Céad Míle Fáilte
Hello faithful readers it is Todd once again. In this issue we have a new episode of our own Irish and Celtic Music Podcast. Where we gather a full hour of independent Celtic music spanning Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, and North America. Highlights include a McDades reel set, a Dervish collaboration with Glen Hansard, and a haunting Gaelic harp piece from Chloe Matharu to close. New voices meet familiar favourites across songs of home, loss, and the road. It’s the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast #771. The other highlighted podcasts are In Tune with Tradition & Folk on Foot. We also feature our forthcoming Celtic Invasion Tour to the Isle of Skye. The other articles are about Limerick & the Edinburgh festival. The festival spotlight shines bright on the Peoria Irish Fest. It takes place August 28 – 30, 2026 at Riverfront Park in Peoria, IL. We hope you enjoy this issue. Until next time, Sláinte mhaith!
IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST #771: WAY STATIONS FOR POETS AND STORY TELLERS
- Avourneen, The McDades, Tulua, Trouz Bras, Maggie MacInnes, Dervish, Glen Hansard, Jim Moray, Slugger’s Rule, Leevy, Sandra Sparks, Michael Robbins, Mànran, Ruairidh Gray, Some One’s Sons, Celtic Cross, Chloe Matharu
- Here’s a special thanks to our three new patrons this month: Memory Harman, Allyson Woodard, and Kkleparek
CAST YOUR VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20
- Every year, I publish the Celtic Top 20. This is your pick of the best, most-popular songs of the year. But to make the show great, I need you to vote for your favorite songs in each episode.
- Just list each of the bands performing those favorite songs to quickly and easily cast your vote.
WHAT'S NEW WITH CELTIC MUSIC
& CULTURE ONLINE?
NEW CELTIC ALBUMS
- Ginnungagap – by Valkruna
- A Handful of Songs – by Gloucestershire Traveller Singers
- Another Handful of Songs – by Gloucestershire Traveller Singers
- Rainfall on the Wizard's Tower – by Strings & Swords
- Fantasy Songs of the Rugged Coast for Medieval Lute, Celtic Guitar & Folk Flute – by Andrei Krylov
- For the Love of Trees – by Clíodhna Ní Aodáin
- Patouche Collective – by Patouche Collective
Attn Bands: Go to 4celts.com to submit your band to the podcast.
IN TUNE WITH TRADITION – PERSPECTIVES ON SESSION ETIQUETTE IN IRISH TRADITIONAL MUSIC : MUSIC IS A BIOLOGICAL NECESSITY
- This episode explores how music can regulate the nervous system, build belonging, and help people feel safe in communal playing spaces. Tara Connaghan is joined by Louise Kelly, a consultant music therapist from the North of Ireland, TEDx speaker, and co-founder of Resilient Rhythms, whose perspective connects traditional music with anxiety, confidence, and connection.
- We discuss why some players sit on the periphery, why others play loudly or keep leaving and returning, and how those behaviours can be understood through fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses rather than judgment.
JOIN THE CELTIC INVASION OF THE ISLE OF SKYE
- Skye is not just one of the most-stunning destinations in Scotland. It is also a hiking Mecca. There are so many great places to head out into the wilderness and experience the incredible wilds of Skye.
- In 2027, we're invading Skye with an emphasis on hiking. We'll be out hiking for 2-4 hours a day for at least four days.
- Get ready for an exciting adventure filled with exhausting joy.
Learn more about the Celtic Invasion of Skye!
FOLK ON FOOT: JENN BUTTERWORTH AT WHITHORN
- Come for a wild and windy walk in the Scottish borders with the brilliant guitarist Jenn Butterworth. We visit the remote farmhouse where she grew up, the pub where she worked as a teenager, the otter statue commemorating Gavin Maxwell and the ancient archaeological site which dates back to 397 AD and the founding of Scotland’s earliest Christian community. There’s time for plenty of music – both traditional and original.
LIMERICK FOR POETRY, PUBS AND HISTORY
- A LETTER appeared once in the Irish Times from a gentleman in Dublin.
- He wrote:
- “I have just returned from a day trip to Limerick. Within five minutes of my arrival in the city centre two wild dogs ran by me and a drunken gentleman shouting obscenities in a butcher’s window collapsed, shattering the shop’s window.
- I was impressed by the improvement since the last time I was there,
- Yours etc, Adrian Weckler, Glasnevin”
- Yes, Limerick does suffer from something of an image problem.
To read more, go here!
COUNTRY DIARY: DOWN THE ROAD FROM THE EDINBURGH FRINGE … A TRUE LOCAL TRADITION OF COSTUME AND WHISKY
- While the Edinburgh festival grabs the headlines, just 10 miles away, one of Scotland’s most remarkable traditions takes place every August – the Burryman procession.
- In this, part of the Ferry Fair, a local volunteer is covered in thousands of hooked burdock seedheads, which are attached in dense patches like Velcro. He spends up to 10 hours perambulating a seven-mile route around town, accompanied by two attendants, pausing at some 20 stops to collect charitable donations and accepting a libation of unmeasured whisky through a straw. This year’s procession is especially significant, as the identity of the Burryman is changing.
To read more, go here!
PEORIA IRISH FEST
- Failte (Welcome)
- It’s all about the music. Yes, and the dance. And the culture. But first and foremost, our event is a music festival.
- Top groups from around the world join outstanding regional acts and up-and-coming groups to thrill our guests. And local favorites deliver knockout performances to their rabid followers, gaining new fans every time.
- Mix in an idyllic riverside venue, loads of entertainment options for the whole family, and enough food and drink to satisfy an army, and it’s no wonder the Peoria Irish Fest has been going strong for 40+ years!
- Some of the musicians appearing are Eileen Ivers, Screaming Orphans, Socks in the Frying Pan, The Andrew Finn Magill Trio, Sorcha, Bogside Zukes, Skibbereen, and many, many more!!
WHAT ARE YOU DOING WHILE LISTENING?
You can send a comment or a picture of what you're doing. You can also send a photo from one of your trips to a Celtic nation or anywhere around the globe.
Slainte!
Todd Wiley (he/him) & Marc Gunn (he/him), The Celtfather
August 20, 2026
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