Celtic Connections and Travels
Many trips over many years to Scotland, Wales and, recently, Ireland, deserve to be grouped together, so here we go!
I posted this in the St Louis blog, but it is also very relevant for the Celtic Connections, so I’m putting the link here. It was wonderful to see so many enthusiastic people enjoying all things Scottish and Celtic at this festival—the Scottish diaspora is very active!
Enjoy!
I posted parts of this a couple of years ago, but am reposting it with some changes, as it was bluebells season here again and the extravaganza of flowering bluebells is so inspiring. Plus, we were in both Ireland and Scotland last summer, so Irish and Scottish folklore seems more immediate now. We discovered that there is a link between fairies and folklore and bluebells, as our granddaughter had great fun following the Fairy Trail at Malahide Castle, not too far from Dublin. They didn’t find any fairies, but did see a few bluebells.
We were recently walking a trail in a local Forest Preserve in Illinois and looking for the flowering bluebells patch that we’ve seen in previous years. And they didn’t disappoint. There were thousands, maybe millions, of them, glowing blue amidst the greenery, all spread out for more than half a mile under the trees along the path.
This wildflower spectacle is a glorious, enchanting, sight and we returned home feeling refreshed and re-energized. It really is a wonderful example of the healing power of nature, so beguiling we could almost believe in magic again, and so beautiful that we couldn’t stop taking more and more photos! This experience got me thinking about bluebells and a little bit of reading brought up some very interesting facts and ideas.
The Name and Symbolism
The bluebells here in Illinois are a native woodland wildflower, Latin name Mertensia virginica, part of the borage family. So, they are a little different to the European variety, where they are a member of the hyacinth family, Latin name Hyacinthoides non-scripta from the 1970s. Prior to that, it was Endymion non-scriptus. In Greek legend, Endymion was a beautiful, but mortal, young man who was lulled into an eternal sleep by his lover, the moon goddess Selene, so that he would never grow old and die. That’s why the flower is associated with everlasting love and constancy. But, the flowers are all beautiful, and I can easily imagine our Illinois waves of bluebells having just as many meanings and myths as the English ones. It turns out that here and there we also found pink bluebells and a few white ones, and we did find a few bright pink ones in Ireland.
Another popular meaning for bluebells is humility and sometimes gratitude.
Turns out that this woodland flower is very special in Scottish, and especially Irish, myth and legend. The bluebell is present everywhere in Britain, except Orkney and Shetland. In Scotland bluebells are also called harebells, because it’s believed that witches turn into hares and hide among the flowers. Sometimes they are also known as witches’ thimbles. It was/is a symbol of beauty in Irish myth, and the Irish name is Coinnle corra.
Herbalists believed that bluebells could help prevent nightmares, and could be used as an aid against leprosy, spider-bites and tuberculosis, but the English (and Spanish) bluebell is poisonous. The bulbs are very toxic and this toxicity may be the origin of the superstitious belief that anyone who wanders into a ring of bluebells will fall under fairy enchantment and die soon after.
Other folklore tales come from a time when forests were forbidding places, and people believed that the bells rang out to summon fairies to their gatherings. Unfortunately, any human who heard a bluebell ring would soon die.
So, it’s not surprising that it was considered unlucky to trample on a bed of bluebells, because you would anger the fairies resting there. It was also thought to be unlucky to pick bluebells or bring them into the house.
However, not all the bluebell’s folklore is quite so gloomy. Some folks believed that by wearing a wreath made of the flowers, the wearer would be induced to speak only truth. Others believed that if you could turn one of the flowers inside out without tearing it, you would eventually win the one you love.
Amazing Uses
The gummy sap of the underground bulbs, which made it useful as a starch substitute, was used as a glue for things such as bookbinding (it’s so toxic that it stops certain insects from attacking the binding) and fixing the tail feathers on arrows! Apparently, the same type of technology is used today: a varnish that covers overhead wires, and the wiring systems of nuclear missiles contains some kind of poison that stops insects, birds, and mice, for example, from chewing the outer casing of the wires, thus preventing a short circuit.
Who would have thought!
Knowing this now makes seeing that sea of bell-like flowers even more special and almost magical. If I were in Ireland, for sure I’d be looking out for fairies!
