If anyone ever comes here, what're your favorite celtic music bands? I'm looking for some new material, especially to dance to in class (I'm an Irish dancer). Some of my favorite bands are Aisling, Celtic Storm, General Guiness Band, and Seven Nations (they do celtic rock).

I LOVE Seven Nations--the band is from the Orlando area, where I live. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> If you like them, you might like Great Big Sea, too.

Lunasa put out an album called "Otherworld" a few years ago that is a brilliant blend of Celtic rock and world fusion. Solas' album "The Words That Remain" is really good, too.

If you're looking for upbeat fiddle stuff: Gaelic Storm, Eileen Ivers, Natalie Macmaster and Leahy are worth checking out.

The Putumayo label also puts out some great Celtic compilations.

...not that I listen to Celtic music much... LOL

I LOVE Celtic Storm!!!!!!

Danu is dynamite! Look for a short article on uilleann pipes here in a day or so.
:music:

I like Kila. I love The Pogues and Shane MacGowan. Dublners, Chieftains etc.
Greetings from Poland!

Good stuff Cybulski! The Chieftains especially are remarkable. They are true citizens of the world. I heard a concert they did in China that combined traditional Chinese music (and musicians) with the Irish sound and the beauty of it brought tears to my eyes. Okay, I may be a bit sentimental, but this work was beautiful on so many levels...I was so full of hope for this world after listening to it.
You have diverse taste, Cy, listening to both the Pogues and the Chieftains. How about Danu and Enya? BTW, Maria Sharapova, the Russian-born Wimbledon tennis star, is an Enya fan!
Slan,
Mary Ellen

Enya? It's too monotonious.. but I like Clannad, and some of the Maire Brennan recordings. (Enya is her sister and she sung on some Clannad albums, right)
I like also Dropkick Murphys - celtic music mixed with punk rock.
Greetings from Poland!

Ha, ha! Enya monotonous! It's very funny, my cousin, who lives about 5 miles from where her father's pub is in Annagry, says she's "too ghosty." I can see where he's coming from, because if you're in that part of the country, there are no street lights at night and the nights get very, very dark and windy. It's easy to believe in ghost stories. He's not that old, but he loves Daniel O'Donnell. So different strokes for different folks. Black 47 is one of my favorites and of course The Waterboys. Who wouldn't like "Fisherman's Blues." That was our wedding music. It kept everyone from singing "The Fields of Athenry" all night, so it's got to be good. Still and all, I worried about the floor of our house when everyone got to stamping with the music.
Cheers,
Mary Ellen

Anyone ever hear of Clannan Drummer? Granted they are scottish, but personally I can't wait til they come around here in Spetember and I get to see all the boys again.

Also, this weekend is the Irish Fest near where I live, so I'm in heaven =]

Wendy

Are you talking about Clann An Drumma? Keep it tribal? Aye!!! Good on ya.

Yep, Wendy, closer to Heaven than West Virginia.<G>

Have a blast.

Mary Ellen (Ni Domnhaill) Mac Suibhne

Oh, Wendy, sometimes I have a hard time distinguishing between Scottish and Irish music. They are often very close. Once, I was in a shop and there was background music playing very low. My dad had just died and I was very raw. I could have sworn I was listening to "O'Donnell Abu," but the woman took out the tape to prove the song was..."Scotland the Brave." I felt very much the fool until I read the dedication: "To Eamonn," my son's name. That made it very much all right that day.
One of my very favorite groups is the Proclaimers, Scottish boys. My poor husband is very tired of "I Would Walk 500 Miles!"
Mary Ellen

Talking about celtic music I must mention Breton musician Alan Stivell. He is one of my favourit.. I also like celtic bands like: Capercaillie, Catherine Ann MacPhee, Floggin Molly, Kila, Tri Yann.

Greetings from Poland!

You know your bands, Cybulski! I haven't heard of Capercaillie in a while. The Breton pipes were part of the Pipers' Gathering in Vermont this weekend that I had written about earlier. I hope this will be an annual event. Pipers of all types performed and taught there. I can't wait to hear from some friends how they fared at the gathering.
Best,
Mary Ellen

I heard that piper band in Bretagne are called Bagad. So Bagad Kemer is a piper band from a city Kemper - or Quimper in french. I've got some CD with Bagad music..

