Celtic MP3s Music MagazineThe Celtic MP3s Music Magazine is a free monthly Celtic music magazine featuring free music downloads of Celtic, Scottish, Irish music from around the world. Here, you will find free music downloads from independent Celtic artists. Some MP3s are time sensitive. So download them now. All of the latest MP3s are available for at least a month. As always, if enjoy the music, please help the artist out and buy their CD. Serving Celtic music fans since 2000! Don't just download. The Man Who Saved Celtic Music
by Joey Robichaux
Familiar with the name "Francis O'Neill"? The current wave of interest in Celtic music owes him a great debt -- he's the person who collected and published the music for thousands of Celtic tunes, making them available to musicians all over the world. O'Neill was born in 1848 in Ireland. When he was 16, he emigrated to the United States. During his life, he was a rancher, a teacher, a Chicago policeman, and fathered ten children. He also played the flute! O'Neill (also known as "Chief O'Neill") loved Celtic music. At that time, the music was passed down tune at a time from one musician to another. Little had been saved by transcribing in written form. O'Neill did not read music -- he played by ear -- but he became convinced of the value of saving Celtic tunes for prosperity by transcribing them into musical notation for future generations. With the help of a fiddling seargeant in the Chicago police department who did read music, he managed to do so. He would play the tunes he had learned from other musicians; the sergeant would transcribe them into musical notation. By the time O'Neill died in 1936, he had collected and transcribed nearly 3,500 tunes -- many of them dating back hundreds and hundreds of years! He eventually published eight books -- including the now classic "The Music of Ireland". This book is still easily available in most bookstores. This book alone provides notation for 1,850 tunes! (Note: You can find these transcriptions for free at http://www.freesheetmusic.net !) Noel Rice offers this comment that illustrates O'Neill's contribution: "He recalled reading about some boys who would sit at the feet of an old musician, thinking they were learning the music the way generations before them had. "And this old man," he said, "was playing these lovely Irish tunes right out of O'Neill's book." Joey Robichaux rides the Road Warrior circuit and has been playing some flavor of musical instrument for way-too-many years! He maintains the Free Sheet Music website at http://www.freesheetmusic.net where you can download free sheet music for thousands of tunes. Labels: articles_2006
Posted by Marc Gunn, Sunday, April 23, 2006. New to Celtic MP3s Music Magazine? Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates. Find free Celtic music downloads from Marc Gunn! Ireland: Features and Facts
by Bridget Regan
Map and Location Island Location: Ireland is an island off western Europe in the Northern Atlantic Ocean. Ireland is a divided country, with independent governments. The Republic of Ireland (also called Ireland or Eire) occupies 5/6th of the island of Ireland Northern Ireland occupies 1/6th of the island and is a part of the United Kingdom. Capital(s) Republic of Ireland: Dublin. Northern Ireland: Belfast Official languages: English and Gaelic. Size: The Republic of Ireland covers 27,135 square miles (70,280 sq km).Population: The population of Ireland is about 3,689,000 (as of 2000). Climate: Ireland has a cool, often-cloudy climate. Flag of Ireland The Republic of Ireland's flag is tricolor, and is made of three equal-sized rectangles of orange, white, and green. The flag is twice as wide as it is tall. The green side is by the flagpole. This flag was first used in 1848. Colors in the flag represent the native population and religious beliefs in Ireland.Green: Signifies the native people of Ireland (most of whom are Roman Catholic). Orange: Represents the British supporters of William of Orange who settled in Northern Ireland in the 17th century (most of whom are Protestant). White: White occupies the center of the flag and signifies peace between these two groups of people. Irish Provinces: Commonly known as the Four Green Fields of Ireland. Irelands 4 provinces. Connacht is the north-western province of Ireland, comprising the counties of Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon. Leinster is the eastern province of Ireland, comprising the counties of Louth, Meath, Dublin, Wicklow, Wexford, Kilkenny, Carlow, Laois, Offaly, Kildare, Westmeath and Longford. Munster is the southernmost province of Ireland, comprising the counties of Claire, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperrary, and Waterford. Ulster forms one of the historical provinces of Ireland. Six of its Nine counties Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh, and Tyrone, are known together as Northern Ireland. Three counties Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan, are part of the Republic of Ireland. Irish Identifiable: Claddagh: The Friendship, Lovea and Loyalty Symbol or Ireland The Claddagh design is said to originate from the Galway Area, and the Aran Islands. The Claddagh ring was originally worn by men, but later used as a Marriage Ring for Men and Women. The symbol is comprised of 2 hands, a heart and a crown.The hands symbolize the 2 parties involved. The heart is the seat of affection or