I was tempted to call this post,”Let the Winds Blow High”, as most of the ‘lads’ were keen to get kilted up for the Celtic birthday party. Prior to the event, there was much talk about free- balling it, always a wonderful tease for the ladies. Sadly these were vain threats, tales “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”. There were no Bravehearts on the day.
The anticipation of a themed party is as much fun as the event itself. The opportunity shops ( charity shops) were thoroughly scoured in the weeks leading up to the party, in search of kilts, tartan cloth, scarves and rugs, green clothing, Celtic knotted jewellery, Scottish bonnets and hats, and anything quirkily Celtic. It’s amazing what you can find. I wanted to come as Grace O’Malley ( Gráinne Ní Mháille ),¹ my Irish heroine, or wear a T-shirt printed with the label, “If lost, return to Jamie Fraser”, but the latter, with its Outlander reference, would have been lost on all the other party goers.
Our Celtic party happily coincided with the weeks leading up to St Patrick’s Day so the local $2 shops provided green kitsch galore. Online shops are a great source for Scottish flags and hanging four leaf clover strings. And red wigs were popular too.
Decor and dress ups were the easy part of the theme. The finger food proved far more difficult, especially given the balmy afternoon, the lack of good cooking facilities, and the general preference for Celtic style drinking on the day. I had planned to cook up some local Mt Martha mussels and stuff them with spinach, cheese and crumbs as my token nod to Brittany, but the day just disappeared. The Cornish Celts were represented with some mini Cornish pasties that I made before the event, based on this recipe. Other finger foods came in the form of sausage rolls and filled pastries. My sister whipped up some potato pancakes topped with smoked salmon, a fitting cross -Celtic food. Green coloured cocktails were popular, say no more!
Picture file below can be opened separately for a costume and decor guide to a Celtic themed party.
¹https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_O’Malley
ALMOST ITALIAN 
What great fun Francesca, I am a big fan of a spot of fancy dress. I would have got your reference. Who wouldn’t want to be returned to him?
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Ah Lisa, at last another Outlander fan. When will they show Season 2 so I can do a total series binge?
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(Sends virtual high five to like minded Outlander fan.) I don’t know! I borrowed the entire DVD first series from a friend last year and have been waiting ever since. Will let you know if I hear anything.
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Season 2 is out on dvd. I watched season one on netflix. May have to just watch it all again!!
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What a craic!
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You would have fitted in well Peter, to be sure, to be sure.
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That looks like such fun. It’s good to be just a tiny touch crazy, isn’t it?
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Especially while camping, themed events are fun.
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Looks like a whole lot of fun to me, nothing like a bunch of crazy adults and a themed party to stretch decorum to the limits!
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Decorum, zero, fun two.
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What fun! Makes me want to throw a Celtic party! Great post.
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They are fun, though the food is a bit challenging.
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Fabulous food & fun. Love the costumes. There’d be a few of us wearing Jamie tshirts, I think. Outlander is popular in our house, we watch online then buy the dvds as they are released, and I’m waiting, along with her myriad fzns, for DG’s next novel installment. FYI, there is an Outlander recipe book.
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And there are also Outlander knitting sites, which, I must confess, I have visited. Fingerless gloves on the way.Haven’t read the novels though- just hanging for series 2 to appear on Netflix. How long must one wait?
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http://www.dianagabaldon.com/other-projects/outlander-tv-series/where-to-watch/
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Thanks Dale. Sadly I don’t have foxtel. May have to buy the DVD.
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When it’s released in the US, do a search via the web, as we’ve been able to watch each season online eg through Googlr Play when released. The DVDs aren’t released until after the end of each seaso .
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I’ll try that on the smart TV and see if I can find series 2 that way.
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I’ve never seen a Celtic-themed party before and it’s…. it’s… it’s something!
I also think you should consider Queen Medb as competition for Grainne, because she was also a badass lady and I quite like the fact that she was killed by a piece of cheese. I mean… why? (Although… why not?)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medb
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Thanks Quinn for that link to Queen Medb- great reading and yes, she is a good rival to Grainne.
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What a hoot! We love Outlander, too, and have seen series two in all its entirety. Good stuff!
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Lucky lucky Liz. I’ll have to buy the DVD.
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Looks like a fabulous party, fun had by all!
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It was outrageous but good. Lots of singing.
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Looks like you all had a very colourful day! Did you make that cake?
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No, I didn’t make the cake. I had purchased some green coloured food dye to ice a joint creative project. My DIL was planning to buy some circular sponges to make a four leaf clover, finished off with a stem made from a swiss roll, then iced green. The discussion about the planned cake turned so crude, we abandoned the plan, and someone had to go and buy that cake. Along with other cooking plans. The dress ups were, in the end, the highlight.
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Wonderful people photos! Looks like do much fun! 😃
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