Geoff Ritchie has been interested in his Celtic Roots since he was a teenager living in south east Asia. Fascinated as he was by Asian history and culture, he realized he knew very little about his own ancestry. From such small beginnings grew Geoff's life long interest in things Celtic.In the early 1980s, Geoff was given "The Book of Scottish Songs" as a birthday gift. Printed in 1843, this small book is a treasure trove of Scottish musical history. Leather bound with gold print on its cover, its fine onion skin paper contains over 1200 poems and songs, with biographical notes and commentary running throughout. Curiously, there are only two illustrations in the entire publication. One, aptly entitled "A Rocking!" (click on picture at right to go to larger image) shows a scene of merrymakers in front of a fire, dancing the night away. Thus was born the title of our latest column, "A Rocking! Old Scottish Songs" by Geoff Ritchie.
It is fitting that A Rocking! Old Scottish Songs begins in the days leading up to the Celtic New Year, which
Geoff Ritchie lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada where he works as an arborist and naturalist. He lives with his two children, Ashlyn, age 8, and Duncan, age 5. When they are not at home, they are enjoying the seasons at their land on the beautiful Tay River, in southern New Brunswick. |
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