Céad Míle Fáilte
Hello, it is I Todd once again with your weekly Celtic news. In this issue we have new episode of our Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, Celtic Christmas Music Podcast, & Quest & Chorus. The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast takes us on musical adventure across the Celtic world. From wild reels to heartfelt ballads, these artists capture the spirit of the isles. The Celtic Christmas Music Podcast kicks off the holiday season with timeless classics and Celtic Magic. In Quest & Chorus we walk not into a forest—but into a field that feels like one. The Alignments of Carnac stretch across the land like rows of rooted giants. They are silent. But not still. And if you listen… they speak in echoes. Today we talk of nature, of memory, and of what I learned about food waste. The other highlighted podcasts are National Leprechaun Museum Talking Stories & Jock’s Celtic Calamity Show. We have included another list of new album releases. The featured articles are about The Nolans, a historic Cornish estate being used in filming a Netflix series, & Romeo & Juliet being performed in Welsh. The spotlighted Celtic Festivals are IrishFest Atlanta & Yachats Celtic Music Festival. Both take place the weekend of November 7 – 9. IrishFest Atlanta takes place both at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center and the Roswell City Hall Grounds in Roswell, GA. Yachats Celtic Music Festival takes place at the Yachats Commons Building in Yachats, OR. We hope you enjoy this issue. Until next time, Sláinte mhaith!
IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST #733: CELTIC ADVENTURE: SONGS AND STORIES OF THE ISLES
- Blame Not The Bard, The Gothard Sisters, Jesse Ferguson, Eloise & Co., The Far North, Ritchie Remo, The Bookends, Ainsley Hamill, Nerea The Fiddler, Amelia Hogan, Reilly, Drumspyder, George Murphy and The Rising Sons, Kim Carnie, The Irish Lassies
- A special thanks to our newest Patrons of the Podcast: Robert Golden, Hannah Frankowski
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?
WANTED: I WANT TO HEAR YOU PLAY IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC!
- This December, I want to share a recording of YOU playing Irish & Celtic music. I'm not necessarily looking for top-notch studio ready music. Nor am I expecting it to be a great sound system. Nope.
- Think of this as the Podcast Feedback section. Instead of sharing pictures, you're sharing music. It can be just you and a penny whistle. You could sing a song. You can share an Irish session recording.
- Just grab your phone, introduce yourself, name your instrument and the name of the song or tune. Then send it to me. Feel free to include your band name if you have one and a URL in the email.
- But please send me a recording of your sharing your music. I can't wait to hear it.
Send your music now to celticpodcast@gmail.com
CELTIC CHRISTMAS MUSIC PODCAST #87: CELTIC CHRISTMAS ROSE
- The Christmas season begins with timeless carols and new Celtic magic! From the soft glow of “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” to the playful sparkle of “Jingle Bells”, this episode brings together fiddles, harps, and voices from across the Celtic world.
- The Gothard Sisters, Cynthia Shelhart, We Banjo 3, Kiana June Weber, Ruth Smith, The Chivalrous Crickets, The Fire, Anne Roos & David Blonski, Dublin Gulch, Stephanie Claussen, Liz Madden, Cedar Dobson, Screaming Orphans, Keltricity, Brad Tuck, Marc Gunn
PUB SONGS & STORIES #310: QUEST & CHORUS #6: FROM CARNAC TO FANGORN | THE END OF THE QUEST
- Over 3,000 stones rise from the fields of Carnac. They stand silent, waiting, like the trees of Fangorn Forest, patient and alive beneath their stillness. In this episode of Quest & Chorus, we walk among ancient alignments, uncover old legends, and listen to what endures. Featuring music from The Irish Lassies, Dublin Gulch, and Brobdingnagian Bards.
