Category Archives: General

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27 Jan 2019 – The Musical Theatre Group🎼🎤🎶🎹  provided us with a fantastic, full and varied afternoon of entertainment.  Tea ☕ and Biscuits🍪 in the interval of course.  

Our first visit of 2019 was to Pennington Flash, one of our regular sites which always provides a good morning’s bird watching.

Ten members of the group attended and a total of 45 species were recorded.

Highlights of this visit included:

• A mixed flock of about 10 Lesser Redpoll and 3 Siskin
• A Treecreeper
• The large number of Goosander
• 3 Goldeneye
• Willow Tit, Grey Wagtail and Bullfinch

Thanks to Colin Ratcliff who took a ‘shot in the dark’ and used Photoshop to recover this image of the Treecreeper.

Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full list of species seen and some more pictures taken at Pennington.

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Celebrating the U3A’s 15th birthday

The autumn of 2018 was a busy time for our choir.  We sang at Springfield and Ince Blundell Nursing Homes, took  part in the U3A 15th birthday celebrations and organised the U3A Advent service in Christ Church.  Members of the congregation brought contributions for the Ormskirk food bank and we all shared in the real meaning of Christmas.

Click or tap on any photo to run the gallery as a slide show.

Choir in Christ Church

U3A Choir Performance

Choir and Recorder Group

1. Waders and how to recognise them

Ruff in winter plumage (Photo by Pete Gately at Martin Mere, 2018)

The meeting started with a very interesting talk by Bill Hale on ‘Waders and how to recognise them’ focussing on Curlew, Whimbrel, Ruff, Common Snipe, Jack Snipe, Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits, Knott and Stint.

Aggressive Black-tailed Godwits (Photo by Peter Banks at Martin Mere, 2018)

Despite the unreliable sound system, Bill’s recordings of birdsong were memorable, and in the case of the curlew, haunting.  The video of clouds of Knott in murmuration over the Wash in Norfolk was spectacular and the aggressive Godwit behaviour was unexpected as were their ‘bendy bills’.

Bill also mentioned current research he is involved in into apparent seasonal changes in colouration of some birds without a second moult implying that mature feathers must be changing colour – you heard it here first!

Bill had prepared information about several more waders, so we look forward to ‘Part Two’ of his talk!  Bill’s immense knowledge and dry Lancastrian humour made it an enthralling session, we are lucky to have him in our group.

2. Review of 2018 visits and sightings

Peter Banks presented the summary of visits and sightings for 2018, copies of which had been emailed to members before the meeting and are also appended to this report.

Two of the visits planned for 2018 had to be changed.  It had not been possible to arrange group transport for the small number who would have been able to visit Conway RSPB on 29^th May, and the wildfires that ravaged Rivington Moor prevented our planned visit on 10^th July.

All of our group sightings are recorded on the group’s web pages and also logged at BirdTrack a national project run by the British Trust for Ornithology in partnership with RSPB (and others) that records distributions and migration movements of birds throughout Britain and Ireland.

3. Proposed venues for 2019

Peter Hatfield presented his list of proposed venues for birdwatching in 2019. Six of last years reserves are revisited this year but in different seasons, one site not visited by the group is re-introduced (Rivington) and four local venues not seen last year will be seen this year (Marbury CP, Woolston Eyes, Speke Hall NT, and Hesketh Outmarsh RSPB).

4. AOB

There was a discussion about future possible venues for visits, Sand dunes beyond Hall Rd. Hightown, Seaforth Docks Bootle, and last year we put Sizergh Hall (NT) and Bempton Cliffs on the list. More comments please, we look forward to an interesting year ahead.

Attendance: Fourteen members of the group attended this year’s AGM, and apologies were received from seven.  The list of attendees is recorded on the group’s database and is available on request.

Peter Hatfield and Peter Banks, joint leaders.

Click ‘continue reading’ for the summary of visits and sightings for 2018 and the list of planned venues for 2019.

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Our Pre-Christmas Party’.✨🎄  The Cabaret 🎩🎤was  provided by our very own Drama Group who encouraged us to join in.  We had a fabulous time  Yuletide refreshments 🥨🍰were on offer of course. 

– Our regular humourist😁 and local botanist🌲🌼 Peter Gateley talked to us about ‘Autumn Colours in our Countryside’.   Refreshments and a quiz followed.

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Our final visit of 2018 was again to the WWT reserve at Martin Mere where, as always, we were treated to excellent views of a wide range of bird species many of them at close range.

Eleven members of the group attended on this occasion and a total of 50 species were recorded.

We noted the considerable variation in leg and bill colouration amongst the many Ruff visible at close range from the main ‘Discovery’ hide.

We also saw examples of rivalry between members of the same species, particularly among the Black-tailed Godwits.

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The session:

Continued Sir Thomas Malory’s “Le Morte DArthur”

1/.  This was finished in 1469 or 1470 and was printed by Caxton in 1485 (the first of our sources to make it into print).  The setting of the tale is fifteenth century, and Arthur is portrayed very much as a fifteenth century figure.

2/.  Malory lived at the time of the Wars of the Roses and he was greatly concerned about the damage that civil unrest was doing to England, and the danger, as he saw it, that the entire country was about to collapse in ruin.  He portrayed Arthur as the strong king who came to the rescue when the country stood in similar peril in the past; and as the sort of king that England needed in his own time.

3/.  According to Malory, Arthur fought a long and bitter civil war before he could secure the crown and the kingdom, but then Malory tells us that this security did not last.  According to the Cistercian monks, in their reworking of the Arthurian material (the Vulgate Cycle) Arthur’s glory faded because of sexual sin.  According to Malory, Arthur’s court was destroyed because of infighting and treachery amongst his own knights – Malory’s message to his readers being that England is in the same danger now; and if civil unrest could destroy the mighty King Arthur, it will certainly do the same to us.

4/.  Malory used most of the source materials that we have looked at so far, but then he added a lot of extra details and embellishments of his own.  In fact, most of the elements that are associated with the Arthurian legends actually made it into print courtesy of Thomas Malory.  So we have the sword that Arthur draws from the anvil, to prove that he is the rightful heir to the throne; the magical Otherworld sword Excalibur that is given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake; Arthur’s court at Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table; and Arthur’s act of incest with his half-sister Morgause that results in the birth of Mordred who is destined to destroy both Arthur and his kingdom.

The session:

1/.  Completed looking at Chretien de Troyes French Romances (Romance is an old version of the French language).  He produced five Arthurian Romances.  He was influenced by the earlier writers and stories and was under aristocratic patronage rather than working in an ecclesiastical environment so could write a different type of book and add his own details.

He was the first to link Queen Guinevere and Lancelot.  The storytelling in ‘Lancelot or the Knight of the Cart’ employs the rules of courtly love with the female being revered and the male disdained, gallantry, within a deeply Christian context.  It starts with some deep flattery to Marie de Champagne his patron.  The story covers the abduction of Guinevere and other members of the Camelot Court by Meleagant.  Lancelot who is Guinevere’s champion sets off to rescue her.  Along the way he is subject to many trials, temptations and tribulations.  Not all goes well and he suffers conflict and soul searching which at times is at odds with his courtly love ideals.  He hesitates to get into the cart as it is a very low status means of transport linked to the crusades and to losers but he should only have been thinking about Guinevere.  There are suggestions of the other world.

