FÉILE FIDELMA 2008! - START PLANNING NOW!

days until Féile Fidelma 2008!

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

CHANGE OF FÉILE FIDELMA VENUE

Because of problems arising with an unfortunate double booking at the Cashel Palace Hotel for the weekend of the Féile Fidelma 2008 (September 5 – 7) the organisers have had to rearrange the venue for the Féile talks and gala dinner.

The new venue will be The Horse and Jockey Hotel, which is located in the village of The Horse and Jockey, or in Irish, An Marcadh (which literally means `a horseman’) seven miles north of Cashel on the N8 highway.

For those who do not have their own transport, it is only five miles south of Thurles, which lies on the main Dublin-Cork railway line and, we are told, there is a bus service from Thurles station or a taxi service.

However, the organisers have assured everyone booked into accommodation in Cashel that transportation to and from the new conference location will be provided. So for everyone who has booked or is booking accommodation in Cashel, please contact the organisers and state where you will be staying so that arrangements can be made for your transportation.

The Horse and Jockey Hotel is a modern spa hotel and currently has spare rooms for the weekend.  You can check this out on www.horseandjockeyhotel.com – if you book into the hotel, please make sure that you inform them that you are booking in for the Féile Fidelma and contact caroline@horseandjockeyhotel.com.

The programme for the weekend remains exactly the same.

While the Féile this year will not be in the centre of Fidelma’s home town, be assured that Fidelma has often passed this way. An Marcach (Horse and Jockey) lies on the main highway from Cashel along which she would travel to Kildare or further northward to Tara. An inn has stood here since the 18th Century and it was here that the famous Theobald Wolfe Tone and other leaders of the republican United Irish movement would meet prior to the 1798 uprising.  Today you are in the centre of a concentration of Ireland’s famous training stables, so the name of the place is most appropriate.

Good news for all fans of Fidelma! Cashel Arts Fest Committee, in Sister Fidelma’s ‘hometown’ of Cashel, Co. Tipperary, Ireland, have announced that they are agreed to hold a second international gathering of fans of the Sister Fidelma Mysteries from September 5–7, 2008.

Speakers have already been booked and the weekend planned.

The Féile Fidelma 2006 proved so successful that the town hopes to achieve an even greater success next year in 2008.

Cashel Arts Fest host the event as an entirely separate event from the town’s Arts Festival, which is held in November, and organise it with the support and assistance of The International Sister Fidelma Society.

The speakers for 2008 are:

• Fidelma’s creator, Peter Tremayne;
• International best-selling Irish historical novelist Morgan Llewelyn;
• Expert on Early medieval Ireland and author Professor Dáibhí Ó Cróinín;
• German historical mystery novelist and instructor to the Lower Saxony Police Force, Karola Hagemann;
• Expert on Irish missionary work in ‘Dark Ages’. Dr Dagmar Ó Riain-Raedal;
• Experts on Early Medieval Irish music and instruments, Simon and Maria O’Dwyer; and, of course,
• David R. Wooten, the director of The International Sister Fidelma Society

The provisional programme has been announced as follows:

• Friday, September 5, 2008
• Following a civic reception by the Mayor of Cashel and other local dignitaries in the evening, Peter Tremayne opens with a talk on ‘An Author’s Cares’.
• Saturday, September 6
• The morning starts with Dr O’Riain talking about Irish missionaries in Europe in Fidelma’s time.
• Then Professor Ó Cróinín on the year AD 664 – the setting of the first Fidelma novel.
• After lunch there will be a talk and musical presentation by Simon and Maria O’Dwyer on the Irish music of Fidelma’s period.
• On Saturday evening is the Féile dinner which was so successful last year.
• Sunday, September 7
• The morning begins with Karola Hagemann reviewing Fidelma’s impact in Germany where the books have been extraordinarily successful and even broadcast a radio plays.
• Then comes Morgan Llewelyn who will talk about ‘novelising Ireland’ and the Irish historical novel. Morgan has been an enthusiast of the Fidelma mysteries.
• The talks will finish with David Wooten speaking about the Society, its role and what it hopes to achieve.
• In the afternoon, there will be a tour of local Fidelma locations.

