Kinnfolk Interview #699

We talk to Kinnfolk about their new album Star Above the Mountain on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast #699. Subscribe now!

Kinnfolk, The Byrne Brothers, Nathan Gourley, Joey Abarta, and Owen Marshall, Rover's Way, Ed Yother, Hounds of Finn, Charlie O'Brien, Misty Posey, Brendan Monaghan, Ockham's Razor, The Langer's Ball

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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 just three weeks to vote this year. 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

0:08 - The Byrne Brothers "Wendy's Waltz" from The Boys of Doorin

2:38 - WELCOME

3:54 - Nathan Gourley, Joey Abarta, and Owen Marshall "Callaghan's / The Boys of Ballycastle" from Copley Street 2

7:41 - Rover's Way "River Driver" from The Journey

13:11 - Ed Yother "Where I Told her Loved Her and Sprained Her Ankle / Coffee on the Bricks / The Persistence of Noel Reid" from First Figure

16:37 - Hounds of Finn "Golden Ticket" from Gravity Pulls

19:14 - FEEDBACK

25:57 - KINNFOLK INTERVIEW PART 1

30:58 - Kinnfolk "The Water's Rising / Gwendal" from Star Above The Mountain

36:39 - KINNFOLK INTERVIEW PART 2

42:31 - Kinnfolk "Roanoke Puirt à Beul" from Star Above The Mountain

45:36 - KINNFOLK INTERVIEW PART 3

58:51 - Kinnfolk "Ghost of Old Crozet" from Star Above The Mountain

1:02:06 - THANKS

1:03:50 - Charlie O'Brien "Bleak is the Pampa" from The Trackless Wild, Irish Song of the Pampa

1:07:06 - Misty Posey "Come Along to the Enchanted Forest" from Misty Posey

1:11:52 - Brendan Monaghan "No More Words" from Lovers Always Win

1:15:44 - Ockham's Razor "Madame I'm a Darling" from Garnet

1:20:58 - CLOSING

1:21:56 - The Langer's Ball "The Wild Rover" from Drinking Song Sing - A - Long

1:24:46 - CREDITS

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. Reduce, reuse, recycle, and talk with others about climate change. What are you doing to combat climate change? Start a discussion with someone today.

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 host of Folk Songs & Stories. This podcast is for fans 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.

Email follow@bestcelticmusic to learn how to subscribe to the podcast and you will get a free music - only episode.

If you are a Celtic musician and want your music featured on the show, please submit your band to be played on the podcast. You don’t have to send in music or an EPK, and You will get a free eBook called Celtic Musicians Guide to Digital Music. It’s 100% free. Just email follow@bestcelticmusic

THANK YOU PATRONS OF THE PODCAST!

I am in awe of your generosity. You are the heartbeat of this podcast—the reason I bring you fresh, captivating episodes every single week. And you make it all possible.

Your support isn’t just appreciated—it fuels everything. It covers our brilliant engineer, the talented graphic designer, the dedicated Celtic Music Magazine editor, and the promotion that helps this music reach more ears. Your kindness lets me buy the music you love, and it gives me the time to craft each episode just for you.

And as a patron, you don’t just support the show—you step into the heart of the music. You get exclusive, ad - free, music - only episodes before anyone else. You shape the Celtic Top 20 with your votes. You unlock free music downloads, sheet music, and your own private feed to listen your way—whether through Patreon or your favorite podcast app.

All of this, for as little as $3 a month. Three dollars. That’s less than a cup of coffee, yet it keeps the music alive. It keeps this community thriving. And it keeps you at the center of it all.

Join us today. Let’s make this music last forever.

A special thanks to our new and continued Patrons of the Podcast: Thomas Cochran, Akronczyk

HERE IS YOUR THREE STEP PLAN TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

1. Go to our Patreon page.
2. Decide how much you want to pledge every month, $3, $12, $25.
3. 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 2025, we’re going to the Celtic nation of Galicia in Spain. We’re gonna learn about the history and legends behind the Celts there and experience some amazing Galician Celtic music.

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.

Brad Welton of Sierra Vista, AZ emailed to ask about upcoming trips. initially. I told him about my Celtic Invasion of Galicia, but of course, that is moved back until 2026. We're going to Wexford, Ireland this summer. He followed up and wrote: "Ah Ha, thanks for the web address for the Celtic Invasions. I will check it out.

Thanks Marc!  I still have a number of iPod's that I keep working, My favorite is the Shuffle. I use it to play your podcasts whilst out bicycling. The tunes really pump me up; especially needed for longer distance, more strenuous rides.

Thank you for all of your hard work over the years. I have recently been listening to some of your early recordings and hear you rejoicing at reaching #60 or the like, and think, 'man, you wouldn't believe what you have accomplished by now'! You have been so prolific."

John Thompson emailed: "Hi Marc, Best of luck with your upcoming surgery. And thanks again for another wonderful year of music on the podcast. Hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (with a quick recovery)."

Elise of the band Charmas wrote: "Honestly, Marc, the times are changing. I'm watching it happen and not sure what to think going forward. The pandemic lockdown shattered peoples' long - standing traditions and now stepping right back into those shoes feels as unsatisfying as attending a previously - loved concert that now has only half attendance.

Charmas' clientele for performing at Irish parties aged out and they simply aren't having parties anymore. St. Pat's is a dying holiday. Bagpiping is still going strong but the Highland Games events haven't rebounded to their former size and it's hard to get new generations excited from scratch. Bands like Tempest are still playing for their longtime followers. Bands like Altan have provided so much great instrumental music that there's enough supply in the world to last forever, without more being produced.

If Celtic musicians want to get fed by playing music, they have to create something new and necessary for the next generations. I have no idea what that should be, but I think the best way to get peoples' attention is to create music that is truly innovative, relevant, and useful! It's a good challenge if we decide we are up for it :)"