Iain Mac an tSaoir can be written at enjambment(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
The following is what was removed from the CR entry:
The very first front page was when it was still a local closed thing only. That dated from 1993 till 1994, and featured a horrible background of the Tennessee mountains. At the very top, under the CnG name, was the phrase, "Gaelic Traditionalist Resource".
The next front page, which went till 1995 used Stewart plaid inserted into frames. There to, at the very top, under the CnG name, was the phrase, "Gaelic Traditionalist Resource".
The next front page from 1995 till 1997 was a basic black, a hokey flickering candle at the top, and some script in light blue text about how the truth could be hidden but never destroyed, and how the CnG was about the truth of the ancestral ways. Again, at the top, under the CnG name, was the phrase, "Gaelic Traditionalist Resource".
Then the whole site went to a standard format, with the blue and black Celtic knot patch over the same design in a light almost watermark grey-white tone back ground. That design lasted till 1999, and at the very top, under the CnG name, was the phrase, "Gaelic Traditionalist Resource".
It then went to the format where there was the thin green line down the left margin of every page. At the very top, under the CnG name, was the phrase, "Gaelic Traditionalist Resource". That design lasted until this year when a real web designer took the reins and made it actually a professionally designed website.
One might also look at the CnG by-laws that were embodied in our Bunreacht. From the start we were mandated by our laws to become ever the more culturally accurate. The consistent thing here is that the CnG was always meant to be a Gaelic Traditionalist organization and website.
When the CnG first went public we were completely unprepared for the onslaughts that came. We were all local and none of us had ever heard of CR, nor did we have any idea that there was another movement at its beginnings as were we. But in short order I found others on a Celtic quest on the internet. I found these others because Dani Ni Dighe found the CnG website and wrote to me, telling me about Nemeton-L mailing list. I joined in list and found that these others were going about it differently than we, and seeking different goals, but I came to respect some of the people there.
Amongst the people for whom I developed a huge degree of respect was of course Alexei, and Dani, but also Erynn. A year or tweo later that respect caused me to ask her for help in solving a couple of things we were experiencing in the CnG.
The first issue dealt with chain of command, and other logistical matters which was causing us no end of difficulties.
The second issue pertained to the constant influx of people who claimed to understand what the CnG was about, but whom once in, began trying to remake us into the CR, and general Neo-Pagan type of thing. There was no end to hard feelings when I would feel forced to go on the soap box and hammer the point about how there was nothing to make up or reconstruct or recreate. Those hard feeling got even more hurt when I would unceremoniously kick people out of the organization, out of the elist, and out of my life. I hated doing it and could not understand why people would come in and try to take us away from our focus on the cultural tradition.
Erynn gave good advice which came to be used. Erynn was not a member of the CnG, she had agreed to be an outside adviser. We recognized her as, an afforded her respect as, an Ard-Filidh, not because she was a Clannadian Ard-Fili, but rather, because she was the highest ranking poet amongst her own people. Because she was from the outside she could see both the forest and the trees, and she gave us great advice. She gave her advice, and then she went about her way to do her thing amongst her people. Her counsel on some logistical matters was implemented to great success. She also told us that the reason why CR folk kept coming was because what we were working for wasn't clerarly enough stated for them to understand. That was like, 1995, I think, though I can look for the email archives from that time if they are needed.
We also took her advice to state our purpose more clearly. We did, with such statements as, "Gaelic Traditionalism is about the cultural traditions as the Gaelic speaking cultures alone define them".
Being more concise, more contrite, more 5 second sound bytish, didn't work either. CR folks still came in and tried to make us a CR organization. Some times they were up front about what they were, sometimes they claimed to be GT until they got into a position where they could excercise a vote. I was almost outvoted once in the council when there was an attempt to change us to also be CR. But the measure failed and I moved to have the responsible people booted. That was just one of the then famous Clannada purges that still had to occur every now and again to keep on the GT track.
I don't believe there was any sort of conspiratorial movement affoot by CR folk to try to sack us. I do believe that our desire to take up the cultural traditions as the Gaelic speaking cultures alone defines those, was and is so vastly different to what most people can conceieve that they just haven't been able to GROK it. They couldn't get it, so they didn't see the differences.
On our end, in the early days, it wasn't so apparent that non-GT folks really weren't getting it, and so there was a lot of morose language and hard feelings on all sides, as they did what they thought was right, and we, trying to keep GT as an unassimilated cultural thing, did what we thought was was right.
The two have never been the same thing.
There are some fine people out there, people who I still love to this day, like Sarah, and Tracey, and Morgan. These are people I still adore, and who at least at one time adored me. But these are people who I shall likely never get to talk to again in this life because we pushed each other into corners - a bad thing to do to any type of Celt. And none of the hurt feelings of those years, the angst that abounded, none of it was necessary.
All that was needed was for each side to understand that each movement arose independently, with different goals in mind. For us the goal is encapsulated in what became a mantra or sorts, "there is nothing to make up - only take up", as we take up the cultural traditions as those traditions are defined by the Gaelic speaking culture.