2/.  ‘Vulgate Cycle’ was written just under 100 years after Chretien works.  It is a reworking of the French Romances by Cistercian monks sometime between 1230 and 1250.  The church had wealth and political power and had their own agenda; they rejected the questionable values of courtly love.  They used the Arthurian stories as a vehicle to promote an alternative more Christian/spiritual way of living.  The stories were transposed from the 6^th century to the Middle Ages.  Guinevere is used to show the perfidious nature of women, they are sexual, fickle, betraying, and bad tempered; Lancelot is shown as wracked with grief and remorse.  As a result of Guinevere’s behaviour and the failings of Lancelot Arthur’s glory fades.

3/.  Le Morte DArthur, Sir Thomas Malory c1469/1470.  This book was Caxton Press printed so had a much larger potential readership.  There is a mystery as to the real identity of Malory he may have been a noble man who went off the rails and wrote the works in prison.  He may have been a professional gentleman soldier who was a prisoner of war but there is no evidence he was ever knighted so he would not have been a Sir.  Malory read Chretien and the Vulgate cycle and he also knew Geoffrey of Monmouth’s work and the others.  He then added in his own bias and influences.  Malory lived in the time of the War of the Roses and was afraid the country was going to collapse.  Arthur was a strong and resolute king whose power and glory did not last due to unrest within his court.

Little Egret at Lunt Meadows

Thirteen members of the group, the largest number this year, attended our third visit to this comparatively new LWT site which is still being developed with new viewing screens being added each year.  There are still, however, no facilities or shelter so it was fortunate that it was a lovely sunny morning, probably the best weather for any of our 2018 visits (last year’s planned December visit to Lunt Meadows had to be cancelled at the last minute because of bad weather).  A total of 38 species were recorded.

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Our Autumn 2018 Production

The last production was ‘Staycation’ at the Civic Hall

This is a Musical Comedy written and directed by our very own Gill O’Flaherty.

The Synopsis:  A group of U3A members, who always travel abroad, have decided this year to stay at home – now called a ‘Staycation’.  They use a bus tour company and end up in some great adventures – travelling around Great Britain with song and dance – before returning to their Community Centre in Ormskirk.

Our Spring 2018 Production

Our next production will be an adaptation by John Hardiker of Tony Crimlisk’s highly acclaimed “Up for It”.

At the Civic Hall on the 3rd, 4th and 5th May 2018. commencing 7.30 p.m.

£7 for U3A members up to the 24th April thereafter £8  …Children £5

This is a great musical comedy first shown in 2011 and follows the true story of a  group of pensioners who travel to London to join in a rally in Trafalgar Square. They intended to strip off to protest against pension cuts (sounds familiar). For more information search the Internet for ” Naked Pensioner Protest”.

Our 2017 Production

Some Great pictures from Musical Memories.

“We Got Life ” directed by our very own Gill O’Flaherty at the Civic Hall – May 4th, 5th 2017. Gill’s synopsis for her show is as follows:-

We Got Life is a generic story located internationally, told in song and dance. Beginnings, hope, reality, oppression, despair, dreams, inspiration, protest, revolution, escape, happiness, fulfillment and renewal. We hope that will reflect history as well as present day, expressing our lives, struggles and diversity and yet have the audience experience the sensation of that space between a tear and a smile with some well loved songs that have already touched our lives and a few ones to intrigue. 

A Review from Katie and Shaun Geldart of the Pleasure Folk

As there were five Tuesdays during this October, group visits were planned on both the second and the fifth Tuesday.

Visit to Brockholes on Tuesday 9th October

This was the group’s fifth visit to this Lancashire Wildlife Trust site adjacent to the River Ribble east of Preston.  A large site spread over 250 acres with a unique floating visitor centre and a wide variety of habitats it is always an attractive reserve to visit.  Seven members of the group attended and a total of 25 species were recorded.

Visit to Delamere Forest on Tuesday 30th October

This was our first group outing to Delamere Forest.  Four members of the group met at the Linmere Lodge visitor centre where we were joined by guest leader Peter Twist who lives locally to the forest and his extensive knowledge of the area and experience at identifying bird calls was invaluable.  After lunch Peter Twist took us to nearby Newchurch Common in the hopes of seeing the rare Smew.  Unfortunately the Smew did not show but we did record a number of species which had not been seen at Linmere.  In total 47 species were recorded on this visit.

Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full list of species seen on both these visits:

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Despite the very poor weather, we had a great 15^th Birthday Celebration.

Although we couldn’t go ahead with the Ladies Footie Penalty Shoot Out (too wet!), the following groups displayed their wonderful wares – textiles, painting, local history, and digital photography, and we even had the chance to try out mahjong and some chess puzzles. It is amazing how creative people are, in so many different ways.

There was plenty of opportunity for a cuppa and a piece of birthday cake throughout the afternoon. What a splendid array of cakes we had – some hard decisions had to be taken! A very big thank you to all those who baked or brought a cake to our celebration.

We were also marvellously entertained by some of our performing groups – choir, tap dancing, ukulele, zumba, creative writing, drama, country dancing, recorders and guitars! I think we could all relate to the challenge of buying a cup of coffee so well ‘described’ by our drama group in one of their sketches – the almost overwhelming choice of drink options & variety of payment methods. Anyone, fancy a CAMP coffee – I had forgotten about that post war drink – no, I wouldn’t want to return to that though!

Of course, as well as all the jobs on the day itself, there was a lot of planning and organizing on the run up to such an event. I’m sure you will wish to express your appreciation to all those on the Anniversary Birthday Celebration Working Party who oversaw the event, and also to the Social Committee members who looked after the running of all the refreshments on the day, plus quite a lot of other members too – a VERY BIG THANKYOU to one and all!

Val Bullen

Credits:

The membership of the Anniversary Working Party for 13 Oct event which focused on 15th Birthday,  was as follows:

Val Bullen (MC), Peter Trigwell (MC), Linda Burden (MC), Jane Astles (MC), Bill Evans (ex MC), Megan Tomlinson (MC),  Alayne Trigwell (SC), June Pardy (SC)

MC=Management Committee, SC=Social Committee

Photos by Geoff Roberts and Peter Gateley

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Book Reading Groups

Click on any picture to run a presentation with full-size photos.

Tuesday 1 May Imperial War Museum and a Tour of BBC Studios at Salford Quays

The coach departed from Long Lane at 12.30pm for a ‘self guided’ tour of the Imperial War Museum, followed by a guided Tour around the BBC Studios at Salford Quays. After extensive and comprehensive security checks, we were shown one of BBC Radio 6’s studios followed by the ‘Match of the Day’, ‘Blue Peter’ and ‘BBC Breakfast’ studios. Cost was £22.75.  We returned approx. 7pm.

Saturday 2 June Tour and Tales around the Ribble Valley

Our popular trip is fully booked with a waiting list. If your place is reserved please pay at Horizons and select your lunch menu. Cost: £32.

