Céad Míle Fáilte
It is Todd once again. From the Muskerry Gaeltacht to Glengarry County, this show gathers fiddle tunes, folk punk, and pub songs into a single hour. We meet the elder lass, chase a squirrel and a flogging reel, and raise a parting glass on the way home. It’s the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast #772. The other podcast I bring to you The Scottish History Podcast & Copperplate Time. In addition to our articles for the week we also have information on supporting our second Celtic Podfest and the Celtic Invasion of the Isle of Skye. The afore mentioned articles are about Dermot O’Leary running a half marathon, the new sauna at Gleneagles, and Derry. In addition, we have a list of new albums. The Featured festival is the 52nd Virginia Scottish Games taking place September 5 & 6 at Great Meadow in The Plains, VA. We hope you enjoy this issue. Until next time, Sláinte mhaith!
IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST #772: THE WATCHMAN'S MORNING LIGHT
- Hildaland, The McDades, Margaret Davis, Alexis Chartrand & Nicolas Babineau, Gwendolyn Snowdon & Cathinca, Donnie ‘Large' Macdonald, Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer, Cedar Dobson and Debojyoti Sanyal, Blackwillow Starling, Leevy, Bang on the Ear, Sean Griffin, Release the Craicen
- Here’s a special thanks to our Celtic Legends: Alan Schindler, Brian McReynolds, Bruce, Dan mcDade, Daniel Ide, Dave and Rosie Donnelly, Fuzzy, Gerald F Boyle, Jeff A, Kelly Garrod, Lynda MacNeil, Margreta Silverstone, Marti Meyers, Mike Schock, Miranda Nelson, Rick Boyce, Round Rock Image Creators, Shawn Cali
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?
CELTIC PODFEST AND ARTS MARKET
- The 2026 Celtic PodFest was a tremendous success. Kinnfolk and The Muckers joined me for our first festival at The Lost Druid Brewery in Avondale Estates, Ga. The festival happened because of many of my listeners who pledged at our start-of-the-year Kickstarter. We had a great turnout, but we could’ve done better if we had planned it more than a month out.
- There is now a Kickstarter Pre-Launch Page for our Second Celtic PodFest. You’ll find a link in the shownotes. This fundraiser will hopefully allow us to bring a second festival to you.
- The Kickstarter will launch in September. Will you help?
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!
NEW CELTIC ALBUMS
- The Spirits and The Sea – by The Elders
- Celtic Fantasy: Twilight from the Observation Deck – by YUNOKIA
- A Storybook Story – by Crown of Clover
- Demat – by Demat
- Songs of Medieval Castle for Gothic Lute, Folk Flute and Celtic Violin – by Andrei Krylov
- Sacred Chants – by Tal Barr
- 3 decades of unpublished stuff part 3 – by The Black Tartan Clan
- 3 decades of unpublished stuff part 4 – by The Black Tartan Clan
- REMEMBER THE HEROS (AND ONE BAD VILLAIN – by Swan Montgomery
Attn Bands: Go to 4celts.com to submit your band to the podcast.
THE SCOTTISH HISTORY PODCAST: 131 – TWISH – THE CHASEABOUT RAID & THE TRIAL OF DEACON BRODIE
- This week in Scottish History –
- The beginning of the “Chaseabout Raid”, where Mary, Queen of Scots would chase her half-brother, the Earl of Moray around Scotland looking for a fight – but did they meet on the battlefield?
- The beginning of the trial of Deacon Willam Brodie, the man it is said to have been the “real” Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Dermot O’Leary Will Run Half Marathon To Support London’s Irish Community
- TELEVISION favourite Dermot O’Leary is gearing up to run a half marathon for a charity which supports the Irish community across London.
- The BBC Radio 2 and This Morning presenter, whose parents hail from Co. Wexford, will run the Royal Parks Half Marathon for the London Irish Centre (LIC) in October.
- “I’m thrilled to be taking on the Royal Parks Half Marathon this October for the London Irish Centre,” he said today.
To read more, go here!
COPPERPLATE TIME 547
- BOTHY BAND, MATT MOLLOY & TOMMY PEOPLES, MOVING CLOUD, KEVIN BURKE, GARADICE, MICK MULVEY & SHANE MEEHAN, ANGELINA CARBERRY & DAN BROUDER, NIAMH De BÚRCA, KEVIN CRAWFORD & CILLIAN VALLELY, EILIS KENNEDY, DAVE SWARBRICK, NIAMH Ní CHARRA, CHRISTY MOORE, JEZ LOWE & THE BAD PENNIES, PATRICK STREET, BOTHY BAND
I TRIED THE SERENE AND RESTORATIVE NEW WILD SAUNA AT SCOTLAND'S BEST HOTEL
- I’ve tried loads of Scotland’s wild saunas, from one in Arran to another at the more incongruous location of Leith Links.
- However, I should’ve realised that the newest addition, from five-star hotel Gleneagles, would be no ordinary example…
To read more, go here!
DERRY WITH A STORY TO TELL
- DERRY, perched at the top of the country, overlooking Lough Foyle which opens onto the Atlantic, boasts a climate that could fairly be described as bracing.
- With a sky that usually means mischief, the wind whips off the Atlantic like a grudge. It has a constant presence here in Derry – indeed there’s a rumour that one day the wind stopped blowing and everybody fell over.
To read more, go here!
52ND VIRGINIA SCOTTISH GAMES
- The 52nd Virginia Scottish Games are coming Labor Day Weekend — September 5 & 6, 2026 — and it's going to be an absolute braw time! Highland dancing, heavy athletics, bagpipes, whisky tastings, Scottish dogs, sheepherding demos, and SO much more. Grab your tickets before they're gone!
- Some of the entertainers you can see are Seven Nations, Seán Heely Celtic Band, Tinsmith, and 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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