It is with great pleasure that we begin our ninth year publishing Hornpipe Magazine. I measure time by our volumes and by the age of my children. It doesn’t seem like nine years since I wiped a tear from Colleen’s eye after her laces came undone at her first feis, or when I bought her first dress. Now Colleen stands taller than I and plans to attend the University of Texas.

I think about all the competitions, festivals and concerts we have covered and the talented writers who have contributed to our success. What a wonderful journey it has been and I hope for you as well. Our website carries all nine volumes with every article for those who can’t get enough Irish dance, music and culture here in North America.

As we move toward spring and into March, which is the greenest of months, where all things that are Irish come to the forefront, there is reason to pause and reflect. Some of us are actively engaged in an enclave to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with dinners and parades, while others seek a pub for a pint and a tune.

My Irish sense comes from personal experiences, attitude, behavior, and values—a combination of qualities abundant in Ireland. In this issue we are taking a moment to remind ourselves of the person that we so fervently associate with our heritage. Unthinkable that this man who brought Christianity to the shores of pagan Ireland not to participate in the local celebrations. Thus our incorporation of themes and social activity into the conversion process and later the dispensation for such acts that would require penance. I hope that Edward O’Donnell’s insights about St. Patrick are recalled at a more sober time, shedding light on what is believed to be part of our heritage.

Perhaps a less likely venue for exploring your heritage is the abundance of Irish film festivals. Unlike traditional Irish music, film has a more universal appeal to larger audiences, exploring themes and conflict through our unique Irish perspective. As we continue to witness the ambivalence of the box office’s fiscally motivated appeal and the distribution of film as an art form there are directors, writers and actors who are independent enough to continue bringing richness to the screen…but you must search it out. The prolific volume of film creates a distraction and it becomes laborious to decipher what is really good and that which is a waste of time. Technology in all its glory muddles the senses and makes this choice more discretionary. Seek and you shall find at the film festivals.

Speaking of technology. I have never been a fan of message boards and only read them when coerced. I almost never respond because of my conscience effort not to acknowledge the trivial, the mundane and insensitive anonymous postings. Hornpipe explores the message boards involving Irish dance. In an ideal world message boards can be a valuable source of information but be warned what you read may not be what you are looking for. Enter at your own risk.

I would like to acknowledge our resident “As I see it” contributor, Russell Beaton, a well-known adjudicator and instructor who just returns from the All-Ireland Championships. His insightful commentary can be found here--with the results. We also would like our readers to know that he also was an adjudicator at the grandest of Irish dance events.

Let me introduce you to our latest addition to our staff of writers. Lindsay Woodcock will be taking over the “Dancer to Dancer” column. This column is reserved for a dancer’s comments about subjects that matter the most to her and other dancers. Common to most dancers is the arduous task of keeping all your activities on an even keel. See her article on page 27.

Finally, I would draw your attention to our travel article about visiting Ireland in the spring as well as a review of the Celtic Woman show and more new CD releases.

God Bless the Irish Spirit!

Thom Miner

Editor in Chief, Hornpipe Magazine

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