I found a great site that lists many places to find bluebells in Ireland, in April and May https://www.mykidstime.com/ireland/best-places-see-bluebells-ireland/
Burns Supper: A Gastro-Literary Event
Celebrating the Life and Poetry of Robert Burns (born 25 January 1759-died 21 July 1796)
No matter how far away you are from Scotland, you have a good chance of finding a Burns Supper. According to a Scottish friend, anywhere you find Scots, you’ll find a Burns Supper, from all over the UK and as far away as Zambia. There is a strong tradition of Burns suppers in New Zealand, as Thomas Burns, Robbie Burns’ nephew, was a founding father there. Canada has many Burns Suppers too. Many places in the USA will host a Burns Supper. Here in Illinois, the Illinois Saint Andrew Society usually plans two Burns Suppers, for example.
Burns Supper in Urbana, Illinois
Here in Urbana, our Wine Lovers’ Group had its very own Burns Supper too, which we were lucky enough to attend. A lot of fun.
What is all the fuss about and just what is this?
A Burns Supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of Robert Burns, a famous Scottish poet. They are usually held on, or close to, the poet’s birthday on January 25th, although the first one was held on January 29, 1802, as his friends mistakenly thought that was his birthday. His birthday is also often known as Robert Burns Day or Rabbie Burns Day.
These dinners may be formal or informal, but will all include haggis. Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish that was celebrated by Burns in one of his poems, Address to a Haggis. All dinners also involve Scotch whisky and the reciting of some of Burns’ poems.
The more formal dinners are fun as they follow a set format, which gives us a good window into Scottish traditions. Our dinner was strictly formal, and gave us a better understanding of how revered Robbie Burns is to Scots people.
At the beginning, guests mingle informally over snacks as a piper pipes them in with his bagpipes. The hosts welcome everyone and the guests are seated with the reciting of the Selkirk Grace. This grace wasn’t written by Burns, but gained its name after Burns delivered it at a dinner hosted by the Earl of Selkirk.
Then comes the Soup Course, usually Scotch Broth and/or Cock-a-Leekie, followed by the Parade of the Haggis. The piper pipes in the haggis, carried in by the cook and after it’s placed on the table, someone recites the Address to a Haggis. At certain lines towards the end of the poem the speaker picks up a knife, sharpens it, and plunges it into the haggis—a highlight of the evening. All rather dramatic.
Someone proposes a Scotch whisky toast to the haggis and then dinner is served: haggis with tatties (mashed potatoes) and neeps (mashed rutabagas). Dessert might be cranachan (a dessert with oatmeal, cream and raspberries) or Tipsy Laird (whisky trifle), and oatcakes with various cheeses. These were supposedly Burns’ favorite foods. All washed down with Scotch whisky and/or wine.
There will be various speeches and toasts—to the Immortal Memory of Burns, to the Lads, to the Lassies—and perhaps singing of some Burns songs, and even dancing. The evening ends with all the guests standing and holding hands in a large oval (if no room for a circle), singing Auld Lang Syne.
We had it all (except the dancing) and it was a wonderful evening.
Thanks go to many people for organizing the event and helping with it, but especially to Ann and Roy Campbell, and to Wally and Jane Myers for opening up their home as the venue—they seated and entertained about 40 people. The tables were all beautifully decorated, with proper linen, candles in lovely tall candlesticks, and vases of red roses (One of Burns’ poems is “My Love is like a Red Red Rose”), and the walls had pictures of Burns.
Part of this text I’ve used in an article before, part of it is new from the dinner the other day. All the photos are new from our dinner the other day.
For more information about Robert Burns and Burns Night Suppers, check out these good web sites.
As we all know, the coronavirus pandemic has changed all our lives in so many ways, and caused so many disruptions. I believe we will be feeling the ripples of all this for a long time to come.
Sadly, one of the ripples has been our ability to travel freely. We thought that with the vaccines we’d be able to travel to almost anywhere we wished. However, with the Delta variant of COVID and the threat of new variants emerging, travel is still restricted. Even if we manage to get to some place overseas there is no guarantee that we can move around easily or that many museums, restaurants, cafes etc. won’t be closed.
So, it seems that for this blog I have temporarily run out of a lot of material from past trips. We had planned a trip this year that didn’t materialize. We are really hoping that next year we can get back into the swing of our regular travels and, if so, we plan to visit Scotland and probably Ireland. We’re dreaming of Glasgow and Edinburgh, of castles, and of the Orkneys! I will then take up posting on this blog again.