The registration fee for the entire weekend, inclusive of the talks, dinner and tour will be US$195 (or Euro or Sterling equivalents).

For those who make their registration before May 1, there will be a 10% discount on this fee (eg US$175.50).

In October the capacity to register with credit cards should be up and running via the Cashel Arts Fest website –  www.cashelartsfest.com – look for the Féile Fidelma 2008 sign. Card registration is preferred as checks or other monetary transactions entail extra costs. The address of the Cashel Arts Fest is Cashel Heritage Centre, Main Street, Cashel, Co. Tipperary, Ireland.

If you have any problems, then, of course, the Society is here to advise or help you.

We advise you to register as soon as possible. Like 2006, the events will be at the Cashel Palace Hotel. Both the Cashel Arts Fest organisers and the Society will be pleased to advise you on accommodation. You should remember, though, that there is a Sister Fidelma Guesthouse, Bruden Fidelma, just opposite the Cashel Palace, with rooms named after characters, a good Fidelma library and other Fidelma decorations. It even offers, as choice, a special 7th Century Irish breakfast. It’s run by one of our members, Olivia Quinlan. Be sure to check it out for yourself at www.sisterfidelmabandb.com.

Why not check out the photographs and reports of what happened at the Féile Fidelma 2006 below? You’ll see from that just was a great weekend was enjoyed by everyone. But as great as it was, the organisers – indeed, your Society - hope to make it double the fun this time.

It’s never too early to start registering, planning and booking your trip to this marvellous country and location of your favourite stories. Come for the Féile and stay for the vacation of a lifetime.

FÉILE FIDELMA 2006!: SISTER FIDELMA'S WORLD AT CASHEL

Ireland's international best selling fictional detective was celebrated in a

weekend convention by her `hometown' - a rousing success proclaimed by all!

September 8-10, 2006

Cashel Palace Hotel, Cashel, Co Tipperary, Ireland

CLICK HERE FOR SELECT EXCERPTS FROM LECTURERS' DISCUSSIONS

Be sure to check back here for details of this inaugural event shortly... we will be updating this section of the site with numerous photos and commentaries from  attendies and speakers as they are received.

Introduction: A view from Peter Tremayne

One of the greatest and most memorable experiences in a writing career stretching back nearly forty years. That is my assessment of the Féile Fidelma 2006! And my wife, Dorothy, has summed it up as `a magical weekend'. We travelled to Cashel, a town we know so very well, on Thursday evening with my nephew, Paul. We arrived in some anticipation, as we had no idea how the Féile would turn out.  Our old friend, Seamus King, met us and we went for a meal to discuss the weekend programme.

Over fifty people from ten countries had registered and some others had registered for certain parts of the weekend. And how wonderful it was to meet them all. It was like meeting old friends. One felt the warmth and friendliness and the common interests. It was good to meet Annie from Scotland who co-ordinated the Yahoo discussion group for a time. Alas, there seemed so little time to spend with each and everyone, so an apology to anyone that I was unable to spend as much time as they wanted.

Then there were the speakers, who were old friends, and the members of the organising committee.

Two people I must mention especially among those attending. Peter Elkington from British Columbia aged 83 years. He arrived in Shannon Airport, having booked a car, with valid Canadian and US licence, and was told that he was `too old' to hire the car. I find that outrageous and `age-ist'. Protests will be made. Peter had to hire a taxi to get him all the way from Shannon to Cashel, Co. Tipperary, as he did not want to miss anything. Check out the distance.  That's dedication for you. Thanks, Peter, your presence made the events even brighter. Seamus took matter in hand and drove Peter back to Shannon to get his flight home. Seamus deserves a medal - we'll have to have an `Order of Sister F' for such devoted service! How about it, David? [Peter, consider it done! - David]

The oldest attendee was 86 year old Brendan Walsh, a Kerryman, who travelled from Manchester, England, with his daughter. Again, it was a delight to speak with him.

