About this episode
This week, we travel from Ireland to Canada to California. Hear Gerry O'Connor, The Gothard Sisters, The Irish Rovers, and new music from May Will Bloom. Discover heartfelt songs and driving reels that keep Celtic traditions alive, on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast #735 - - Subscribe now ! Gerry O'Connor, Eloise & Co., The Gothard Sisters, Elizabeth Sutherland, The Irish Rovers, May Will Bloom, The McDades, Celia Farran, Faoileán, Piskey Led, Larkin & Moran Brothers, Derina Harvey Band, Caliceltic, Callán, Ashley Davis Band GET CELTIC MUSIC NEWS IN YOUR INBOX The Celtic Music Magazine is a quick and easy way to plug yourself into more great Celtic culture. Enjoy seven weekly news items with what's happening with Celtic music and culture online. Subscribe now and get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free . VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20 FOR 2025 This is our way of finding the best songs and artists each year. You can vote for as many songs and tunes that inspire you in each episode. Your vote helps me create this year's Best Celtic music of 2025 episode. You have until December 4 to vote for this episode. Vote Now ! You can follow our playlist on YouTube to listen to those top voted tracks as they are added every 2 - 3 weeks. THIS WEEK IN CELTIC MUSIC 6:45 - Gerry O'Connor "O'Connor4 (Reels)" from Last Night's Joy 5:01 - WELCOME 6:40 - Eloise & Co. "Janet's/Angel Rocks" from avec Elodie 10:22 - The Gothard Sisters "Golden Secrets" from Moment in Time 13:55 - Elizabeth Sutherland "Evening Reflection" from Forest Dreams 17:16 - May Will Bloom "Star of the County Down" from Single 21:11 - FEEDBACK 26:25 - The Irish Rovers "Oh Dear Me" from No End in Sight 29:49 - The McDades "November 8th" from The Empress 33:36 - Celia Farran "California Ireland" from The Bard of Armagh: A Tribute to Tommy Makem 36:44 - Faoileán "Far Hills of Canada" from Far Hills 42:36 - Piskey Led "Blackbird of Mullaghmore" from Piskey Led 47:27 - THANKS 49:37 - Caliceltic "Stumbling Distance" from Paddy Paradise 52:09 - Larkin & Moran Brothers "Muirsheen Durkin" from Éistigí 54:12 - Derina Harvey Band "The Fallen Man's Daughter" from Waves of Home 58:30 - Callán "Road From Donegal" from Bloody Callán 1:03:31 - CLOSING 1:04:38 - Ashley Davis Band "Not Today (feat. Mick McAuley)" from When the Stars Went Out 1:08:15 - CREDITS Support for this program comes from International speaker, Joseph Dumond, teaching the ancient roots of the Gaelic people. Learn more about their origins at Sightedmoon.com Support for this program comes from Cascadia Cross Border Law Group, Creating Transparent Borders for more than twenty five years, serving Alaska and the world. Find out more at www.CascadiaLawAlaska.com Support for this program comes from Hank Woodward. Support for this program comes from Dr. Annie Lorkowski of Centennial Animal Hospital in Corona, California. The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather and our Patrons on Patreon. The show was edited by Mitchell Petersen with Graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs . Visit our website to follow the show. You'll find links to all of the artists played in this episode. Todd Wiley is the editor of the Celtic Music Magazine. Subscribe to get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. Plus, you'll get 7 weekly news items about what's happening with Celtic music and culture online. Best of all, you will connect with your Celtic heritage. Please tell one friend about this podcast. Word of mouth is the absolute best way to support any creative endeavor. Finally, remember. Clean energy isn't just good for the planet, it's good for your wallet. Solar and wind are now the cheapest power sources in history. But too many politicians would rather protect billionaires than help working families save on their bills. Real change starts when we stop allowing the ultra - rich to write our energy policy and run our government. Let's choose affordable, renewable power. Clean energy means lower costs, more freedom, and a planet that can actually breathe. Promote Celtic culture through music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/ . WELCOME THE IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST * Helping you celebrate Celtic culture through music. I am Marc Gunn. I'm a Celtic musician and also host of Pub Songs & Stories. Every song has a story, every episode is a toast to Celtic and folk songwriters. Discover the stories behind the songs from the heart of the Celtic pub scene. This podcast is for fans of all kinds of Celtic music. We are here to build a diverse Celtic community and help the incredible artists who so generously share their music with you. If you hear music you love, please email artists to let them know you heard them on the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast. Musicians depend on your generosity to release new music. So please find a way to support them. Buy a CD, Album Pin, Shirt, Digital Download, or join their community on Patreon. You can find a link to all of the artists in the shownotes, along with show times, when you visit our website at celticmusicpodcast.com . Or email follow@bestcelticmusic to learn how to subscribe to the podcast. I will send you a free music - only episode. If you're in a Celtic band, you will also learn how to get your music played on the podcast and get a free eBook called Celtic Musicians Guide to Digital Music . It's 100% free. Again email follow@bestcelticmusic FOLLOW OUR KICKSTARTER PRE - LAUNCH PAGE I just setup a pre - launch page for our next Kickstarter in January. Once again, this will be for funding a Best of 2025 compilation album on CD or Album Pin or even as a