Summer at Longford's Shawbrook: There's a Kíla on the loose

Our ancestors venerated the spirits inhabiting the mountains, forests and springs. It was a recognition of their importance to human well being.
The spark of the divine is palpable in such settings; the vital essence enhancing our physical and psychological health.

The most sacred trees for the Celts were the bíle trees. The bíle tree was the old, sacred trees that stood in a central area, a social and ceremonial hub for the tribe.

In the centre of the Shawbrook forest is a trunk; it stands in front of a stage and on that stage on Saturday evening the members of one of Ireland’s most innovative and exciting bands entranced an audience drawn to the remains of the bíle tree.

Describing Kíla's sound is an effort at narrowing what is boundlessly expansive. The labels 'contemporary Irish World music' or 'trad funk' are vague enough to allude to just what the band are about.

All music is dance music, because the dance came before the music. Kíla recognises this. By blending whistles, fiddles, Uilleann pipes, bones and bodhrán with djembe, congas, drums, mandolins, brass, and acoustic/electric/ bass guitars they create a magic worthy of the mystical setting of Shawbrook.

Saturday's concert was a religious experience; a sacred journey to a pantheistic past where the dance defined what we were
The band were the high priests of the ceremony, but their acolytes were just as significant. Dancers Vanessa, Nathan, Ciara, Vivian and Rosie translated the vibrations in the air to physical movement.

From the opening sequence where the dances paid token tribute to the bíle tree, to the frenetic conclusion that had the entire audience on their feet they guided those who gathered through an evening of rhythmic rapture.

This was an evening where the blend of music and dance spilled off the stage and rippled through the audience as the band entreated the assemblage to engage in the ritual.

Venerating our ancient traditions was never as much fun.