to help with the invasion. He later became a Phd in Geology and the best father any of us could ever have. He also had many ground breaking scientific theories and discoveries, accepted by the scientific community during and after his retirement. He worked for Energy Research and Development Agency of the United States government. My father was a wonderful Watercolorist having gone with his Uncle Mahonri Young on many trips to the Southwest. He sketched and painted alongside Uncle Hon. He met my mother Helen Elaine Spalding Sharp when visiting his Opera Singer older sister Marion when back from World War II. My mother took lessons from Aunt Marion and could sing very well and had a lovely voice as did my father who had the family talent. My mother went on to be a CEO and to form a number of non-profit corporations that championed the cause of handicapped residents in the state of Utah. She modernized care for this population in our state at the Utah State Training school in American Fork. She had many politicians and community leaders on her board and was an advisor to Governor Rampton, and Matheson. She earned many awards for her work from Jackie Kennedy, Richard Nixon and President Johnson. She pioneered the group home concept for care of these residents and became one of the leading women business persons in the state.

 

My Grandfather Dr. John Francis Sharp was the commanding officer of the medical unit during WWI in France and the Pancho Villa Campaign. He was later Chief Army Surgeon of Utah and the head surgeon at LDS Hospital. He was champion skeet shooter, owner of the Duck Club now part of the Farmington Bird Refuge. He was a personal friend of Browning the arms manufacturer, and had several custom shotguns he prized. He studied medicine in New York as well as music where he met and married Llewellyn Ferin who was an Opera singer and favorite student of Madame von Klenner. She sang in the Salt Lake Opera here in Utah. Her daughter the oldest child in front was Marion Sharp-Robinson a Fulbright in Opera and member of the Paris and San Francisco Opera Companies. Her art collection was eventually donated to the University of Utah and was the start of their Art Museum. The two oldest boys were Klenner (Klink) and Harlow (Bones). Both became medical doctors. They also played concerts on the Piano having studied many years of music as well. The little girl in front is Martha who married Wallace Toronto the president of the Chech mission to Europe during the Nazi regime and later the communist take over. She wrote a book called "A Cherry Tree grows behind the Iron Curtain." The little boy in my Grandfathers arms is Gil. He and my father were mentored by our Uncle Mahonri Young. Later Gil studied art in Paris and taught at the New York Academy alongside his Uncle Mahonri. He taught art after retirement at the Art Barn in Salt Lake for the Arts Council for many years. Gil played the Piano as well, more self taught than formal training, but he had a marvelous grand piano that sat in the front room of the Sharp family home that I heard him play for my father and I on occasion.

 

My Great Grandfather the Honorable James Sharp was a Major in the Mormon Battalion and later became, Mayor of Salt Lake, Representative and Speaker of the House for the Utah Senate, District Judge and President of the Board of Trustees at the University of Utah. His home was where the Thomas S. Monson center is today. James had three sons that all became medical doctors and his daughter Cecilia married Mahonri Young while she studied Piano in Europe and he was winning fame as the leader of the American Artists in Paris.

 

My Great Great Grandfather John Sharp had been the commanding officer, a Colonial, of the 3^rd infantry of the Nauvoo Militia and operated in the field against Johnson’s Army during the Federal incursion into Utah. He was the senior partner in Sharp and Young the contracting firm that completed the Transcontinental Railroad for the Union Pacific side of the Railroad. He was a member of the Council of Fifty, as Bishop of the 20th ward in the avenues of Salt Lake, he became known as the Railroad Bishop. For a time he and his younger Brother Joseph took over from Porter Rockwell as Salt Lake Constables, when Porter Rockwell became the Federal Marshall. He also had his house on the same block as James' house and where the First Presbyterian church stands at the present time. He and his wife Jane sang in the early Tabernacle Choir and he and his brothers had been quarrymen and stone cutters before coming to Utah from Clackmannen, Scotland. He played the flute and I found some reference to some stone carvings he had made for buildings he worked on. He led the Sharp family wagon train along with 64 other families along the Mormon trail to Utah in 1849 arriving in 1850. His son James was 5 years old at the time. His father Clackmannen John, brothers, Adam and Joseph, his wife Jane and his younger sister Agnes with her husband James Patterson came along on the journey. Quarrying into the hillside in Red Butte Canyon for their first home that winter.

