" And Now The Weather " - Agus Anois An Aimsir

The other day a small package arrived in our letter box. I could say that it was a surprise but that is not strictly true for a good friend gave me fair warning to expect a copy of his latest CD in the post.

Recently we put aside the mundane and gave ourselves time to listen to the music of
Colm Mac Con Iomaire's new album "And Now The Weather" which I can best describe as a medley of melodies whereby the tidal movements of the Celtic Sea carry the listener to experience audible depths of beauty that stir the emotions.
It is magical.

The CD comes in no ordinary packaging for it is well designed and tactile. One can feel and see the waves of the sea on the cover. The golden image of a boat was inspired by the one the found in the Broighter Hoard, Co. Derry and it is considered to be a votive offering to Manannán Mac Lír, the sea god.

The inside of the gate-fold cover complements both the front cover and Colm's music
with two small gold discs similar to a pair discovered in the roots of a tree at Tedavnet in Co. Monaghan and dated as Early Bronze age.

Under the CD lies a surprise for there is a large gold disc created by the covers' designer, artist Sheila Mac Nally.

 "Agus Anois An Aimsir - And Now The Weather" is truly a delight both musically and visually.

Card and front cover of

And Now The Weather

Agus Anois An Aimsir

Inside of cover

The man himself and his music

Please visit the links below

http://www.colmmacconiomaire.com/home/

https://itunes.apple.com/ie/album/and-now-the-weather/id975577106

Manannán statue found

Story by Louise Convery @louiseinNI, Belfast

The statue of Manannán Mac Lir attracted world-wide attention when it was cut down from its site on Binevenagh Mountain overlooking Lough Foyle.

On Saturday, a MoD spokesperson confirmed it had been located.

Soldiers from 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Regiment, based in Newtownabbey, were in the forest near Limavady on Saturday morning after being flown there by Army helicopter.

They were alerted by ramblers in the area before helping to recover the statue.

PSNI Area Commander Chief Inspector Alan Hutton said: "I would like to take this opportunity to thank members of the local community and everyone involved in its recovery today.

"I would still appeal to anyone who has any information about the theft of this statue to contact Police at Limavady on the non-emergency number 101.

“Or, if someone would prefer to provide information without giving their details they can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers and speak to them anonymously on 0800 555 111".

Manannán Mac Lir is a sea deity in Irish mythology and is also said to have been the first ruler of the Isle of Man.

The original, six-foot statue was created by Co Tyrone artist John Darren Sutton, who also worked on the global hit television series Game of Thrones.

Made from fibreglass and stainless steel, the creation would have been difficult to difficult to move or hide.

When it was removed, a cross bearing the words 'You shall have no other gods before me' was left behind in its place.

Limavady Borough Council had been considering replacing the statue with one three times its original size.

© UTV

Good News from Derry

Manannán Mac Lír

A Celtic sea god statue that was stolen from a County Derry mountainside is set to be replaced after councillors voted in support of its reinstatement. This is very welcome news.

The six-foot Manannán Mac Lir sculpture disappeared from Binevenagh Mountain, near Limavady, last month.

It was created by John Sutton, who worked on the Game of Thrones TV show.

At a meeting on Tuesday night, Limavady Borough Council voted to replace the stolen artwork with a sculpture "as similar to the original as possible".

'Worldwide response'
Its chief executive, Liam Flanigan, told elected members that he had received letters from across the world in the wake of the sculpture's theft.

"We've had offers of support from the States, Canada and New Zealand. The response has been worldwide, with many people offering to contribute to the replacement of the sculpture."

The council is set to approach the original artist to request financial quotes for the replacement and will seek estimated costs for reinforcing the new artwork, to ensure it is more difficult to remove from its mountainside perch in future.

Councillors also agreed to set up a fund to allow members of the public to make donations towards the cost of the reinstatement.

'Pagan'
Manannán Mac Lir is a sea god from Irish & Manx mythology and the statue had become a popular tourist attraction in the area.

Its disappearance remains a mystery, but police have said they are investigating a "religious aspect" to the theft.

Those who cut down the statue left a small wooden cross in its place, bearing the words 'You shall have no other gods before me'.

Mr Sutton has said he believes it would have taken a number of men with angle grinders several hours to remove the heavy, man-size figure from its base.

At Tuesday night's council meeting, Sinn Féin's Rory Donaghy proposed that the replacement be based as closely as possible on the original £10,000 sculpture.

Remaining plinth