http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/st-patricks-day-google-doodle-artist-illuminates-the-true-inspiration-behind-todays-elegant-irish-design/2012/03/16/gIQAIHQnHS_blog.html
ST. PATRICK’S DAY: Filmmaker illuminates the lure of ‘Kells’
.
IN THE SPIRIT OF St. Patrick’s Day, Comic Riffs reflects on one
of the more striking Irish-themed films of recent vintage: the
stunningly lush animation that is “The Secret of Kells.”
Comic Riffs caught up
Tomm Moore, the Irish director of the
2010 Oscar-nominated film, to share his thoughts on the lasting allure
of the 9th-century “Book of Kells,” the artistic pride of Ireland that
offers perhaps the greatest illuminated manuscripts in history.
“ ‘The Book of Kells’ is a sort of visual-culture backdrop here in
Ireland,” Moore tells Comic Riffs. “Before the euro, we handled coins
and notes everyday with designs from its pages, its patterns have found
their way into every strata of culture here, from tattoos to
high-quality jewelry, signs on pubs to official government buildings and
fixtures.
“It was a wish to adapt this visual culture to animation that brought
us to research its roots,” Moore continues, “and that was when we
encountered the stories and legends around ‘The Book of Kells.’ “
[
GOOGLE DOODLE:
“Kells” inspires St. Patrick’s Day logo]
Moore is struck by how “Kells” — in which Celtic monks illustrated the Gospels — mixes the faiths of Church and folk ritual.
“The stories from that time are fascinating — a sort of blend of old
pagan beliefs with Christianity, and so saints are often given the
powers and legends of figures from mythology that preceded them,” Moore
says. “Often they share names and sacred pagan sites became Christian
sites. St. Patrick’s Reek in Mhaigh Eo (Cro Padhraig) was once Croms
Reek, for example, or St. Bridgid’s legends that are obviously build on
an earlier deity.
“This blending, and the fact that the book contained so many
multicultural influences, is what inspired my colleagues and I to make
the film.”
Moore underscores how central the book is to Ireland’s rich history.
”There is one story I always think of from an later period that seems to
show how emblematic the book became to Irish culture — Queen Victoria
signed it!” the filmmaker says. “Seems a pretty symbolic act to me.”
And that illuminated allure continues undimmed today.
“I’m delighted to say the influence is still being felt as we had a
young fan visit the other day with her parents,” Moore relates. “They
were from Kansas City, and had made their first trip out of the U.S. to
Ireland based on seeing ‘The Secret of Kells!’ “