Iain Mac an tSaoir can be written at enjambment(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
The following is what was removed from the CR entry:
The very first front page was when it was still a local closed thing only. That dated from 1993 till 1994, and featured a horrible background of the Tennessee mountains. At the very top, under the CnG name, was the phrase, "Gaelic Traditionalist Resource".
The next front page, which went till 1995 used Stewart plaid inserted into frames. There to, at the very top, under the CnG name, was the phrase, "Gaelic Traditionalist Resource".
The next front page from 1995 till 1997 was a basic black, a hokey flickering candle at the top, and some script in light blue text about how the truth could be hidden but never destroyed, and how the CnG was about the truth of the ancestral ways. Again, at the top, under the CnG name, was the phrase, "Gaelic Traditionalist Resource".
Then the whole site went to a standard format, with the blue and black Celtic knot patch over the same design in a light almost watermark grey-white tone back ground. That design lasted till 1999, and at the very top, under the CnG name, was the phrase, "Gaelic Traditionalist Resource".
It then went to the format where there was the thin green line down the left margin of every page. At the very top, under the CnG name, was the phrase, "Gaelic Traditionalist Resource". That design lasted until this year when a real web designer took the reins and made it actually a professionally designed website.
One might also look at the CnG by-laws that were embodied in our Bunreacht. From the start we were mandated by our laws to become ever the more culturally accurate. The consistent thing here is that the CnG was always meant to be a Gaelic Traditionalist organization and website.
When the CnG first went public we were completely unprepared for the onslaughts that came. We were all local and none of us had ever heard of CR, nor did we have any idea that there was another movement at its beginnings as were we. But in short order I found others on a Celtic quest on the internet. I found these others because Dani Ni Dighe found the CnG website and wrote to me, telling me about Nemeton-L mailing list. I joined in list and found that these others were going about it differently than we, and seeking different goals, but I came to respect some of the people there.
Amongst the people for whom I developed a huge degree of respect was of course Alexei, and Dani, but also Erynn. A year or tweo later that respect caused me to ask her for help in solving a couple of things we were experiencing in the CnG.
The first issue dealt with chain of command, and other logistical matters which was causing us no end of difficulties.
The second issue pertained to the constant influx of people who claimed to understand what the CnG was about, but whom once in, began trying to remake us into the CR, and general Neo-Pagan type of thing. There was no end to hard feelings when I would feel forced to go on the soap box and hammer the point about how there was nothing to make up or reconstruct or recreate. Those hard feeling got even more hurt when I would unceremoniously kick people out of the organization, out of the elist, and out of my life. I hated doing it and could not understand why people would come in and try to take us away from our focus on the cultural tradition.
Erynn gave good advice which came to be used. Erynn was not a member of the CnG, she had agreed to be an outside adviser. We recognized her as, an afforded her respect as, an Ard-Filidh, not because she was a Clannadian Ard-Fili, but rather, because she was the highest ranking poet amongst her own people. Because she was from the outside she could see both the forest and the trees, and she gave us great advice. She gave her advice, and then she went about her way to do her thing amongst her people. Her counsel on some logistical matters was implemented to great success. She also told us that the reason why CR folk kept coming was because what we were working for wasn't clerarly enough stated for them to understand. That was like, 1995, I think, though I can look for the email archives from that time if they are needed.
We also took her advice to state our purpose more clearly. We did, with such statements as, "Gaelic Traditionalism is about the cultural traditions as the Gaelic speaking cultures alone define them".
Being more concise, more contrite, more 5 second sound bytish, didn't work either. CR folks still came in and tried to make us a CR organization. Some times they were up front about what they were, sometimes they claimed to be GT until they got into a position where they could excercise a vote. I was almost outvoted once in the council when there was an attempt to change us to also be CR. But the measure failed and I moved to have the responsible people booted. That was just one of the then famous Clannada purges that still had to occur every now and again to keep on the GT track.
I don't believe there was any sort of conspiratorial movement affoot by CR folk to try to sack us. I do believe that our desire to take up the cultural traditions as the Gaelic speaking cultures alone defines those, was and is so vastly different to what most people can conceieve that they just haven't been able to GROK it. They couldn't get it, so they didn't see the differences.
On our end, in the early days, it wasn't so apparent that non-GT folks really weren't getting it, and so there was a lot of morose language and hard feelings on all sides, as they did what they thought was right, and we, trying to keep GT as an unassimilated cultural thing, did what we thought was was right.
The two have never been the same thing.
There are some fine people out there, people who I still love to this day, like Sarah, and Tracey, and Morgan. These are people I still adore, and who at least at one time adored me. But these are people who I shall likely never get to talk to again in this life because we pushed each other into corners - a bad thing to do to any type of Celt. And none of the hurt feelings of those years, the angst that abounded, none of it was necessary.
All that was needed was for each side to understand that each movement arose independently, with different goals in mind. For us the goal is encapsulated in what became a mantra or sorts, "there is nothing to make up - only take up", as we take up the cultural traditions as those traditions are defined by the Gaelic speaking culture.