Last year, I compiled my pick of the Best Celtic Music of 2014. It included some of my favorite artists that I played then. Well, all except for my Top 5 Celtic Rock bands. I'm pleased to say that most of those 20 artists are still getting a lot of attention. Only one seems to have disappeared (Embarr). It was a good list.
This year, I decided to do something different. I wanted to see who I played the most. So I Asked Stephen. Stephen runs a great directory of Celtic bands played in Celtic podcasts over the years. I was fascinated with the results. A few were a bit unexpected, but I guess it goes to show much I love their music.
This is the approximate order of popularity, filtered by number of plays over the year and some personal preferences if there were ties depending on how well the band is doing.
Top 20 Most-Played Celtic Bands of 2015
- Bow Triplets
- The Gothard Sisters
- Sligo Rags
- Stout Pounders
- The Elders
- Poitin
- The Selkie Girls
- The Rogues
- The Tea Merchants
- Eilis Crean
- Heather Dale
- Breabach
- Clandestine
- Slan
- Jesse Ferguson
- Cady Finlayson
- Ockham's Razor
- Rathkeltair
- Jed Marum
- Jimi McRae
Occasionally, I look at the playlists of other Celtic music shows to see who they are playing. But what really strikes as awesome and makes me proud of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast is that all of these artists are 100% independent. They are making an impact without a record label (that isn't owned by them).
Sure, with a little effort, I could get artists like The Chieftains, The Dubliners, The Clancy Brothers, Enya, Lunasa, Celtic Thunder, Celtic Woman, The Pogues, and many other more-popular bands with lots o'money on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. My goal, however, is to help the indie Celtic bands who are doing it themselves, to make a difference. And what a difference we are making!
The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast is still the most-downloaded Celtic podcast in the world. Every week, it is climbing into the Top 40 Music Podcasts on iTunes where it has hundreds of glowing reviews.
Why is the podcast so successful? It's because of YOU the LISTENER. Thank you so much for supporting indie Celtic music!
This is a great list. Some of the bands I’ve not heard, but soon I will. Sligo Rags … One of my favorites.