Summer Solstice Celebrations on the Hill of Tara

TARAWATCH

PRESS RELEASE

18 June 2010

Presscall - Dail Eireann - to promote Wangkumarra Tribal Elders to Storytell at Summer Solstice Celebrations on the Hill of Tara

There will be a presscall at 3.00pm today at Dail Eireann, Kildare Street, to formally announce the Summer Solstice Celebrations on the Hill of Tara, which will feature the Wangkumarra tribal elders, from Australia, beginning on Sunday 20 June.

Hope Ebsworth and Donny Dixon, of the Wangkumarra people, in Queensland, Australia, are coming to Ireland especially to visit the Hill of Tara, and campaigners who fought to protect the sacred land. Hope is a story-teller, and has written a book called Bury me at Tartulla Hill.

Hope and Donnie will perform they will perform their traditional 'dreaming stories' at the Lia Fail, on the Hill of Tara, at 4.00pm on Sunday 20 May. They will be joined by Irish storytellers, poets and musicians, and celebrations will continue throughout the night until the morning of the solstice on Monday 21 June.

Every year, hundreds of people and all sorts of cultural and spiritual groups gather on the Hill of Tara for the Summer Solstice, and camp out on the shortest night of the year.

Vincent Salafia of TaraWatch said:

"We are very excited and honoured that the Wangkumarra have travelled all the way from Australia to visit us, and share their stories.

"We will be introducing the Wangkumarra to members of the Oireachtas, in an effort to pressure the Australian authorities to recognize their indigenous right.

"The Hill of Tara is the best place in Ireland to celebrate the Summer Solstice, where the view of almost half of Ireland is incredible and the sky never fully gets dark.

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