 

My wife’s father Leslie Hansen was a highly decorated WWII tail gunner on a B-17 in the Pacific Theater with more than two dozen air medals. He was the base photographer at Hill Air Force base for many years. Shown here with his wife Elma Snow Hansen. My wife’s brother Richard was a Lieutenant in the Army in Vietnam, riding shotgun on many supply convoys for the base he was stationed at. He never wrote about what they were doing since he did not want to worry his parents.

 

 My Uncle Colonial John Sharp, was a fighter bomber ace in WWII and the Korean War. He flew a B-26 Maurader and a night flying version of that air craft that he flew, during Korea. With many confirmed combat kills it was fascinating to hear him tell stories about some of his exploits. He was later commander of the San Francisco Air Force Base and the Fighter wing that is now stationed at Hill Force Base in Utah. He was an airline pilot for many years after his retirement and flew Air Force One for President Regan for a time as well. My Uncle Gil was a lieutenant in the house to house fighting across Europe during WWII and later an artist that taught art at the New York Academy alongside Uncle Mahonri Young. Uncles Klenner and Harlow Sharp were medical doctors, like their father, aboard Naval Ships in the Pacific. Rod Heath a Brother in law was an Executive Officer on a cruiser in the Pacific during WWII as well. I'm fortunate to have such incredible examples of intelligent, artistic and musical family. Singing was as natural as breathing and creativity, education and curiosity was highly prized as a precious commodity. None of us are war like or aggressive, but when the time came we answered the call of community, home and country, and our contributions in peace time, were perhaps, greater still.

Master class in Traditional and World music

One of the things I love doing most is teaching and exposing others to the arts and different disciplines. I am being paid to teach a 40 minute presentation to a secondary school age group with a private institution on the music and instruments of the Traditional and World folk music genres. I did leave many of our instruments at home. Celtic Harp, Scandinavian Harp, Gothic Bray Harp, Bowed Psaltery, Kantele, Epinette, Horse Head Zither, Hopi Flute, Anasazi Flute, Xaio, Tenor Banjo, Mandolin, Hammer Dulcimer and many others.

The program for Wednesday July 18th is as follows.

1. Bransle de Chevaux by Thionot Arbeau 1588 Orchésographie                    Soprano Recorder

2. Who would true Valor see - by John Bunyon 1640 (author of Pilgrims Progress) / Cutting the Fern a Scottish melody played as an air and then as a Strathspey / Hela'r Sgyfarnog or Hunting the Hare, a Welsh country dance.                                                                                      English Cittern

3. A Honkyoku improvisation - by David Sharp - a Japanese style Chokan Jinashi Shakuhachi end blown flute sometimes called Hocchiku by the Monks of the Zen Fuke' sect that used this instrument for sacred and meditational music.                                                                         2.4 Hocchiku

4. Hal an Tow a traditional May Day song from Cornwall England. This song dates back to the days of Elizabeth the first and refers to the Spanish Armada. The accompaniment is played on a frame drum from Ireland used to separate grain whose primary use became a drum .           Bodhran

5. Goin' across the Sea / The Iron Horse / Glenn's Ferry - A traditional song about a young man emigrating to America and asking a young women to marry and follow him there. The Iron Horse and Glenn's Ferry are dance reels composed by me in that style.                         Claw-hammer Banjo

6. Air in Am / O'Carolan's Welcome - Anonymous air and Turlough O'Carolan - 1670 to 1738 - Both Irish airs are usually played on the Celtic Harp with a continuo of some kind.    Alto Recorder