Right from 10 a.m. on Friday, starting with an interview on Radio Cashel, I was `on the go'. From there to Seamus' house to help him, David Wooten, my nephew, Paul, organise the `welcome packs'.  Then to lunch with a group of friends and fans, including David and others. Then off to Cashel Library to give a talk and reading to about thirty people. This was a separate event to the weekend for locals mainly but many visitors passing through Cashel attended, such as an Austrian couple, who had not realised the weekend was on and who came with German language Fidelma editions in search of locations. Questions came thick and fast and books were signed and photos taken.

Then I was on the move again to Olivia and PJ's Sister Fidelma Guesthouse to officially open it. Great fun meeting more old friends like Dean Philip Knowles of Cashel Cathedral and the former Mayor Tom Woods (who held a civic reception and presentation for me in the Council Chamber two years ago) and the current Mayor Paddy Downey. But there was no rest for the wicked, for we had to literally run to the Civic Offices where Mayor Downey gave a reception for the speakers and organising committee. Then it was a run back to Cashel Palace Hotel for the official opening of the weekend.

And then the Féile Fidelma started.

There is no need for me to give my take on those events. Someone added up that I had to make eight speeches over the course of the weekend, most of them `off-the-cuff ' so I apologise as to their quality.  I thought I was only going to get away with my Friday night talk on Fidelma's World. Ah well, I hope I didn't bore you too much!

I have to say, like everyone else, I enjoyed and learnt a lot from all the speakers and I would specially like to thank Dr Dan McCarthy of Trinity College, Dublin, who had a bad accident, falling down a flight of stairs some days before and damaging his spine. He could, with good reason, easily have cancelled but it is a tribute to Dan's dedication that he determined to attend. Dan's wife drove him down to Cashel where he delivered his talk in obvious great comfort.  You will all be pleased to hear that Dan is now on the road to recovery after sessions with a physio.

My wife and I had arranged to stay on after the weekend and were delighted that we did so. The experiences on the Sunday afternoon, the unexpected arrival of a coach load of US tourists at The Rock looking for Fidelma sites, and the two US tourists in The Bakehouse, were wonderful experiences. Annie from Scotland's suggestion of a meal on the Sunday evening was an inspiration. It gave me more chance to talk with people. In fact, it was difficult to leave altogether.

Monday morning found me doing another interview with Cashel Radio about the weekend. And on Monday we checked with Nuala at Book Nook who was halfway between outrage and tears that her supplies of the latest novel A Prayer for the Damned had not turned up. They had not turned up by midday on the Tuesday, even though the Dutch and Argentines waited in the hope of taking away copies. Representations are being made to the publishers as some answers need to be made and apologies to all those who could to get books when all those attending had been assured they would be able to purchase.  It will be no comfort to anyone for me to point out that, as I write on Friday a.m., my own author's copies have not arrived at my house either!

One American lady was so upset on Monday night that Seamus, a great man, indeed, actually went home and brought back his own copy and gave her so that she could go home with an autographed copy.  Seamus and his wife Margaret entertained Dorothy and I and Paul to a great dinner on Monday at their house, a special, personal occasion, and on Tuesday Olivia, PJ, Petra and `Sheila' played hosts for a wonderful lunch at the Fidelma Guesthouse before we finally departed for Cork airport. I have to admit, I handed the car keys to Paul to drive - I was pleasantly exhausted both physically and mentally. It was a great experience.

As I mentioned at the Saturday dinner, Seamus, John and Emily and the entire Cashel Arts Festival, have done a fantastic job and all our thanks go on to them.  Go raibh míle maith agaibh - sláinte mhór agaibh ó bhalla go balla.

A recap of events from Seamus King of the Cashel Arts Fest:

Feile Fidelma – Cashel, Ireland, September 8-10, 2006.

