OtherWise

OtherWise
for inspiration, community and sustainability
€ 4
Issue 2
Mid - Summer
Arts
Crafts
Travel
and more
Heroines - Muriel Gahan
urren
Family Constellation
eal Bread Cloughjordan Ecovillage
Cape Clear Storytelling Festival

Welcome to OtherWise
Main Editor, Art Director
Saskia Byrne saskia@otherwise.ie
Graphic Design, Layout,
Operations Director, Marketing
Jano Stefanik, jano@otherwise.ie
Front cover: Co. Clare Coastline
by Jano Stefanik
Background artwork:
Saskia Byrne
and background photos:
Diane Geddie; p. 2, 3, 39
Assistant Editor, Graphic Advisor:
Will Nugent
Printed by: www.tiskdo1000.cz
It has been an interesting and creative time since
our first issue. Thank you all for such a positive
response to our new magazine, your support is
much appreciated. We hope that you will find
this issue positive and inspiring as we continue to
focus on Communities which are a source of new
possibilities, and individuals within them who are
making a difference.
Behind all the articles in this magazine are people
who have committed themselves to their creativity
and their vision in various ways to enhance the
world in which we live. We are very thankful
to all of them for helping to make this project
possible.
As we reach the turning point of the year at the
Summer Solstice nature is at her zenith and we
are surrounded by abundance in our gardens and
on the land.
As a small child I remember the wonder of the
bonfires that were lit across the hills of Connemara
at this time, echoing an ancient celebration that
has survived into modern times.
Saskia Byrne
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OtherWise Ireland www.otherwise.ie info@otherwise.ie
DISCLAIMER: The opinions and views expressed in articles, artwork, poetry and all
other material in this publication are those of the authors and artists and not necessarily
of the editors. We don’t take responsibility for any statements or claims presented.
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EARTH ENERGIES
Inspiring Energies of the Burren
by Jackie Quelly p.4
FESTIVALS
Cape Clear Storytelling Festival
by Gerry Clancy p.8
BOOK REVIEWS
Jackie Quelly, Jack Roberts p.11
TRAVEL
Mystical Whispers
by Jolandi Steven p.12
CRAFTS
Plant Dyeing
by Grace Burton p.14
BIOGRAPHY
Heroines - Muriel Gahan
by Imelda Byrne p.16
FOOD AND HEALTH
Stand up for our daily bread...
by Colette McMahon p.19
COMMUNITY
Cloughjordan Ecovillage
by Davie Philip p.22
ARTS
Eamon Cowen
by Will Nugent p.24
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Family Constellation
by Akash Paul Butler p.26
EARTHLY DELIGHTS
Priceless Pepper
by Pinnih p.30
MYSTERY WISDOM
Sophia and the Birth of the
Higher Self
by Paul Mahoney p.33
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Inspiring Energies
of the Burren
by
Jackie Queally
www.earthwise.me
The Burren has been an inspiring place for people to both live in and visit for hundreds of years. Ever since my
childhood days there, I have felt this region shoring the Atlantic to be special. As I grew older I had an instinct to move to
areas of the world that carry strong telluric forces, referring to places where invisible forces of energy emanate from within
the earth. I later studied the subject in depth and wrote books about it in Scotland while running tours to sacred places.
It was natural after moving to the west of Ireland almost seven years ago that I looked more carefully at the Burren.
I was aware of a few significant earth grids that stretch over this area. However for many people I find that earth grids
just don’t rock their boats! I wondered how this magical land could be presented from the viewpoint of earth energies.
Eventually I managed to produce a study by dividing its landscape into five artificial divisions commonly known in
Chinese medicine as the Five Elements. These are wood, fire, metal, earth and water. For my study Spirit of the Burren
I include the area around Gort, because the Gort Lowlands in South Galway are the oldest geological part of the Burren.
I observed how in the east the Slieve Aughty hills complemented the Burren in one expanding landscape.
Some places have the ability to draw people to them, sometimes for no apparent reason. I remember a few winters ago
waking up one frosty morning and feeling a sudden urge to visit the spot where three underground rivers emerge and flow
as one deep river. Picking up my film equipment I drove to Kiltartan. Walking over the frost-hard ground I dropped down
to a sandy cover and watched the rivers flow from the deep cave there. It was just before dawn and I was overcome with
strange emotions that the deep, indigo silk of the fast moving waters seemed to stir in me. Later I composed a poem based
on the film that surprised me with its content. Not long after that the river cave unexpectedly took the life of a popular
Polish diver who had been mapping the river system there. This was a subtle reminder to me of how powerful the energies
are at that spot.