7. Banjo Bob - by David Sharp - A Ballad about a Banjo playing outlaw accompanied on the Spoons.

8. Danse de Hercules / Bransle / Dance Song / Hermit's Bransle - These are Renaissance dance pieces that fit the style of instruments from the period. Danse de Hercules is from Tielman Susato's Dansereye 1521. Bransle is a dance composed by Pierre Attaingnant 1494 to 1552, Dance Song is by Valentin Haussmann 1565 to 1614 and the Hermit's Bransle can be found in Arbeau's Orchesographie 1588. Very simple melodic ideas for dancing played by me on a Renaissance wind cap instrument with a double reed.                                                                          Alto Cortol

9. Come thou Font of Every Blessing - a Shaker Hymn in use by many religions these days. The instrument I play is called the Mountain Dulcimer from Appalachia. It's history goes back to early European instruments from the Medieval period. The music scales are set for Modal music of the medieval period. I tune my instrument DAD and play in the Ionian, Dorian, and Aeolian modes in D.

10. Danny Boy (Londonderry air) / The Peat Fire Flame - The melody for the song Danny Boy was Londonderry air and is a long time favorite with people of that heritage. The Peat Fire Flame is a slow reel from Scotland named after the coal like Peat bricks that were burned for heat around Britain and Ireland. Many traditional melodies have anonymous composers since often the melody is shaped in that local over many generations from one musician to the next.

11. Curlew Junction / Get my Whiskey from Rockingham - Old Time American dance tunes played on the fiddle. A caller would often call out the dance directions for these types of dances and the local people would respond with making the figures of the dance.                                          Fiddle

12. Native American Plains Flute demo - Although there are many compositions on this amazing instrument player would often improvise a small ways outside of the villages in order to attract a young women to the sound of their playing. It is said that the other members of the tribe could identify which young man it was on any particular evening.                               Native American Flute

13. Dajcovo - This is a dance tune I learned to play as a member of a Balkan band to accompany dancers. It is a Bulgarian melody in 9/8 time signature. So the count is 1,2 - 1,2 - 1,2 - 1,2,3 for a total of nine. The instrument I play is called a Dvoyanka, a type of double whistle with a drone in the tonic or starting note of the tune. Much like a Scottish Bag pipe tune.                               Dvoyanka
 14. Hawaiian improvisational melody - Pacific Islander Culture had a unique instrument in many of the cultures across the Pacific. Nose Flutes were the predominant melodic instrument before the coming of the White Man. It is said that the breath of your nostrils could not lie, so young courting couples would often play for one another the music of their feeling for one another. They were also used in magic rituals and for when the local King would awake. In Hawaii this instrument is called the Ohi Hano Ihu.                                                                                                   Ohi Hano Ihu

15. Demo - Native American Elk Drum, and Rattle, the heart beat rhythm.

16. Cerdd Wefus - a Welsh mouth music piece. When no instruments were to hand a village could make dance music by singing the melody.                                                                Song

Finky, Binky, Stinky and Martin

Finky, Binky, Stinky and Martin

It sounds like a law firm but it's actually the names of the cats we've owned over the last twenty-five years. They each had very different personalities and little quirks. Martin was a loving and affectionate cat, Stinky was clumsy and often hit his little head running around under tables and chairs. Binky was a little scaredy cat that wouldn't come near me, but had been my wife's  little reading buddy for several years.  

The quirkiest of them all was our last cat Finky. Originally he was named Buddy, since as a little Tabby kitten he took to scrambling up my pants leg and sitting on my shoulder like a Pirate's little hairy parrot. Buddy liked that view from up there and he picked me as his master. He came from the shelter with a bad case of Stink eye or some kind of weeping cat eye problem. We would roll him up in a towel and I'd squirt ointment in his eye, an operation he just hated.

 It was obvious to everyone right from the start that he was a wild and feral cat. He was very energetic and would swipe at anything that moved which is why our grand daughter had picked him out at the shelter. It became apparent one day that he was too big to scramble up onto my shoulder anymore since he grew in size so quickly, his razor sharp claws hurt as his ever increasing weight would hang off me as he would ascend to his perch on my shoulder. Soon he was a sixteen pound grey striped Tiger and he would nip the tops of my wife's foot whenever she went into the bed room where he was kept during the day to change the sheets on the bed. I would hear her shout "no, no, bad cat!" and I would run down the hall to grab the cat and rescue my wife. When he would hear the boots stamping down the hall he would quickly run around in circles, not knowing which way to run when he would hear me coming. It soon became apparent also that he favored me over my wife to whom he was often jealous and would suddenly appear near her arm resting on the arm of the chair and bat her and run away.