Are the Bagad more similar to the Scottish bagpipes or the uilleann pipes in your opinion?
Mary Ellen

Haha...one of my best friends and her cousin are Clann's unofficial promoters while they are at events. We tell all tell people to 'Keep it Tribal!' every chance we get no matter where we are, Even toll booth employees.
And as for spelling and all that for the name...I never paid much attention to that...they're just a great group of people.

x0x

Hi!
Bagads are similar to Scottish military pipe bands. But they use alsa instrument called bombarda.
Grettings from Poland!

Hoo boy! So they make a large sound. I love it
Best wishes,
Mary Ellen

Hi everyone.

If Celtic ballads are your thing; Loreena McKennitt's, "The Book of Secrets" is really excellent.

Thanks for the suggestion, Ann, I'll be on the lookout for Loreena's work.

Best wishes,
Mary Ellen
P.S. Nice imagery on your signature.

Thanks Mary Ellen, it was a freebie from a clipart site that I ran across a while ago.

So today I went to THe 20th Annual NH Highland Games at the Hopkinton Fairgrounds and got to see my boys in Clann An Drumma as well as sample some of the military bands and see a fw other groups like the Glengarry Boys. So many kilts...so little time...

New Hampshire, brilliant!
I went to their site;)
It'll be a valuable link.

Pity the timing was off...toward the middle of the week with Jeannie moving up the coast. The wind would have been so refreshing for the poor fellas in the kilts. A wonderment to behold.
Gracious,
Mary Ellen
The pain quote is inspiring.

I'm excited, elated, and cannot wait for Friday night, that would be tonight now, 10/22/04. Danu is doing a show in NYC at a club called Satalla at 37 West 26th St. We're going!!!
Danu is sweet, sweet, sweet!!!
If you're in the area and like traditional Irish music, you won't be disappointed if you swing by Satalla for the show. Details can be had by phone at 212-576-1155 and on the web at www.satalla.com.
You can get tix at the door, but use Smarttix to guarantee a seat, www.smarttix.com
I'd love to see you there. Say "hello."
Best wishes,
Mary Ellen

Okay, I'm new here, but I just wanted to say that Gaelic Storm is my favorite band...ever! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Their music can either make you dance/sing to yourself in the car like crazy or make you cry (in a good way). I would definitely recommend checking them out if you're not familiar with their music. In fact, I'm almost positive that they're touring starting this month- their concerts are most definitely worth going to. I think I'm babbling, so I'll just post their web site so you can check them out for yourselves:
www.gaelicstorm.com

Sorry about the rant- I get really excited when I talk about Irish Music. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Gaelicstorm is dynamite! You're right to rant! I did visit the web site. They have quite a tour schedule going. Good on them.
Thanks for the heads up. I love to plug good Irish bands and musicians.
Is that a digideroo I see? hahahah! Sounds great!
It suits Irish music to a "T." Looks just like something Paddy would have invented.
:music: Good luck to them. I'm sure they'll have a fantastic tour and I'm happy to help in any way I can.
God bless,
Mary Ellen

OK, maybe it isn't really "Celtic" music, but I also love many of those old songs that refer to places or events in Ireland. For example, I go to sleep to Martha Clancy's CD "The Towns I love So Well". She's a harpist, and the CD includes "Galway Bay" and "Carrickfergus". And yes, Mary Ellen, I have to confess I love the Irish Tenors CD "Heritage", especially "Fields of Athenry",(quit groaning), "Song for Ireland", "The Parting Glass" and "I'll Take you Home Again Kathleen". I can still hear my father singing that around the house.
As far as bands doing what I guess is called traditional Irish music, I like Dervish (from Sligo) and have every one of their CDs. Also I like Altan and The Tannahill Weavers.
It's fun to hear about bands or people others know about...there are several mentioned in previous threads I have to check out.
Wish I could be "out East" to check out all the music goings on there.
Cheers!