Departs 9.30 am outside S.&G. Hq. Returns approximately 6pm.

Tuesday 3 July Merseyside Maritime Museum and Afternoon Tea at 30 James Street Hotel

We were treated to two role play performances at M.M.M. Firstly, from Robert Hitchins who was at the wheel of R.M.S Titanic on that fateful night, 15 April 1912. We heard his moving account of the tragedy.

This was followed by Hope Chapin who was a passenger on R.M.S. Carpathia, the small liner that rescued the lifeboat survivors of Titanic from the freezing ocean.  We listened to ‘Hope`s’ narrative of the event.

We strolled to our next appointment, along Strand Street, to Afternoon tea at the former White Star Line Hq., Albion House, now restored as a hotel that pays tribute to its history.  We had a short tour of the hotel including one of the themed suites, followed by Afternoon Tea in the Carpathia Restaurant, overlooking Liverpool’s Historic Waterfront.

Cost £18. We met at M.M.M Albert Dock.

The session:

1/. Completed looking at Geoffrey of Monmouth’s “History of the Kings of Britain” including:

Arthur’s exploits in Gaul where he killed a giant on Mont St Michel, subdued most of Gaul.

Arthur set off towards Rome but returned home to fight his nephew Mordred who had seized his crown.   Guinevere had broken the vows of her marriage.

He defeated Mordred and his 8,000 strong army in a bitter battle.  Mordred then retreated to Cornwall.

Guinevere gave way to despair and took the vows of a nun.

Arthur’s final battle was at the River Camblan in Cornwall.  Arthur was mortally wounded and carried to the mystical Isle of Avalon.  This happened in 542.  He was succeeded by  his cousin Constantine, son of Cador, Duke of Cornwall.

2/. Other chroniclers of Arthur based on Geoffrey of Monmouth’s work.

Robert Wace – was an Anglo-Norman monk who translated Geoffrey’s History into Norman–French, in verse form c1150.  He introduced the idea that Arthur was not dead but would return, added the first written reference to the Round Table and expanded the chivalry and romance side of the tale.  He dedicated it to Eleanor of Acquitaine.

Layamon – a priest living in Worcester took Robert Wace’s work and translated it into Middle English, in the late 1100s.  He added in a boat and two women who take Arthur to Avalon.  He was influenced by his own time when it was brutal in Britain, he left out the chivalry side of the story and increased the violence involved and the number of casualties.

Chretien de Troyes – based in Troyes at the Court of Marie de Champagne (daughter of Eleanor of Acquitaine) and her husband Henri who were his patrons.  He used Geoffrey of Monmouth and Robert Wace as source material along with other French, Breton and Welsh sources.  He was not part of the clergy.  He expanded the chivalry and romance side of the story.  Romances appeared in 12^th Century and were popular with the French nobility.  These were translated in dozens of languages.  He introduced ‘courtly love’ which involved exquisite beauty, morals, nobility, with women worshipped as a goddess by their lovers, platonic in its ideal form, the hero having to show his worth to an outwardly disdainful woman.  The ideal did not always prevail in the stories or reality.

These translations made the story of Arthur accessible to more people as Geoffrey’s work was originally in Latin.  Books were very expensive and were not available to all levels of society.

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English Medieval Cathedrals, from the Wash to the River Severn

Norwich Cathedral

Peterborough Cathedral

Ely Cathedral

Dee and the Digital Keyboard Group 🎹gave us a full afternoon’s entertainment with some information about how the instruments work, lots of wonderful music🎵🎶🎼 and a music quiz.  The session was well attended and great fun.  We had home baked cakes for a special treat

The session covered:

Continued looking at Geoffrey of Monmouth’s “History of the Kings of Britain”.

It was only in the Middle Ages that the story of Arthur started to take off.

Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote the “History of the Kings of Britain” c 1136.  He was a well read clergyman.  He would have been familiar with early sources and welsh folklore and poetry.  He wrote it as an interesting read with added colour.  The west is Britons, the east was colonised by the Saxons amongst others.

The time at which it was written would have had an influence.  For example the references to the combat style and jousting were relevant to 12th Century not the time Arthur is supposed to have lived.

Arthur was a Christian waging war on pagan Saxons, which reflects Geoffrey of Monmouth’s beliefs.  There were massive Saxon casualties, in the many thousands.  No evidence of such huge losses has been found.

One of the old sources he used was Nennius’s battle list for Arthur.  This list was covered in our March session.  He changed the order of battles, combined and added to it.  Perhaps he had other sources for which we no longer have a record or made things up.

He reports military campaigns involving thousands of men, travelling great distances.  In one case an army 183,000 going to Gaul.  He conquered Iceland and Norway.

The result is a rollicking tale reminiscent of the Celtic warrior hero.

Nine members of the group attended our latest visit to this Lancashire Wildlife Trust reserve when a total of 29 species was recorded.

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Denise presented us with some ‘Galton and Simpson Playhouse’ film comedies on this Bank Holiday weekend, a throwback to the 1970s that had everyone laughing 🤣.     Pop corn 🍿and Ice cream🍦 were of course served for the authentic Cinema Experience.

An Excellent Presentation on Southport Hesketh Park Observatory was given to us by Edmund Moynihan.  Followed of Course by Refreshments then a few rounds of  Lucky Dip Bingo

The session covered:

Making a start on Geoffrey of Monmouth’s “History of the Kings of Britain”.

In writing his book, Geoffrey used most of the early Welsh sources that we have also covered, plus Welsh folklore and legends that were current in his own time, plus the Classical writers for his Roman history, plus his own imagination.  He produced a very entertaining mixture of probable history at one end of the scale, through myths and legends, to pure fantasy at the other.  He wanted to tell the story of the history of Britain from a British (i.e. Celtic or Welsh) point of view, so the Saxons get a very bad press throughout.

He starts with the first inhabitants of Britain (a race of giants) and then brings in Brutus, the grandson of Prince Aeneas of Troy, who kills off the giants and takes control of the land.  Brutus is followed by a series of British kings who are all portrayed as great personalities, with Arthur as the greatest of them all.

Geoffrey is the first writer to link Merlin with the Arthurian material, and he also introduces Uther Pendragon and Igerna as Arthur’s parents, and Arthur’s conception at Tintagel.  It is thought that Geoffrey may have found the story of Uther and Igerna in a Cornish legend that has now been lost, but the Tintagel connection would seem to have been his own invention.

According to Geoffrey, Arthur began his campaigns against the Saxons as the King of the Britons and sole commander of the British army.  His first objective was to attack the Saxons in York, to seize loot from them, with which he could reward his own men.  He was entitled to do this because he had a rightful claim to the kingship of the whole island of Britain and all that it contained.

The session covered:

A number of theories which support the argument that an historical Arthur did exist.

We looked at seven of them

1/. John Morris/Leslie Alcock

Arthur was a late C5th/early C6th Romano British war leader from the Celtic Gododdin people who fought  the Picts and Scots in the north and later moved south west to fight the Saxons.