His named changed to Finky at some point as we began to call him since he was a bit badly behaved. He was careful to  sharpen his claws so as not to be heard and would search for some toy among our possessions to sneak back to his room and have to himself to play with. On some occasions late at night I would hear him playing with a super ball he stole from our grand-daughter.  It would make a "brrrrr" sound late in the night, but we almost never could find it since he would hide it from us. He liked little bric-a-brac figures. If they had eyes all the better to satisfy his hunting instinct.

He learned to talk, sort of, after a fashion as well. He would learn to mimic my wife's voice to perfection, when we would come home and he would say "hello" back to us with the same inflection and pitch my wife used. He learned that if he could say it well enough we would let him out to roam in the house. Soon he learned to say and express all kinds of things. The more pitiful he could yowl like a child could get him let out. My wife would run to door and tell him he was a poor little cat. He would express happiness as well and say "rup", juts the way my wife would say "yup"!  Especially when he got let out of his room or got chicken for dinner instead of Tuna. My wife would ask if he wanted to come out and he would reply in a sad little voice "mout". 

Most nights we had a little routine where I would grab him or bend down to let him ride on my shoulder to say goodnight to Carol. Many nights I'd hold him like a child and sing little children's songs to him. My favorite to sing to him was "Come Little Rabbit". 

Help me, Help me the Rabbit said.

Or the Hunter will shoot me dead.

So come little Rabbit come with me. (I'd hold out this last syllable and the Cat would sigh with impatience here.)

Happy we will be.

Sometimes I'd make stuff up like the "I'm gunna eat you little Kitty" a song I modified from a characters singing on the British Comedy "Red Dwarf".  I'd tell him" it's the Deep Six for you Finky", then I'd grab him by his tail and belly and heave him into his back room for the night.

He often slept on my chest while I read a book, but he only let my wife pet him for just a couple of pets after five years without hissing.  When I would come home from work at night I'd tell my wife "I'm home darlin" and both Carol and the Cat would say "Hi" in unison at the same time with the same inflection and pitch. Carol and I would say together, "not you" and he would reply with a sad little "ohhh".

So after eight and a half years he had what the Vet called a little Cat heart attack. We took him in and there didn't seem to be much hope, he passed away that night after we brought him home.  He was a wild little spirit and we loved him in spite of the occasional scratch he gave us. I would jokingly tell my wife they have little brains the size of Peach Pits.  I must say though that after having had the previous Cat Binky die in my arms. I'm convinced now more than ever that they have little spirits and to the best of their ability think thoughts, and have emotions and in turn deserve compassion and kindness from us.

Dr. Byron J. Sharp and the documentation of early Man in North America.

My Father was a true innovator in the field of Geology, Paleontology, Minerology and finally Archeology. His work in the later lasted over forty five years and his dogged pursuit of the truth to put his work in the hands of people that would carry the knowledge into the next generations for much research in the future. His award was for "the Study of the First Americans" and it was his most cherished contribution, even over his asteroid impact theory and mapping energy resources to having Cambrian fossils named after him. It was a great way to grow up, and our home was a natural history museum of books and interesting collections of fossils, rocks, minerals and artifacts. He was a water color artist and had been the favorite nephew of Mahonri Young, having accompanied him on many trips around the west to sketch and water color whenever he came to stay with the family.  This is his article in the Mammoth Times along with acknowledgement of his award.

