Updated information concerning the 2008 line-up of enriching workshops is on its way! Below represents some of the fine workshops we've prsented in the past.

• Introduction to Welsh, led by Cheryl Mitchell
  Master a few key phrases of Welsh: "Good morning!"; "Where is the bathroom?"; "Which beer do you recommend?," all the important ones!
• Introduction to Hand-Spinning, led by Lissa Hurwitz, Jinann Larson, Jayme Stahl, and Carol Topp
  Learn how to create yarn using a drop-spindle, one of the oldest and most important technologies in Celtic history. Talented local spinners and knitters, Lissa, Jinann, Jayme, and Carol will lead you through the basic steps and methods of spinning wool with a spindle.
• Scots Gaelic, An Introduction, led by Nicholas Freer
  Learn the basics of Scottish Gaelic. Nicholas Freer has been studying Scottish Gaelic since 1988, including summers at the Gaelic College in Nova Scotia, and Sabhal Mor Ostaig on the Isle of Skye. He has won numerous medals for prose and storytelling at the US Gaelic Mod, competed at the Scottish Royal National Mod., and been interviewed on Reidio nan Gaidheal. He has been teaching since 1992.
• The Living Bardic Tradition, led by Simone Parrish, Amy Ripton, and Monika Townsend
  Bardic poetry and song has flourished in the Celtic world since the bronze age, transmitting history, mythology, and culture between regions and generations. Join three living historians from the Iron Age encampment Tuatha Preachain who embrace the study and practice of the Bardic arts. Between performances, they explore the path that the bardic tradition has followed from the ancient to the modern world. Drawing on history, linguistics, mythology, and tradition, they offer a demonstration of how the strength of the Celts' emotion and history can be brought into our modern lives.
• Celtic Herbalism led by Sharon Brewer
  Learn about the historical use of herbs in the Celtic societies of Britain and Ireland and their subsequent adoption into Southern Appalachian culture. Sharon will focus on both the medicinal and ritual importance of herbs, teas, and tinctures.
• Waulking the Tweed, led by MacTalla
  Experience one of the great Scottish folk arts as MacTalla beats newly woven fabric into sturdy, prized tweed while performing traditional work songs.
• Irish Language: An Introduction, led by Beth Benedetto
  Learn the basics of Irish: Hello, good-bye, please, and thank you. Beth Benedetto is a sean-nós (old-style) singer in the Irish tradition. She attends immersion events with Daltaí na Gaeilge (www.daltai.com), and language schools in Donegal and the island of Inis Meáin. She earned the fáinne óir, the symbol of fluency, and now teaches at Daltai events. She is the Treóiraí na Gaeilge (Irish director) for the O'Neill-Malcolm branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Eireann. She has won sean-nós singing competitions at the regional level and competed at the Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann, as well as the Oireachtas na Gaeilge (Gaeltacht Festival).

The Potomac Celtic Alliance Award for Celtic Studies

The Potomac Celtic Alliance seeks to present the cultures of Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, and Galicia, and their evolution in North America, with integrity and accuracy. The Potomac Celtic Alliance wishes to emphasize both the commonality and the diversity of these cultures and the cooperation achieved in the 20th and 21st centuries to preserve Celtic heritage. It is the intention of the The Potomac Celtic Alliance to provide the means whereby the traditions of Celtic heritage can be passed on to future generations. To that end, the Potomac Celtic Alliance offers scholarships to assist university students pursuing education in Celtic Studies.

Requirements:

• Applicants must be enrolled in a university in Washington, D.C; Virginia, Maryland, or West Virginia.
• Applicants must demonstrate an abiding interest and involvement in Celtic Studies.
• Applicants must submit the following:
• a two-page essay explaining the applicant's interest and involvement in Celtic Studies and the Celtic Studies community and detailing the applicant's plans for the scholarship.
• three letters of recommendation, at least one of which must be from a professor or teacher.
• university transcripts documenting GPA and course work.

Applications must be postmarked no later than May 5th 2008. All qualified applicants will be considered for the The Potomac Celtic Alliance Award for Celtic Studies without regard to race, religion, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, gender, or handicap. The The Potomac Celtic Alliance Board of Directors will award the $500 scholarship in June of 2008. Please direct any questions to info@pcfest.org.

Submit applications to:
The Potomac Celtic Alliance: 525-K E. Market St., #295 Leesburg, VA 20176