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 Kevin Doyle 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 CELTIC ALBUMS
- Petroc's Party – by Mynstralek
- Druids between us – by HOIHI
- Final Fantasy IV Remix – Rise of the Red Wings – by PixelBeats
- Irish Favorites, Vol. 3 (vocal) – Party Tyme
- Irish Favorites, Vol. 2 (vocal) – Party Tyme
- Secret of Mana Celtic Remix – The Emerald Mana – by PixelBeats
- In Spring – by James Waterman & Joel Reed Mankey
- Beyond – by Áed
- The Fires of the Isles – by Shepherd's Pipes
- CELTIC GUITAR GEMS – by El McMeen
- Portadores de luz – by Avi El Navegante
- Alara Vale – A Place called home – by Alara Vale
- Christmas In Belfast – by Rend Collective
Attn Bands: Go to 4celts.com to submit your band to the podcast.
NATIONAL LEPRECHAUN MUSEUM TALKING STORIES: DEATHS/SAMHAIN (S03 EP06)
- Welcome to the sixth Episode for Season 3 of the National Leprechaun Museum's podcast, The Storytellers.
- This special episode we discuss the next category of story required by the Filí (the bards) to know earn their title. This category is Deaths! We also explore some of the Halloween/Samhain traditions surrounding deaths!
THE NOLANS ‘TOUCHED’ TO BE HONOURED WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD IN THEIR HOMELAND
- ICONIC Irish band The Nolans are set to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.
- The band will be recognised at the Irish Entertainment Awards 2025 tomorrow evening, alongside fellow honourees including Hollywood actor Patrick Bergin, TikTok sensation Garron Noone, and veteran singers Philomena Begley and Sandy Kelly.
To read more, go here!
JOCK'S CELTIC CALAMITY SHOW NO 560
- Trio Ged, Valerie Smith, Burning Bridget Cleary, Gil Brenton, Mànran, Mànran, Perpetual e-Motion, Elixir, The Free Raisins, Mean Lids, Michael McGovern, Buddy System, Kejafi, Horslips, Ruth Unthank $ The Winterset, Trio Dhoore, Katie McNally Trio, Cat Stevens, Countercurrent, Crowfoot, The Great Bear Trio, Iontach, Cormac Crummey, Alasdair Fraser, Paul Machlis, Kingfishr, Gordon Lightfoot, Amble, Abby Newton, Contrarians, & Kasír
HISTORIC CORNISH ESTATE CHOSEN AS FILMING LOCATION FOR NETFLIX SERIES
- ONE of Cornwall’s most beautiful National Trust estates is set to take centre stage in the latest season of the hit Netflix series The Witcher.
- Cotehele, near Calstock, was transformed into a sweeping medieval landscape as part of filming for the fantasy epic, which stars the likes of Liam Hemsworth, Laurence Fishburne and Freya Allan.
To read more, go here!
WORLD'S GREATEST LOVE STORY – WITH A WELSH TWIST
- It is one of the world's greatest love stories – and Romeo and Juliet is set to get a Welsh twist, with the language heard at the Globe theatre for the first time.
- Shakespeare's classic story has been told many times before, of two young lovers, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, whose families are embroiled in a bitter feud.
- But Theatr Cymru is gearing up for a unique performance at Shakespeare's Globe on the banks of the River Thames in London.
To read more, go here!
YACHATS CELTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL
- The Yachats Celtic Music Festival is back with another world class line up. Experience three days of music, Ceili dancing, whisky tasting, workshops, jam sessions and delicious food, all in the beautiful, magical, seaside village of Yachats, Oregon.
- Performing this year are, Breabach, One For the Foxes, Dreos, É.T.É, Susan McKeown, Andrew Finn Magill and Alan Murray, Lisa Lynne and Aryeh Frankfurter, and our 2025 Piper on the Point, Marco Caturegli.
- The Piper on the Point is a special highlight of the festival. Lose yourself, as you bathe in the mystical experience of watching the sun set into the Pacific Ocean, while enveloped in the happy harmonizing sounds of the bagpipes and the ocean.
- We will see you soon!
- Slainte'!
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 (he/him) & Marc Gunn (he/him), The Celtfather
November 6, 2025
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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.
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