Céad Míle Fáilte
It is Todd once again. In this issue we have a new episode of our own Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, as well as new episodes of Celtic Myths and Legends & Folk on Foot. There is also a list of new albums. The featured articles are about Cónal Creedon, Sir Sean Connery, & a former fortress being turned into a party spot. We again have two highlighted Celtic Festivals. The first is IrishFest Atlanta. The other is Peoria Irish Fest taking place August August 22 – 24, at the Peoria Riverfront, Peoria, IL. We hope you enjoy this issue. Until next time, Sláinte mhaith!
IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST #723: TULUA INTERVIEW IN COUNTY WEXFORD
- Tulua, Sarah Copus, Carroll Sisters Trio, Sybil and Sorley, Scottish Fish, Chloe Matharu, Eimear Arkins & Eileen Gannon, Ockham's Razor, Nathan Gourley, Joey Abarta, and Owen Marshall
- A special thanks to our Celtic Legends: Dave and Rosie Donnelly, Rick Boyce, Bruce, Daniel Ide, Brian McReynolds, Marti Meyers, Alan Schindler, Margreta Silverstone, Emma Bartholomew, Dan mcDade, Jeff, Gerald F Boyle, Miranda Nelson, Nancie Barnett, Kevin Long, Gary R Hook, Lynda MacNeil, John Sharkey White, II, Kelly Garrod, Mike Schock, Annie Lorkowski, Shawn Cali
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 Youtube
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?
IRISHFEST ATLANTA
- Join us at IrishFest Atlanta on Nov 7-9, 2025. You’ll enjoy exclusive concerts with Open the Door For Three with Special Guest Liz Carroll on Friday and Teada on Saturday night.
- Plus enjoy music from Kathleen Donohoe, O’Brian’s Bards, Olivia Bradley, Roundabouts, The Kinnegans, The Muckers, Irish Brothers, Celtic Brew, Station 1 2 3 and special set from Inara and Marc Gunn.
- There are music and dance workshops, Irish cooking competitions, IrishTea, Irish Films, and of course, LOTS of Irish dancing.
- Celebrate your Irish heritage at IrishFest Atlanta in November. Bring a friend!
Learn more at IrishFestAtlanta.com
NEW CDS
- Celtic Connections – by Between Us
- Animal Mayhem – by Martin & Sarah Fowler
- Ancient Magic, Vol 2 – by Elemental Magic
- Going With The Flow – by Aartwork
- Highway – by Blair Douglas
- Caledonian Dreaming – by VARIOUS ARTISTS
- Whispers Of The Harp – by Lumiere SoundWorks
- Songs for the Highlands – by Jason Shepherd
Attn Bands: Go to 4celts.com to submit your band to the podcast.
CELTIC MYTHS AND LEGENDS PODCAST: GALICIAN EL URCO
- In this episode we look at another spooky, ghostly dog! But this one comes with horns and chains…Here's more death folklore with the Galician El Urco!
WRITER CÓNAL CREEDON NAMED ‘HERO STORYTELLER’ AT IRISH FESTIVAL WHICH ONLY HAPPENS EVERY SEVEN YEARS
- WRITER Cónal Creedon is among a group of Irish icons who were named cultural ‘heroes' at a Cork festival which is only held every seven years.
- The novelist, playwright and filmmaker, who hails from Cork, was honoured as one of the ‘laoch reacaire’ or ‘hero storytellers’, at Féile na Laoch 2025, which translates as the ‘festival of heroes’.
- Every seven years, Féile na Laoch is hosted in Cúil Aodha, in the Múscraí Gaeltacht in county Cork.
To read more, go here!
FOLK ON FOOT: ALEX REX AND LAVINIA BLACKWALL IN GOVAN AND CARBETH
- Former Trembling Bells bandmates Alex Rex and Lavinia Blackwall take us first to Govan Old Church in Glasgow to see ancient Viking burial stones – and sing in unaccompanied harmony in the glorious acoustic. Then its off to the hutting community at Carbeth in the countryside outside the city where residents lovingly decorate their wooden homes. Alex shows us the hut he’s curating in memory of his younger brother Alastair who sadly died, while Lavinia introduces us to her partner in life and music Marco Rea as they perform songs from her new album in her hut. A fascinating and poignant insight into the lives and inspiration of two creative spirits.
FROM SIR SEAN WITH LOVE: THE LEGACY THAT IS HELPING YOUNG FILMMAKERS
- Sean Connery became a patron of the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) in 1996 and his first task was to bring home the UK premiere of Dragonheart, the fantasy adventure in which he voices a dragon.
- For the next 14 years, he brought not just films but friends and filmmakers.
To read more, go here!
DERELICT FORTRESS TRANSFORMED INTO £3M PARTY ISLAND
- Many dream of taking on a renovation project, something to transform and make your own.
- But for one former software company owner, the opportunity to bring back to life a derelict 19th Century Napoleonic fort brought with it more challenges than he had ever anticipated.
- Mike Conner, 52, snapped up Thorne Island near Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire for £555,000 in May 2017.
To read more, go here!
PEORIA IRISH FEST
- It’s all about the music. Yes, and the dance. And the culture. But first and foremost, our event is a music festival.
- Mix in an idyllic riverside venue, loads of entertainment options for the whole family, and enough food and drink to satisfy an army, and it’s no wonder the Peoria Irish Fest has been going strong for 40+ years!
- Some of the entertainers you will see are The Red Hot Chili Pipers, The Byrne Brothers, Gaden, Runa, On the Lash, Turas, Broken Brogue, and many others!
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
August 21, 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