 

Celtic Culture – A to Z Blog Challenge

April 4, 2016April 4, 2016

Glastonbury Duo-David & Carol Sharp

Versión en Español se puede encontrar a continuación o haga clic aquí para ir allí. Haga clic en mí para saltar a la parte española.  Come to the free Story Crossroads Festival on April 15-16, 2016 at the Viridian Event Center (8030 S. 1825 W., West Jordan, UT).
This post is part of the A to Z Blog Challenge.  See more at http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/.
Saying that a story is Celtic is as broad as saying that a story came from Africa as if treating the continent as a country or that a story is Native American without any hint to the tribe.
Celts were nomadic tribes with their own kings and rulers as opposed to having one empire or country covering areas of Western Asia, Middle East, and much of Europe.
The following is background and advice shared by David Sharp who performs these types of tales through music, song, dance, and stories.  We are pleased that he and his wife, Carol, will be performing for the 2016 Story Crossroads Festival.  See more about his performing art group here:  http://www.idlewildrecordings.com/.
Three Key things about Celtic Stories and a Word about Celtic Culture by Dave Sharp (with permissions):
At the present time there are seven Celtic nations or cultural groups that have survived into modern times. Many have been conquered, incorporated, or absorbed in their past, but their people remain fiercely independent and have proven difficult to assimilate. Many have once again won their  independence or autonomy. In fact cultural identity in Celtic peoples is so strong that they have even been known to assimilate conquering peoples that have invaded them. They in turn becoming as Irish as the Irish in the case of invading Normans or Norsemen.
The seven nations are Ireland, Scotland, Wales, The Isle of Man, Brittany in France, Cornwall and Gallaecia in Spain. Celtic peoples migrated out of the Indo-European plain into Europe around the 5th Century BC.  Documented by Greek writers and geographers, they were written about and fought by Julius Caesar  in western Europe bringing them partially within the scope of the Roman Empire. Celtic peoples were gradually pushed westward into Britain, Wales, Ireland, and Gallaecia by other peoples migrating across Europe from the Indo European plain in their turn. With the Anglo Saxon invaders many small Celtic enclaves were surrounded and survived with a Celtic flare in what is modern day Britain as well. What we know as the Celtic people of today is in fact a blending of many cultural groups and races.
However in spite of all the diversity among Celtic peoples, the thing they have in common is a highly spiritual and imaginative mind, which gives rise to their amazing achievements in the arts. Celtic peoples are famous for their, Music, Poetry, Dance and of course Storytelling.  There is a distinct language (Gaelic, Gallic, Cornish, Cymraeg etc.) for each group as well as cultural differences yet they share many things from their past as well.

1. Mythology in Celtic Cultures

Having been great converts to Christianity they still kept elements from their Polytheist past. Each culture had its own separate myths, but held many elements in common. Gods, Goddesses, Faeries, Mythical creatures, Enchanted items, Early Saints, all made for exciting stories. Lyr and Mannan the Irish Sea Gods, Morrigan the Phantom Queen, Lugh the Sun God, Water Kelpies, The Blue Men of the Minch, the Twyleth Teg of Wales  or the Tuatha De Danann of Ireland or Faerie folk are good examples.  I might add a few as well off the top of my head Dagda, Saint Bridget, Saint George, the evil Fomorians and Fir Bolg along with Brownies and Dwarves are more ideas.

2. Hero Stories as Key Element of All Celtic Warrior Societies

Courage, Magic, Destiny or a great Quest,  figure greatly in the Hero cycles. Many hero’s would have curses on them, or magical weapons, seek the Holy Grail or have enormous strength and do great deeds that were admired by Celtic peoples. One only has to think of King Arthur, Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn MacCool), Cú Chulainn, King Llud, Bran the Blessed, Owain Glyndŵr, Rob Roy, William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, or Jack an archetypal Cornish and English Hero that has many an Appalachian counterpart to understand the Celtic admiration for their Hero’s.

