| Celtic Women Celebrate  By
Nancy Griffin
Women from around the U.S. and three of the seven Celtic nations gathered
in Milwaukee in October for the Conference of Celtic Women, held at the
sprawling former church that houses the city’s Irish Heritage Center.
Organized by Jean K. Bills, the Conference featured singers from Scotland,
Brittany and the U.S.
“What makes these weekends so special is the bringing together
of accomplished women from Celtic backgrounds,” said Bills, the
founder and president of the Conference. “Celtic women traditionally
have done great things behind the scenes. The Conference of Celtic Women
allows us to showcase these extraordinary women and learn from them..”
One singer, presenter and a co-master of ceremonies was Irish-American
singer Betsy McGovern. A folksinger with a pure, beautiful voice, McGovern
founded the musical group Poor Clares in New Orleans shortly after she
began her singing career in the city’s O’Flaherty’s
Irish Pub.
Accompanying herself on the guitar, McGovern, whose family was displaced
by Hurricane Katrina, sang songs she picked up in Louisiana that were
based on old Irish folk songs.
She regularly performs for children with a group called “Young
Audiences of New Orleans,” teaching them about musical instruments,
the songs and stories of Ireland, as well as American heroes.
Maureen Jelks, born in Dundee, Scotland, and now residing in nearby
Kirriemuir, told the tale of finding her voice at 40. Always afraid to
enter singing contests, she finally screwed up her courage and was so
relieved to have survived being on stage and remembering the words to
the song, that she wasn’t even listening when the judges announced
her as the winner.
Since then, Jelks has won many contests. A finalist in the “Best
Singer in Scotland” competition hosted by the Traditional Music
Awards, she was named an Ambassador for the Arts in Angus, Scotland in
2003. A member of The Tradition Bearers, a group that keeps traditional
songs alive, she sang several songs particular to Dundee.
Nolwen Monjarret, with her deep mezzo voice, sang traditional songs
from her native Brittany. One of the dwindling number of native speakers
of Breton, thought by some linguists to be the oldest Gaelic language,
Monjarret is a second-generation musician devoted to keeping the old musical
traditions alive. Her late father, Polig, developed the concept of the
Breton pipe band and founded the Lorient Interceltic Festival, the prototype
for all Celtic festivals in Britanny today. She has appeared on two albums
with the Chieftains, The Bells of Dublin and Celtic Wedding.
Two Scots women from North Carolina brought their expertise to bear
on different areas of Scottish culture. Marjorie Logie Warren, born in
Glasgow, is a Scottish weaving expert and a tartan designer. Her Thistle
Studios produced a tartan for the Conference, which was worn in vest or
scarf form by many of the presenters and participants.
“It’s the first Scottish tartan designed for women,”
said Warren. In her talk on the “Nine Trades of Dundee,” she
showed slides of Scotland and displayed reproductions of old Scottish
hats worn to identify members of different trades.
Flora MacDonald Gammon shared a few songs from the Appalachians that
are derived from Scots and Irish traditional tunes, and traced the migration
of Scots to the region.
Gammon, recognized as the “first lady of Scottish history and
folk music.” is a teacher of Scottish history at Elderhostels and
N.C. schools. She is also director of music at the Grandfather Mountain
Highland Games in North Carolina and teaches at the Haywood Scottish Dancers.
A predecessor, another Flora MacDonald, helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape
from the English.
Karin Stanley, a native of Dublin who has lived in Boston for nearly
20 years, spoke on “Refl;ections on an Irish Garden: History, Design
and Art Inspiration.” Stanley showed many slides of classical gardens
around Irish manor houses and explained the difference between Irish and
the more formal English gardens. A sculptor who creates stone art embellished
with Celtic designs, Stanley is also a garden designer who wrote her landscape
design master’s thesis on the Irish Garden.
Milwaukee storyteller and educator Jean- Andrew also participated. A
school librarian, who entertains audiences of all ages and teaches graduate
courses in storytelling, she co-founded the Milwaukee Area Story Tells
(M.A.S.T.) Guild in 1985.
The founder of the Celtic Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin
at Milwaukee, John Gleeson, was one of the few men who attended the conference.
Born in Dublin, Gleeson, who teaches Irish language courses and leads
tours to Ireland has long been a supporter of the Conference and he served
as co-master of cermonies.
“This is about Celtic culture, not about women versus men,”
explained Bills.
Between sessions, participants at the Conference had the opportunity
to purchase Celtic music CDs and crafts such as jewelry, scarves, and
tartans.
The 2006 conference will be held in Milwaukee from October 12-14. Bills
says she already has confirmation from two speakers in Ireland, two in
Scotland, and lots more musicians.
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