The Cauldron of Grief

The Cauldron of Grief comes to Trinity in Edinburgh on Saturday 31 October, an afternoon ritual built around the ancient Celtic practice of keening. It's led by Lorna Mckey, with shamanic drumming on the bodhrán by Ed of Silverspringwellness.

At its heart is a keening — a traditional lament for those who have passed — performed at the Clootie Tree, the Hawthorn Tree. Along with the singing, there are offerings of nature like oats and water, alongside messages, notes and letters. The Keen of the Three Marys (L Caoineadh na dTri Muire) sounds into the durge for the deceased, with the gol, the cry of lament, running through it. The whole thing is opened by shamanic drumming on a bodhrán, a Celtic drum made of cedar wood that's said to guide the listener into a calm, dream-like theta state.

There's a bit of history to it, too. Keening was outlawed by the church many centuries ago because of its intense power of lament, and this is framed as a reclamation of those old Celtic grief customs — a way of honouring someone who has transitioned or your own loss in this lifetime. It's less of a performance and more of a ritual, so it's as much about what you bring to it as what happens in the room.

It runs from 3 pm to 4 pm on Saturday 31 October at Trinity, 1 Trinity Road, Trinity EH5 3NJ, and tickets are £11.55.