McAllister's Mates Twenty Eight

Hi all

Two beautiful and uplifting pieces that celebrate my homeland - Ireland, while walking some familiar territory they both bring forth plenty of mystery and wonder. The first chapter of an exciting novel by Caroline Barnard-Smith and a mystical, yet informative essay by James Anthony Burke.

These reviews are part of Reviewstack run by the great writer and pillar of the Substack Community : Thaddeus Thomas

McAllister’s Mates - An ongoing series of reviews of some of the wonderful articles, poems, and stories I’ve discovered on Substack (and other places) and more importantly the beautiful souls behind the works.

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Please take a few moments to read the works of these authors, artists, and creators and if you find their work as life-affirming and life changing as I do, then please let them know. We need to support and cherish these voices.

You can meet some of my other friends in the previous instalments: 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Caroline Barnard-Smith

The Obsidian druid immediately throws us into the loud, bustling danger of a packed medieval marketplace. Vivid descriptions of exotic spices, loud intimidating crowds, and the baying of (possibly) charlatan traders give the writing an anxious excitement. The scene is set perfectly immediately aligning our thoughts to the heroine Gwin as she wrestles with her desire to be done with the wretched town. She muses on her days roaming the wildlands, described with just as much romance and mystery as the city’s frenetic claustrophobia. While the twin moons (referred to lovingly and with paganistic reverence throughout the text) tell us we are in a fantasy kingdom, the descriptions of exploring the forests put me in mind of the beautiful Armagh countryside. Although the moon goddesses are entirely crafted from Caroline’s rich imagination - they are grounded in the mythic tradition of the Tuatha De Dannan. A pair of celestial lovers about to complete a great alignment and position. Like so much of the story, the scene is seen through the eyes of both the righteous and raucous. The event is spoken of with ritualistic devotion, crass superstition, and even used by local con-artists and rascals as an excuse to make illicit coin or drunken partying.

Back in the city - Gwin throws her head back, straightens up, and shows her nomadic grit and tenacity and faces the city. There is a carnival In town and this is where the prose really springs to life. The bawdy humour of the local drunks and disreputable minstrels add another layer to the rich cultural tapestry of the worldbuilding. The bards and minstrels are fascinatingly written - some mysterious, some bawdy, some arrogant, but all projecting an air of supernatural knowledge. This is a story about the power of art and artists, and their ability to bend our hopes, fears, and imaginations to their will. Interestingly we see a plethora of motivations and dispositions among the bards. None of the artists in this story are automatically assumed to be kind and benevolent. Some seek to charm and inspire, others are out to make a quick profit, some driven by arrogance and the need to control. This is rare wisdom from an author, most writers love to characterise the poets, musicians, and artists in their stories as infinitely kind, wise, and gentle oracles working to save humanity. I know I’ve been guilty of making the poets heroes in many of my own poems.

As Gwin takes the stage something very strange starts to happen that goes far beyond a clever musician’s ability to charm - but I’ll not deny you the pleasure of discovering for yourself. This is only the start of a long running saga with numerous chapters already posted. Much like Gwin’s song and the dance of the moons, this is a charming and beautiful story that will draw you deep into its world.

The Obsidian Druid: Chapter One

James Anthony Burke

This is a fascinating essay on the psychologically loaded nature of doors and doorways. A mundane fact of life - we may pass back and forth through a given set of doors fifty or more times a day. Yet even in the most mundane setting we change our states and behaviour when we know who or what is on the other side. Tasks to be done, company to be enjoyed, or a difficult conversation waiting.

James explores the mental territory of both the known and (more importantly) the unknown doorways. He showcases some expertly captured photographs of some very beautiful and intimidating doorways in the Spanish medieval quarters. His elegant writing contemplates the emotions and visions these fascinating doorways create. He moves into poetic contemplations of how they stir and haunt the imagination, both begging us to grasp their handles yet subtly warning us that we’re perhaps unworthy to do so. Is it just these grand, ancient symbol-laden doors that should move us? In one of the piece’s most charming lines he states that: “some doors have forgotten they are doors”. He then raises another wise and perhaps slightly uncomfortable observation - sometimes doorways take thoughts, even memories from us. The piece points to the very common experience of entering a room and forgetting why we came in. Did the doorway steal our thoughts and memories? Was it unimpressed with, or perhaps even hostile towards our intentions to the space it guards? James starts with a mundane topic and leads a gentle but compelling dance first into the territory of psychology then mysticism.

This leads us nicely into our Celtic connection - James’ thoughts on the mysterious nature of doorways and thresholds flows into meditations and historical observations on the otherworld of Irish myth - the realm of the Sidhe (faerie folk), often accessed through caves, doorways into barrows or an unwary fall into a hollow. James then relates stories, myths, and contemplations on the nature of Ireland’s underworld kingdom both as an observant journalist and a hopelessly romantic poet. (I’ve always thought “hopeless” romantic to be an odd turn of phrase). James combines easily digestible though passionate references to scholarly mythological materials, good natured observations of the remaining customs and traditions of rural Ireland, and his own esoteric observations to provide something of a map to this underworld. For me this heart-warming nostalgia and a celebration of home, for those of you outside Ireland - I think this will be an eye-opening essay that will delight the part of you that believes (well, knows) faeries to be real. James concludes this beautiful article with a series of affirmations on the sacredness of the humble door, which (for me) actually form a tender poem when read together. James’ publication has many such esoteric/mythological pieces combining scholarly disciplined research, warm humour, and gentle wisdom - when you have stepped through this portal I highly recommend reading some of the others.

Becoming Acquainted With Doors

I hope you enjoy these beautiful works as much as I enjoyed reading and writing about it.

You can meet some of my other friends in the previous instalments: 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Substack has proven to be a treasure trove and I already have a few more gifted writers lined up for my next review newsletter.

P.S Subscribe for your chance to get your work reviewed here! You can also claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks.

If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.