love. And the crown perfection. So, a perfect union of love between 2 parties. Common word translations to the Claddagh are: Friendship (hands), Love (heart) and Loyalty (crown). Harp Emblem: Its Importance in Irish History The harp symbol has been recognized as the emblem of Ireland since the 13th century. It was officially adopted as Ireland's national symbol when the Irish Free State was created in 1922. The most famous Harp of Ireland is the Brian Boru harp which is located at the Trinity College in Dublin. The Boru harp is the oldest surviving Irish harp, and is the model used for the State emblem. Trinity Symbol: The Trinity Symbol is an ancient Celtic design. The Trinity emblem is an ancient symbol for a high spiritual dignity. In the Christian faith, it represents the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity symbol has been inscribed in stone, and also has been colored. Red for power, faith, language and sacrifice. Blue - represents faith and trust. Green -color of the plants and trees, suggests hope of life eternal. Celtic Cross: The Celtic Cross is possibly the best known symbol of Early Christianity in Ireland. The High Celtic Cross is a self contained monument, and are as high as 20 feet. They are generally made of sandstone, and their main characteristic feature is a circle connecting the arms. The rings around the high cross may have been a symbol of the cosmos, and at the center is the Crucificition of Christ. Or, the ring may have been a structural piece, to prevent the arms of the cross from snapping off. There are many decorations on the crosses many including scenes from the bible, while others feature animal Interlace, and scroll work. The crosses at Monasterboise and Cross of Scriptures, Clonmacnoise are good examples for the traditional Celtic Cross. Irish Famous: Brian Boru Harp Brian Boru (c. 940-1014) The last of the High King's to lift Ireland out of the ruins of the Norse Age. He rebuilt ruined churches, built others, he sent overseas to replace lost books and artifacts and all that he possibly could to heal the wounds of the past two centuries of Norse pillage. One of the symbols most associated with Irieand is the Brian Boru Harp. This Harp is now located in the Long room, at the Trinity College Library, in Dublin. The harp is the national symbol of Ireland. Short Irish History: Irelands Areas of Historical Interest: Interesting sites in Ireland include: Bru na Boinne (Newgrange), Boyne Valley, Ceide Fields, Clonmacnoise, Croagh Patrick, Dun Aengus, Glendalough, Hill of Tara, Lough Derg, Skellig Michael, Rock of Cashel. Bru na Boinne "Boyne Palace": Ireland's Stonehenge One of Ireland's most spectacular archaeological sites is located in the Boyne Valley in County Meath. Newgrange, Dowth and Knowth were built around the same time that Stonehenge was erected in England. These tombs were built around 3200 B.C., several centuries before the great pyramids of Egypt. The exact reason these sites were built is unknown, but one of their features, is that they may have been used as an ancient form of solar calendar. The Newgrange site was designed to catch the sun during the winter solstice (December 19-23), the rising sun shines thru a slit over the entrance, and lights up the burial chamber for 17 minutes. At Dowth, the light of the setting sun of the solstice illuminates one of the chambers. At Knowth, the rising sun of the spring and autumn equinoxes lights the eastern passage, while the setting sun may have caught the western passage those days. Clonmacnoise (Offaly) An early Christian monastic site founded by Saint Ciaran in the 6th century on the banks of the River Shannon at the crossroads of Ireland in County Offaly. The Clonmacnoise location borders the three provinces of Connaught, Munster and Leinster. The monastery is on the east side of the River Shannon, in what was then the Kingdom of Meath, but occupying a position so central it was the burial-place of many of the kings of Connaught as well as those of Tara. The site includes the ruins of a cathedral, eight churches (10th-13th century), two round towers, three high crosses and a large collection of early Christian grave slabs. The original high crosses and grave slabs are on display in the Visitor Centre. Hill of Tara (Meath) Though best known as the seat of the High Kings of Ireland. 142 kings are said to have reigned there in prehistoric and historic times. The Hill of Tara has been an important site since the late Stone Age when a passage-tomb was constructed there. Tara was at the height of its power as a political and religious centre in the early centuries after Christ. Features of the Hill of Tara include the Mound of the Hostages, the Stone of Destiny, and Ancient Standing Stones Rock of Cashel (Tipperary) This was the seat of kings and mediaeval bishops for 900 years and flourished until the early 17th century. A spectacular group of stone fort Medieval buildings set on an outcrop of limestone in the Golden Vale. Features include 12th century round tower, High Cross and Romanesque Chapel, 13th century Gothic cathedral, 15th century Castle and the restored Hall of the Vicars Choral. The original forbidding fortification of the Eoghanachta, kings of Munster. Brian Ború was crowned King of Munster here in 977 and he became High King of Ireland in 1002. He was the first high king to exact universal and effective tribute from the other kings of Ireland. Dun