Céad Míle Fáilte,
It is Todd once again. In this issue we feature a new episode of our own Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. The other podcasts we feature are Three Castles Burning & Folk on Foot. We feature a list of new CDs. The articles we feature include ones about the Irish government buying land, Scotland’s Girl bands review, & things to do in Cornwell in October. The Celtic games we feature are the Stone Mountain Highland Games and Scottish Festival which takes place this weekend, October 18 – 20, 2024 in Stone Mountain, GA. We hope you enjoy this issue. Until next time, slàinte mhath!
IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST #681: LADY OF THE HOUSE
- The Drowsy Lads, Dan Possumato, Cherish The Ladies, Cleveland Celtic Ensemble, Conamara Chaos, Jesse Ferguson, Tarren, The Langer's Ball, Goitse, Enda Reilly, Olivia Bradley, Larkin & Moran Brothers, The Miles O'Brien band & Betsy Rose, DLÙ, Bealtaine
- A special thanks to our Patrons.
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.
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.
IRISHFEST ATLANTA IS NOV 8-10, 2025
- Mark your calendar to join the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast at IrishFest Atlanta. We are sponsor the festival and need your help spreading the news.
- Cherish the Ladies and The Friel Sisters headline the event with one concert on Saturday and Friday respectively. Make sure you order your tickets soon so you don't miss the shows
- There's also music from The BorderCollies, The Muckers, Olivia Bradley, Jared Bogle, Celtic Brew, Kinnigans, Kathleen Donohue, Kira, Phoenix Ceili Band, The Roundabouts and Marc Gunn with his daughter Inara.
- There are vendors, food, whiskey tasting, Irish dance, workshops and so much more.
Find out more about IrishFest Atlanta.
New CDs
- Get weekly updates of New CDs in our Celtic Music Magazine and download 34 Celtic MP3s for free at bestcelticmusic.net. #NewCelticCDs
- Live at PA Ren Faire Celtic Fling Vol. 2 – by Melissa Cox
- Les Deux Royaumes – by Okä
- Richard WOOD Live! An Evening of Celtic Music – by Richard Wood
- Chant pour les astres – by Enokham
- Crankie Island Song Project – by Cathy Jordan
- The Celtic Touch – by Richard Wood
Attn Bands: Go to 4celts.com to submit your band to the podcast.
THREE CASTLES BURNING: IRISH FOOD HISTORY: FROM B.C. TIMES TO THE GROGAN’S TOASTIE
- Irish Food History: A Companion is an extraordinary thing – a moment in Irish publishing history. Coming in around 800 pages, it covers everything from archaeology and food to the pub grub of today. Full of archival images, poetry, recipes and more besides, the book captures the best of what is happening in Irish food research. On this episode, editors Dorothy Cashman and Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire join me to go through this collection.
IRISH GOVERNMENT CONFIRMS PLANS TO PURCHASE LAND FOR NEW NATURE RESERVE
- A NEW nature reserve will be created in Ireland under plans announced by Nature Minister Malcolm Noonan.
- The Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform confirmed this week his intention to purchase just under 165 acres of land in Kilkenny and designate it as the new Gale’s Hill Nature Reserve.
FOLK ON FOOT: DAN WHITEHOUSE IN STOURBRIDGE
- For four hundred years, Stourbridge in the West Midlands was at the heart of Britain’s glass making industry. The local landscape was dotted with distinctive brick built cones, or chimneys, where the glass was made. The local singer and songwriter Dan Whitehouse made an album called “Voices From The Cones” based on recordings of the memories of glass workers. In this extraordinary episode he takes us to a former glass works – now a college teaching craft skills to neurodivergent students – and sings the songs inspired by this fascinating industry. And Matthew gets to try his hand at glass blowing!
SINCE YESTERDAY: THE UNTOLD STORY OF SCOTLAND’S GIRL BANDS REVIEW – THE JOY AND THE FURY
- The first Scottish girl band to break into the charts were the McKinlay Sisters in 1964, a pop duo formed by Jeanette and Sheila McKinlay. The McKinlays played with the Rolling Stones and toured with the Beatles but, says Jeanette, looking back, they were exploited – not paid enough to even live on. They celebrated Sheila’s 20th birthday in their London bedsit with a bag of chips. When the Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein offered to manage them, the band’s label said they already had a manager. It was a lie. Not long after, that same label dropped the McKinlays and they faded into obscurity.
HALF TERM IN CORNWALL: THINGS TO DO THIS OCTOBER
- October half-term is fast approaching and you're probably planning what events will keep you and your children occupied during the holiday. Well, there are plenty of spooky and exciting events going on in Cornwall for the week and some of them are completely free.
STONE MOUNTAIN HIGHLAND GAMES AND SCOTTISH FESTIVAL
- For over 50 years, Scotland has been coming to Georgia with the Stone Mountain Highland Games and Scottish Festival! Brigadoon returns with Friday events being held at the Hilton Northeast Atlanta Host hotel on October 18, 2024. On Saturday and Sunday, we will be transforming the meadows and meandering tree-lined paths of Stone Mountain Park for the weekend of October 19 and 20, 2024 into the impressive mix of sights and sounds of a Scottish Highland Games presented in a uniquely southern style.
- One of the premier Scottish festivals in the US, Stone Mountain will be featuring colorful pipe bands, Scottish Athletics, Piping and Drumming competitions, Highland dancers competing before judges of worldwide renown, Country Dancing, and Fiddling. Scottish foods and drink, clan tents and vendors selling lovely goods imported from the British Isles, and Celtic performers are also a part of this traditional gathering. Join us for a fun and educational weekend trip to the Highlands!
- Some of the musical acts performing include Beth Patterson, Boxing Robin, & Collin Grant-Adams.
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
October 17, 2024
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