A Word from the Groupmaster

Hi, I'm MobyD. Since April 2008 I've been building lenses about Celtic music. I know I'm not the only one, but I haven't seen a group dedicated to it, so here it is.

I favor traditional Celtic music, but other flavors such as New Age, punk and contemporary are welcome. This group isn't the place for pop singers and bands who just happen to come from Ireland, Scotland or other Celtic lands, unless they release a Celtic-oriented CD. Sinéad O'Connor, for instance, is considered a pop performer, but I have a lens for her Sean-Nós Nua CD.

The following categories for featured lenses are:

1. Featured Celtic Music Lenses
2. Irish Traditional Music Lenses
3. Irish Contemporary Music Lenses
4. Scottish Traditional Music Lenses
5. Scottish Contemporary Music Lenses
6. Welsh Music Lenses
7. Traditional Celtic Music from North America
8. Contemporary Celtic Music from North America
9. Celtic Radio and Other Resources

There's a limit of five lenses to each Featured Lens module, so when necessary, I'll add additional modules with titles like "More Irish Traditional Music Lenses." The order in which lenses appear in each module appears to be arbitrary. It's not the order or reverse order in which I enter them. The Featured/Fresh Lensmasters modules also list only five, and again the order seems arbitrary.

As of August 2008, I've created 26 Celtic music lenses and 9 video showcases, so most of the lenses in the group are mine. I definitely want to see lenses from other lensmasters and will be sure to include them in the right categories as soon as possible. If you think I've categorized them wrong, please let me know.

Be sure to submit your Celtic music lenses and join the discussion!

Fresh Celtic Music Lensmasters

ByRoy, MobyD, Noadi, sewjr24, badmsm

Featured Celtic Music Lensmasters

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  badmsm
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  WordVixen
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  Noadi
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  CLB
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  CDT

Fresh Celtic Music Lenses

James James and the Welsh National Anthem, Celtic Music: Alexander James Adams, Flogging Molly, The Chieftains Video Showcase, Celtic Music: Golden Bough

Featured Celtic Music Lenses

The Wicked Tinkers

I first heard the Wicked Tinkers at the 2001 Calaveras Celtic Faire in Angels Camp, CA. I loved their non-traditional musical approach to Celtic music and instruments, always with a WICKED sense of fun. Did I mention that they are REALLY loud, too?...

Flogging Molly

Flogging Molly combines the best of celtic music and punk rock.

Riverdance: Traditional Step Dancing

Riverdance intrigues me. The rapid leg movements of the traditional Irish Step Dancing are a form of dance that I had never known or experienced until I saw Riverdance. How can they move their feet so rapidly without moving the rest of their bodies?...

Celtic Music: Lenses

This lens points to other lenses I've made highlighting Celtic music performers as well as radio shows, both broadcast and Internet, that play the traditional music of the Celtic lands. Celtic music covers a lot of territory and many performers. Each...

Celtic Music: The Chieftains

The Chieftains are credited with bringing traditional Irish music to the world's attention. Paddy Molony got some musicians together in 1962 and they recorded an album that was at the time regarded as a one-time thing. But five years later, they got...

Irish Traditional Music Lenses

Celtic Music: Flook

The first time you hear Flook, you'll know you've discovered something special. The driving force of the group is the flute playing of Sarah Allen from London, one of the founding members. Brian Finnegan from Co. Armagh adds wooden flute and tin whis...

Celtic Music: Planxty

In 1972 Christy Moore, a vocalist who also plays acoustic guitar and bodhran, got together with Donal Lunny (bouzouki, guitar), Andy Irvine (vocals, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, hurdy-gurdy, harmonica) and Liam O'Flynn (uilleann pipes, tin whistle) t...

Celtic Music: Boys of the Lough

It's a good thing there's the term "Celtic music" to encompass music from Ireland, Scotland and other lands the Celts settled, otherwise it would be hard to classify The Boys of the Lough. Current members hail from County Kerry in the Republic of Ire...

Celtic Music: Sean-Nós Nua

In 2002, following an often controversial career, Dublin-based pop singer Sinead O'Connor released Sean Nos Nua, and album of traditional Irish songs. "Sean nos" (literally "old style") is an ornamented style of unaccompanied singing. O'Connor has ad...

Celtic Music: Lúnasa

Lunasa takes its name from the ancient Irish harvest festival of Lughnasadh. The first album from this dynamic quintet became an instant best-seller in Ireland and was nominated one of the top ten best albums in the USA by the Irish Echo.

Irish Contemporary Music Lenses

Celtic Music: Enya

Enya first gained notice as a solo artist with her work on the BBC Scotland series The Celts. The music was released as a self-titled album and later remastered and released with the series title. Her four latest albums of new material have each won...

