The remains of an early medieval mill have been uncovered by an archaeological team in Kilbegley townland in the parish of Moore, Ireland. The mill may be as much as 1300 years old and is one of the best-preserved in Europe.

Mill-races, a mill pond, a flume and the almost-complete remains of the bottom floor of the mill, known as the undercroft, have all survived. Archaeologist Jerry O’Sullivan stated that the remains indicate the people who built the structure displayed sophisticated methods of construction and design.

Find out more in the article by Deirdre Verney at the Westmeath Independent.

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• Medieval Technology
• Medieval Ireland

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It’s a piece of wood that will probably sell for hundreds of pounds, but that might — just might — sell for millions.

Leeds antiques dealer Martin Roberts spotted the ornately decorated object among a load of junk at a car boot sale in Otley. Though he didn’t know what it was, he did think it “looked old.” Now, experts believe it may be the door or lid from a tabernacle, a box used to protect relics, and that it could date all the way back to the 8th century. Some believe that the tabernacle could have been used by the Knights Templar to carry religious items.

Find out more about the unusual object and its possible provenance in the article at the Daily Mail online.

• Learn more about the Knights Templar

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The first weekend of the WRFF (now moved to Maris Farms in Buckley, WA) is now behind us and it was a blast. It was a blast both in terms of temperatures as well as in fun – the Pacific Northwest was in the tail of the grips of one of the hottest heat waves [...]

Michigan The Derbyshire Renaissance Faire in Muskegon, along with the Muskegon Bowmen and the Michigan Primitive Archery Club, are hosting the Champion Archers of Derbyshire. The tournament consists of four events designed to test the skills of archers in three different classes. Whether you prefer pre-modern wood bows …

New York NYRF is looking for some new merchants. They jury products all year round until all booths are filled. Jurying is the process of reviewing and accepting a merchant’s work. If your calendar is clear for the months of August and September and you are skilled in …

A stage show at Faire has to contend with a lot of distractions during the show – especially if your stage is right in the middle of everything.  The biggest interruptions tend to be from parades.

Ah, parades. When some group or other moves en masse from one part of Faire …

As a part-time pro, I need to get out to perform at faires, perform, and then get back in time for my “day job”. For me, that means flying a lot. Fortunately, Southwest Airlines and I have an understanding – I pack everything I can into two bags and keep …

… back in the saddle again!

As you all know, I’m a big proponent of cheap magic resources – because the less you have to spend for useful, quality magic items, the more you have for, well, all the other stuff you need to pay for.

This time around, I want to …

Magicians like to pack as much magic as possible into an act. It’s as if there is a “trick per hour” ratio we want to maintain.

One thing I’ve noticed as I keep going in my show is that the number of tricks I’m doing is diminishing, but I’m taking more …

I’ve talked about the necessity of having a sign if you’re a stage act – it identifies you as, yes, an actual show, and gives your show an air of “legitimacy” (oh look he’s someone who’s performing and not some random weirdo who walked out onto the stage).

I’d like to …