My sincere apologies and I hope that you will follow this blog again when I can resume.
In the meantime, please check out my regular blog “Around and About with Viv” at www.viviennemackie.wordpress.com
Local Food
Food gives a good insight into a country’s history and culture. I grew up in British Colonial Rhodesia, where my British grandmother and mother cooked what, I suppose, was typical food at that time: roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for Sunday dinner or special meal, or a roast chicken; shepherd’s pie; steak and kidney pie; various sausages (mostly pork, and usually called bangers) with mashed potatoes; toad-in-the-hole (sausages baked in a bed of dough); plenty of over-boiled vegetables; jelly and custard, rice pudding, or tinned fruit and custard for pudding (dessert). One dish I and my sisters remember was called Bubble and Squeak—a fried-up mix of any left-overs, that was definitely not our favorite!
My family’s cooking tended to be rather bland and I definitely remember the mushy, soggy vegetables! Not such good memories of the British cuisine. And when I grew up and began to travel the world it soon became clear that British cuisine didn’t always have a very good reputation, that it was often considered the poor culinary relation in Europe.
However, over the years, this changed a fair bit. A much wider variety of foods is on offer, based on ingredients and ideas of the cuisines of Europe, North America, India and China, that came in during the time of the British Empire and with many immigrants. Old favorites are still popular, like a full breakfast; baked beans on toast; a Sunday roast dinner; a ploughman’s lunch; afternoon tea with scones, jam and clotted cream; a Cornish pastie; and fish and chips. In fact, many articles and web sites are lauding what they call “traditional British foods” and many visitors to the UK will specifically look out for these foods. For example, this site https://fullsuitcase.com/british-food/ .
But, as travelers we can now also find many lovely salads, crusty bread, a wide range of cheeses, and fresh fish (not battered and fried) beautifully prepared.
We have been many times to England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland (not actually part of UK, but definitely Celtic) and have tried both the traditional and the new menu items. It’s been a lot of fun and mostly we’ve enjoyed them. Here’s a random selection of some of the food photos we’ve taken at different times.
Well. It’s finally 2021 and thankfully we can say goodbye to 2020, which for so many reasons was not a good year for most people. In fact, we can even say that it was basically a terrible year! It certainly was not good for travel, so all the travelers out there were getting very frustrated.
So, Happy New Year and may 2021 be a much better year for all.
I found these translations of “Happy New Year” on Google Translate. I tried to double check, and all the sites had the same greetings, so I assume they are correct. But, I would have no idea how to pronounce any of them! Any ideas?
Celtic/Gaelic and Irish: Athbhliain faoi mhaise duit/daoibh
Scottish Gaelic: Bliadhna Mhath Ur
Breton: Bloavezh mat
For our family and friends in the west, Christmas festivities and New year are very much intertwined, so usually Christmas and New Near make up a long holiday season. Over the years, and in many different countries, we’ve taken probably thousands of photos, so here are just a few general shots, hoping to capture the happiness of the season.
It’s a time to be happy and hopeful, and now we’re ready to look forward and hopefully can begin to plan some trips outside of our state and even outside of the country.
The role of pubs in Irish Life (actually this applies to Scotland too)
Music, beer and whiskey are an integral fact of Irish life. Wherever you go you’ll find many bars, pubs and lounges (many with typical names like Matt McCoy, Murphy’s, O’Grady’s) as going out to these places is part of the way of life. Individuals, groups, or families will sit and chat for hours, watching TV (usually sport), or listening to live traditional music. It seemed to us that it was like an extension of the living room or meeting hall. Many stay open late at night.
Ireland is also a land famous for writers, such as W.B.Yeats, George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde, and still today most Irish people can become quite poetic and philosophical, especially after a few beers or glasses of something.
We had AJ with us when we visited Dublin and he was eager to experience this way of life, as it is something very different from what you typically find in the USA. Paris and France have the famous café culture, but Scotland and Ireland have a pub culture. It was very obvious in downtown Dublin, partly because of all the tourists, I think. But, we also went to many smaller pubs a little off the real tourist path, and there we encountered more local people, many of whom love to talk to visitors.