The idea of a weekend devoted to the life and times of Sister Fidelma, the fictional nun-sleuth in the Fidelma Mysteries by Peter Tremayne, was first mooted during a visit by the author to open the Cashel Arts Fest in 2004. It seemed a good idea at the time and it has proved a winner since then.

The Cashel Arts Fest committee, who have been organising a festival devoted to the arts in Cashel in November for three years, were enthusiastic. They saw it as an extension of their brief, and they found an enthusiastic member of the committee, Seamus King, to undertake the work of organisation. A date, in the second week of September, was agreed as the most appropriate time to hold it.

Finding a name for such an event caused some difficulty. No fewer than sixty ‘summer schools’ take place in Ireland during the year, most of them devoted to historical, literary and musical figures. They are usually held over the summer but the Sr. Fidelma weekend was outside the season, so a different name had to be found. Eventually ‘Féile Fidelma’ was decided, which means something equivalent to ‘a festival devoted to Fidelma’, even though it wasn’t strictly a festival! But the name sounded well and the alliteration was important.

The author, Peter Tremayne, was enthusiastic about such an event from the beginning and set about getting a list of speakers together, who would add lustre to the event. He succeeded admirably. He, himself, gave the introductory talk on ‘Fidelma’s World’, and there could have been no better person to introduce proceedings. The Fidelma Mysteries are part of the genre of Science Fiction and Dr. John Scaggs of Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Ireland was drafted in to speak of the impact of Sister Fidelma on Irish Crime Fiction. Dr. Andrew Breeze of the University of Navarra, Spain addressed the links between the cultures of the kingdoms of Ireland and Dyfed in Wales, as reflected in the Fidelma adventure, Smoke in the Wind. Dr. Dan McCarthy of Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, an authority on the astronomy and chronology in the ancient Irish annals and chronicles, spoke about how closely the knowledge of the annals has been substantiated by modern scientific investigations. Professor Máirín Ni Dhonnchadha, of University Colleg, Galway, Ireland, spoke of a seventh-century love tale of Liadan and Cuirither, which parallels the story of Fidelma and Eadulf in the Mysteries. As the Mysteries have been translated into thirteen languages it was only appropriate to hear from someone in the area of translation, and Hans van den Boom, the Dutch translator and publisher was invited to speak of the problems. Finally, the person who has done more than any to publicise the Fidelma Mysteries, and who runs the Fidelma Website, as well as being Director of the International Fidelma Society and editor of its magazine, The Brehon, spoke about the role of the Society and where it was going.

The task of getting people to register for the weekend commenced and it was helped immensely by David Wooten’s efforts on the website. Intending participants were able to register online and in the course of time about fifty did so. Anyone who registered before May 1 received a ten percent discount. The target number was fifty, with the hope that the figure might be exceeded. They came from ten different countries, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, England, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Spain, U.S.

September 8 was awaited with a certain amount of trepidation on the part of the organisers, that everything would go according to plan. The first official function of the weekend was reading from his work and answering questions at Cashel Library by Peter Tremayne. An enthusiastic audience had so many questions and requests for signatures and photographs that the event ran over time.

It was then straight to Bruden Fidelma for its official opening by the author. P. J. and Olivia Quinlan have been running Cashel Town Bed and Breakfast in John Street for some time and decided to create a themed hostelry after the characters in the Fidelma Mysteries. They got the fullest support from the author and outstanding help from local artist, Neil Ryan, in transforming the rooms with names from the novels and quotations from the Brehon Laws. Peter cut the ribbon to represent the re-naming of the place before an enthusiastic bunch of neighbours and friends, plus a number of the participants in the weekend. While doing so he quoted from some rules and regulations in the Brehon Laws relating to the duties and obligations of hosts and guests in hostelries.

OFFICIAL HOME OF THE SOCIETY WHEN IN CASHEL!

A busy evening so far, it was to get busier. Peter and others had to leave the reception that followed the re-naming to get back to the Civic Offices of Cashel Town Council. Here, Mayor Paddy Downey, formally welcomed Peter Tremayne, members of Cashel Arts Fest, and others associated with Féile Fidelma, giving official recognition to the weekend.

