Féile an Fhlaith: A Successful Revel

On the 12th of April of the year 2025, our shire gathered at Drimnagh Castle. Blessed with only a few drops of rain throughout the day, we welcomed many familiar as well as newly met good gentles to the splendid surroundings of the castle grounds. With a variety of activities planned by our wonderful event stewards Lady Gertrude Hoode and the Honourable Lady Alays de Lunel, including Arts and Sciences demonstrations, thrown weapons, dance, and bardic songs, there was surely not a soul lacking merriment.

Our revelers could try their hand at some 16th century blackwork embroidery (more on that craft below), fingerloop braiding, wool spinning, medieval illumination, and leather stamping. All demonstrations attracted a lot of attention from not only the established SCA members, but also the first time attendees. The real highlight for some of the younger newcomers was the thrown weapons range in the backyard, and they proved themselves worthy under the watchful eye of our Princess Agnes!

Official Court Business at the Castle

Besides gracing us with her presence at the springtime revel in Drimnagh Castle, Her Highness Princess Agnes also seized the opportunity to recognize some of the members of our society:

Lord Nuno of Dun in Mara received his AoA, accompanied by a scroll made by Mistress Órlaith Ildánach.

Lady Ursula of Dun in Mara also received her AoA, with a scroll by THL Alays de Lunel. The scroll was presented to Lady Ursula's daughter and granddaughter, Lady Aoife and Lady Gabriella, as Lady Ursula could not be present on the day.

Lord Trygg of Eplaheimr was awarded the Order of Robin, and received a scroll by Lady Kytte of the Lake.

A glimpse of the future: Strawberry Raid IV

Even though the springtime revel has only just taken place, we must already turn our gaze towards the near future as Strawberry Raid IV is fast approaching! Good gentles, it is time to check thine calendars and see if thou canst make it to the event of the year (this author is not biased at all). Join us for a panoply of delightful activities and the highlight of the season: the Insulae Draconis Coronet.

This year at Strawberry Raid, Prince Alexander and Princess Agnes will be hosting the Coronet Tournament to determine the next Highnesses of Insulae Draconis. This author is full of anticipation, but wait we must. Meanwhile, their Highnesses have called for Coronet tournament entrants to submit their letter of Intent by the 30th of April. All fighters and consorts must submit before then, or else forfeit their chance to participate in the fight for glory. For more information on how and what to submit, please see the April Baelfyr.

In addition to the spectacle that is Coronet Tournament, Strawberry Raid IV offers a plethora of other amazing activities. Duke Conor Weisszahn, one of the world’s foremost heavy fighters, will be attending as this year’s armoured combat trainer and there will also be fencing, archery, and thrown weapons.

If the martial arts tickle your fancy in a lesser manner, you can steep yourself in ‘Creating Colours’: this year’s theme for Arts & Sciences. Be prepared to ring around the cauldron as we attempt to achieve a rainbow of historical, naturally-dyed colours. Many other arts & sciences classes will be available to sign up for and participate in.

The event will also host a Laurel Prize Display for all who would like to display their creations or research. Followed by a lovely Market where interested parties can sell their wares to appreciative shoppers.

And last but not least: Sigginstown Castle will, besides playing host, also offer a meal plan this year. Book your meals in advance via their website, preferably before the 14th of May.

We look forward to welcoming you to Strawberry Raid at Sigginstown Castle from Wednesday 28^th of May through Monday 2^nd of June. Be prepared for festivity, artistry, and comradery during the day, and merriment and the Wexford sky at night.

For more details please see the event page. Don’t forget to book your place before bookings close on 21^st May.

Fellowship and birdsong

composed by Lady Gwerful an Filí

Something old from the archives

curated by Saskia of Dun in Mara

Though dated to 1598, the Jane Bostocke sampler in the collection of the V&A museum aged pretty well. This remarkable piece of embroidery is the earliest dated British sampler to have survived, and it showcases a wealth of embroidery patterns, showcasing a variety of different stitches. Her sampler is often referenced in works on the art of Blackwork, also known as Spanish work, as it is a prime example of the Tudor counted thread patterns that the style is famous for.

Samplers were created by experienced makers and were used by others as a reference piece. And while Jane Bostocke probably never imaged her sampler to be used as a reference piece much beyond her lifetime, that is exactly what has happened. Her sampler is referenced by multiple books, and still to this day serves as a great inspiration for blackwork embroiderers, both within and outside of the SCA. This author is particularly intrigued by the style, but will caution the reader that counting threads is, in fact, rather more difficult than one would expect.

A recipe for "Sigginstown Pottage"

by Máistir Aodh Ó Siadhail

Máistir Aodh Ó Siadhail has graciously shared one of his recipes for us to try at home, while we're eagerly counting down the days until Strawberry Raid. He provides the following words of wisdom:

Ingredients

• 1 smoked pale ham, chopped into 1cm cubes

• 2 onions, chopped (or some celery, also chopped)

• 2 leeks, roughly chopped

• 6 carrots, roughly chopped

• circa 500g pearl barley, bulgur wheat, or other likely whole grain

• Water to cover

Put everything above into a pot, and simmer until the meat and grains are cooked. Taste and season with some black pepper if needed. Serve hot.

