[Bards] How to improve Kingdom Eisteddfod

Pádraig Ruad Ó Maolagáin padraig_ruad at irishbard.org
Fri Oct 27 14:38:34 PDT 2006


Luciana,

Eisteddfod is a Welsh word, and started as a festival of music and
performance in the 12th century, and there are many eisteddfodau in Wales
and many other places even today (not just in the SCA).

In Ansteorra, it is the venue and competition where the Kingdom Bard is
chosen.  While perhaps some might not view it so, Eisteddfod is , or at
least should be, THE focal event for bards throughout the Kingdom.  One
need not be a competitor, or indeed even a bard, to enjoy Eisteddfod, as
the level of bardcraft is nothing short of amazing.  I haven't yet
competed, first from feeling that I wasn't sufficiently experienced or
prepared, and more recently from lacking the time that I feel a bard
should be prepared to devote to the position of Kingdom Bard if he/she
should win the competition.

Would you enjoy it?  If you enjoy the bardic arts, most definitely.  Is it
only, or primarily, bardic-based?  Yes and no - as it is held in
conjunction with other events (most recently and for several years now
with Steppes 12th Night), it necessarily shares the spotlight with
whatever else is going on.  Is it worth attending Steppes 12th Night (or
whatever other event) to view/participate in Eisteddfod?  I would say
definitely yes.

Padraig
-- 
Nunc est bibendum.
******************
******************
Politicians prefer unarmed peasants.

Luciana Caterina di Borgese wrote:
> My Lord, I have been very cheerfully lurking, and reading the posts. I
agree
> with the vast majority of what has been posted here. I just have one
problem/question...what is Eisteddfod?
>
> I suspect that there are quite a few people in the same situation that I
find myself in. Why should I go to something that is 'just' another event
> when I do not even know what it is supposed to be for? What is going to
be
> there that I would enjoy? I would not be so presumptuous as to claim
bard
> status, yet my singing voice is passable, and I can tell a tale at the
drop
> of a hat. If I knew that there was an event that was purely bardic, I
might
> actually go and try to show off a bit.
>
> Until the event began to be mentioned here, on the list, I did not even
know
> that this existed. To be honest, I am still not completely certain that
Eisteddfod is not focussed on fighting, and all this talk is about adding
> something bardic to the event. There are a lot of new people in
Ansteorra,
> that I expect are the same way. It sounds like anyone who came in after
the
> mid-90s is going to be affected. That is a whole lot of people.
>
> What I think I am trying to say, is that if you want the event to be
what
> it
> once was, you have to be willing to advertise, and explain what is going
to
> be available. The experienced bards are needed, yes. But, you need new
blood, and an audience, also, and the only way to get either of those is to
> tell the uninformed people what is going on.
>
> I hope that this has made some sense,
> Luciana
> (who is going back to lurking now)
>
> On 10/27/06, Jay Rudin <rudin at ev1.net> wrote:
>> I'd love to see Kingdom Eisteddfod become the big, vibrant, stand-alone
event it was when the College was active.  As a stand-alone event, it
attracted about 150 people in Elfsea in 1988 when Catrin won, and about
the
>> same one year later in Namron when I won.  Then we took it to the
Western
>> Region, and drew a bit fewer -- about 70 people or so.
>> But we need to solve the problem in the correct order.  Right now,
neither
>> the bards nor the rest of the kingdom are treating it like it's the big
kingdom-wide focus for bardcraft.  And why should anyone else do so unless
>> we do?
>> Last year there were six entries.  That's not a grand event that should
attract a crowd.  I recommend that we try to build it back up to a major
>> event.  And step one isn't where it's held.  Step one is for the bards
to
>> enter it.
> --




More information about the Bards mailing list