An essential ode to the tree for Mull and it's surrounding islands. From 7th June 2005, An Tobar promoted the first Mull & Iona Tree Festival. At the core of the festival was the exhibition The Tree Alphabet of the Celts featuring images by artist Simon Fraser and poetry by the renowned writer and poet Aonghas MacNeacail.
The exhibition explored the ancient alphabet and iconography of the Celts and an oral tradition dating back to 1500BC. The Tree Alphabet is made up of 13 consonants, each corresponding to a month of twenty-eight days, plus an extra day (Midsummer's Day), and 5 vowels, which form the solstices and equinoxes. Each letter is best understood as a doorway to a vast network of correspondences and lore, held together by its tree-letters - or icons.
The Tree Alphabet of the Celts set the scene for the two-month Mull & Iona Tree Festival by unravelling some of the secrets of an ancient code. Throughout June and July, events and workshops were held to celebrate every aspect of the tree. The Mull & Iona Tree Map made it possible to discover and experience tree sites around the islands.
This was the first festival of its kind on Mull & Iona.
For the month of June 2005, Aonghas MacNeacail was Writer in Residence at An Tobar. Aonghas MacNeacail is one of Scotland most prominent poets. Though a series of word workshops Aonghas brought the hidden language of the Celts to local schools and community groups. |