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Kiltartan waters
While many people will have personal preferences for one site or
another in the Burren, there is an underlying core energy to places that
can be reached that lies beyond individual preferences. If you can put
yourself in a neutral state when approaching a site you are then better
positioned to dowse the energies with your body. While some places
have the ability to create dramatic pulls on your psyche, others serve
to still the psyche and appear to be in a perpetual state of tranquility.
I believe that Temple Cronan Oratory and Shrine near Carron is a site
that has an innate ability to still the mind. However, I have witnessed
people who have reacted to this stillness and felt uncomfortable, as like
with many a deep place, not everyone can go there in themselves.
4

The folds of the land reflect the womb-like stillness contained at Carron - the
old cell church is nestled below the land, and nearby inland cliffs protect it from
the rawer elements. This was the first place I intuited to visit when I came to live
in Clare in 2008. Following the path round to the holy well below the cliffs is like
a mini-pilgrimage in itself. There is a great serenity to be felt here in the true spirit
of the Culdee monks.
.me
Temple Cronan, Carron
Rathbourney
St Colman’s Hermitage near Kinvara/Gort has a similar deep peace - the cave
has very strong telluric energies on the external rock protruding at one end.
Sometimes I find a knowledge of the earth grids (patterns of ley lines that overlay
the landscape) helps locate
or fine-tune a spot. The
bullaun and mound at one
end of Rathbourney Church
lies close to the centre of the
east-west and north-south
leys of a large network of ley
lines in the Burren. I find this
site most harmonious. A river
flows above ground nearby
and the overall site is on an
elevation.
The Cave
SPIRITUAL GEOGRAPHY
Reading landscapes as energy forms is like studying
“spiritual geography “, an art that I became more
aware of as I grew older, and which has fed my soul
over the decades. Once the overall context is sensed
I can appreciate the local places more. For instance
I live very close to Ireland’s tallest round tower at
Kilmacduagh, an old monastery, which stands in
splendid ruins on the pivotal edge of the Burren.
The tower’s orientation links it with places far away
beyond Ireland, and the layout of its windows is also
interesting.
Kilmacduagh Round Tower
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DOWSING LEY LINES
Using dowsing rods I was able to detect much that I can share with visitors to the old monastic complex. These include
the tracing of ley lines over the site. Ley lines are like invisible lines of energy that dowsing rods respond to when you
use them sympathetically. Each of the old churches is connected to one another via ley lines that traverse the site.
The leys create patterns that reflect geomantic principles I’ve observed at other places in Europe and Ireland. Geomancy is
a medieval classical form of surveying that ensured placement of new buildings harnessed positive energies, and that site
energies were harmonized and enhanced through careful building work undertaken. Those who built subsequent churches
over hundreds of years drew on the same ancient knowledge to guide them, so they could insure the place was both storing
and building up spiritual energy. It’s a fascinating subject that you can learn more about by coming on one of my half-day
tours and practicing dowsing. One German visitor experienced a new ability to dowse with her hands, not using rods
while there. She was delighted to feel her hands react to the energy spring beside the tower.
Nearby is a holy well, one of many in the vicinity ascribed to St Colman who also founded Kilmacduagh. Water divining
is probably the simplest form of dowsing. Since our own bodies contain so much water we naturally resonate with water
below us.
Although many of the sites in the Burren and
surrounding countryside are largely forgotten by
modern society, the old wells and early church /pagan
sites beckon many who listen with non-physical ears.
How can we sharpen our antennae to attune to the
many secrets that the beautiful Burren landscape
holds? Artists perceive special qualities in the light of
the sky and the colours of the rocks; yet we can all
become artists, sensitive to the enduring qualities of
place.
SOUND
Dowsing
Using my sound tuning forks I started to experiment with the resonance of pure sounds, determining the key notes
for particular trees or well enclosures I was drawn to. I extended this to ancient monuments then. Once I was leading a
workshop on dowsing in Nature and took the group to an enchanted dolmen quite off the beaten track near Gort. (For
anyone unfamiliar with dolmens they are a form of ancient burial marker delineated by a large horizontal lintel-like stone
and at least two end-pedestal rocks. After I selected the sound signature of the dolmen by using the tuning forks, we
replicated the notes using our voices, and began toning from different locations. We noticed a natural shift of energies
at the site, which we were able to detect using our dowsing rods. Nature responds to the presence of human beings,
particularly if they use intent to bring healing and peace. The dowsing instrument is not as important as what you feel
inside you during the exercise.
