2008 Irish Music Award Competition Concert Judges:  Peggy Seeger, Eddie Tuleja, Annie Parsell Instrumentalist Winner - Bridget Hickey Vocalist Winner - Lee Brient & Joanne Mitchelson People's Choice - Lee Brient & Joanne Mitchelson

2008 Celtic Art Award Judges: - Nancy Kowalski - Kim Clark - Rick Rockcliff   Winner - Bernie Tarr   "Softly Spoken Girl"    >   Below Judges’ commendation - Andrew Kruger "Spirit of Tree" - Margaret Baker "Fly like a bird"    People’s Choice - Andrew Kruger  "Spirit of Tree"

Generous Celtic Art Award and Festival Sponsors Rob & Elizabeth Nowell presenting Bernie Tarr with his winner's prize and award. A popular choice, as Burnie has won the Peoples' Choice Award for the last 2 years.

Andrew Kruger Spirit of Tree The mighty Oak is the king of the forest, and holds a special significance in Celtic Tradition. From majestic groves to solitary kings, Oaks were honoured beings of great wisdom and knowledge. As part of Celtic Tradition, each tree, especially the thirteen sacred trees, was home to a spirit of the tree or Dryad. To honour the Dryad, solitary Oaks were guarded by circles of stone. Stepping through the guarded circle, the mundane world of everyday is departed from and one enters the Celtic Otherworld of ancient knowledge and memories, and the realm of Gods and Goddesses.   Tasmanian Artists were invited to submit entries to the third Celtic Art Award, which is a important element of the Westbury St Patrick’s Festival. This Award celebrates the spirit of Celtic culture in a contemporary setting while retaining links to a traditional Celtic heritage.    Pieces on display all weekend of the Festival. Hundreds viewed this year's display at the White House Museum and voted for the People's Choice Award which Andrew won with his piece 'Spirit of Tree'

Margaret Baker  Fly like a Bird The spectacular Dunluce Castle, the ruins of which stand on the Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland is thought to have been built in the Fourteenth Century, but were first documented in the Sixteenth Century, when it was in the family of the MacQuillans and later the MacDonnells. Sorley Boy MacDonnell fought & lost to Shane O'Neill in 1565 and later to Lord Deputy Essex in 1584, but he managed to restore and re-arm the castle with three cannons raised from the wreck of a Spanish Armada vessel in 1588.       Randal MacDonnell built a beautiful house inside the castle for his wife Catherine who unfortunately, found she did not like the sound of the sea. I have depicted the spirit of Catherine locked within the rocks, high above the sea, watching the birds which live amongst the high cliffs, wishing she could 'fly like a bird' to a distant home.