Hi Jeri:
Did you hear the Chieftains in concert in China? Talk about a wonderful melding of cultures. It was so beautiful, it's beyond description.
Anyway, you're the one who gets lucky with the Gaelicstorm. They're _everywhere_ except where I am this year. Follow their link and there's a schedule of their tour...hard-working folk, that's for sure. They're probably going to be somewhere right in your backyard and from what I've heard of them, yep, there's a CD here...they're worth spending a lot of time with.
Me groan over "The Fields of Athenry?" Only if I'm stone-cold. If I've had a couple, I might be the one who started it.<G>
Irish musicians use everything, even spoons, to make sounds. I was just enchanted to see an aboriginal pipe and the only "Irish" instrument Gaelicstorm was using was a fiddle. All the rest of the instruments were "exotic." Kewl!
Me, like Irish music? Not much.
Love ya,
ME

Mary Ellen: I checked out Danu and Gaelic Storm. Both are going to be in the Twin Cities (i.e. Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN) this year. I live about 70 miles South of there, so it's not a bad jaunt at all. Plus, my son Joe lives in Mpls, and he's the one who turned me on to traditional Irish music, so it'll be twice as nice to go up there for a concert or two.
By the way, do you have any news on how Eamon did on the exams?
I'll have to check out the Chieftains in China. They've certainly gone far afield! Flight of ideas....are you going to Ireland this month to see the daffodils??? Jeri

Ellen,

I am so bad. I did not visit your forum before. I see that lots of our guys were visiting already.

Talking about the music, I really love Enya! I have 4 her Cds and she is my favorite. But all the music is pretty old - at least 5-10 years old, I did not hear what is with her now?

Sorry Jeri, I hadn't been able to get on to answer you. Still waiting for the exam results. I have myself convinced that they are sending the acceptances last.
No, actually the daffs are probably over in Ireland now, but they're too scared to open up here in Jersey. We're due for about 10" snow tonight. My clivia is awesome, though. Four full blooming stalks. I had separated her out a few years ago and then changed my mind in the fall and put all the plants back in one big pot. The best thing I could have done for her. She's awesome! I'm taking photos. I will, I must, I swear, I will learn tomorrow how to post photos on Bella. I'm a little behind in learning ftp.
Nice talking to you.
Make the most of the best of the Holy Day on the 17th.
Mary Ellen

We celebrated the Holy Day early, or maybe we're getting in the mood early...anyway, went to St. Paul to hear Dervish and the next night heard Karan Casey (formerly of Solas). The Dervish concert also featured dancers from an Irish dancing school. Wonderful!!! I want to learn the dancing...58 isn't too old, is it?

Hi Jaga:
Sorry not to have answered you for so long. I had such a hard time during the change-over, not being able to access this one day, administration the next, and so on. I got so frustrated. Now, though, I'm so happy. I fixed my computer. (It was such a big job!) With the repair, I finally found myself able to do wonderful things, like add photos to the site. I feel incredibly happy for all these things right now! I haven't enjoyed anything so much in a long time. But all this is off topic.
You were talking about Enya. Now that you mention it, I haven't heard of anything about her recently either. I have been following my good friend, David Power, as he is performing with his uilleann pipes around the country. Imagine, me, a 50-year-old groupie. What's worse is that my husband is even older and he's the one who corrupted me.<G>
David's music has brought tremendous joy into our lives, though, and it's seldom that there isn't some CD playing in the house, whether it's an old Planxty recording---they are fabulous, top performers starting from the 60s or meeting Donal Clancy the other night when he shared the stage with David. Donal is the son of one of "The Clancy Brothers." I grew up listening to their raucous ballads of immigration, love, pubs, and all of Irish life. It's an amazing life.
Best wishes,

Hi Jeri:
Hmmm, I wonder why I didn't see your message earlier. Oh well. I'm delighted that you're getting out and enjoying a bit of Irish music. No way is 58 too old to learn to dance. I was dancing with Dad at his 80th birthday party, and he was still cutting the rug.
In fact, I have a little story. I have a cousin who married a Galway woman, Mona. She's lovely, and theirs was the first wedding I ever went to, oh about 40 years ago or so. I was casually going through the Times the day before St. Pat's and there was an article, "May the Floor Rise up to Meet You." It was about Irish set dancing (which was inspired by the French quadrille, BTW.) As I read it, I saw Mona's name. And then the town where she lived. Could it be? Hubby said, call her. So I did, and wasn't it really her! She was thrilled that I had seen the article and it turns out that she's been going to this class for years, every Monday night. The teacher is 70 and she's about your age, so there! Go for it! She loves to dance and my cousin is tone deaf and has two left feet and a bad knee, so he's useless to her (as far as dancing goes anyway.) I am so happy that she is doing this just for herself. It's good for her mood and her figure and she is blessed with both.
Carry on, mate!
Mary Ellen <img src="/images/graemlins/music.gif" alt="" />