Céad Míle Fáilte
Hello again, it is Todd. In this issue we have a new episode of our own Iriahs & Celtic Music Podcast. The other podcasts we feature are Erin’s Isle & Celt in a Twist. We have a list of new CDs as well. The articles include ones about a new exhibition for Richard Harris, the Cornwall Vs Devon scone debate, & a town in Brittany breaking a world record. The highlighted Celtic festival is the Alma Highland Festival taking place this weekend, May 23 – 25, at the Alma College Campus in Alma, MI. We hope you enjoy this issue. Until next time, slàinte mhath!
IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST #710: WHAT YOU DO MATTERS
- Jocelyn Pettit & Ellen Gira, Adam Agee & Jon Sousa, The AML Trio, Fourth Moon, Brendan Hayes/Fergal Scahill/Padraig Rynne, Heather Alexander, Ghost Of A Banshee, Whiskey Faithful, Olivia Barrett, Rebecca Winckworth, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Crikwater, Phoenyx, Stinky Ocean Kelpie, Journey North, Celia Farran
- Thank you to all of our continued Patrons of the podcast.
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.
WHAT'S NEW WITH CELTIC MUSIC
& CULTURE ONLINE?
NEW CDS
- Sunset Ode – by Sunset Ode
- Songs Granny Taught Ye – by Jarad Rowan
- Bayou Tales – by Shiven Blue
- From Erast to Olden: Epic Celtic Metal Reworks – by Antti Martikainen
- Celtic Music for Classical Guitar – by Adam Ruzzo
- Anthems to the Fiendish – by Trollhunt
Attn Bands: Go to 4celts.com to submit your band to the podcast.
ERIN’S ISLE: IRELAND’S AGELESS ARTS
- There are a lot of hallmarks of Celtic Culture. From the music and the storytelling to the jewelry and the artwork, it’s all important to Ireland’s history and to it’s future. This episode spotlights three arts that the Irish have really committed to protecting.
LIFE OF ESTEEMED IRISH ACTOR RICHARD HARRIS EXPLORED IN NEW EXHIBITION
- AN exhibition will open this summer whch tells the story of the life and career of the esteemed Irish actor Richard Harris.
- Over the course of his career Harris, who was born in Limerick in 1930, starred in many films, including the likes of The Field, Unforgiven and Gladiator, and he played Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films.
- He died in London in 2002 at the age of 72.
CELT IN A TWIST MAY 18 2025
- Patricia Fraser is back in the saddle with another hour of Celtic innovation. New Irish from the Whistling Donkeys and The Langan Band, new Canadian from Cassie and Maggie plus Jocelyn Pettit and Ellen Gira, Rounding it all out with Celtronica, Celtpunk and rawkin' Celtic pipes. You're a lucky wee listener! You have your Celt In A Twist!
AMERICAN WADES INTO THE GREAT CORNWALL VS DEVON SCONE DEBATE WITH HILARIOUS CONSEQUENCES
- We're no strangers to The Great Scone debate with our neighbours in Devon and nothing will divide or unite a group like whether they are dolloping jam or cream first. One thing we can all agree on, however, is that we're not taking scone eating advice from America.
- Jam and clotted cream are, of course, the traditional accompaniments, with the earliest records tracing back to Devon and Cornwall in the 11th century. Here in Cornwall, the customary method is to spread jam first followed by a dollop of clotted cream, while across the border in Devon, it's the reverse – clotted cream first, then jam.
THE BRIGHT SIDE: FRENCH TOWN BREAKS WORLD RECORD FOR… SMURFS
- A small town in western France has set a world record for the greatest number of Smurf-costumed people gathered in the same place, according to organisers, who counted more than 3,000 this weekend.
- Landerneau, population 16,000, on the far western tip of France's Brittany region, had tried twice before to wrest the record from Lauchringen, a town in Germany that managed to gather together a seemingly unassailable 2,762 Smurfs in 2019.
56TH ALMA HIGHLAND FESTIVAL
- The Alma Highland Festival and Games first began in 1968. This year celebrates our 56th Alma Highland Festival and Games. For most of our events, we have hosted them at Alma College.
In 2020, we made the call in March to cancel all festivities due to the Pandemic. We were able to offer a Highland Experience in 2021 where we hosted smaller gatherings in Downtown Alma. When 2022's event planning was well underway, Alma College was informed that it had to update its turf and track, leaving us to find a new host or not hold an event. We are thankful for Alma Public Schools allowing us an opportunity to celebrate all things Scottish on their grounds for 2022 and then again in 2023 when construction continued around Alma College's campus. For 2024's Festival, we were back on the campus of Alma College and that location holds for this year's event as well. - Some of the entertainment on display will be Chelsea House Orchestra, Pictus, & Jedi Mind Trip
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 22, 2025
TELL A FRIEND
Do you have a friend who loves Celtic music? Why not share the latest episode of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Share this newsletter or your favorite episode. Tell them why you love it.
#celticmusicmagazine
