About Fantasy Ireland's Creator

Hi. My name is Debbi Felker, and I am the Founder, Editor, and Senior Contributor for Fantasy Ireland. I am also a mother of two beautiful girls and the wife of a loving man. Let me welcome you to my home on the Web.

First I want to tell you from the bottom of my heart that all Celtic souls are welcome here at Fantasy Ireland... even those who have not yet heard her calling... in time we all hear her voice...

I began this journey long ago (long ago in Web years, that is... 2004, specifically) with a yearning to create something... to express something... to explore my passions...

Like you, I am a Celtic soul at heart… for some reason I do not yet understand, I am undeniably and irretrievably lured to Ireland.

I had felt a curious, irresistable connection to Ireland for quite some time...

As a teenage girl I found myself falling in love with the soulful, rich lyrics of a wise young poet and his companions (a.k.a. U2). They all had known the tortured strife of Ireland growing up surrounded by its "troubles."

Their music stirred me. Their soulful lyrics inspired me...

I welcomed their message of Truth...

Their causes became my causes...

It was the first time I truly understood what living with war and yearning for peace must be like...

How blessed I was to be sheltered in the sanctity of a country living in peace and prosperity...

How interesting it was that Irish immigrants had had such an impact on the course of America's history...

The contrast between my world and theirs was striking.

But whereas Ireland was impoverished for so long...

So long ago...

I soon discovered how rich they have always been in all that is good and beautiful in this world.

Everywhere I ended up (for I did not yet know I was on this journey) I discovered a new way that Ireland was drawing me nearer...

From the chart-topping pop singles from that humble rock band from Dublin,

To the breathtaking allure of Riverdance soonafter...

Now I was closer... closer to the source of my yearning...

The heart-stopping music... the awe-inspiring dancing... the haunting beauty of the voices...

I was mesmerized and spellbound by every second of this one-of-a-kind show.

I had never seen or heard anything like it! It had the raw power and passion that drew me toward U2. But there was something more...

So began my love affair with Celtic music and Celtic symbols...

It was at this point in my journey that a romance was born. Cradled in the backdrop of Enya and Loreena McKennitt, I found my soul mate (an old Celtic soul like myself)...

Or... no... let's say he found me...

Found me alone... In despair...

Yearning for freedom... Yet still searching for a place to call home...

And waiting for someone to take me by the hand and to never let go... no matter what...

Through treacherous waters and mountains of strife we journeyed together...

It wasn't long before we learned we were expecting a baby girl...

"Shannon," we'll call her... After the River Shannon...

"Here's hoping she will be blessed with all the ancient wisdom of that majestic river... the natural beauty of its surrounding landscapes... the gift of laughter of its people... and of their fighting spirit... Sláinte!"

I glowed with joy when he would talk to my belly with that silly attempt at an Irish accent...

In the later months, I had to laugh with him when (complaining about the kicks) I'd say she was Riverdancing on my bladder! :)

I left college for awhile... The studies would have to wait awhile... I had a family to tend to...

A few years later that stubborn creative spirit, that power within us that has to get out, drew me back to study...

But this time the journey was not within the halls of a University, it spread out to anywhere I wanted to go...

To discover Ireland, to explore its magic -- in cyberspace. To have an outlet for my restless Celtic soul...

So it was that Fantasy Ireland was born...

In 2004...I embarked on a journey to Ireland. No plane ticket, hotel, nor rental car was required however. That was beyond my means, unfortunately, as perhaps it is for you...

No. The journey I began was within... Into the heart of Ireland. I wanted to learn more and share what I learned with the world. I built over 100 pages. But something was missing... I lost my way...

An old path was calling me back...

I had also discovered long before Fantasy Ireland was born that I have a sociological imagination about life in general … mine as well as others'...

In my time away from Fantasy Ireland, I followed that calling and became a sociologist. I now hold a Bachelor's and a Master's degrees in Sociology and am pursuing my PhD.

Years of toil and trouble, I am proud of those achievements and hope to apply them here. Because in my weariest hours, I heard the call of Ireland once again...

I decided to reorient myself, to try and find a way to balance my knowledge and skills from both realms...

This led me back here... to you... to Fantasy Ireland.

Now I am back with a new vision, a renewed spirit, an ambitious mission

And... might I say, a "wee bit" more wisdom than when I started so many years ago.

It is now time to revive Fantasy Ireland. Many years have I been away... yet now I see it was still part of the journey... the years away have organized my imagination, my sociological imagination, if you will...

Hereafter I see this website as my Fantasy Ireland Project. For more on the scholarly side of Fantasy Ireland, stay tuned....

I hope you find my journey one you'd like to join, in whatever way best serves your own journey.

Contact me anytime! I'd love to hear from you!

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