Now, with the Covid-19 pandemic and all the lock-downs, shut-downs, and stay-at-home orders, we wonder and worry about these bars and pubs. It’s possible—probable even—that some of them have closed or will have to shut their doors, as take-outs and curbside pickup is not really possible. And generally, as far as we can tell from our visits to Scotland and our last visit to Dublin, the bars, pubs and lounges are mostly all inside. Most don’t offer much, or any, outside seating, or have just a couple of high tables with two stools. So having outdoors tables isn’t possible, unlike the ubiquitous outdoor seating in France. I guess that some people will still order their alcohol from these places, but that’s not the same as being inside. A huge part of their attraction is the atmosphere and the spirit of conviviality.
Here are some of the photos we took in Dublin, to celebrate and remember the pubs. We’ll just have to return in the future when overseas travel is possible again!
When we were in Brittany, one town we stayed in was Auray and one of the things we did there was to visit a huge shop/factory called La Trinitaine (which I’ll cover in the next post).
Flagpoles in the parking lot had various flags fluttering in the gentle breeze. The French flag, the flag of Brittany, the EU flag, and the one of La Trinitaine were obvious, but a multi-colored one was new to us, so we asked about it.
Turns out it’s a really interesting flag with a lot of history and legend attached to parts of it. It’s the flag of the Six Celtic Nations—one flag made up of an amalgam of six individual flags.
The six Celtic nations as identified by the Celtic League are: Brittany, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, and Isle of Man. They are considered to be what remains of the once mighty Celtic peoples that stretched from Ireland to Turkey. The Celtic League defines the 6 nations as countries where their native Celtic language was/is spoken into modern times. There are also some cultural connections and traditions. We hadn’t realized that Cornwall and the Isle of Man were also considered Celtic, so they’ll have to get on our list of places to visit sometime!
When we delved into the stories of the individual flags it was fascinating to find how much history and how many stories are behind each, and how some of the 6 nations have had an intertwined history in some way. Learning that made us realize that a flag such as this makes perfect sense.
Here’s a brief description of each of the individual six flags and the story behind them. Most of the photos are our own, the ones of Isle of Man and Cornwall not. We couldn’t find one of the Scottish flag, which seems amazing as we’ve been there so often. But we do have one of an Oor Wullie statue in Glasgow from 2019 that’s draped in a Scottish flag. (See here for the Oor Wullie story https://vivscelticconnections.wordpress.com/2019/08/08/oor-willie-on-parade-in-glasgow/
What we’ve also realized over the years is that it’s difficult to get good photos of flags flying, because the wind usually doesn’t co-operate!
First: The flag of the Bretons (called Gwenn-ha-du) in Brittany (Breizh) is a 20th-century creation and design flown in public for the first time in 1925, though there are older elements in it. The French for many years tried to suppress any cultural and linguistic distinctions of the Celtic Bretons, who are descendants of Celtic Britons (mostly from Cornwall) who fled their island from invading Romans and settled in what is now Brittany, but then called Armorica. At first the flag was thought of as seditious, but is now recognized and accepted as the regional Brittany flag.
The total of nine horizontal stripes represent the
traditional dioceses of Brittany. The five black stripes indicate the French speaking areas, while the four white stripes represent the Breton speaking regions. Cornwall also uses a black and white design—those Cornish emigres who arrived in Brittany (then called Armorica) in the 6th and 7th centuries probably influenced the Breton flag. The upper left corner has an ermine motif, with 7, 9, or 11 ermine spots—11 is the most common. Many people believe there are 11 spots, one each to represent the letters in “Breizh Dieuh”, which means “Free Brittany”. The ermine motif dates from 1213. That year the French king gave Brittany to Pierre de Dreux Mauclerc as a duchy and Mauclerc’s shield featured an ermine motif. We see ermine flags and signs all over Brittany.
Next, the Saltire. The national flag of Scotland (aka Alba) is one of the oldest in the world. It is also occasionally known as the Banner of Scotland (Bratach na h-Alba). There is a legend that St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, was crucified on an x-shaped cross, hence the flag. Another legend refers to a 9th-century battle between a combined force of Picts and Scots, led by the Pictish king Óengus (or Hungus), against invading Angles (Germanic peoples who settled in Great Britain in post-Roman times). During the battle a white cross supposedly appeared in the bright blue sky, inspiring the Pictish/Scots warriors and leading them to victory. About a hundred years after this, the Guardians of Scotland took this design, with an image of St Andrew, as their emblem. Around 1385, Scottish soldiers used this design as part of their uniforms and non-military use began soon after that.