2/. Graham Phillips/Martin Keatman  ref ‘King Arthur: The True Story’, 1992

Arthur was the grandson of the Gododdin Chieftan Cunedda.  He migrated from the north sometime in the C5th and had his HQ at the old Roman town of Wroxeter.  Arthur being a nickname meaning bear.

3/. Fran & Geoff Doel and Terry Lloyd ref ‘Worlds of Arthur’, 1999

Arthur was associated with the Kingdom of Dumnonia in the south west.

4/. Geoffrey Ashe

He was a Romano British war leader originally called Riothamus

This Arthur took an army from Britain into Gaul to fight the Visigoths on the behalf of Rome.

5/. Alistair Moffat ref: ‘Arthur and the Lost Kingdoms’, 1999

Arthur was a Gododdin war leader based in the north who fought the Picts, Scots, Angles, Saxons and the British kingdom of Strathclyde, had a one off battle in the south at Badon and the battle of Camlann was located at the western end of Hadrian’s wall.

6/. C S Littleton & L Malcor ref : ‘From Scythia to Camelot’, 1994

Arthur’s name was Lucius Artorius Castus a Roman general who is recorded as commanding a troop of Sarmatian mercenaries.  These were from the Russian Steppe Lands, north of the Black Sea.  This theory has the dates as much earlier than the others at around 175 AD.

7/. Howard Reid ref: ‘Arthur the Dragon King’, 2001

Arthur was a king of the Alan peoples who originated from the Eurasian Steppes (Scythia).  Mid C5th he moved his people to Armorica (Brittany) where he fought rebellious Celtic tribes on the behalf of Rome.  The C5th ‘Life of Germanus’ records a meeting between Eothar and the Bishop Germanus.

We also looked at what it would mean if he was not real and was always a mythological figure.  He may have started as a god/warrior hero and been given a human persona.  This has happened before as we have seen in the Celtic Warrior hero tradition.

The story of Arthur as well as being popular in Britain also exists in Northern France, Germany and Continental Europe.  He appears in Grail Myths.  Where might the myth have come from?  Possible European connections are shown in theories 4, 6 and 7.  For example Arthur is in the myths and legends of the Alan people.  In Scythian legends Nart Saga Tales there is a mythical figure called Batraz.  His mother was a frog by day and beautiful woman by night, he grew at a phenomenal rate, he had a magic sword, killed a giant, had a chalice of truth.  Wounded in his final battle he cast his sword into the sea and the legend is that he is not gone.

Further Reading

There is a lot of information available on the internet by using simple searches on the writers’ names or the topic.  Some books are still in print others are available second hand.

References:-

John Morris ‘The Age of Arthur: A History of the British Isles from 350 to 650’,

Leslie Alcock ‘Arthur’s Britain: History and Archaeology A.D. 367-634’

Graham Phillips/Martin Keatman ‘King Arthur: The True Story’, 1992

Fran & Geoff Doel and Terry Lloyd ref ‘Worlds of Arthur’, 1999

Geoffrey Ashe ‘The Discovery of King Arthur’

Alistair Moffat ‘Arthur and the Lost Kingdoms’, 1999

C S Littleton& L Malcor ‘From Scythia to Camelot’, 1994

Howard Reid ‘Arthur the Dragon King’, 2001

The session covered:

The continuation of our search for references to King Arthur in the early Welsh source material.

In the Welsh battle poem “Y Gododdin”( attributed to the poet Aneirin and composed sometime in the early 600s) it is said of one Gododdin warrior that ” He glutted black ravens on the walls of the fort/ Although he was not Arthur”.

In the “Elegy of Gereint” (author unknown) that describes the Battle of Llongborth, we have “At Llongborth I saw Arthur, an emperor commanding the battle”.

We have no way of knowing if these one line references to Arthur were there in the original C7th versions of the poems, or if they were added in later copies, when Arthur had become a well-known figure in folklore.

In the “Spoils of Annwyn”, the poet Taliesin (late C6th) gives us a tale of Arthur and his companions conducting a raid on Annwyn, the Realm of the Dead in the Otherworld, to steal the Cauldron of Plenty (cf Cuchulainn who does much the same thing).  This is Arthur in the context of Celtic warrior hero mythology, rather than telling us anything about Arthur as a possible historical figure.

We had a splendid day at Penrhyn Castle, a National Trust venue in Bangor with gardens, a nature walk, a railway museum and a stylish interior.

After the castle visit, we stopped off for a 2-course meal on the return journey, which was appreciated by everyone.

Photographs by Bill Fitzpatrick.

Penrhyn Castle

Penrhyn Castle

Penrhyn Castle

Penrhyn Castle

Our very own Bill Evans entertained us with a Picture Quiz and a variety of Comedy clips and videos.  Refreshments as always.

A great Guitar Singalong  followed by refreshments and a quiz.

Because of the Moorland fires that had been burning in the Rivington area the planned visit to Rivington Moor Country Park was cancelled and the group revisited the Sankey Valley, a site we had first visited in June last year.

Eight members of the group attended on this occasion and a total of 31 species were recorded.

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Four members of the group attended on this occasion when we again had the benefit of being guided by guest leader Peter Twist.  On this occasion a total of 50 species were recorded.

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Nine members of the group attended this visit.  This was the group’s third visit to this site, but the first time we have been there during the breeding season.  The highlight of the visit was seeing the Dippers which have eluded us on our previous visits.

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Great day out at Lichfield

        with the Occasional Tours group. 

Organised by Cathleen Barnes.

Photos  by Bill Fitzpatrick.

Lichfield Cathedral

Chancellor Law fountain

The Tudor Tearooms, Lichfield

Museum Gardens, Lichfield

Click or tap on any picture to start the slideshow!

Topic 1  – Lakes & Tarns – Click an image for slideshow

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Tuesday 6 February:   Liverpool Revisited in Film and in Conversation

From a small fishing inlet to Capital of Culture in 2008, Liverpool has been home, a place of employment, a cultural and shopping venue and more, for many of our members.  All members are welcome to the meeting to discover/rediscover more about the pool that became the City of Liverpool.

Tuesday 6 March:   Poverty and the Workhouses in South-West Lancashire – 2.15pm

Vivian Mumford  joins us to present her research.

Tuesday 3 April:   It’s World Cup Football Year – Kick Off  – 2.15pm

Hear how Lancashire played a major role in the development of football and how local people have been involved in the game. Second half – `The Voice of Anfield` – stadium announcer George Sephton will talk about some of his memorable times with Liverpool Football Club.

There will be ‘Spot the Ball’ and other easy football related competitions plus pies, prizes and pots of tea and coffee.

Oyez – find out about the indoor and outdoor activities of the very popular Local History group

22 April:   Peter Gateley gave us a very interesting talk about Local Buildings which was followed by a couple of frantic rounds of a  Beetle Drive

A Lively Debate was Chaired by Mia Faza – ‘The Police Should Carry Firearms’

The session covered:

looking at the early Welsh “Saints’ Lives” that were written by monks at Llancarfan in Glamorgan, in the C12th (although the saints in question lived c500AD), so again a large time difference between when the events happened and when they were actually put in a written record.  Arthur is mentioned in the Lives of St Cadoc, St Carranog, St Gildas and St Illtud, in largely unflattering terms, and in encounters in which the saint gets the better of the pagan and unruly warrior.  This may have been subject to bias on the behalf of the recorders.

discussions that these various sources contain some references that could place Arthur in an actual historical context.  However, there is also lots of obviously mythological material that reflects the fact that by the late C12th, Arthur was a very well-known figure in Welsh folklore. So again, possible historical references overlaid by folklore and mythology.  We are really no closer to answering the question “Was Arthur ever an actual historical figure?”