The Cashel Palace Hotel was the headquarters of the weekend and it was here that the official opening took place. Most of the participants had registered by this stage and they collected for the reception and formal opening, together with local dignitaries and politicians. Mayor Paddy Downey welcomed everyone, thanked the organisers for their preparations and wished the weekend every success.

The first talk, by Peter Tremayne on Fidelma’s World followed. It was chaired by John Murray, chairman of Cashel Arts Fest, and was followed by a question and answer session. When it was over there was time to relax and many adjourned to the bar for the type of refreshment that follow such events in Ireland.

Everyone was ready at 9.30 on Saturday morning for the first of three lectures, chaired by Seamus King, and they all engendered lively contributions from the floor afterwards.

The afternoon was given over to a coach trip to places associated with the Fidelma Mysteries. This took the participants through Tipperary and on to Emly, Knocklong, the Glen of Aherlow and back to Cashel via Knockgraffon. One of the highlights was a group photograph in the place in Emly graveyard where the monastery that features in the novels once stood. Liam O Duibhir, a local historian gave the commentary.

It was back then to the Cashel Palace Hotel for the formal dinner. This was a most enjoyable event and the enjoyment was reflected in the way the decibel level of the conversation rose at the meal progressed. Peter Tremayne added to the enjoyment with an entertaining after dinner speech. There was a late night for some afterwards in the bar.

Participants were given a little leeway the following morning with the first of three talks, chaired by Emily Kirwan, not commencing until 10 am. During the morning there was a break to take a group photograph in the front of the hotel. This will be mailed to each of the participants. In the afternoon many of those who were still around got a tour of the Rock of Cashel.

There was a reluctance among the participants about bringing a most enjoyable weekend to an end so there was another get-together for dinner at Legends restaurant that night. But, all good things do come to an end and departures that had begun on Sunday afternoon continued apace from early on Monday morning. Only a few were still around to depart on Tuesday.

It’s too early yet to comprehend everything relating to the weekend. However, initial reactions are very positive. The variety of participants from so many countries added to the international flavour of the event and reflected the worldwide appeal of ‘Fidelmania’.

The quality of the lectures was of such a high standard that nobody could have been displeased with the weekend. The accessibility and affability of the author made a huge impact on the participants. The smallness of the town of Cashel gave an intimacy and cohesion to the event that made it special. In fact the question of a second weekend, or an annual event devoted to the Fidelma Mysteries, was discussed. The consensus appeared to be that there must be another one at some time in the future, and that Cashel is the only place to hold it, Fidelma’s ‘hometown’.

Finally, Féile Fidelma produced one important memento. David Wooten, who did such outstanding work in publicising the weekend, produced a thirty-two page booklet that all the participants received in their packs. A souvenir programme, it will remain a treasured possession of the weekend long after the memories have faded.

