Celtic Music Magazine: Black Tower

Céad Míle Fáilte,

It is Todd once again. In this week’s issue we have a new episode of our own Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. We have also included episodes of Erin’s Isle & Mostly Folk. The articles we highlight include ones about Phil Coulter, a new documentary about searching for the Loch Ness monster in the 1970’s, and pictures of the Northern Lights from Cornwall. You may have noticed I only listed 3 articles that is because the fourth article is that Deidre Graham’s podcast Gaelic Song Stories had been nominated for a Scots Trad award. Congratulations to her and her crew, especially editor James Lindsey. We hope you enjoy this week’s edition of the Irish & Celtic Music Magazine. Until next time, slàinte mhath!

IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST #635: BLACK TOWER

  • Hanneke Cassel, TJ Hull and Amanda Caretta – Hull, Jesse Ferguson, Juha Rossi, Andy Irvine, Jim Sharkey, Gordon McLeod, Lauren Oxford, The Dustbunnies, Don Gabbert, Kevin McKrell, Derina Harvey Band, Beltaine, Screaming Orphans, Mànran, The High Kings
  • A special thanks to our new and continued Patrons of the Podcast: Deborah McDermott, Metta RavenHeart, Jim Horgan

Listen to the Show

GO DANCING WITH HOBBITS, CELTIC-STYLE

  • Marc Gunn and Sam Gillogly share an instrumental album of original Celtic tunes on their next album to be launched on Kickstarter in November.
  • Dancing With Hobbits imagines what kind of dance tunes might've been played at Bilbo Baggins' 111st birthday party in JRR Tolkien's book Lord of the Rings.

I want to go Dancing With Hobbits. Follow the Kickstarter.

IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC: BEST OF 2023 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 or 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.

Vote in the Celtic Top 20

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.

ERIN’S ISLE: AN EYE-IN-THE-SKY ADVENTURE

  • The Dursey Island Cable Car is a short ride over a very treacherous sound at the southern tip of Ireland. I is a lifeline for those who live and work on the Island. And it is a huge adventure for tourists visiting.

Listen to the Podcast

GAELIC SONG STORIES HAS BEEN NOMINTATED IN THE SCOTS TRAD MUSIC AWARDS

  • That’s right folks Deirde Graham’s Gaelic Song Stories Podcast has been nominated in the media category of Alba Scot’s Trad Music Awards. Voting is currently open for these awards. Deirde’s editor for the podcast James Lindsay is also nominated for Musician of the Year in the awards.

Cast Your Vote

MOSTLY FOLK PODCAST EPISODE 647

  • ​E.G. Cooper, Cheryl Wheeler, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Haymakers, The Cucumbers, Josh Gray, Anton O'donnell, Carla Olson, Karyn Oliver, Antje Duvekot, Matthew Morgan, Tret Fure

Listen to the Show

PHIL COULTER — IN HIS OWN WORDS

  • Phil Coulter, now aged 81, is about to embark on a major Ireland tour, entitled Four Score and Then.
  • Coulter has achieved world-wide recognition as a songwriter, notching up chart entries with a diverse list of artists from Elvis Presley to Cilla Black and from Waylon Jennings to Bobby Vinton. His production credits include Van Morrison, Sinead O’Connor, Elvis Costello, Lisa Stansfield, Marianne Faithful and Richard Harris while in Ireland his successes have featured The Dubliners, Planxty, Paddy Reilly and the Furey Brothers.
  • He is particularly notable for his Eurovision successes, winning with Puppet On A String for Sandie Shaw and coming second with Congratulations for Cliff Richards — both of which he co-wrote with Scotsman Bill Martin. As it happens, Sandie Shaw was never keen on the song, believing that it damaged her credibility. Nevertheless, it went on to sell more than 4million copies.

Visit the site

IN PICTURES: LOCH NESS MONSTER HUNTERS IN THE 1970S

  • A new documentary explores efforts made in the 1970s to find the Loch Ness Monster.
  • The 90-minute film, Loch Ness: They Created a Monster, has been made by three-time Scottish Bafta-winner John MacLaverty.

Read the Blog

NORTHERN LIGHTS FROM CORNWALL SKY AS ONLOOKERS SHARE STUNNING PICTURES

  • The dazzling sight of the Northern Lights was once again visible in Cornwall's skies last night. Making for a beautiful display on Bonfire Night the phenomenon put on a show of its own with pink, purple and green hues peeking through.
  • Keen observers have been capturing the phenomenon known as the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, from the north Cornwall coast. The lights have provided a celestial display visible in many areas on a number of occasions this year.

Read the Blog

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

November 9, 2023

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