What if Christmas had no lyrics? Just fiddles, whistles, pipes, and dulcimers dancing through your speakers? That's episode 92. And it is spectacular.
It’s Celtic Christmas Music #92
The Fire, The Rogues, The Jig is Up!, Cedar Dobson, The Lilies of the Midwest, Ashley MacIsaac, Maggie Sansone, Irish Christmas in America, Gaelynn Lea
0:07 – The Fire “The Jingle Bells Suite” from The Fire's Very Scottish Christmas
4:12 – WELCOME TO CELTIC CHRISTMAS MUSIC
I am Marc Gunn. I am Celtic musician and podcaster. We are promoting Celtic culture through Christmas cheer. We want to bring a little magic and joy into your holiday season.
If you hear music you love, please support the artists. You can find a link to all of the artists in the shownotes as well as how to support this podcast at CelticChristmasPodcast.com
Here's a fun bit of Celtic Christmas history for you. In Ireland and Scotland, the Christmas season has always been as much about music as it is about food and family. Long before recorded sound, communities gathered in homes for what the Irish called a ceili and the Scots called a ceilidh. These weren't formal concerts. They were impromptu house parties. A fiddle came out. A whistle joined in. A bodhrán kept time. People danced, told stories, and played tune after tune deep into the night. The music was instrumental, informal, and joyful.
In Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, that tradition carried on through the Scottish diaspora. Christmas gatherings there still often feature fiddle players trading tunes by the fireplace. Episode 92 is a love letter to that tradition. No lyrics required. Just the music doing what it's always done. Bringing people together.
5:34 – The Rogues “Hellbound Sleigh” from Hellbound Sleigh
10:08 – The Jig is Up! “The Four Kings” from A Penny for the Wren
14:27 – Cedar Dobson “We Wish You a Merry Christmas / Trepak (The Nutcracker) / Jingle Bells / Auld Lang Syne” from A Whistle Wonderland: Christmas Melodies in a Celtic Style
18:46 – THANK YOU FOR SPREADING CHRISTMAS CHEER!
There's something truly special about music that needs no words. Celtic Christmas Music episode 92 is proof of that. Every fiddle run, every pipe melody, every whistle phrase says something words can't. Thank you for listening. You make this show worth making.
And a massive thank you to the Patrons who keep Celtic Christmas Music alive year after year. You are the reason this podcast exists. If you want to support the show and help us bring even more incredible Celtic music to the world. Here's your three-step plan:
- Go to patreon.com/celticchristmas
- Choose your pledge: $12, $8, $25, or $100 a month, for as long as you'd like to support the show
- Keep listening to Celtic Christmas Music and know that you are the reason this magic exists
20:03 – The Lilies of the Midwest “Siobhan's Snowy Wedding” from Cats' Ceili
23:53 – Ashley MacIsaac “Fiddle Medley: March of the Cameron Men / The Glencoe March / Laddie With the Paddle Strathspey / Jenny Dang the Weaver Reel / Irish Reel” from A Cape Breton Christmas
33:16 – Maggie Sansone “Here We Come A-Wassailing / Bottom of the Punch Bowl” from A Scottish Christmas
36:48 – Irish Christmas in America “Mazurkas – Christmas in Spiddal, Twelve to a Bar” from A Long Way From Home
39:44 – CLOSING
40:24 – Gaelynn Lea “Wexford Carol / O Christmas Tree” from Deepest Darkness, Brightest Dawn
42:49 – CREDITS
Celtic Christmas Music was produced by Marc Gunn and our Christmas Patrons on Patreon. The show was edited by Mitchell Petersen with Graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs. Visit our website to subscribe to the podcast. You’ll find links to all of the artists played in this episode.
Todd Wiley is the editor of the Celtic Music Magazine. Subscribe to get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. Plus, you’ll get 7 weekly news items about what’s happening with Celtic music and culture online. Best of all, you will connect with your Celtic heritage.
Please tell one friend about this podcast. Word of mouth is the absolute best way to support any creative endeavor.
Here's something to think about this holiday season. Every time you buy a locally made product, support a small business, or choose a clean energy provider, you are casting a vote. Not at a ballot box. With your wallet. Big corporations spend billions buying political influence because they know consumer power works. Prove them right. Choose solar. Choose local. Choose companies that put people and the planet before profit. Your spending decisions shape the world more than you think. This Christmas, be intentional about where your money goes. Make it count. Find clean energy options in your area and switch today.
Promote Celtic culture through Christmas music at CelticChristmasPodcast.com.
Nollaig Shona Daoibh!
#celticchristmas #celticchristmasmusic
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