Four Shillings Short Samhain concert
Come to the Ames Public Library for a free music concert on Sunday, Nov. 3, at 2 p.m. in the Auditorium. Four Shillings Short—the husband/wife duo of Aodh Og O’Tuama from Cork, Ireland and Christy Martin from California—bring together music, stories and folklore from the Celtic lands to celebrate the ancient festival of Samhain.
Samhain marks the end of harvest, beginning of winter, and the Celtic New Year. It is the origin of modern-day Halloween, traditionally celebrated at the end of October/beginning of November. It is believed that the border between the world of the living and the dead is thinnest on Samhain night. Candles are lit at the graves of loved ones, offerings of food and drink left out for the ancestors, and bonfires lit throughout the countryside.