Lord of Summer Solstice
Living in the full light of day The longest day is here. The daylight drawn out to its fullest stretch. The 21 June marks the Summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. This year, in Ireland, it follows a few weeks of what has actually felt like summer. Something we learn not to take for granted! Sun drenched days and longer evenings bring us outdoors to soak it all in. Such days are good… maybe even glorious. When the smiling summer shines on the festival of love celebrated at a wedding, it may even at times feel other worldly. If not too good to be true, then life as it should be, at its height. At the summer solstice the sun is at its highest point in the sky. The festivals in ancient Ireland marked this by lighting fires on high hills, which symbolised the sun. Foods were cooked over hot flames and were often sun coloured and round, like lemons, corn or sweet potatoes. There were also wheels of fire rolled down hills, just as the sun would begin its descent again from