3. Stories of the People

The stories of the people. Historical, family and anecdotal stories of everyday people are some of the kinds of stories told as well. Having a gift for the gab is another common element of Celtic people. Telling stories comes naturally to many people in these cultures as does an audience that appreciates a good story.  David Owen or David of the White Rock, Turlough O’Carolan, Saint Patrick, Saint Columba, Michael Collins, Tales of Royalty, and of course neighbors and family make for many a story.
I should say that many real people are often combined or confused with imaginary elements as well. Celtic Harp players from history are said to have learned their Harp tunes from the Faeries. Ancient Kings are said to have magical powers, Irish Rebels and Ancient Hero’s perform superhuman feats of strength or Saint Patrick driving the Snakes out of Ireland. Often History itself is said to combine with myth, as in the Irish Book of Invasions. Many places and sites have histories that include story and myth throughout the landscape.
There are many collections of stories from back in the Victorian days of tunes, stories, dances etc. As traditional culture began to disappear many societies and groups began to collect in anticipation of the remaining generation passing away without a record of the rich folk material that was their heritage. Chief O’Niell’s 1001 Irish Tune book is a good example of such a project. As Police Chief of Chicago he wrote down emigrant traditional melodies as musicians from the old country showed up in Chicago. (Sometimes as guests of the Jail) Many contemporaries of William Butler Yeats also wrote down and recorded stories of their cultural heritage as well.
Stories that are too fantastic to be true have a real place in the Celtic imagination.  Truth in the Celtic sense is an object lesson and often not a literal interpretation. One quote I like is “that if it isn’t true, it ought to be true.” Truth in storytelling among these cultures has a wide and varied and often symbolic and allegorical meaning.  To this day one only needs to look at all the permutations of the Grail or Holy Chalice to get a number of ideas that were conveyed in this allegorical fashion.
Thank you to Rachel Hedman for asking me to write this BLOG. I just love the subject matter and would have happily blabbed for many pages.
Recommended Books  on Celtic Stories and Lore:

• William Butler Yeats – From the Irish Literary revival he wrote many plays, folk lore collections and books of Poetry. “W. B. Yeats”  Selected Poems by Gramercy
• Lady Gregory Augusta – Also from the Irish Literary revival she wrote many plays, books and theater works.
• The Mabinogion – are the earliest prose literature of Wales. There are many translations and rewritten versions for contemporary audiences of this wonderful myth cycle.
• The Ulster Cycle -Hero tales from northern Ireland with close links to the Irish speaking community in Scotland. Tales concerning Cú Chulainn the Hound of Ulster.
• The Fenian Cycle – Hero tales from the main land area of Ireland. Irish Rebels later took their name from this group of Hero’s naming themselves the “Fenian’s” after the band of warriors led by Finn MacCool.
• “Celtic Myths and Legends” by T.W. Rolleston, Great book for reading and studying the major stories and myths of Irish Culture.
• “Classic Myths in English Literature” by Gayley – These are mostly classical Roman and Greek myths with a section on Nordic Myths, but everyone should have this in their library anyway. While we’re at it “Beowulf” is a good to have as well.
• “The Lady of Shallot” by Alfred Lord Tennyson (Arthurian Poem)
• “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” – there is a nice translation by J. R. R. Tolkien of this anonymous manuscript.
• “The Story of King Arthur by Howard Pyle” – with some wonderful illustrations by Pyle as well.
• “Le Morte de Arthur” by Sir Thomas Mallory
• “Celtic Myths and Legends” by  Peter Berresford Ellis

Aquí lo tiene.

