Roots in Erin
Celtic Festival to feature something for everyone — including ‘Celtic tacos’

King Arthur played by Larry Winn knights Sir Bedivere played by John Mraz during a dress rehersal for the play Artorius Rex:The Legend of King Arthur at the First United Methodist Church of Gallup in 2006. The play is part of the annual Celtic Festival of the Arts and Spirituality taking place this weekend at Church. [Independent File Photo]

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff writer

GALLUP — The importance of family traditions and kinship — celebrated through music, dance, poetry, and storytelling — will be the focus of this weekend’s Celtic Festival in Gallup.

Gallup’s 10th Annual Celtic Festival of the Arts and Spirituality will be from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Friday and from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday at the First United Methodist Church, 1800 Red Rock Drive. Admission is free, and the festival will feature entertainment, historical and cultural presentations, vendor tables, children’s activities, and a café with Celtic-inspired food.

In addition, a Saturday morning workshop will be offered to community members interested in learning how to conduct family history research. “Seek and Find Your Family Tree,” taught by Lynna Davis, will provide general genealogical research information, with an emphasis on Celtic research. The registration fee is $5, and participants are encouraged to pre-register so enough handouts can be copied.

The family history workshop reflects the festival’s theme this year: “A Gathering of the Clans, A Celebration of Family and Kinship.”

“Every year we have a different theme,” explained Martin Link, a longtime festival organizer. “Our main emphasis is people who think they have a Celt in the closet.”

Celtic ancestry from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales is common, as well as from traditional Celtic territories like the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, Cornwall in England, Brittany in France, and the northwestern area of Spain’s Iberian Peninsula. With intermarriage, Link added, many Southwestern families — including a number of local Navajo families — also have Celtic ancestry.

According to Link and fellow organizer Betsy Windisch, this year’s festival will have a number of new features for both adults and children. On Friday evening, an original one-act play will introduce this year’s theme. Link will then give a slide presentation about castles in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, and he will discuss the family names and histories associated with each castle.

On Saturday, from noon to 7 p.m., scheduled entertainers include Gallup’s Desert Highlanders, Pete Covitz, Michelle and Patrick Moore, and the Waves of Innisfree Dancers, and Albuquerque’s Jubal’s Kids and Blarneystone. A schedule listing the specific performance time for all the entertainers will be available on Friday evening.

Albuquerque vendor Gerald Roth will make his first appearance at the festival. Roth’s company, “Family Names,” specializes in having thousands of European names in its computer data base, along with their corresponding Coat of Arms. Festival visitors can purchase large certificates of their surname and Coat of Arms.

Scarves and bolts of fabric from New Mexico’s official state tartan will also be for sale for the first time at the festival. Designed by New Mexican Ralph L. Stevenson, the tartan, which is registered with Scottish tartan organizations, was created to be worn by all New Mexico citizens, regardless of cultural or racial background.

According to Stevenson, the woven wool fabric includes the color blue for the state’s “all encompassing sky,” green for the plant life and forest, red for “the original cultural providers,” and gold for the state’s minerals and desert.

Other scheduled vendors include jewelry by Lynn Anner-Bolieu, Bally Dunn Treasures, Mystic Marketplace, Rick’s Caricature Drawings, Sham-Rockin’ Ice Cream, Tammy’s Teas & Things, Sara’s Soaps & Candles, Kay’s Flowers, and a festival sponsored book table.

Child care will be provided on Saturday from noon to 6 p.m., and a special activity, “An Ellis Island Experience,” for children five through 12 will be offered from 1 to 4 p.m.

Supervised by Robin Valera, the activity will guide children through a historical reenactment of what it was like for immigrants who came to the United States through Ellis Island in New York.

The popular Celtic Café will sell its Celtic Taco — Navajo fry bread with cabbage and corned beef, a Ploughman’s Lunch — bread, cheese, and fruit, Welsh Rarebit, potato soup, and zucchini soup. Dinner will feature a traditional corned beef and cabbage meal from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Celtic Festival will end at 7 p.m. on Saturday evening so participants can enjoy downtown Gallup’s March Arts Crawl. Link encouraged regular Arts Crawl patrons to visit the Celtic Festival prior to attending the evening art show receptions.

In addition, because the Celtic Festival is staged each year by volunteers, Windisch said festival organizers would welcome more community members willing to donate an hour or more of their time to help with the weekend’s event.

Information: Martin Link: (505) 863-6459; Besty Windisch: (505) 722-9257 or 863-4512