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Dolmen
6
Another instrument I use for sound healing is the
gong because there are so many layers of vibration
contained within its deep sound. It is a great way
to expand the consciousness of lift the mood of an
individual or group. Once people raise their vibration
it is much easier to become aware of nature around
them. There are hidden caves and underground water
features around Gort that we can visit to experience
the beauty of nature with acoustic (natural) sound.
I also use simple exercises to help people become
more fully present. To be fully in the moment is a
skill we much need, yet so often neglect, in our busy
lives.

MINDFUL TOURS
Whereas mindfulness training seems to help you become
aware of yourself, I feel there is also a case for becoming
aware of nature and yourself simultaneously. On my slow
tours I aim to open that door of perception. I see the tours
to be the first of a new genre in SLOW TOURISM that
respects nature and the beauty of unspoilt sites, much in the
way that food is treated with respect within the slow food
movement. For tours or talks on the Burren from a spiritual
energetic perspective contact me at info@earthwise.me
GAIA TOUCH
We have separated out from nature too much and any
efforts to reconnect with nature will pay untold dividends.
On a deeper level, the Earth is a sentient being and is
undergoing huge changes at the moment. By attuning to
the Earth we can assist her in her birthing the new pattern,
and incidentally reduce unnecessary suffering on her
behalf. One of the most profound, effective and simple
ways of bridging ourselves with Gaia/the living Earth is
by practicing Gaia Touch yoga. These are uncomplicated
exercises devised by Marko Pogačnik a renowned Earth
healer. He has suggested I teach these to all who are
interested in developing their sensitivities to the
evolving Earth. By engaging in these simple, meditative
gestures we embody the changes taking place within the
cosmic forces of the Earth, and this in turn assists the Earth
to evolve. In 2016 Marko is coming to the Burren to
conduct a special workshop and so it would be good to have
some local interest in his deep work for humanity.
Please register your interest with me at info@earthwise.me
Some of the Burren's early summer flowers
by Jan Stefanik
7 Other Wise

Truly, a Place apart…
Cape Clear International Storytelling Festival
It had rained all day, and the traffic was slower than
usual as I left Cork city that Friday. Ninety minutes later
I arrived barely on time for the late boat from the fishing
village of Baltimore, and unexpectedly ran into two of my
friends… and so the adventure began. After a 45-minute
boat journey we were there, leaving behind the black clouds
on the mainland. A car waited to collect our bags and a
blue sky welcomed us. We were free to walk to the hostel
for a quick bite to eat. Afterwards my friends, who knew
the territory, said that we could take “the mass path” to
where the performance was on. This was a cross-country
trek through fields, nettles, mud and over walls and fences,
others joined us. The time was passing and the light was
dimming. We had certainly missed part of the concert.
Eventually we tumbled out on to an actual road and we
made our way down a winding track to the hall. By now
there was a procession of seven or eight of us. The doors
were closed, but we could hear a rich voice filling the hall.
Eventually the doors opened and we were ushered inwards
to an almost dark interior except for the stage. Just as we
entered I heard the otherworldly voice of Dovie Thomason
boom “and there in the pot floated a human hand…”
This was my first introduction to the Cape Clear Island
International Storytelling Festival almost 14 years ago.
Perhaps the single most unusual feature of the festival is
that it takes place on an island situated 8 miles out into
the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Cork in Southern
Ireland. Cape Clear is one of the few inhabited islands of
the chain of islands known as ‘Carbery’s Hundred Isles’.
The population of Cape Clear for most of the year is around
100 people but at the end of every summer another 500 or
so people flock to the island for the festival weekend.
The festival was the brainchild of two Americans,
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retired writers and teachers Chuck and Nell Kruger.
They moved to the island to live back in 1992 from
Switzerland, and wondered if there was something that they
could do to benefit the island and help its economy which
was principally based on tourism and the students who
came to study Irish during the summer months. They talked
to the locals and were told tales of storytelling and how
evenings were spent in kitchens filled with neighbours and
tales were told into the wee hours of the night; but this was
now all past. The storytellers, they said, were all gone, even
the very tradition of storytelling had vanished largely with
the advent of television. In Chuck Kruger’s own words:
"The publican of the then southernmost pub in Ireland,
Paddy Burke, bless him, told me how he could remember
his parents’ pub filling with locals, and then the stories
being told, one leading to another – until, he added,
looking away, “the fella with one eye sat down in the
corner.” "

The Northern Ireland Storyteller Liz Weir founder
of the Yarnspinners community of storytelling
groups in Ireland provided a great deal of help. Pat
Ryan, an American storyteller living in the the UK
also provided assistance. Chuck visited storytelling
festivals around Ireland, and began to become familiar
with the Irish, UK, and USA scene. Finally during
the summer of 1993 a plan was put in place for an
international festival for autumn 1994.