Aengus: Dún Aonghasa (Dun Aengus - Angus' Fort) The mysterious structure of Dun Aengus is situated on the western side of Inish Mór, one of the three Aran Islands (Oileáin Árainn), stone outcrops, in the Atlantic thirty miles (48 kms) west of Galway City. The islands, Inish Mór, Inishmann and Inisheer have some of Europe's finest examples of pre-historic and early Christian antiquities.Dun Aengus is a vast fortification perched on the summit of a hill that rises precipitously from the ocean to a height of 300 feet (100 meters). Half the site, consisting of three concentric enclosures, has fallen into the sea, but what is left makes a fascinating sight. The cliff edge at Cahercommoun in the Burren is Early Christian and Dún Aonghasa is believed to be much older. Dun Aengus has been estimated to have been built anywhere from 900BC to 500C. Glendalough (Wicklow) This early Christian monastic site was founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. Set in a glaciated valley with two lakes, the monastic remains include a superb round tower, stone churches and decorated crosses.In the 6th centaury St. Kevin founded a monastery and from this grew a monastic city, which became famous as a centre of learning throughout Europe. The spectacular Round Tower in the Monastic City stands an impressive 34m high and 16m in circumference.The tower was originally built as a bell tower and a place of refuge when the monastery was attacked. There are many stone crosses and churches to see. As well as these magnificent remains, there is the breathtaking scenery of the valley to enjoy. Croagh Patrick (Mayo) Is a holy mountain in Ireland, located in south Mayo, 5 miles from Westport, and on Clew Bay. It is a conical mountain that is said to be the place where St. Patrick banished the snakes from Ireland. Today it is a pilgrimage spot, where visitors from all over the world. It is said that St. Patrick fasted for 40 days at the summit of the mountain. Croagh Patrick is also known as the "Reek", and on "Reek Sunday", the last Sunday in July, thousands come to follow the steps of Patrick. Today, a church sits on the top of the "Reek". It is said, that if you climb Croagh Patrick three times, you will have earned yourself a place in heaven. Bridget Regan: Student of Ireland and its beauty. Webmistress of http://celticdan.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bridget_Regan Labels: articles_2006
Posted by Marc Gunn, Sunday, April 23, 2006. New to Celtic MP3s Music Magazine? Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates. Find free Celtic music downloads from Marc Gunn! Saint Patrick Drove Out Serpents, Let Cats Stay
While planning for St. Patrick's Day is in high gear, few know that this patron St. of Ireland, shares his special day, March 17, with Saint Gertrude of Nivelles, the Patron Saint of Cats.
Legend tells us that St. Patrick raised his staff and mightily drove the serpents out of the Ireland. Medieval hagiography is silent, however, on the subject of the saint's interactions with the feline denizens of the Emerald Isle. Considering this shared holiday however, it seems safe to say that Saint Patrick was a cat lover. Believing this to be so (and also born on this highest of Irish holidays) Irish Musician Marc Gunn has recently released an album entitled IRISH DRINKING SONGS FOR CAT LOVERS. With songs such as WHEN KITTY EYES ARE SMILING and LORD OF THE POUNCE it seems that there is indeed a connection between the feline kind and the Irish. "It's the purrfect present for St. Patrick's Day," Gunn commented," and for Saint Gertrude's Day, too." As one reviewer has noted "If you know a cat lover, this may well be the best gift you can get for them, and they don't even have to be Irish to appreciate the songs. There is a certain understanding between people and their cats and it is brought forth here in all of its glory . . . the good, the bad and the hilarious!" Surely, Saint Patrick and Saint Gertrude would agree. That is the beauty of IRISH DRINKING SONGS FOR CAT LOVERS -- the songs are part of the patchwork of American music, a culture with deep Irish roots. Marc Gunn has extensive experience as not only a recording musician but as a veteran performer in renaissance fairs and fantasy festivals. The result is a clever collection of music that appeals to not only Irish and cat lovers, but anyone who appreciates a lyrical laugh. IRISH DRINKING SONGS FOR CAT LOVERS features guest performances by an impressive array of Irish Musicians in Austin, Texas. Participating musicians include Hannah Gunn and Cedric the Fiddler of the Bedlam Bards. Additional musicians include Chris Buckley, Sarah Dinan, Hamby, April Porter, Blake McCaig, and Franco Bordoni. Marc Gunn wrote all the lyrics to the classic songs. The CD retails for $14.97 (with a current promotion of 20% off multiple copy purchases). The CD can be purchased online at http://www.catdrinkingsongs.com Labels: articles_2006
Posted by Marc Gunn, Friday, March 10, 2006. New to Celtic MP3s Music Magazine? Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates. Find free Celtic music downloads from Marc Gunn! North Texas Irish Festival 2006
by Marc GunnSo where to begin? First, let me say many, many, many thanks to Kimberly and Doc Grauzer. They were kind enough to let me crash in their hotel room for the weekend which allowed me to get my first taste of everything I've heard about the North Texas Irish Festival.