The Tri-color of Ireland (aka Eire) (called Bratach na hÉireann) is green, white and
orange (early on it was sometimes yellow). Green represents the country itself and the Irish Catholic people; orange stands for the Protestant followers of William of Orange, whose military forces defeated those of the Catholic Stuart Monarch James II; and white stands for the hope of conciliatory relations between both sides. At one time the tri-color (originating during the era of the French Revolution and based on the same idea as the French flag—three stripes meaning Liberty, Fraternity and Equality), was considered the flag of the Sinn Fein political part, but since 1919 it is the flag of all Irish. An older green flag with a harp was also at one point the national flag of Ireland.
The flag of Wales (aka Cymru) is called Red Dragon or Y Ddraig Goch. Ddraig means dragon and is often also translated as “warrior”. If prefixed with “pen” as in “pendragon” it means chief or head warrior. In the Arthurian tales, King Arthur’s father is called Uther Pendragon. Standards and banners featuring a dragon were used by Romans, Britons (Celts), Saxons and Angles in Britain, in many battles, and even on the Third Crusade. The Welsh flag has the Red Dragon of Cadwaladr (an early Welsh king), and the Tudor colors of green and white (the Tudors were the Welsh descendant kings of England. The archers of Henry of Tudor wore green and white tunics and after he won the Battle of Bosworth he added the red dragon to the green and while stripes, which is thought to be the birth of the Welsh flag). The dragon was a symbol of the Welsh for a long time, and has been associated with Arthurian Legend (as mentioned above) and perhaps Roman-Britain unity. There is also a tale that the dragon represented the Celtic victory in battle and ascendance over the invading Saxons (symbolized in this legend as being a white serpent overcome by a red one).
Cornwall (aka Kernow) is that part of England that juts out on the west coast of England, famous for tin and copper mining. It is a beautiful place attracting many English visitors, and has a rich history, also often associated with the legends of King Arthur. The Cornish language, while now dead, is seeing a revival as interest in Cornwall’s ancient history grows, and it’s possible to take classes in it. The flag has been called the banner of St Perran (or Piran) and the Standard of Cornwall. The legend goes that the black symbolizes the black ore, while the white stands for the bright silver color of molten tin that St. Perran witnessed being smelted. The legend of Cornwall’s flag design is this: St Piran was an Irish missionary who brought Christianity to Cornwall in the 5thcentury. He was also a tinsmith and while working in his kiln he saw a white shape seep out in the shape of a cross into the blackened ashes. In reality, the white cross design probably dates from around 1188 and the Crusades. Many flags during the Crusades had crosses of different colors to represent different lands. Breton Crusaders used a black cross and it’s thought this came from the Cornish emigres who’d gone to Brittany in the 5th and 6th centuries to escape the invading Angles and Saxons, as I mentioned under the Brittany flag.
Finally, Man (or Mann, or Mannin) is an island in the Irish sea. It was controlled at different times by Scotland as part of the Hebrides controlled by the Norse domains; by Ireland; by England; and is now under the British Crown. The Manx language is closely related to Scottish Gaelic. The flag has a triskelion (also in the flag of Sicily), consisting of three interlocking spirals or other images. Interlocking spirals were motifs often used in Celtic and Norse art. The triskelion is an ancient symbol with many meanings, such as: the sun’s movement across the sky; the Celtic sea god, Mannin MacLir, whose home was the Isle of Man. Mannin protected his home by creating a mist hiding the island from enemies; birth, death and rebirth. The flag features three armored legs with golden spurs over a deep red background. It is based on an ancient Manx coat of arms from 1395 that used chainmail legs, not armored ones. It has been the official flag of Man since the early 1930’s and the current design was set in 1966.
My adult grandson and I spent a couple of days in Edinburgh while my husband was busy at a conference in Aberdeen. It was fun to show him around this famous, historic Scottish city, to visit the Edinburgh Castle, for him do a whisky tasting, and for us to test some of the pubs. Of course, we walked on many of the well-known streets, such as the Royal Mile, just as all tourists do. And we looked into a number of the touristy souvenir shops, as he was looking for special things for his mom and some friends. Some of the things in those shops are a bit tacky, but many are actually very nice.
