Our People

Philip Carr-Gomm

Philip Carr-Gomm

The Former Chief

Philip met his first spiritual teacher, Ross Nichols, the founder of The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, when he was 11. He began studying with him when a teenager, and was initiated into the Order on Glastonbury Tor when he was 18. He studied meditation in Ireland with Olivia...

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Eimear Burke

The Current Chief

On 6th June 2020 Eimear Burke became the Chosen Chief of the Order. Eimear, who lives in Kilkenny Ireland, first became interested in esoteric matters while she was living and working as a nurse in Kenya in the early 1980’s. She graduated with a degree in Psychology from Trinity College,...

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Dwina Murphy-Gibb

Patroness

The Order’s patroness is Dwina Murphy-Gibb, an artist and writer, born in County Tyrone. She was educated in Northern Ireland and attended Hornsey Art College in England. Always fascinated by Irish history and mythology, Dwina was co-founder of The Yeats Club which organized poetry competitions and published a literary magazine,...

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Youth, Martin Glover

Honorary Bard

Youth, Martin Glover, is an artist, poet, writer, musician and record producer. In 2016 Youth received the Award for Outstanding Contribution to UK Music from the Music Producers Guild, and this is what they said about him: One of the UK’s most consistent, credible and influential producers, Youth has been...

Jamie Green Man

Jamie Reid

Honorary Bard

Jamie Reid is an artist, living in Liverpool, with a lifelong interest in Druidry. His great uncle George Watson MacGregor Reid founded the Ancient Druid Order. Jamie has created ‘The Eightfold Year’ – a set of paintings for every day of the year. Jamie Reid’s longstanding practice as an artist...

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Henriëtte de Groot

Honorary Bard

Henriëtte is an opera singer based in the Netherlands, who performs solo in the fields of opera, art song and oratorio. For many years she sang at the Dutch Opera House. Her favourite opera roles were as Tatyana in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and as Nedda in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci. Through her...

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Eric Maddern

Honorary Bard

Eric is a storyteller, the author of a dozen children’s books and a singer-songwriter. Born in South Australia, Eric spent years working as a ‘bush artist’ in Aboriginal communities, learning about their notion of ‘songlines’ and ‘the dreaming’. Since living in Snowdonia he’s become familiar with the old tales and...

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Barry Patterson

Honorary Bard

Barry is a full time bard, house-husband & urban peasant. He has always been inspired by our beautiful, ancient land & its wildlife. Barry started making & playing frame drums like the bodhran in 1990 and joined OBOD in 2002 after having been a guest speaker at a couple of...

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Claire Hamilton

Honorary Bard

Musician, writer and storyteller, Claire Hamilton has recorded many Celtic harp albums. Her books Tales of the Celtic Bards, Celtic Seasonal Meditations, and Maiden, Mother, Crone: Voices of the Goddess are inspired retellings of Celtic myth. Claire’s work has been described by Professor Ronald Hutton as a ‘complete bardic festival.’...

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Steve Gladwin (Ardan)

Honorary Bard

Steve is is a poet, workshop leader, performer, storyteller, musician, confidence builder and teacher based in Meifod, Powys. His novel for young adults, The Seven, is published by the Gomer Press. Website: https://www.storiesoffeelingandbeing.com/

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Esme Vincent

Honorary Bard

Esme is a calligrapher whose meticulous and beautiful work includes miniature books, illustrated volumes and many different book styles and illustrations. Esme Vincent was crowned an Honorary Bard of the Order in recognition of her artistry at the Mount Haemus Award day in Salisbury Medieval Hall in 2008.

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Liv-Torc

Liv Torc

Honorary Bard

A performance poet, writer and comedian who runs cabaret events and poetry workshops across the UK. The winner of the southwest heat of the Radio 4 National Poetry Slam 2009, the 2010 Bard of Exeter, the 2011 Bridport Poet in Residence and a constant and popular figure on the UK...

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Arthur ZZ Birmingham

Honorary Bard

Founder member of R Cajun & The Zydeco Bros with a background in folk music, Arthur has gone on to perform extensively as bluesman Z.Z.Birmingham and with his family band – daughter Ursula (Weil Influenz) on fiddle, wife Penny (Carmen Piranha) harmonies and percussion and son Jake (Elmos Grandez) on...

