Och, ye dae ken how tae set a lass tae greetin... *sniff!* Ye've nae idea how sair a chauve these past few years hae been, an Ah'll spare ye maist o the details, but since ye askit, here's a nutshell version o "The Missin Years":

The walls o ma Ivory Tower were hie an strong, tae be sure. Ah went aff tae seminary, ye ken, an tho Ah pour'd ma verra speerit intae the wairk o the plaice, there wis aye little there tae fill me up agin. There were moments o blitheness, tae be sure, but naebody kythed ma devotion tae auld ways an Celtic tongues, an how these things micht fit intae the wairk o a Woman O The Claith. Ah returnit "hame" tae find masel forgaetten or een rejectit by the folk o ma ain kirk, sae Ah tuik tae wanderin, speerit-weary an hairt-sair.

After lang years in the desert, it wis the solace o salt-watter tides Ah wis needin. Ane coast seemit as guid as the ither, an there were freends o mine ower in Maine, sae 'twas tae Maine Ah cam, an here Ah bide. Ma freends-- a piper, a fiddler, a harper, a dancer, an ane or twa ithers-- hae gaitherit roond tae tend tae ma speerit-mendin. Ah've nae kirk the noo, but we're stairtin up this "Ceilidh Hoose" project, an the wairk o reconnectin folk wi their creative heritage feels aye wairthwhile an holy!

Here's oor official mission: "tae provide a hame for educational activities & performance events that celebrate the Celtic immigrant heritage of Maine." Ironically, we lost the use o oor first donatit facility, richt after we'd put in hundreds o volunteer hours tae paint the plaice... but Celts hae allus been nomadic, aye? We can travel licht an tak programs intae "undersairved" rural areas while we're luikin for a new office/classruim space.

Ah'm daein aa this as a labour o love, wi nae sillar tae line ma pockets, but Ah wairk as a pairt-time nanny an trade wairk for ma rent, sae there's allus a roof ower ma heid an (maist days) victuals on the table. What matters mair is the feast o music an freendship here, tae feed ma hauf-starvit hairt: the concerts wi traditional musicians, the wairkshops we host, the sessions, an o coorse the ceilidhs! Ah'm convincit that the Kingdom o God is rilly Ane Big Ceilidh, wi everyane welcome an everyane jynin in.

Hmmm... sae, I guess Ah DID become a Woman o the Claith-- but ma particular claith happenit tae be a length o tartan, or aiblins a linen gown o saffron hue! Onyway, muckle thanks for keepin me in yir thochts durin ma desert sojourn, an muckle mair thanks for welcomin me back intae the Mudcat fold!

Yirs aye,

--Cuilionn