I had fun taking photos of some of the really iconic stuff. If you ask people what makes them think of Scotland, chances are they think of whisky (remember in Scotland—and Japan and Canada—that beverage is spelled whisky, while in Ireland and USA it’s spelled whiskey).
And tartans and clans;
or shortbread, that delectable, melt-in-your-mouth cookie (called biscuit in Scotland and UK);
or Scottie dogs (a Scottish terrier);
or Nessie the famous mythical beast supposedly living in Loch Ness. But is Nessie real? That’s the million-dollar question to which there is no real answer.
Many of the typical souvenir items combine ideas from these famous icons, such as shortbread in a box or package with a tartan design.
Or whisky fudge.
My husband’s family with the name Mackie is originally from the Aberdeen area, Scotland. Mackies belong to the Clan MacKay, an ancient and once-powerful clan from the north of Scotland in the Scottish Highlands. In more recent times, some Mackies developed a well-known icecream and a brand of potato chips (called crisps in Scotland and UK), so we were also looking to buy some of those. I’m not a big icecream fan, but my grandson told me that it was very good. The chips were great.
These are some photos of a few of the items we saw. Plus a photo of something that’s totally non-touristy but fascinating. Who would ever have thought to repair something like a toilet Brush?!!
Ox and Finch Restaurant
When we were in Glasgow last summer, Rod’s conference was in the SEC Center (Exhibition/Convention Center) near the Finnieston area. It’s become known as a trendy area for eating, which I’ve written about before—see here https://vivscelticconnections.wordpress.com/2019/09/16/eating-in-glasgow/ .
According to all the pamphlets and guide books, one of the most popular and innovative is the Ox and Finch, at 920 Sauchiehall Street. So, our first night we went there hopefully, but they were fully booked for that night and the next few nights. So, we booked a table online for a few days later, and are so glad that we didn’t miss the experience of eating there. It’s not very big inside and they allocate tables for one hour 45 minutes, which they worked out is usually the right amount of time for a meal.
The façade of the restaurant is plain on the ground floor of an apartment/office building, but don’t be deceived by external appearances. There is a bar area and limited seating inside, much of it booth-style. The one side wall has a very interesting wooden wine rack arrangement that we’ve not seen before. What makes this place stand out is the food.
It’s a kind of modern tapas place, with dishes meant to be shared. The menu is sizable and we weren’t sure exactly what everything was but our waitress was very knowledgeable about the menu items. She suggested that 6 to share between us two was good. So, after lots of chatting between Rod and I we decided on 6, and it was the perfect amount of food. It’s really hard to choose, as everything looks so good and different.
In the end we picked venison carpaccio, which has juniper and peppercorns, pickled onion rings, hazelnuts and crowdie (a local soft cheese);
fennel and pecorini salad, with pomegranate seeds, radish slices, parsley and truffle oil;
scallops and pork belly, with salted pineapple, peanut satay, parsley and a few pickle rings;
buffalo mozzarella, with prociutto, nactarines, mint leaves, aged balsamic, and olive oil;
mackerel, with carrot, kohlrabi, pomegranate seeds, cilantro, dill, cumin and buttermilk mix;
and lamb and courgetti, which are lamb-stuffed courgettes (zucchini), with parmesan and basil.
The plates came to the table in 2’s and all were delicious and exquisitely served. The presentation reminded us of some special meals we’ve had in Japan, where the food often looks like edible art. We paired it all with a bottle of South African chenin blanc wine, which was perfect.
It’s not a particularly inexpensive place, but is well worth it for the experience. Our 6 dishes plus wine came to £79.
We wished we were in Glasgow longer that trip and could go again. So, I think this is on our future travel wish list! It was that good.
We did ask the waitress about the name, as it seems like an unusual combination—Ox and Finch. Apparently there is no real reason behind the name; the owner just thought it sounded good, and it certainly is memorable.
Because we ordered online, I’m on their email list and got notification that they opened again from July 2, 2020, for collection at the restaurant or for home delivery. They will be open to diners inside on July 30th.
Celtic Connections and Travels 