Celtic Heritage Week 2006

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This year’s Georgia Celtic Week will be kicked off with the Celtic Crossing. A new event that is jointly sponsored by the Atlanta Celtic Festival and the Bare Foot Sailing Club, the Celtic Crossing is a sailing tribute to Celtic Maritime History.

While the Celtic nations didn’t have a respectable navy of which to speak, the Celtic people have made the navies and merchant fleets of the world famous. Not only did the Celts man the sails and the rails of the ships, they designed and built them as well! HMS Queen Elizabeth, HMS Queen Mary, Titanic, Lusitania, Ark Royal – all were built by Scottish, Irish, Welsh and Cornish workers and designers. Historians also suggest that Columbus may have been using a map of the new world that had been provided to him by Irish monks.

So, to honor their contributions to the world of sail, the Celtic Crossing was established. It will take place on Saturday, May 6th at Lake Lanier. Tentative plans call for a blessing of the sailing fleet by representatives of the Celtic patron saints. Following that, a parade of boats will take place and be judged for their Celtic pride. The major event will be a Seven-legged cruise, one leg for each of the seven Celtic nations. Following the cruise, where they pretend NOT to race, a Celtic Crossing party will take place. Traditional Celtic food and drink will be present in addition to music and dance! Currently, there will be a session hosted by Irish Music Traditions, the Atlanta Branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann at the event, so bring your instruments and enjoy the craic! It will be high. In addition, there will be a Celtic band or two.

We are looking for Celtic organizations and individuals to sponsor boats in the Crossing. As a boat sponsor, you will have your organization’s flag or banner on the boat, be able to cruise on the boat during the Crossing as well and have two tickets to the party. In addition, any publicity we produce will mention your participation as well.

For more information, contact Lance Jones (770) 446-3433 or Steve O’Hagan (404) 993-4540.

Georgia Celtic Week 2005

Celtic Day 2004