Harvest Love Knots

"Drawing by John Roos ©2005"

In Northern Ireland, young men and women would take long braids of straw and twist them into deocrative knots. These harvest knots were then given as love tokens for men to wear on their lapels and women to wear in their hair. When one's lover accepred a harvest knot, it was assumed that a wedding would follow in the next spring.

Today, love knots are made with raffia and adorned with flowers and colorful ribbons. They are used as a boutonniere for the groom, worn in the bride's hair, attached to the bride's bouquet, and even used as napkin rings for the reception feast.

Copyright © 2005 by Anne Roos, excerpt from the liner notes to "Haste to the Wedding" CD, available on the Cambria Master Recordings Label. All rights reserved.

Can you read between the lines?

In the lyrics to the traditional Irish Percy French song, "Come Back Paddy Reilly,", who could it be who is calling for him to, "come back to me"? Could it be Percy French, Paddy's horse, or perhaps an unknown lover who isn't included in the lyrics?

See if you can read between the lines and figure out the lyrics of the newest download! This complimentary solo Celtic harp tune can be found in the section of my website called the Celtic Club. If you're already a member, go to the login page, enter your email address and password, and enjoy! (If you forgot your password, notify me).

If you're not yet a member, there is no cost or obligation to receive this download. When you sign up, you'll get a solo Celtic harp tune for your own use plus interesting background information about the tune. After you receive your first download, I'll drop you a line whenever there is a new tune posted.

The free download in the Celtic Club is just a sample of what I play. You can now purchase complete album downloads at my website, too.

Celtic Holiday Gift Baskets

I’ll admit that I haven’t put a lot of time into my postings as of late....I have two new CDs coming out that should be available for your holiday shopping! So, I’ve been thinking about creating holiday gift baskets to add to my website store.

Of course I’ll include my CDs, and here are some of the other items I am thinking of including:

• One or two tea cups filled with Irish Breakfast tea bags
• A Celtic bookmark
• Celtic beads or pendants
and ???

What would you like to see in my Celtic music holiday gift baskets?