Glastonbury Duo-David & Carol Sharp

La Cultura Celta
Decir que una historia es celta es tan amplia como diciendo que una historia vinieron de África como si tratar el continente como un país o que una historia indígena americano sin ninguna alusión a la tribu.
Los celtas fueron tribus nómadas con sus propios reyes y gobernantes, en lugar de tener un imperio o país cubriendo las zonas de Asia Occidental, Oriente medio y gran parte de Europa.
El siguiente es el fondo y asesoramiento compartido por David Sharp que realiza estos tipos de cuentos a través de la música, el canto, la danza y las historias.  Nos complace que él y su esposa, Carol, va a realizar para el año 2016 Story Crossroads Festival.  Ver más acerca de su arte escénico grupo aquí:  http://www.idlewildrecordings.com.
Tres cosas acerca de historias celtas y una palabra acerca de la cultura celta por Dave Sharp (con permisos):
En la actualidad hay siete naciones celtas o grupos culturales que han sobrevivido en los tiempos modernos. Muchos han sido conquistados, incorporado, o absorto en su pasado, pero sus habitantes siguen siendo ferozmente independiente y han demostrado ser difíciles de asimilar. Muchos han nuevamente ganó su  independencia o autonomía. De hecho, la identidad cultural de los pueblos celtas es tan fuerte que incluso se han sabido asimilar conquistando pueblos que han invadido. Éstos, a su vez, convertirse en irlandés como los irlandeses en el caso de los invasores normandos o escandinavos.
Las siete naciones son Irlanda, Escocia, Gales, la Isla de Man, Bretaña en Francia, de Cornualles y Gallaecia en España. Los pueblos celtas emigraron de la llanura indoeuropea en Europa alrededor del siglo V A.C.  Documentado por escritores griegos y geógrafos fueron escritos sobre y luchó por Julius Caesar  en Europa occidental que ellos parcialmente dentro del ámbito del Imperio Romano. Los pueblos celtas fueron gradualmente empujados hacia el oeste en Inglaterra, Gales, Irlanda, y Gallaecia por otros pueblos de Europa migran a través de la llanura de Europa Indo en su turno. Con los invasores Anglosajones muchos pequeños enclaves celtas fueron rodeados y sobrevivió con una llamarada celta en lo que es hoy en día así como Gran Bretaña. Lo que conocemos como el pueblo celta de hoy es en realidad una mezcla de muchos grupos culturales y razas.
Sin embargo, a pesar de todas las diferencias entre los pueblos celtas, la cosa que tienen en común es una mente imaginativa y altamente espiritual, que da lugar a sus increíbles logros en el arte de los pueblos celtas, son famosos por su música, poesía, danza y por supuesto de la narración.  Hay un idioma distinto (gaélico, galas, Cornish, Cymraeg etc.) para cada grupo, así como las diferencias culturales no obstante, comparten muchas cosas de su pasado.

1. La Mitología de culturas celtas

Habiendo sido gran convertidos al cristianismo, que aún conserva elementos de su pasado politeísta. Cada cultura tiene sus propios mitos, pero mantuvo muchos elementos en común. Dioses y diosas, hadas, criaturas míticas, elementos Encantada, principios de Santos, todos realizados para emocionantes historias. Lyr Mannan y el Mar de Irlanda, dioses, Morrigan la reina fantasma, Lugh el dios Sol, agua Kelpies, Los hombres azules de el Minch, el Twyleth Teg de Gales  o los Tuatha De Danann de Irlanda o Faerie folk son buenos ejemplos.   Yo podría añadir unos tan bien fuera de la parte superior de mi cabeza Dagda, Santa Brígida, San Jorge, el malvado y Fir Bolg Fomorians junto con Brownies y enanos son más ideas.

2. Historias de héroes como elemento clave de todas las sociedades Guerrero celta

Coraje, la magia, el destino o una gran búsqueda,  figura mucho en el héroe de los ciclos. Muchos Hero’s habría maldiciones sobre ellos, o armas mágicas, buscando el santo grial o tienen una fuerza enorme y hacer grandes hazañas que eran admiradas por pueblos celtas. Uno sólo tiene que pensar en King Arthur, Fionn Mac Cumhaill (Finn MacCool), Cú Chulainn, Rey Llud, Bran el bendito, Owain Glyndŵr, Rob Roy, William Wallace, Robert Bruce, o un gato Cornish y arquetípico héroe inglés que tiene muchos una contrapartida de los apalaches para entender la admiración por su héroe celta.