On September 2nd, 1994 the first Cape Clear
Island International Storytelling Festival took place
extending over 3 days. Six storytellers from Ireland,
Northern Ireland, the UK and the USA took part.
Audience numbers were modest the first year but a
dedicated following was established early on and this
was the start of what has become an annual ritual for many of the audience members. Daphne Babington, Co-director of
the Cape Clear Storytelling Festival, recalls:
“. . . Chuck welcomed us personally. The tellers were brilliant, each in their own way. I was so impressed with the way they just
stood there and told such riveting stories, and was hooked. I had never been to a storytelling festival before, and found it refreshing.
To burst out laughing at a description, do really daft things and sing silly songs, to get drawn into spooky tales of fairies and to
feel the hairs stand up and being nervous to walk back to my tent in the pitch dark, for fear of the Púca, with only the loom of
the Fastnet Light to see by. . . It was nice to meet people and share the road as we walked around the island. There was no bus at
all then and no rush, plenty of time to drink in the views. The main concert was in a little hall Lui na Gréine up the steep hill.
Stories were also told in the school and An Club.”
The festival soon out grew most of the original venues. Over the years it has steadily grown….to become perhaps the best
known Irish storytelling festival and indeed one of the longest running.
So what is it that brings people back again and again? David Holt Musician and Storyteller and the recipient of 5 Grammy
Awards has appeared twice at the festival and sums it up well when he says:
“The attendees at Cape Clear have to be motivated to attend because it is difficult to get there and if the seas are rough they may
not get off the island for a day or so after the festival is over. The sense of community at the festival is palpable so the tellers tend to
do their best work. The Irish have a wit and wisdom that runs deep. Tellers sense that in the audiences, and as a teller, you know
you are in the hands of people who know a good story when they hear it.”
Each year a team of volunteers prepare venues, provides information, sells tickets, refreshments and merchandise. Over the
years this team has tended to be a mixture of locals and an international crew, whose love of storytelling unites them in a
common language. One of our past volunteers was the well-known storyteller Clare Muireann Murphy and at the 2009
festival she appeared as a featured Storyteller. In 2013 we were delighted to welcome Clare back as an MC at the festival
and this year she appears again as a featured Storyteller.
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Clare Muireann Murphy is just one of a new generation of storytellers to
have grown with the festival. Others have consistently participating in story
swaps, festival workshops and the annual Master Class held every October on
Cape Clear. Two years ago for the first time the festival committee formally
recognised the contribution that these tellers are making to increase the profile of
storytelling within their own countries. A new event was added to the program;
an early evening concert devoted to “Emerging Storytellers” which featured five
storytellers from Ireland, Belgium, France and Germany. One of these was Simone
Schümmelfeder who has since been invited back as a featured Storyteller as part
of the 2014 festival. Simone like Clare was also a volunteer for the festival in the
past.
The festival is now in its 21st Year and owes its continuing success to providing a
high quality event against the backdrop of Cape Clear Islands stunning scenery to
attract both regular visitors and first time audience members. The Festival attracts
visitors from the mainland, the UK, USA and mainland Europe year on year.
Each festival offers something for individuals, couples and families. Combining
both free and paying events such as a free Heritage Walk, Set dancing workshop,
open air Story Swap, Children’s workshop and a free Storytelling concert with
popular regular paying events such as Storytelling concerts and Storytelling
workshops, attracts consistent audiences each year.
The landscape of Cape Clear has a magic that words can’t do justice to, it can only
be experienced. Stories for me stimulate a core need to relate, laugh and share.
They reach the innocence of the human condition by transporting us to a realm
where everything becomes possible. Bringing together these two ingredients of
place and story has created a unique experience which goes on giving. There is
a story in Irish mythology called Tir na nÓg - the land where no one grows old.
14 years ago I felt I visited Tir na nÓg, and for 3 days every year around the first
weekend in September, I am transported back.
Gerry Clancy
www.capeclearstorytelling.com
Facebook @ Cape Clear Island International Storytelling Festival
Gerry Clancy has been the Co-director of the Cape Clear Island International Storytelling Festival since 2011 and is part of the international Storytelling
ensemble Story-O known for their regular varied and vibrant themed storytelling performances.
He is also a founder member of the What's the Story? Storytelling Cork event in Cork. / Facebook @ What's the Story? Storytelling
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