PICTURES SENT IN BY KEN & SUE SQUIERS

Speakers

• Professor Máirín Ní Dhonnchadha of the National University of Ireland, Galway, specialises in Old and Middle Irish and Brehon Law. Máirín is widely published in her field. She co-edited The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writers Vol. IV and V (2002) to which she contributed the `Medieval to Modern AD 600-1900' section on Irish Women's Writing and Traditions. She is an authority on Adomnán's Lex Innocentium or `Law of the Innocents', a revolutionary law first enacted in Ireland in AD 697. It had force in Ireland and in parts of Britain. Máirín is a member of the Irish Manuscripts Commission.
• Dr Dan McCarthy of Trinity College, Dublin. The leading expert on the history of computistics, astronomy and chronology in the ancient Irish annals and chronicles. His work has been published in many academic journals and he has co-authored a book with Dr Aidan Breen (of the School of Celtic Studies, DIAS) `The ante-Nicene Christian Pasch: De Ratione Paschala - The Paschal tract of Anatolius, bishop of Laodicea', Four Courts Press, Dublin, 2003. Dr McCarthy and Dr Dáibhí Ó Crónín worked and published on the famous `lost' Irish calendar which Columbanus used to argue the date of Easter with Pope Gregory in the early 7th Century. Thought lost for over a thousand years, the 84 Year Easter Table was rediscovered in the 1980s in the Biblioteca Antoniana, Padua.
• Dr Andrew Breeze of the University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain. A Welshman lecturing in Spain, Andrew has published widely in the field of the medieval literature of Wales and Ireland. His Medieval Welsh Literature, Four Courts, Dublin, 1997, is regarded as a classic study of the subject. He was particularly intrigued by the Fidelma adventure - Smoke in the Wind - when, voyaging from Ireland, Fidelma lands in the Welsh kingdom of Dyfed and finds surprising links between the two cultures while solving the mysterious disappearance of an entire religious community.
• Dr John Scaggs of Mary Immaculate College, Limerick University. A lecturer in the Department of English, John is a specialist in modern crime fiction and author of such books as Crime Fiction (Routledge, 2005) and Historical Crime Fiction (Routledge, 2006). He has also written an analytical essay on the Sister Fidelma books for The Brehon magazine. He was involved in the organisation of the international conference on crime fiction held at the National University of Ireland, Galway, in 2005, introducing a talk given by Peter Tremayne on his creation.
• Hans van den Boom of De Leeskamer, who publish the Dutch editions of the Sister Fidelma books. After taking a degree in business studies at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam, Hans spent several years working for the international publishing companies Elsevier and VNU. For more than ten years he was one of the editors of Stripschrift, the world's oldest magazine about graphic books and comics. He has written a number of books about European comics and has estimated that during the last thirty years he has translated nearly a thousand graphic novels and historical thrillers, mostly from French and English, but also some from Spanish, German and Danish. In 1981 he launched his own publishing house Arboris, which today publishes graphic novels in Dutch, Danish and German. In 2002 De Leeskamer was founded as a publishing house specialising in historical thrillers. The Sister Fidelma Mysteries are now among their most popular series.
• David R. Wooten - director of The International Sister Fidelma Society and editor of its magazine The Brehon. Now a Charleston, South Carolina, businessman, David took his degree in Ancient Near Eastern History at North Carolina State University. Before launching his business career he worked in the State Archives and remained interested in history and heraldry and currently serves as the Executive Director, as well as member of the Board of Governors, of the American College of Heraldry. He is the author of We All Become Forefathers (1993) and was special editor (heraldry) on The New Oxford Dictionary of American English (Oxford University Press, 2001). He launched a small publishing house Phoenix Press and became a website designer and graphics consultant, running his own `August 9' consultancy. He devised the first Sister Fidelma website, with the permission of the author, in 2000 and such was the response he obtained the author's permission to launch The International Sister Fidelma Society a year later.
• Peter Tremayne  - the creator and author of the Sister Fidelma series is, of course, no stranger to Cashel. In 2004 he was given a civic welcome, reception and presentation by the Mayor of Cashel, Cllr. Tom Wood. Born in Coventry, England, his father was a Cork journalist who started his career on the then Cork Examiner. Although he took his degrees in Celtic Studies, Peter also went into journalism for a while and became deputy editor of an Irish weekly newspaper. Under his own name, Peter Berresford Ellis, he is the equally well known for his works of non-fiction about the Celts and aspects of Irish history. His History of the Irish Working Class (1972) is still regarded as a classic of Irish historiography. His study of the Cromwellian colonisation Hell or Connaught! has been continuously in print since publication in 1975. His novel The Rising of the Moon (1987) set against the IRB (Fenian) invasion of British North America in 1866 was on the Irish bestseller lists for several weeks reaching No 4 position. In 2003 he was made an Hon. Life Member of the Irish Literary Society (founded in 1891 by Nobel Literary Laureate W.B. Yeats) whose current president is the Nobel Literary Laureate Seamus Heaney. The Sister Fidelma series now consists of 16 titles.