3. Las historias de la gente

Las historias de la gente. Histórico, familia y de historias anecdóticas de la gente común son algunos de los tipos de relatos. Tener un don para la gab es otro elemento común del pueblo celta. Contar historias viene naturalmente a muchas personas en estas culturas como sucede en una audiencia que aprecia una buena historia.  David Owen o David de la Roca Blanca, Turlough O’Carolan, Saint Patrick, San Columba, Michael Collins, relatos de la realeza, y por supuesto a vecinos y familiares que, para muchos, una historia.
Debo decir que muchas personas reales suelen combinarse o confundirse con elementos imaginarios. Arpa céltica jugadores de la historia se dice que han aprendido sus melodías de arpa de las Hadas. Los antiguos Reyes se dice que tienen poderes mágicos, rebeldes irlandeses y antiguo héroe realizar proezas de fuerza sobrehumana o Saint Patrick conduce las serpientes fuera de Irlanda. A menudo se dice que la historia se combinan con el mito, como en el libro de las invasiones irlandés. Muchos lugares y sitios tienen historias que incluyen la historia y el mito de todo el paisaje.
Hay muchas colecciones de relatos en el período victoriano de canciones, cuentos, bailes, etc. como la cultura tradicional comenzaron a desaparecer muchas sociedades y grupos comenzaron a recoger en previsión de la generación restante fallecimiento sin un registro del rico material folclórico que fue su patrimonio. Jefe O’Niell 1001 del libro melodía irlandesa es un buen ejemplo de un proyecto. Como jefe de la policía de Chicago emigrante escribió melodías tradicionales como los músicos del viejo país mostró en Chicago. (a veces como invitados de la cárcel) muchos contemporáneos de William Butler Yeats, también escribió y grabó las historias de su patrimonio cultural.
Historias que son demasiado fantástico para ser verdad tienen un lugar real en la imaginación celta.  La verdad en el sentido Celta es un objeto de lección y, a menudo, no una interpretación literal. Una cita que me gusta es que “si no es verdad, debe ser verdad.” La verdad en la narración entre estas culturas tiene una amplia y variada y a menudo significado alegórico y simbólico.  Hasta el día de hoy, sólo hay que mirar todas las permutaciones del Grial o Santo Cáliz para obtener un número de ideas que se transmitieron en esta alegórica de la moda.
Gracias a Rachel Hedman para pedirme que escribir este blog. Me encanta el asunto y habría felizmente blabbed para muchas páginas.
Libros recomendados  sobre historias de Celta y Lore:

• William Butler Yeats -desde el renacimiento literario irlandés escribió muchas obras de teatro, folclore y colecciones de libros de poesía. “W. B. Yeats” seleccionado poemas de Gramercy
• Lady Augusta Gregory – también desde el renacimiento literario irlandés escribió muchas obras de teatro, libros y obras de teatro.
• El Mabinogion – son los primeros prosa literatura de Gales. Hay muchas traducciones y reescrito versiones para el público actual de este maravilloso mito de ciclo.
• El Ciclo de Ulster -Héroe cuentos de Irlanda del Norte, con estrechos vínculos con la comunidad de habla irlandesa en Escocia. Cuentos sobre Cú Chulainn el sabueso del Ulster.
• El ciclo de Fenian Héroe – Cuentos de la principal área de tierra de Irlanda. Rebeldes irlandeses más tarde tomó su nombre de este grupo de nomenclatura del héroe de sí mismos los “Fenian” después de que la banda de guerreros liderados por Finn MacCool.
• “Mitos y Leyendas celtas” por T.W. Rolleston, gran libro para leer y estudiar las grandes historias y mitos de la cultura irlandesa.
• “Los mitos clásicos en la literatura inglesa” por Gayley – estos son mayormente clásico romano y mitos griegos con una sección sobre los mitos nórdicos, pero todo el mundo debería tener en su biblioteca de todos modos. Mientras estamos en ello “Beowulf” es una buena también.
• “La Dama de la chalota” de Alfred Lord Tennyson (Arthurian poema)
• “Sir Gawain y el Caballero Verde” – hay una buena traducción por J. R. R. Tolkien de este manuscrito anónimo.
• “La historia del Rey Arturo por Howard Pyle” – con unas maravillosas ilustraciones de Pyle.
• “Le Morte de Arthur” por Sir Thomas Mallory
• “Mitos y Leyendas celtas” por Peter Berresford Ellis