Ten members of the group attended this visit to one of our regular sites.  Heavy rain for much of the morning meant we stayed in the main hide for more than half the visit.  Highlight of this part of the visit was the sighting of a Spoonbill.

After the rain cleared some of us moved on to Nel’s hide for the rest of the visit.  Here we had our first sighting’s of the year of Swallows and Sand Martins.

A good morning’s bird watching despite the rain.

Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full list of 36 species recorded:

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This was our second visit to this locked reserve.  On this occasion we were guided by volunteer warden Phil Dell.  Five members of the group attended on this occasion with four of us going to nearby Tatton Park for lunch afterwards.

Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full list of species seen:

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Health & Safety at Aughton & Ormskirk U3A

The Management Committee requested that a Working Party be established to review the venues used by our U3A groups to ensure, as far as reasonably possible, the safety of U3A members. The Working Party, consisting of 5 experienced and committed U3A members, met to review existing policies and the consolidated findings formed a report to the Management Committee which was presented at their January 2018 meeting.  This report was accepted and adopted.

The main recommendations were:

• premises should be inspected before a venue is selected for an activity to confirm safety and suitability. All premises in use (with certain exceptions) should be inspected regularly and a Premises Checklist has been devised to facilitate this. The Working Party is in the process of reviewing premises and the records will be made available to the appropriate Group Leaders;
• the Health and Safety Policy that has been prepared should be made available to all members;
• the amendments to the Group Leaders Handbook that have been suggested should be implemented.

As you will appreciate this work is on-going and there is still more work to do.

Work is currently underway to review the activities undertaken by our members.

In the meantime our thanks go to the members of the Working Party for their work.

Enquiries

For any enquiries about Health and Safety as it relates to Aughton & Ormskirk U3A, please email healthsafety@aughton-ormskirk-u3a.co.uk

Related Documents

Report to the Management Committee January 2018

See the Forms webpage for a link to the Accident / Serious Incident Report Form.

The session covered:

A summary of the previous session where we discussed the suggestion he was a British or Romano leader from the north.  There was not a lot of evidence for his existence, no mention of him in the 540’s documents by Gildas nor by the Venerable Bede in 730ish.  The earliest mention is 800-900 AD (around 400 years later than he is thought to have existed) in the British Miscellany – the Welsh Annals mention Arthur being the victor at the battle of Badon 518 AD and his final defeat at the Battle of Camlann in 539 AD.

Nennius wrote in Latin circa 800 AD.  He compiled data and did not try to interpret it, just to collect it.  As a result there is often more than one account of things and we do not need to worry about his bias.  This gives us a lot of data.  In Nennius’s the ‘History of the Britons’ he covers a lot of the information discussed in the previous session.  He refers to Arthur as Dux Bellorum, a war leader not a king, that could have been why Gildas did not include him in his reporting as he was only a warrior.  Nennius says it as a fact and lists 12 battles in which Arthur took part and won.  He treats him as an historical figure but also as a folklore hero.

The written evidence is still not there and it is thought likely that Nennius found his information for the battles in an old Welsh poem of which there is no remaining evidence.  If this is true there is a theory that Arthur was alive when it was created which would place it prior to his defeat at the Battle of Camlann which is not mentioned.

We looked at the 12 battles referring to information from ‘Arthur’s Britain’ Penguin, London 1971 by, Leslie Alcock who tried to reconstruct the campaign.  The possible sites for the battles were greatly geographically spread which would have meant a lot of travel and did not make military sense and there were time order issues.  There was no consensus on locations and for the first eleven battles the evidence is speculative.  There seems to be very little if any residual evidence for Arthur’s battles.  There is more evidence for the twelfth battle The Battle of Badon.  The Battle of Badon is likely to be in the south given it took place between the Britons and Saxons but this still had five possible locations.

The final battle at Camlann is not mentioned by Nennius but this is covered in the Welsh Annals.  There is considerable debate over the location of Camlann.

Next month we shall consider some slightly later documents written in Latin then onto the mythology of Arthur.

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Pennington Flash, one of our regular sites, never fails to provide a good morning’s bird watching even when, as on this occasion, the weather was less than ideal.  Nine members of the group attended our first outing of 2018 and a total of 40 species were recorded.

Highlights on this occasion included:

• The large number of Goosander
• 15 long-tailed tits on the bird feeders
• Water Rail
• Willow Tit

Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full list of species seen:

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The session covered:

The historical context and where he would fit in to what is known of the people, social and political structures and the geographical location of people and tribes of the time.

There are no surviving early written references to Arthur at a time when the Romans and others kept good records.

When looking at historical records it is important to consider what influences there may be on the writer and their interpretation of events.

There are myths and legends of King Arthur and his followers in Europe as well as Britain.

Traders, warriors, settlers, entertainers etc. moved freely around the west coast of Britain in the time period.  There is an oral tradition of a great warrior hero in the centuries after 500AD which originated in the North of England and down the West Coast 5^th C onwards.  Stories of Arthur and resistance appear 960 onwards, 400 years after he may have lived.

There was a discussion on two written references to Arthur in the British Historical Miscellany Welsh  Annals.  The first was to the Battle of Badon in 518 AD and the second to the strife of Camlann in 539 AD which is a long time period after the battle Badon.  Some sources put the battle of Camlann even later which would mean a very long time frame of 21+ plus years between the two battles.  The Miscellany is probably dated c960-970 AD so is from over 400 years after the events recorded.  The consensus is it at least records an early tradition of a warrior called Arthur at the Battle of Badon.

At the next session we shall look at Nennius and the History of the Britons.

The session covered:

Culchulainn’s links to the supernatural and the gods. Tales of him show his ability to move between one world and another, so showing god-like characteristics.  Some tales show him to be descended from the sun god and there are references in the Phantom Chariot to him sailing west for many days.

The three tales in the session covered some common recurring themes and references as such as birds which feature in Celtic mythology.  Bird migration was explained by them moving to the other world and they are seen as messengers and emissaries for the gods.  Green is the colour of the gods.  Water being the delineation between this world and the supernatural, so tales are based on lakes, trips to islands, the magical properties of fords.

The Wasting Sickness of Cuchulainn, this appears in a manuscript of the book of the Dun Cow from 1100’s which covered a story from oral form from long before it was written down. It takes place at Samhain a magical time of year.  Whilst feasting 2 beautiful birds linked by a red/gold chain sing and all who hear it are lulled to sleep.  Cuchulainn awakes and goes to hunt the birds.  They turn into women who whip him until he is nearly dead and leave.  He stayed in bed for a year and then awoke and told his story and goes back to where he was whipped.  The story goes on to involve Fand, the most beautiful woman in the world and abandoned wife a of Manannan Mac Lir the sea god, who wants Cuchulainn and then does not and the story is finally resolved with a drink of forgetfulness so he and Emer (his wife) can go on again as if nothing had happened.