Shirt. Follow the link in the shownotes, so you can be the first to get a copy of our next compilation. Only 100 CDs and 100 album pins will be made. Follow the Kickstarter . HAVE YOU HEARD OF ALBUM PINS? Just like this podcast, they are changing the way we hear Celtic music. There were several folks who showed at the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast booth at IrishFest Atlanta. Several people were confused about the album pins I talk about on this show. So I thought I'd share details. An album pin is a lapel pin. Each pin is themed to a particular album I've released. You get a digital download of the album. And then you can wear your help. It's fashion and music combined as one. My pins are beautifully designed and wood burned locally. This makes them better for the environment. If you want to learn more about Album Pins, you can read more about them on my celtfather.Substack.com or just buy one at magerecords.com THANK YOU PATRONS OF THE PODCAST! Your support makes the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast possible, nearly every week of the year. You're not just funding a show. You're fueling a movement that shares the magic of Celtic music with thousands around the world. Your generosity covers everything from audio engineering and artwork to the Celtic Music Magazine, show promotion, and buying music from independent Celtic artists. If you're not a patron yet? You're missing out! You get ✨ Early access to episodes 🎵 Music - only editions 📥 Free MP3s 🎤 Exclusive stories & interviews 🏆 A vote in the Celtic Top 20 Join today and help keep Celtic music alive and independent. 🍀 A special thanks to these Celtic Legends: Shawn Cali, Mike Schock, Kelly Garrod, John Sharkey White, II, Lynda MacNeil, Gary R Hook, Nancie Barnett, Miranda Nelson, Gerald F Boyle, Jeff A, Dan mcDade, Emma Bartholomew, Margreta Silverstone, Alan Schindler, Marti Meyers, Brian McReynolds, Daniel Ide, Bruce, Rick Boyce, Dave and Rosie Donnelly HERE IS YOUR THREE STEP PLAN TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST Go to our Patreon page. Decide how much you want to pledge every month, $4, $12, $25. Keep listening to the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast to celebrate Celtic culture through music. You can become a generous Patron of the Podcast on Patreon at SongHenge.com . TRAVEL WITH CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS Every year, I take a small group of Celtic music fans on the relaxing adventure of a lifetime. We don't see everything. Instead, we stay in one area. We get to know the region through its culture, history, and legends. You can join us with an auditory and visual adventure through podcasts and videos. In 2026, we're traveling to the Celtic nation of Galicia in Spain. We'll dive deep into the history and legends of the Galician Celts, uncovering their connections to Ireland, Scotland, and beyond. We'll walk the same lands where Celtic warriors once roamed, hear the myths passed down through generations, and experience the magic of authentic Galician Celtic music, alive with passion and history. This isn't just a trip—it's a journey into the heart of a Celtic culture unlike any other. Will you join us? Learn more about the invasion at http://celticinvasion.com/ #celticmusic #irishmusic #celticmusicpodcast I WANT YOUR FEEDBACK What are you doing today while listening to the podcast? I'd love to see a picture of what you're doing while listening. Is there a new Celtic CD or Celtic band that you heard of or saw? Send a picture. Email me at follow@bestcelticmusic. Jonas emailed: "Hi Marc, I hope this message finds you well. I have been hunting for a song for many years. I think I've heard it on your podcast sometime in the early 2000s it's about starting a revolution and how it helps to be drunk to do so. I know this question might be wild and maybe my mind plays tricks on me and I've heard it somewhere entirely different. But on the small chance that it was on your podcast, could you point me to it, it the year it was in the podcast? I would much appreciate any help! Best regards form Germany," Michael McInerney emailed: "Marc, My dad's parents came from Ennistymon. They were bakers. My great - great aunt married a Blake, the old pub at the crossroads. My cousins ran it for many years and are pictured standing outside the pub on Enda Haren's YouTube video, Sky so Blue. My grandparents and great uncle were also wine merchants and were involved in the McInerney hotel that used to be Lisdoonvarna. The building is now a set of flats. My mom was born in Lissaniskea, Bekan, Co Mayo (close to the Knock shrine). She said at night my grandfather would get the fiddle out and have the kids dance till they were tired then off to bed. I been to the old farm several times. My cousins live on it now. My dad was an opera buff so John McCormack both opera and Irish songs were played on the record player. My mom would listen to the Irish program on the radio every Saturday when we lived in Chicago. So I have followed Irish music since childhood. I found the pod cast when I was searching for music to play when my late wife and I were waiting with my son and his wife in Philly as my late wife got chemo. Christy Moore has to be [one of favorite musicians] especially given the popularity of Lisdoonvarna, Lunasa, Danu, obviously the Clancy brothers. My wife and I would go down to Dallas for the Irish music festival, which introduced us to new bands. I listen to the show when I exercise in the morning so it gets me going. There are some Irish bands in north OKC but that is a bit of a drive for me. You do a great job of keeping things new and entertaining. I like when sometimes the musicians talk about the history or meaning of the songs."