Céad Míle Fáilte
It is Todd again. In this issue we have a new episode of our own Irish & Celtic Music Podcast where winds from the hills of Scotland to the shores of Ireland, from Ohio to Nova Scotia, and a few places you might not expect. Sixteen artists. One heck of a journey. Press play and find out where it takes you. The other featured podcasts are Folk on Foot & Copperplate Time. The articles we highlight are about Copperplate, Sailors from an Arctic Mission identified by DNA, and an ancient moor being part of a nature reserve. The spotlighted festival is the Georgia Mountain Scottish Festival and Highland Games taking place June 6 & 7, at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds in Hiawassee, GA. We hope you enjoy this issue. Until next time, Sláinte mhaith!
IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST #760: CHILD OF ALBA, CROSSING TO IRELAND
- Carroll Sisters Trio, Willos' & Massimo Giuntini, Wolf Loescher, Telenn Tri, Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer, Erin Ruth, Jocelyn Pettit & Ellen Gira, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, The Fire, Tallymoore, Deirdre Graham, Marys Lane, Norse Gael, The Sternwheelers, The Walker Roaders, Don Gabbert, Marc Gunn, Carroll Sisters Trio, Norse Gael, Willos' & Massimo Giuntini, Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh
- A special thanks to our latest Patron of the Podcast: John W
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 CELTIC ALBUMS
- Tales of a Dragonfly – by Einat
- Emerald Dreams – by Dillon Bunn
- Next Weeki – by Jean Christophe Girard – Antoine Leclercq
- Echoes from another world as they search for the ring of their dreams at a bustling gathering – by Forest Cherry
- The Price for Progress – by CK FUSION
- The War That Followed Me Home – by Ash & Oath
- Under The Stone Sky – by Music of the Mountain
Attn Bands: Go to 4celts.com to submit your band to the podcast.
Folk on Foot: A Robin Hood Pilgrimage with Guy Hayward
- We’re in Sherwood Forest on the trail of Robin Hood in the company of Guy Hayward, founder of the British Pilgrimage Trust and former Cambridge choral scholar. As we head to the Major Oak and beyond, Guy shares many theories about the Robin Hood legends, sings ballads about his adventures and extols the joys of pilgrimage. He even dives into a river in search of Robin Hood’s cave.
COPPERPLATE SOUND: DUBLIN MAN’S PODCAST KEEPS IRISH TRAD ALIVE WORLDWIDE
- FOR more than 20 years, Alan O’Leary has been giving independent folk and traditional artists a consistent, global platform.
- He has dedicated his life to Irish music. It’s what he does.
- Originally from Dublin and raised in London from the age of 10, O’Leary is best known as the driving force behind Copperplate, the long-running mail-order business and promotional hub for Irish traditional music.
To read more, go here!
COPPERPLATE TIME 538
- BOTHY BAND, BROCK MAGUIRE BAND, TIM O’BRIEN & THE O BOYS, DESI WILKINSON/CRAN, EILIS KENNEDY, PADDY CARTY, CHRISTY MOORE, MICHAEL MULVEY & SHANE MEEHAN, MUIREANN Nic AMHLAOIBH & DANU, MICK O’BRIEN, RALPH McTELL, JOHN & CATHERINE McEVOY, THE GPs/RICHARD THOMPSON, THE BAND, BOB DYLAN, FAIRPORT CONVENTION/SANDY DENNY, BOB DYLAN
SAILORS FROM DOOMED ARCTIC MISSION WITH NO SURVIVORS IDENTIFIED BY DNA
- The remains of sailors who died on an ill-fated Arctic expedition have been identified by researchers using DNA testing.
- The Victorian-era HMS Erebus, built in Pembroke Dock in 1826, became part of nautical folklore after it vanished in the mid-19th Century.
- All of the sailors on board died after the ship became stuck in ice, with some resorting to cannibalism during desperate attempts at survival.
To read more, go here!
ANCIENT MOOR PROTECTED AS PART OF NATURE RESERVE
- An ancient moor has been protected for wildlife after Natural England declared it a new national nature reserve.
- More than 1,100 hectares (2,718.1 acres) of moorland in Cornwall has been marked out as an area of focus for conservation and nature restoration.
- The land near St Austell boasts a rich mix of habitats including wet woodlands, heaths and bogs, which are havens for rare species such as willow tits, sphagnum moss, butterfly orchids, royal fern, Cornish moneywort and the carnivorous round-leaved sundew.
To read more, go here!
GEORGIA MOUNTAIN SCOTTISH FESTIVAL AND HIGHLAND GAMES
- We are the original Blairsville Scottish Festival and Highland Games.
- For 20 years the Scots gathered in Blairsville, but we moved to Hiawassee, Georgia in 2025. Highland dancers, Scottish athletes, family clans, bagpipes and drums and traditional musicians come to celebrate their heritage. Even if you don’t know your family’s heritage or have little or no Scottish ties, come experience Scotland without the need of a passport or international flight across the ocean.
- Events begin at 9 am each day. The opening ceremony with the massed bands and parade of tartans will be at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Note this is 30 minutes earlier than past years, giving pipe bands time to recover and reset before competitions begin.
- Some of the entertainers you will see are Devil’s Brigade (a.k.a. The American Rogues), Tracie Brown, Celtic Road, Celtic Conundrum, & more!
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
May 28, 2026
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