The Phantom Chariot, a story which involves the other world and enchantment and many of the common themes.  It is an epic tale of a raid on a mysterious island where they encounter all manner of mystical beasts which Cuchulainn overcomes eventually coming home with gold.

The Death of Cuchulainn.  Treachery had to be involved as no one could beat him.  Queen Medb had never forgiven him for the cattle raid and she gathered an army against him.  She brought in the triplet daughters of Calitin.  Calitin was a wizard that Cuchulainn had killed along with his 27 sons before the triplets had been born.  They had been raised as witches

There were signs and portents and the Druids tried to keep Culculainn away.  His horse the Grey of Macha refused to be bridled and cried tears of blood.

Three old women cooking a hound on wooden spits invited Culculainn to eat with them.  He was honour bound to do so despite the hound being his totem animal.  This caused serious damage to his strength and fighting ability with half his body paralysed.  He saw his enemies and asked three druids for the three spears he had with him.  These were Medb’s men and they gave them to him by hurling them at him, fatally wounding him and killing Laegh Mac Riangabra his faithful charioteer.  He died after tying himself to a stone pillar so he could die standing.  With his death the glory of the Red Branch of Ulster passed.

The session covered:

More exploits of the Irish Celtic warrior hero Cuchulainn, the greatest hero the world has ever known.

This session carried on with the story of the Champion’s Portion. After many trials of their strength and courage, Cuchulainn won the contest and claimed the Champion’s Portion.  Consistently, Cuchulainn showed greater strength and courage than the other two warriors, Laoghaire and Conall. However the crucial thing was that he was also an honourable man. He kept his word and stayed to face another giant, when the other two turned tail and ran. That was what made Cuchulainn a true champion.

The recorder group gave us an wonderful  performance and were followed by a great  range of poems read by Pauline Jones, Pete Trigwell and Pat Morton who also wrote her contributions.

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The Drama group performed Radio Aughton Live to a sell out audience.

A fun filled afternoon of news, sketches and stories.

A big thank you to everyone.

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1.  The History of Martin Mere

Log boat dated 550AD

Bill Hale opened the meeting with a fascinating talk about the history of Martin Mere which included post ice age geological evidence about the local terrain and the impact of sea level changes on the post glacial landscape, flora and fauna over the millennia.

The size of the mere, its shape and islands before being drained in 1694 was evidenced in a series of maps and documents found in the Lancashire Record Office, by Bill and Audrey Coney whilst researching their book on Martin Mere. The landowners gained increased land and fertility from the draining but the local people (fishermen, thatchers and basket makers, etc.) lost their means of making a living.

Bill reviewed a list of winged visitors past and present as recorded by ornithologists and archaeologists, and showed images of the only extant log-boat (dated 550 AD) now in Southport Museum.

He also spoke of his own experience of the contribution the present WWT Martin Mere makes to sustaining habitat for migrating birds.

Oystercatcher with fresh-water mussel

2.  Proposed venues for 2018

Peter Hatfield presented his list of proposed venues for birdwatching in 2018.  Seven of last years reserves are revisited this year but in different seasons, three sites not visited by the group are introduced (Conway, Rivington and Delamere Forest) and two local venues not seen last year will be seen this year (Mere Sands Wood and Brockholes).

The full list is now on the U3A web site (see above).

3.  Review of 2017 visits and sightings

Peter Banks presented his detailed ‘species list’ of sightings for all of the venues, and the bird number tabulations for each venue including attendees.  At 4 venues we saw 50-62 species.  At 4 other venues we saw 40-49 species and the last group of 4 venues recorded 25-34 species. This was an improvement on the previous year, with the highest yield at RSPB Burton (no surprise).

The lists and tabulations are now also on the Group web pages of the U3A site (see below).

All of our monthly sightings are recorded on the group’s web pages and also logged at BirdTrack a national project run by BTO in partnership with RSPB (and others) that records distributions and migration movements of birds throughout Britain and Ireland.

4.  AOB

There was a discussion about future possible venues for visits.  Sizergh Castle near Kendal, Ribble Marshes between Banks and Hesketh Bank, Farne Islands Northumbria, and Bempton Cliffs and Flamborough Head north Yorkshire.  Bill was also suggesting a visit to a wildfowl ringing venue.  More comments please, we look forward to an interesting year ahead.

Attendance: Sixteen members, including two new members of the group, attended this year’s AGM.  The list of attendees is recorded on the group’s database and available on request.

Peter Hatfield and Peter Banks joint leaders.

• Total species recorded in the year = 114 (+6)

• Total species recorded in 2016 = 103 (+2)

• A total of 21 members attended one or more visits in 2017 (2016 – 17 members)

Click ‘Continue reading’ for additional statistics and the full list of species seen:

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An excellent September day out combined with Maghull Beer Group, a visit to Moorhouses Brewery in Burnley.  A good selection of their many fine real ales all of which were in excellent condition. Plus some very nice Pie and Peas.  Very Impressed with the friendly welcome. The Md  looked after us Big Time.

 The Parbold 4,  in July – inc  Ferrits, and even several of Michael Portillos, well they were in the Railway beer garden and he does love trains.  Paul Furnival very happy to see a real Ferrit instead of a dinky toy !

Our Southport Sojourn in June – Hightown Hotel, The Pines Hillside, The Beer Station Freshfield and the Freshfield Hotel

Liverpool’s Fantastic Beer Festival in the Crypt, Metropolitan Cathedral, a wonderful Iconic Venue.

Support for our home towns smallest Pubs in Ormskirk

La Cantina, in the Malthouse Centre

The best of Wigan’s Micros – the Symposium and Wigan Central

We each received a beautifully wrapped but blank Tote Bag which members hope to decorate in individual ways

Early Christmas Party Time .    The RECORDERS & UKULEERS groups gave us a fantastic performance followed by festive refreshments…

 ‘A Chinese Tea ceremony’ was presented by members of the Confucious Institute of Edge Hill University,  followed by our traditional refreshments

Margaret Gibbon then talked to us about  ‘Some of her Favourite Ladies from Local History‘.

A great presentation about  Martin Mere Wetland Centre  by volunteer Eileen Seabright.

Tea, Coffee and cakes were followed by some poetry  read (and in some cases written) by our very own Sunday Social members

For our final outdoor meeting of 2017 we had planned to visit the Lancashire Wild Life Trust’s site at Lunt Meadows.  Because of the very cold weather and the lack of any shelter or facilities at Lunt the venue was changed at the last minute to Martin Mere where ten members of the group enjoyed a very good morning’s bird watching in the relative comfort of the well-constructed hides, and several of us stayed on for lunch in the reserve’s excellent cafe.

The bright but very cold weather made for excellent visibility, with closer than usual views of birds that were concentrated by the ice into unfrozen areas near the main hides.

Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full list of 48 species seen:

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One of our regular sites on the coast between Southport and the Ribble Estuary.  Eleven members of the group attended this visit and a total of 40 species were recorded on this occasion.

Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full list of species seen:

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Eight members of the group attended this visit and we had the benefit by being guided by a guest leader, Peter Twist.  We were very grateful for his considerable expertise in identifying birds by song as well as by sight.

The morning was spent on the RSPB reserve and the afternoon at the Dee Estuary, Denhall Lane.

A total of 64 species were recorded on this visit, the largest number recorded by the group on a single visit.

Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full list of species seen:

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The French Conversation Tuesday group prepared for the Festive Season with some fancy face decorations!

Some photos from early in 2016:

Celebrating Ephiphany

Gallette de Rois

Queen Linda

Enjoying the ‘tart’

Five members of the group attended this, the group’s second visit to this country park near Chorley.  There are a wide variety of habitats at this site and a total of 29 species were recorded.  Unlike last year, this time a kingfisher was spotted but again the dippers proved elusive.

Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full list of species seen:

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The session covered:

More exploits of the Irish Celtic warrior hero Cuchulainn, the greatest hero the world has ever known.

Cuchulainn was called Setanta when he was born and given the warrior name of Cuchulainn when he was nearly seven years old after he killed a guard hound in self-defence and replaced the hound by defending its owner’s property until a new one was trained.  The hound was owned by a smith called Culann, Cuchulainn means ‘The Hound of Culann’.

The wooing of Emer –  Emer was the daughter of Forgall of Leinster and was the most beautiful woman in Ireland.  Cuchulainn wanted Emer and she set him some trials to win her hand.  It was during these trials he travelled to Skye with the aid of a magical wheel provided by his father Lugh the Celtic sun god.  In Skye he trained with Scathach a great female warrior and became an accomplished warrior and gained Gae Bolga a barbed spear which would split into 30 barbs.  It was also here he had the prophesy that he would live three and thirty years and die at the peak of his glory.  Eventually Emer was his.

Throughout there was a discussion on how he met the list of attributes of the hero.

The Champion’s Portion – We started this rollicking and entertaining tale of the Champion’s Portion.  Bricriu was a Chieftain of Ulster who built the finest house in a year and a day and invited warriors Cuchulainn, Laoghaire and Conall Caernach, amongst others to a magnificent feast with the intention to cause discord.  Though they were wary and set conditions Bricriu managed to set seeds of dissension as the tale progressed.  The Champion’s Portion was a fabulous part of the banquet which would be given to the best warrior.  Bricriu told each of the three warriors they would have it and should send their charioteers to claim the portion as theirs.  The ensuing fight is described in detail with hyperbole, and continues until it is realised that Bricriu had a hand in the proceedings.  Bricriu then spoke in turn to Fidelma the wife of Laoghaire, Lendar the wife of Conall and Emer setting in motion another chain of events which involved unseemly sprinting and the near destruction and restoration of Bricriu’s new house.

This provided the storyteller with more opportunities to illustrate Cuchulainn’s strength and skills.

References:

Wayland D Hand, “Boundaries, Portals and other Magical Spots in Folklore”  Folklore Society, University College (1983)

Claire O’Kelly, “Concise Guide to Newgrave”

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The session covered:

The exploits of the Irish Celtic warrior hero Conall Caernach, including the story of the Boar of Mac Dathro, in which Conall got the better of the Connacht champion Caet Mag Macha.

There was also a discussion on the part hero/part fertility god aspects of Conall’s character, and the suggestion that he started his mythological career as a god, who was given a warrior hero persona over time, as his story was told and retold.

Started a new hero called Cuchulainn and discussed his unusual origins and childhood – tradition of a triple birth with a human mother and the sky god as his father, setting out for Emhain Macha to begin his warrior training when he was just five years old.

The session covered:

The cattle raid of Cooley involving Queen Medb of Connacht, her consort Aillil, a young Cuculainn, Ferghus Mac Rioch, Cormac and Conall Caernach.

There are recurring themes of betrayal, loyalty and honour.

Symbolism such as running water at a ford which is linked to magic, wizards could not cross, a crossing point from this world to the other world, so was an access point for gods.

The tale uses exaggeration to entertain the audience and for example to show how great a warrior Cuculainn was.

References:

Marie Heaney, “Over Nine Waves: A Book of Irish Legends”, ISBN: 9780571175185, 1995

As at November 2017, this is available on the internet.

In addition there is a wealth of information on the stories and characters on the internet.

English Medieval Cathedrals in the North and Midlands

Speakers: Peter Goodrich, Peter Gateley and Peter Hatfield

English medieval cathedrals are widely admired both at home and abroad as both architectural masterpieces and touchstones of English History. Their stylistic diversity is remarkable reflecting their longevity and origins. Some cathedrals are descendants of former abbeys, others purpose built as cathedrals, all have seen major changes over the past millennium, and all continue to serve their primary purpose of providing a regional seat (cathedra is the Latin word for the Bishop’s throne) for the local Bishop or in the case of Canterbury and York, for the Archbishop. The series of talks covered their Anglo-Saxon origins, the impact of Viking raids and occupation, the Norman conquest and the English Reformation.

The introductory talk on 25th October 2016 reviewed all those cathedrals (ten in all) which are included in the monthly talks, briefly covering their differences, special features and their local impact.

Subsequent sessions explained the development of floor plans, internal and external features, the evolution of the Gothic style and the archaic terminology used to describe their key parts, all accompanied by illustrations. We visited the origins of the Christian church from Roman times and the establishment of dioceses in the Saxon period and looked at surviving examples of Saxon church architecture.

The following four meetings showcased the northern cathedrals: Durham Cathedral, York Minster, Carlisle Cathedral, Ripon Cathedral and Chester Cathedral showing their origins, history and examining in detail their magnificent architectural features, stained glass and furnishings. This was also a visit to Chester Cathedral to illustrate many of the points made during the talks.

We concluded the series with the great cathedrals in the midlands: Lincoln, Southwell, Worcester, Lichfield and Hereford, with a second cathedral visit to Lichfield.

Durham Cathedral

Church History is back with York Minster

Ripon Cathedral

Carlisle Cathedral

Chester Cathedral

Lincoln Cathedral

The final Church History meeting of the series

J’essaie faire amitiés en dehors de “Facebook”, mais en employant les mêmes principes –donc, chaque jour, quand je me promène le long de la rue, je parle aux passants.

Je leur racconte les détails de ce que j’ai mangé aujourdhui, comment je me sens à ce moment-la, comment j’ai passé la soirée hier, et ce que j’ai l’intention de faire plus tard, et avec qui.

Je leur montre des photos de ma famille, de mon chien, et de moi travaillant dans le jardin, travaillant dans le garage, arrossant la pelouse, debout devant bâtiments célèbres, et faisant les activities que tout le monde fait tous les jours.

En plus, j’entends leurs conversations, leur donne le “thumbs up”, et leur dis que je les aime.

Et —-il fonctionne exactement comme “Facebook”! Me suivant, il y a deux agents de police, une journaliste, un pysychologiste, et un détective privé.

Pete Peterson

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This was the group’s first visit to Rostherne Mere and was attended by eight members of the group.  Access to the reserve is by permit only and we were guided on this visit by two of the volunteer wardens, Dave Clarke and Phil Dell.