Cruachan - Irish Celtic Heavy Metal Band

Cruachan are an Irish Celtic metal band founded in 1992 by Keith Fay and John Clohessy. Celtic music, history and mythology are prominent influences in Cruachan's music, as are the Viking Age and the works of J R R Tolkein. Cruachan's earlier work...

Enya, a truly unique musician and singer.

Enya is one of the most mysterious women of the music world. The way she protects her privacy and stays apart from the 'rich and famous' scene makes her a truly unique artist. Her music draws its origins in celtic traditions; and whether it is c...

Scottish Traditional Music Lenses

Celtic Music: Capercaillie

"Their seductively contemporary sound and production, their mastery of traditional instruments (along with a willingness to look beyond them) and the voice of Karen Matheson have helped Capercaillie re-model the Celtic landscape..." Q MAGAZINE - Quot...

Celtic Music: The Battlefield Band

"Battlefield Band play Scottish music of a rare passion and joy. Inspired by their rich heritage of Celtic music and fired by the strength and vibrancy of today's Scottish cultural scene, which indeed they have done much to create and fuel, they have...

Celtic Music: The Poozies & Sileas

Patsy Seddon and Mary MacMaster, who had been performing for several years as the Scottish harp duo Sileas, worked with English singer/songwriter Sally Barker in 1990 on Barker's solo album. The three decided an all-women folk group would be a good i...

Celtic Music: The Tannahill Weavers

"Scotland's Tannahill Weavers play acoustic instruments, but the atmosphere at their shows is electric. The quintet is as tight and as versatile as any band in the Celtic music revival. They can summon rock 'n' roll intensity or haunting introspectio...

Celtic Music: Alasdair Fraser

"Alasdair Fraser is recognized throughout the world as one of the finest fiddle players Scotland has ever produced. [His] name is synonymous with the vibrant cultural renaissance which is transforming the Scottish musical scene." -SCOTS Magazine (Or...

Welsh Music Lenses

James James and the Welsh National Anthem

James James was a little known hero who created a melody that was later adopted as the Welsh National Anthem. Read more about James and find out what sort of man could strike passion in to the hearts of a whole nation.

Traditional Celtic Music from North America

Celtic Music: Golden Bough

Paul Espinoza and Margie Butler, founding members of Golden Bough, started performing together in 1976 and formed Golden Bough in the San Francisco area in 1980. After some changes in lineup, Golden Bough is currently a trio with Butler (harp, bodhra...

Celtic Music: Solas

That praise for Solas comes from the Boston Herald, and similar words have been written in many Irish/American and major city newspapers since the band was started by Seamus Egan in 1996.

Contemporary Celtic Music from North America

Loreena McKennitt, a musical traveler.

Loreena has been following the Celts in their many, many wanderings for years. Her music is like a travel log as she puts it herself. I enjoy traveling along with her. For more about Loreena's personality, scroll down to "Loreena shares some of her t...

The Wicked Tinkers

I first heard the Wicked Tinkers at the 2001 Calaveras Celtic Faire in Angels Camp, CA. I loved their non-traditional musical approach to Celtic music and instruments, always with a WICKED sense of fun. Did I mention that they are REALLY loud, too?...

Flogging Molly

Flogging Molly combines the best of celtic music and punk rock.

Celtic Music: Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennitt brings the qualities of a spiritual journey to Celtic music. Beginning with traditional Irish, Scottish and English music on harp, she has expanded into more of a world-music sound with influences from Spain, North Africa and the Mi...

Celtic Music: Alexander James Adams

Alexander James Adams is an Oregon-based singer/songwriter who plays guitar, fiddle, mandolin and bodhran (and even uses a bodhran tipper on a cutting board if the gig is outdoors and the weather's damp). Billed as the Faerie Tale Minstrel, Alec is...

Celtic Radio and Other Resources

Great celtic, punk, drinking, and folk bands- and where to find them.

Like celtic music?  Like punk music?  Have you tried celtic punk?  Also known as paddypunk and kiltrock, celtic punk combines the best of both worlds.  Thrash worthy tunes with traditional Irish lyrics or bagpipes as backup.&...

Celtic Music: liveIreland.com

LiveIreland.com is primarily an Internet radio station that broadcasts Irish and Celtic music 24 hours a day. Channel 1 broadcasts a mix of traditional music and at times features live DJs who can be seen on webcam as they do their shows. They also p...

Celtic Music: The Thistle & Shamrock

The Thistle and Shamrock showcases traditional music from all of the Celtic lands: Scotland, Ireland, Wales, the Isle of Man, Brittany in France, Galicia in Spain, Canada, the United States, and anywhere else Celtic music has migrated to over the cen...

Celtic Music Discussion