What had I heard? Well, the shows a great, but you also don't want to miss the sessions at the host hotel after hours. The craic is grand! And it was. My Pick of the Best of North Texas Irish Fest 2006:
Friday Arrival I drove up rather late on Friday. Arrived in Dallas around 8pm and drove over to visit my friend Donna Duncan from faire. She now has a business called Costumes in Time that does period costumes. I was thinking of augmenting my faire outfit. A lot of it will depend on money though. Meantime, she sized me and we caught up. Then I was off to the hotel. I arrived and found Doc and Kimberly in the lounge, relaxing with Sarah Dinan and her friends. I said hi to a bunch of other folks in the community and then went up stairs to unpack my autoharp and bodhran. Downstairs we found a nice session down one of the halls with a dozen folks or so. A couple months ago, I was briefly shown how to play the bodhran so I bounced between my two instruments. I'm still no where near up to speed for playing melody on the autoharp. And there are some chords which I am limited by for sessions. So the bodhran balanced that out rather well. Saturday at the North Texas Irish Festival We jammed until 2:30ish which Doc said was a slow night for sessions. That's okay though because we got up at 8am. That was painful. Then we ate breakfast and took a shuttle to the festival. We were first in line for the gate. I spent much of Saturday recording Station IDs for my Irish & Celtic Music Podcast from as many bands as I possibly could. I had over 40 by the end of the weekend. The very first band I caught was Paisley Close. I first met Cid at the House of Dra at the Texas Ren Fest, and she was sweet enough to give me a copy of her band's new CD, All On A Day. Excellent CD! I even added them to The Secret World of Celtic Rock compilation CD. From Paisley Close, I raced over to Seamus Stout. Their show was over, but I did catch them for some promos at least. Then on to see Jed Marum. Jed was a pleasant surprise this year. He submitted a CD for my Celtic MP3s Music Magazine about three years ago. But I never really listened to it. So when I did my Irish & Celtic Music Podcast last week I listened to the CD and found out what a great voice he has. I was even more pleased because I kept running into him at just about every show I went to. He's extremely nice and a genuine guy. A folk musician of the truest sort. After Jed's show, I met up with Clan Gunn and walked arond a bit. I made my way over to the other building and said, "hi" to Lanora of Things Celtic. That's when it occurred to me I made a big mistake. I paid for an ad in the NTIF program for my Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers CD. If I was REALLY smart, I would've said, "Go over to the Things Celtic booth and purchase a copy." And of course, worked it out so they had copies of the CD there. Drats! Well maybe next time... Though I'm not sure it was financially feasible. Ah well. At 2 o'clock, I saw Ed Miller perform with John Taylor and Rich Brotherton. The sound at the beginning of the show was a bit messed up, but the songs as usual were wonderful. Forunately, the sound issues were resolved by the end of the show. Next up was Beth Patterson. I had heard about her from a lot of friends in Louisiana. She was good. However, I wasn't too impressed with the electronic drum kit. I might've enjoyed her show more if she just stayed acoustic. So I didn't stick around long for that show. Instead, I went over to see John Williams & Dean Magraw. Some great tunes from them. You can tell John loves playing music. At four o'clock, there was a bodhran workshop. Since I know virtually nothing about the bodhran, I decided to go. Lo and behold, I ran into Michelle Hedden over there. Michelle recorded on my cat CD and also plays backup drums for us just about whenever we are in Missouri. On the downside, Albert Alphonso was one of the teachers. While Mark Stone did his best to educate us in a useful workshop, Alphonso did his best to Waste our time. I'm still rather pissed about that. I sent NTIF a letter about it too. Lesson to be learned, if you ever hear of a workshop with Alphonso, don't bother! There was one other downside about having a bodhran workshop at 4'o'clock. Two Austin groups, The Tea Merchants and Sarah Dinan, were playing at that same show time. So I would have to wait until Sunday to see them. At 6:00, I went to see Robbie O'Connell and Aoife Clancy. That was kinda weird. Aoife seemed to have her own band. And Robbie was sorta smacked into the center of it all. So it was rather disjointed as they swapped back and forth singing songs. But the individual songs they performed were quite beautiful. Next up was a band I've heard occasionally, but never spent much time listening to--Brother. I caught their 7:15pm show. And it was amazing! The band fuses Australian tribal with original songwriting, bagpipes and didgeridoo. They put on a powerhouse of a show. Great performance. It left me with a major high as I went back in to find out when Doc and Kimberly