Some observations: Onion is the more "authentic" between it and celery, but both were available. I've been going easy on onions lately due to food sensitivities. Leeks are absolutely a period Irish food, and possibly close to a staple; they're mentioned a fair bit in texts. The authentic leek in this case may be the wild leek (Allium ampeloprasum var. ampeloprasum), as we know it, or possibly Babington's leek (Allium ampeloprasum var. babingtonii) - I've seen some of these, but have yet to try them as ingredients. They're certainly relatives of the domestic leek, in any case.

The pale ham (I don't know if this is known outside Ireland; it's a small chunk of cured ham, which is pretty salty) provides enough salt that you shouldn't need to add any more. The smoking is pretty solidly attested in period by the number of bones we see with holes for hooks. Mutton or goat was smoked, as well as pork for ham.

You'll see some people claiming that carrots only arrived in Ireland with the Normans, but there are carrot seeds in the archaeobotanic remnants from Viking Dublin, and there's an old Irish word, meacon, which denotes tap-rooted vegetables like parsnips and carrots, but is usually used for carrots. So I'm pretty confident in including these.

The end result is a very solid, stick-to-the-ribs kind of stew; good eating for colder weather or when you've been doing physical work. I've only ever cooked it in cast iron, and it turns out that if you leave the leftovers in the pot overnight, the combination of whole grains and iron results in a horrifically grey stuff, which still tastes fine, but looks absolutely awful. So eat it hot, and don't leave leftovers.

Book review: Creating Historical Clothes; Pattern Cutting from Tudor to Victorian Times by Elizabeth Friendship

by Saskia of Dun in Mara

A hopeful search in the library system led this author to discover Creating Historical Clothes; Pattern Cutting from Tudor to Victorian Times by Elizabeth Friendship, and never was the “reserve this book” button on the library app hit faster. The cover of the book absolutely delights anyone interested in 16th century clothing, as it depicts a gorgeous portrait of a young woman identified as Mary Fitzalan, Duchess of Norfolk, painted in 1565 by Hans Ewout. The book features some portraits throughout, including some drawings by Hans Holbein the Younger.

The book is aimed at both newer sewists as well as more experienced sewists, including some helpful “getting started” information, as well as information on certain techniques (cartridge pleating, mantua maker stitch) in a clear and concise way. It also provides some information on how to take measurements, and how to apply those measurements to determine one’s size. The author adds some helpful tips about which measurements to use for which parts of pattern constructing, as most bodies don’t conform to the so-called “standard sizing” that our societies are so used to. This information is really essential, as the book does not provide graded patterns, but rather instructions on how to draft your own patterns, which may feel a bit daunting to new sewists (and more experienced such as myself).

After the initial introductory section, we are given instructions on how to draft various “basic” garments, also referred to as body blocks by others. These also include instructions on how to draft sleeve heads, and how to manipulate darts. The latter might be more useful for later eras of fashion, but I very much like that it was included.

As the title mentions, the book spans a time range greater than what we in the SCA typically look at, as it goes beyond the 16th century all the way to the end of the 19th century. This time range is divided over four chapters, one for each century. The 16th century section starts with a short introduction, which I would liked to have seen slightly more of. Because this introduction is fairly short (barely more than 2 pages), the entire century of fashion evolution is strongly condensed and doesn’t really paint much of a picture of the era. However, it does provide some helpful references for further investigation on the reader’s part.

has some very useful patterns included, such as the typical bodices that define the silhouette for most of the earlier 16th century, as well as the more structured pointy bodices and “corsets” of the later 16th century. There are also instructions for drafting a loose gown, a very pretty bodice based on a Holbein drawing, skirts, wheel farthingales, and various types of sleeve including a Spanish hanging sleeve and deep oversleeve, like the ones seen on the cover of the book. In order to draft the patterns, you will need to follow the instructions to draft each pattern piece yourself, which is helped by some clear diagrams.

Other chapters are structured in a similar fashion, and the book concludes with a rather short list of suppliers who are exclusively UK and US based.

Verdict: this book is a good reference book for drafting some garments of the century, but isn’t a complete guide to constructing an outfit. There is some essential information missing about undergarments (there is no pattern for a smock, for example) nor does it provide information about accessories, such as partlets or coifs. While the book provides some helpful info on the construction of garments in terms of materials, it focuses on the drafting and cutting of patterns and it provides no steps for construction or embellishment. I would say it is a helpful resource for those who already are familiar with sewing historical garments.

Other notices

Drachenwald Order of Precedence: for those in our community who have received an award and are listed on the Drachenwald Order of Precedence for their accomplishments, it may be prudent to verify your details are still correct.

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Photos by Princess Agnes Boncuer and Lady Gertrude Hoode