A varied site with woodland and meadow habitats as well as the mere and a total of 28 species were recorded (for a full list of sightings click ‘Continue reading’ below).

A sighting of particular interest was a pair of Egyptian Geese.  This species of African origins is now established as a breeding bird in the UK and other European countries.  According to recent BTO surveys there are around 1,000 breeding pairs in the UK mostly in the Thames Valley and East Anglia but with scattered populations in Northern and Western England.  As these birds were on the far side of the Mere it was not possible to get a good picture, the photograph shown here was taken in Germany last year.

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Members of the U3A Guitar group  played and sang for us in August.  Refreshments were followed by Peter Gateley presenting Butterflies in your Garden.   An excellent afternoon was enjoyed by all.

PLAYING THE UKULELE has never  been more popular.   It all started in 1879 with immigrants from Funchal in Portugal going to Hawaii to work in the sugar plantations.  They brought with them a small 4-stringed guitar-like instrument called a ‘machete’, which the Hawaiians took to immediately – especially the Royal family.  They called it a “ukulele” – pronounced “oo-ku-lay-lay” and meaning “jumping flea” because of the dexterity of the players’ fingers.   So the instrument we know as the ‘ukulele’, far from being an ancient Hawaiian instrument as many people think, is actually less then 150 years old!

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June was away, this was a free group session.

The session covered:

A discussion driven by selecting heroes, this covered Beowulf, King Arthur/Lancelot and Robin Hood, and tying up their characteristics with the list provided. It was interesting to see how many different legends had evolved around each one.

It was a short high level session and it was suggested that these heroes could be discussed further in future.

Characteristics of the Mythological Hero – transcribed from June’s notes

1/. The hero generally belongs to the aristocratic warrior society of his time

2/.  The hero is superhuman, not like ordinary men.  He has superhuman strength, daring, courage, beauty.  The hero also has unusual origins that mark him out as special from birth (e.g. mixed god/human parentage).

3/.  The hero is not just a macho man.  He is cultured as well.  He does not always depend on strength and courage alone; he can use cunning and brain power to get himself out of trouble.

4/.  The hero is usually courteous, kind and fair in his dealings with anyone who plays fair with him.  But whenever he encounters rudeness or unwarranted aggression, or meanness, or cowardice, he will give as good as he gets.

5/.  For the hero fairness, honour, reputation, loyalty, are all-important, and must be safeguarded.  If a hero loses honour, or his reputation he has lost everything.  The hero follows the warrior code of conduct.  He fights strictly according to the rules, and respects his opponents, because his own honour and reputations as a warrior depend on doing just that.

6/.  The hero has a restless spirit.  He is not content to settle for the limitations of human existence.  He longs for adventure and goes to find it.  He tries to fight against his own mortality, and to do great deeds so that his name at least will live forever.

7/.  The hero often dies a tragic and/or untimely death.  He espouses the idea of a brief life filled with glory, again so that his name will live on after he is gone.

8/.  Through his career, the hero often has help from the gods, but this help is not unconditional.  I he offends the gods, they will turn against him.

9/.  The hero is very likely to offend the gods, because he has failings.  He knows the rules, and the importance of following the rules, but he does not always do it.  The hero can be rash, devious, mean-minded, boastful, ungrateful, overbearing, foolish, arrogant.  Worst of all perhaps, so far as the gods are concerned, he can get above himself and forget that while he is superhuman, he is not yet as god.  When the hero steps out of line, one or more of the gods, or Fate, will intervene to bring him back to earth.

The session covered:

A recap of some of the information about hero Conor Mac Nessa – the mythological King of Ulster.   Conor possessed all the most desirable qualities in a king- skilled warrior and wise and fair in his judgements, but there was also another less positive side to his character.

The legend of Deirdre and the Sons of Uisnech.  In this legend there was a beautiful girl called Deirdre, a nurse, a Druid, Conor Mac Nessa, a young handsome warrior called Naoise who was one of the sons if Uisnech and a prophecy concerning the future of Ulster.  All did not end well for Ulster via a very complicated narrative involving duty, symbolism, betrayal, and conflicting and unresolvable loyalties.

There were a large cast of characters including Ferghus Mas Rioch a Red Branch champion who was a complex character of prodigious appetites but a strong moral code.  It was suggested in earlier mythology that he was a fertility god who then morphed into a warrior hero.  Ferghus is also featured in the epic tale of the Cattle Raid of Cooley along with Queen Medb of Connacht.

These myths are very early, for example The Book of the Dun Cow was written in the 12^th century using language seen in the 8^th century.

References:-

Proinsias Mac Cana , “Celtic Mythology”,  Littlehampton Book Services Ltd, 1969

Michael Dames, “Ireland A Sacred Journey”, Element Books; New edition, 2000

Miranda J Green, “Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend”, Thames & Hudson; 2nd Edition,1997

As at September 2017, these are available on the internet.

Dr Colin Wright was the speaker on 7th September 2017. He gave a fascinating talk and demonstration of juggling and some of the maths behind the art.

Here are the links to the YouTube videos of his talk:

Colin Wright, juggler and mathematician – part 1 (30 minutes)

Colin Wright, juggler and mathematician – part 2 (30 minutes)

Colin Wright, juggler and mathematician – part 3 (20 minutes)

Hope you enjoy watching.

Seven members of the group attended this, the group’s second visit to this site.  It was a mostly cloudy but clear morning with good visibility across the Mersey Estuary where we could see there were lots of waders on the far side but they were too distant to identify even through a telescope.  A total of 25 species were recorded, mainly in the grounds and woodland surrounding the hall – for a list of species seen, click ‘Continue reading’:

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Great Crested Grebe on nest at Carr Mill Dam

Eleven members attended this, the group’s first visit to Sankey Valley Country Park and Carr Mill Dam, St Helens.  We benefited from having Dave Owen, one of the Rangers, to guide us round this extensive and varied site.

A total of 47 species were recorded on this visit – for a complete list of sightings click ‘Continue Reading’:

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Access to this ‘Site of Special Scientific Interest’ is restricted to permit holders and we were guided on this visit by Douglas Buchanan, a member of the Woolston Eyes Conservation Group.  From the ornithological point of view this site is home to a breeding colony of the rare Black-necked Grebe and we were fortunate enough to see about ten adult birds along with several chicks.  (None of us managed to get a good photograph this year however so this picture is one taken by group member Graham Cawdell last year.)

The conservation group’s website includes lists of sightings, photographs and other interesting information which can be reached by clicking here.

Another interesting sighting this year was a pair of immature (2nd summer) Mediterranean Gulls, one of which was ringed and the conservation group’s website includes an on 31st May showing where this bird has been recorded since it was ringed in 2015.

Six members of the group attended this visit and a total of 44 species were recorded.  For a complete list of sightings click ‘Continue Reading’:

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U3A golfers on holiday in the Algarve, March 2017, organised by Brad Millar.

Click on photo to enlarge

Billy Coleman sang some Sounds of the Sixties for us and introduced us to Just Midnight an Acapella Group who were ‘Just Marvellous’.   A great afternoons entertainment.