planned to head back to the hotel. But I was stopped short with something more out of the ordinary than Brother. That was Onya. The Star & Harp Pub Stage was filled with three guitarists singing basically acoustic alternative rock. Onya was center stage. She's a singer/songwriter who recently won Ireland's version of "American Idol", I think. She has an amazing voice. I came in when she started singing an original song called "Pass the Bottle" that had the audience singing along. They played a few of those fun sing-a-longs. And I was just totally mesmerized by her. Seeing as how her musical style was completely different from everything else at the festival, I went up and talked to them after the show to find out if they were heading to South By Southwest. No, but they were heading to Austin on Monday to play at Mother Egan's. Sweet! From there, I caught the shuttle back to the hotel. On it were The Makem and Spain Brothers. I recorded a quick promo and chatted with them a little. Then back at the hotel, I joined several sessions until the wee hours of the morning. Yes, it was a marathon... sort of. But what a blast. My finger was sore from playing the bodhran too. The craic was hightened because I was able to try out a couple bodhrans, but Austin bodhran-maker, Rob Forkner. Now I'm aching to get a new bodhran. Man! Those drums sound good! One step at a time though. Sunday at the North Texas Irish Festival I think it was like 4am when I finally went to bed. I did NOT want to wake up Sunday morning. Doc is definitely a morning person, but I am not. We joined a bunch of others to catch a shuttle to the festival before the gates opened. And I was pleasantly surprised to find that Brother was on the shuttle. I talked to Brother the day before about doing an interview with them before their first show. We had 20 minutes to drive. So I interviewed them on the bus, asked other riders if they had any questions for the band, and Angus video taped a part of the interview. The interview was a high, but my exhaustion took it's toll after that. I caught a few minutes of Threadneedle Street. Their stage still had sound issues. Combined with the fact that I was fighting to stay awake from sleep deprivation, I decided to walk around. So I made my way over to see a few minutes of the Trinity River Whalers. I was anxious to see Brother again. So I did. But while I sat still much more on Sunday, I was still so wiped. I finally went to the Clan Gunn tent. Sat down for a moment, and within minutes, I was passed out. I woke up thirty minutes later feeling MUCH refereshed. I caught a little bit of Michael William Harrison's show, fantastic, before heading over to catch The Makem and Spain Brothers. That was pretty cool to see. I never really listened to Tommy Makem outside of a CD I have with him and The Clancy Brothers. But they all had a very similar style. Nice powerful vocals. I understand why those groups did so well. And they definitely have that Makem sense of humor. Great performers. At five, I caught Paisley Close again and afterward headed over to the Austin lineup. Sarah Dinan and The Tea Merchants were playing the last two sets on the Star & Harp Pub Stage. Sarah had a new band and a whole new band lineup and consequently new songs. Her vocals were gorgeous as usual. But the highlight for me was The Tea Merchants. I gotta say, NTIF made a big mistake putting them at such a poor time because they blew away many of the other trad bands I heard. They were amazing. Now to the festival's credit, I heard from a friend that The Tea Merchants were a last minute addition and filled the slot of another band. So a big Congrats to the Festival for booking them. Hopefully, next year they will realize that this is the #1 Irish music group in Texas and will give them better time slots! I finished off the festival with Brother again, joining the throngs of dancers as Eileen Ivers joined them on stage and they just jammed on stage. It was one heck of a festival. I caught the shuttle with The Makems and Tea Merchants back to the hotel. I was about ready to drive home that, just feeling wiped from a long weekend. But Doc and Kimberly talked me into going downstairs for dinner. After that, I was ready to play music. The sessions started breaking out, so I joined them and a brilliant time before heading upstairs for a little quiet time and some sleep. All in all, North Texas Irish Festival out did itself in 2006. Buy CDs: North Texas Irish Festival 2006 Marc Gunn is an Irish and Scottish folk singer with a strange affinity for Celtic ballads, drinking songs and cats. He is the lead singer for the Brobdingnagian Bards. He is also Celtic music podcaster and Irish music magazine publisher and promoter. Last but not least, he is poet, photographer and music business educator. Labels: articles_2006
Posted by Marc Gunn, Tuesday, March 07, 2006. New to Celtic MP3s Music Magazine? Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates. Find free Celtic music downloads from Marc Gunn!
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