A series of challenging Presentations from friends of Bard Mythologies. We call it Mythic Minds because the content connected well with the myths we were and are exploring. These were presentations made during one of the Bards Nine Waves Immersions.
Mythic Mind 1 – Ian Hughes
Leadership: Dangerous Personalities destroying Democracy – and what we can do about it
He is a Senior Research Fellow at the MaREI Centre at University College Cork in Ireland.
This is a provocative insight from Ian Hughes, author of ‘Disordered Minds’ as to how so many leaders in the last century had one, two or three significant personality disorders – that harmed not just themselves but others.
Mythic Mind 2 – John Ashton
An Invocation: An enchanting journey into Ireland’s deep mythic heritage and enduring relevance
After a number of years as advisor on environment to three British goernments he set up an environmental consultancy. Then spent four years caring for his mother.
This is an urgent invocation as to the special role myth, especially Irish Myth, can play and must play in our lives in a troubled modernity. For an arrivee these words are about a deeply respectful immersion and internalising of the Irish Myth tradition as well as highlighting their global-ness.
Mythic Mind 3 – Marie Therese Walker
Jewellery and Storytelling: A gifted Jeweller speaks to her art as storytelling and how story brings a ‘jewel’ to life.
Marie Therese Walker is a craftswoman whose work is informed by story and myth and whose jewels tell a story. It is a reciprocal relationship where matter comes to life, and life is somehow enriched by a beautiful, sacred even, thing. Her passion is infectious.
Mythic Mind 4 – Brendan Tobin
Legal Systems: The Law of Indigenous Peoples
This powerful talk from Brendan Tobin, Author and Researcher explores customary law, its relation to other legal systems and the fit of traditional law with oral myth systems. Brendan looked at The world’s indigenous systems of law before coming back to his own country’s Brehon Law. Brendan also looks at Human Rights Law.
Mythic Mind 5 – Máirin ni Nualláin
Jungian Psychology with Irish Myth
Jungian Analyst and Psychiatrist | Grew up as Native Irish speaker in Carraroe, Connemara | Presenter on TG4 and Radio na Gaeltachta.
Long time member of the Bard shares the fit of Jungian Psychology with Irish Myth with a particular focus on The Jungian functions and concepts like ‘shadow’ and ‘projection’. Also offers an interpretation of the four gifts of the Tuatha de Danaan.
Mythic Mind 6 – Paul Joyce
Myth and Art: A story of transformation through a difficult time, with the Children of Lir Myth
Long time friend of the Bard, Artist of the Myth, Paul Joyce shares how doing his series of paintings based on the Children of Lir helped him navigate a difficult time, professionally and personally, after the financial crisis of 2008….. ‘sometimes you just have to learn to dance in the rain’
Mythic Mind 7 – The Children of Lir – Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop
The Lir Legend in Lore and in Modernity
In this mythic evening Ellen explores the Story of the Story as it travelled throughout Europe and then how it has a particular hold on the Irish people through to today. In the second part of the evening she tells of her experience working with the Lir Myth in a variety of settings with different groups.
Mythic Mind 8 – John Fanning
Cultural Transitions: Mandarin, Musician and Sage
Working together to change the course of the Irish Economy and History
This Mythic Minds Evening is a fascinating insight in to a major transition in Ireland in the late 50’s and early 60’s. The talk was based on John’s PhD thesis “The Mandarin, the Musician and the Sage” and how TK Whittaker, public servant and economist led a major re-think of Ireland’s economic policy. But as John points out, this change was strongly influenced by matters cultural, namely the music of Sean O’Riada, and the poetry of Thomas Kinsella, the translator of the Tain.
Mythic Mind 9 – Mary Condren
Brigit: The Burnt Offerings of Sacrifice or the Living Gifts
Two world views sharply contrasted through the Brigit Myth
Mythic Minds evening entitled Brigit: The Burnt Offerings of Sacrifice or the Living Gifts of Love and Mercy? draws on her research in Irish mythology, political psychology, psychoanalytic, philosophical and feminist theories. In this evening she draws a powerful distinction between the sacrifice/guilt paradigm and the mercy/compassion paradigm of the Brigit Myths.
