Céad Míle Fáilte,

It is Todd once again. We don’t  have a new episode of the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast, we do have a new episode of Pub Songs & Stories. We also have we episodes of Stories of Scotland & Celt in a Twist.  The articles include ones about Scottish whisky and hiking, The Wolfe Tones, Beltane Fire Festival, Cornwall grandparents hiking for charity, & Beth Pittman hosting a night Celtic music. We hope you enjoy this issue. Until next time, slàinte mhath!

4 WAYS YOU CAN HELP CELTIC MUSICIANS THIS SUMMER

• The summer Celtic festival season is almost here. There are a lot of big events happening. There’s also a lot of underpaid Celtic musicians. But you can help with this problem.
• Fortunately I have four ideas on how you can make musicians lives a little better so you keep getting the great music you love.

Read and share the blog.

PUB SONGS & STORIES #284: SCI FI DRINKING SONGS AT GEN CON 2023

• We’re taking a journey today as I share the story of how I found myself playing Sci Fi Drinking Songs at science fiction conventions around the nation.

Listen to the Show

IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC: BEST OF 2024 PLAYLIST

• Every week, Patrons of the Podcast vote in the Celtic Top 20. Those votes are tabulated two weeks later. The most-popular songs are added to these playlists.
• You can vote for your favorite by following the link in this week's show.

Listen on Spotify

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.

Vote in the Celtic Top 20

THANK YOU PATRONS OF THE PODCAST

The bands you listen to each week rely on your generosity and financial support. Just like this podcast. Your patronage allows us to create a free show for thousands of people week. It only costs you as little as one dollar per episode on Patreon. Join on Patreon now.

SCOTTISH WHISKY & HIKING

• aste Scottish whisky and hike off the whisky in some of Scotland's grand locations. To that end, we will fly into Inverness. Drive through Speyside, past Edinburgh into the Lowlands before making our way back up to the Highlands. We will hit at least three of the Scottish whisky regions with this plan.But it's not just about the whisky. It's also about the hiking. We will spend 1-2 hours in between tastings to hike local sites, take pictures, and soak up the countryside.

Join the Invasion.

STORIES OF SCOTLAND: FIRESIDE FOLKLORE: NUCKELAVEE, SCOTLAND'S SCARIEST DEMON

• We journey to the cold waters of the North Sea for Jenny to tell the famed story of the Nuckelavee as captured by farmer and folklorist Walter Trail Dennison. The nuckelavee is a skinless horse who haunts Orkney’s coasts, terrifying travelers. He also brings blight and plague to crops, livestock and even humans with his terrible toxic breath. Meanwhile, Annie will do anything to avoid the nuckelavee, including summoning the ancient Sea Mither to ensure the nuckelavee is trapped for summer.

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IRISH MUSIC FANS STUNNED AS THE WOLFE TONES GIVE SURPRISE PERFORMANCE AT LONDON PUB

• STUNNED Irish music fans were treated to a surprise performance by The Wolfe Tones at a London pub.
• The unsuspecting crowd at The Faltering Fullback, an iconic Irish watering hole in Finsbury Park, enjoyed an intimate gig by the iconic rebel band who will be playing their final and largest UK show this July.

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CELT IN A TWIST APRIL 28, 2024

• Another eclectic mix of Celtivity! Enjoy a new spin from Vishten Connexions featuring Catherine McLellan. Alba's Edge set sail on The Diamond while The Dreadnoughts find themselves on Dusty Ground. Sharon Shannon rolls with a Wild West Wagon Train and The Afro Celt Sound System bring tranquility with AM. Join Patricia Fraser and remember to leave a comment or review.

Listen to the Show

MAY QUEEN AND GREEN MAN – WHAT IS THE BELTANE FIRE FESTIVAL?

• Edinburgh's Calton Hill will be ablaze with fire this week as the Beltane Fire Festival signals the end of the dark months.
• The Iron Age Celtic ritual has been celebrated for thousands of years.

Visit the site

CORNWALL GRANDPARENTS WALK COAST OF BRITAIN FOR CHARITY

• A couple who have been walking the entire British coastline for the last 11 months are preparing to return home to Cornwall.
• Grandparents Sally and Antony Brown set off from Bude in May 2023, raising funds for charities along the way.

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BETH PITTMAN’S OUTLANDER NORTH CAROLINA ORGANIZATION HOSTS A FULL NIGHT OF CELTIC MUSIC

• WEST JEFFERSON — For years, Beth Pittman’s friends would try and get her to read the very popular Outlander series of historical fiction books written by author Diana Gabaldon, but she was too busy to start in on a run like that with a day job and a family to tend to at home.
• Eventually, when the book series about a time travel love story set in both 1700s Scotland and 1900s United States became a TV series, Pittman took the bait and became hooked on the concept.

Read the Blog

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 & Marc Gunn, The Celtfather

May 2, 2024

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