A Conversation for CELTIC DEVON

Greetings from a real life Bard from Devon

Post 1

Ken the Bard

Hello and thanks for this conversation. Thrilled to find it
I am a Bard ( Celtic Harp, songs, stories, poems) From Plymouth from an old Devon Family. Now after many years travel settled in Amsterdam. I have felt in my blood trom an early age that we are not exactly 'english' in the Westcountry as a whole. I studied languages and the high inflection in Cornwall and in the Westcountry - like Welsh or the Cork Irish accent is evidence of our Celtic- Brythonic influenced language. I avoid the daft anti-english sentiments on some very zealous Cornish pages who seem to scream 'West of Tamar good East of Tamar bad' as I think 'live and let live' and we are all of mixed DNA and I cherish all cultures. However it is refreshing to see someone like minded. I have championed the Celtic cause of Devon for ages - been called 'Plastic Paddy' but NO I am not adopting a foreign culture or trying to be Irish- it is in OUR heritage . I have had reasonable success in my carreer and have been fortunate to work with some noted musicians and producers
Devon's heritage has been more supressed than Cornwalls. Due to the strategic location of the ports but I still know what I feel
Here's a word my mum used a lot (she was evacuated to Cornwall) - 'dawbek' meaning daft or silly Not sure of the spelling
Here's my website - www.littleelfrecords.com
will be on tour in jannerland smiley - smiley in may-june inc guest with the bards and druids again in Glastonbury
Good luck with the studies- I will follow this keenly
Kind regards me luvver - also a term of endearment from our shared Celtic heritage
Ken Parsons


Greetings from a real life Bard from Devon

Post 2

Ozzie Exile

Hi Ken,

Welcome to the forum.

I did have a look at your website and was interested to see the breadth of the 'offerings'.

Of particular interest was the Celtic Harp. I have very much enjoyed the work of Breton Alan Stivell,and it is good to see others continuing to revive its use.


Greetings from a real life Bard from Devon

Post 3

Ken the Bard

Greetings

My cover photo was taken at Lorient interceltic festival- A tape given to me by my friend Gilles from Quimpere changed my life- it was Stivell of course. It was like I heard something from my past- it touched my soul. Now I'm a respected harpist and bard too. Wow. I love going to Breizh- check out Dom Duff as well- he's a good friend of mine, fluent Breton singer and a colleague of Alan's. The Bretons seem to have a very healthy attitude to their Cetic roots- they are very proud of it yet there is little of the hang ups and animosity about identity we have in Britain-I have an Irish born son, Irish roots backalong form my dad's side and play a lot with Scots but there is much negative anger about our history- understandable but very destructive. Across Europe people are both waking up to and embracing their regional or ethnic roots as a reaction to depersonalized central government- it can be a good thing but it can also be a forum for extreme right wing groups- Flanders etc etc I have a learned a lot from the Bretons. I feel so at home in Brittany as if I'm with my people and Dom always calls me 'Cornish Ken' (ooops don't tell that to the more zealous Cornish nationalists who see the Tamar as some kind of Iron Curtain. ) Great to see that people are waking up to their heritage. Kenavo smiley - smiley


Greetings from a real life Bard from Devon

Post 4

Ozzie Exile


Dyth Da Kenavow,

Talking of Stivell, the first record of his that I heard was his album "Reflets". It includes the tune "Sally Free and Easy" and the cover notes included a overt nod to the celtic roots of Devon. Of course Cyril Tawney was Devonian only by adoption but we'll have him.

I will check out Dom Duff.

Dyw Genes


Greetings from a real life Bard from Devon

Post 5

Ken the Bard

I do Sally Free and Easy too - as a janner how can I not? Want to learn the Oggy Man too. Reflets is a great album. I've learned Son ar Chistr and I do the Scots Gaellic song Oidhche Mhaith. Fiddler in my band is from Aberdeen so learnt the pronounciation. I have started on a book about Westcounty and Cornish identity and I shall post further details of it on this site when it is done
One very very simple example of the shifting attitudes to our heritage is BBC's 'Merlin' show. Sure it is fantasy romp and I guess not always true to the legends but here you have a prime time show with largely Irish or Celtic cast depicting our pre anglo-saxon history. In the 70's when I was growing up the troubles in Ireland were peaking and such a show would have been unthinkable.. There is a shift in attitude. I always emphasize the humane and compassionate nature of Celtic society: Scotland remains socialist in its thinking, Wales of course has a history of social causes. Plymouth has a proud liberal tradition too. It has been argued that the idea behind our NHS was borne out of old Celtic belief in caring for the sick- they are precious as they could soon be in the other world. The one other culture in which care for the weak and sick is paramount is- despite the few headbangers who wreck it for the rest- is Islam oddly enough. I believe if people take more regional politcal control then we have better social cohesion and we can deal with challenges like immingration and islamic extremism. Britain is in such chaos as we have lost who we are. Again - great to find this forum
Dom Duff is a top bloke- set up a show for him here and stayed with him. He is a very unique and it is a tough path he treads- he sings in Breton and normally one expects trad themes and songs but he deals with contemporary themes so he is a bit at odds with the traditionalist but also quite alone for the youth culture who tend to listen to French or English. A true artist and fellow bard
See you around and good luck


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