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Jim Faupel

Honorary Bard

A hugely talented songwriter, vocalist and guitarist, Jim Faupel is widely respected and admired in the European druidic and bardic community, and released his debut solo album Here Be Dragons (on Stop the World Records) in 2003, and a follow up album, Reinventing the Wheel in 2009. But Jim can...

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Damh the Bard

Honorary Bard

A modern-day Bard whose spirituality, and love of folk tradition, is expressed through his music, storytelling and poetry. Drawing on the Bardic traditions his performances are both entertaining and educational, weaving a tapestry of myth, peace, and anthems that speak directly to the heart, but never without a good splash...

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Myrdhin

Honorary Bard

Myrdhin was born in Upper Brittany to a Cornish family, Myrdhin is one of the driving forces behind the rebirth of the Celtic harp in Brittany. He plays solo or with the trio An Delen Dir both in France and abroad since the 1970s. He has received numerous awards and...

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Mara Freeman

Honorary Bard

Mara is a teacher of Western esoteric traditions, from the faery realms within the Earth to the regions of the Summer Stars. She is the author of Kindling the Celtic Spirit, and is director of the Avalon Mystery School. You can find her website here.

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Robin Williamson

Honorary Bard

Founder in the 60’s of the influential Incredible String Band and the Merry Band of the 70’s. Robin has been a key figure at the forefront of the storytelling revival in Europe and America since the 80’s. He has authored a number of books including The Craneskin Bag (re-telling and...

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Lisa Tonner

Celebrant

New England I am an OBOD member and facilitator of the Connecticut OBOD Seed Group. I am also an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church. I have 25 years of training in various spiritual belief systems, including Druidry, Wicca, Asatru, Voodoo and Thelema. I am available to perform weddings...

John Shrewsbury

John Shrewsbury

Celebrant

I am a Druid Graduate of OBOD. I hold a baccalaureate degree in religious studies and several graduate degrees in unrelated fields including a Ph.D. and have many years of experience with ritual and liturgy and as a celebrant for various types of rituals including weddings and funerals. I have...

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Susan K. Rowan-Nelson

Celebrant

I am a member of the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids, currently studying the Bardic Grade. I am also a Certified Independent Celebrant, and I perform Weddings, Handfastings, Renewals of Vows, Namings, Welcomings, House Blessings and House Cleansings, and more. In addition, I am an Ordained Minister of the...

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Moss Magill

Celebrant

Seattle, WA An ordained minister, I am also a member of OBOD. I have experience in officiating weddings, baby blessings and house clearings. I provide Druidic and Pagan prison ministry in the Washington State region, and I am the co-founder of the Circle of Coll Seed Group in Seattle, Washington....

Druid in Minnesota

Ray Hayward

Celebrant

Minnesota and the upper mid-west I am a registered minister and can perform baptisms, weddings, and funerals, as well as any rituals, rites of passage, or custom celebrations. I am a Druid Grade member of the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids and base all my ritual on the Order’s...

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Sarah Fuhro

Celebrant

Boston Druid member of the Boston (Mystic River) Grove in Massachusetts. I have celebrated with Druids and non druids alike. I have created and facilitated weddings, baby and child naming ceremonies, house blessings, celebrations for moving, for healing and for funerals. I belong to a grove which began twenty years...

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Huathe Fearn

Celebrant

Southwestern portion of the United States. (OK, TX, AR, NM, KS, CO.) I am a Druid graduate with OBOD, group facilitator of The Circle of the Six-Fold Path and an ordained minister with the Universal Life ChurchI offer Celebrant services which includes baby blessings, weddings, rites of passage, and celebration...

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Gail Arthur-Eddy

Celebrant

Cleveland area, Ohio As you stand at a threshold, you stand in a special space, where you are poised between one way of being and another. Once you cross it, you will no longer be as you were, your life becomes something other. The birth of a baby, the crossing...

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Brenda Cole

Celebrant

New Mexico I am a Druid Grade member of OBOD and a member of the 1st Unitarian Church of Albuquerque. My spiritual training includes over 20 years experience in Druidry, Wicca, Unitarian Universalism and Catholicism. I am an ordained Minister through Centro de Esperanza in Albuquerque and have completed 30...