Waltzes, Whiskey, & Wondering Souls #743

This week on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, we travel from kitchen sessions to open seas. Fiddles. Waltzes. Pub songs. And modern Celtic voices you’re going to want to hear again on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast #743  -  -  Subscribe now at CelticMusicPodcast.com!

Nerea The Fiddler, Socks in the Frying Pan, Shannon Heaton, The Irish Rovers, Boxing Robin, Whiskey Faithful, Mary Beth Carty, Michael Joseph Ulery, Blackwillow Starling, CaliCeltic, Hugh Morrison, Jiggy, The Far North, SeaStar

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VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20 FOR 2026

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 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

0:07 - Nerea The Fiddler "Kitchen Music" from Off The Beatn Path

3:20 - WELCOME

7:32 - Socks in the Frying Pan "Willy Annes Waltz" from Waiting for Inspiration

10:58 - Shannon Heaton "Tattered Wings" from Perfect Maze

12:32 - The Irish Rovers "Back to Sea" from No End in Sight

16:30 - Boxing Robin “An Dro -  Trois Matelots du Port de Brest" from The View From Here

20:19 - FEEDBACK

25:30 - Whiskey Faithful "Whiskey in the Jar" from single

27:37 - Mary Beth Carty "A’ Challuinn : ‘S e gillean mo rùin / Walking the Floor / Capers Jig / Miss Anderson’s Jig" from single

31:23 - Michael Joseph Ulery "All I Really Needed" from Mild November

35:03 - Blackwillow Starling "Wild Maiden" from Blackwillow Starling

38:46 - THANKS

40:29 - CaliCeltic "Hotaling's Whiskey" from Whiskey Mustache

45:05 - Hugh Morrison "Blinkers" from Lift Your Head Up

48:11 - Jiggy "Dekho" from single

52:22 - The Far North "Sailor And The Sea" from Songs For Weathering Storms

55:51 - CLOSING

56:56 - SeaStar "Auld Lang Syne" from single

1:00:10 - CREDITS

Support for this program comes from Hank Woodward.

Support for this program comes from Dr. Annie Lorkowski of Centennial Animal Hospital in Corona, California.

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

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 the artists to let them know you heard them on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.

These musicians are not part of some corporation. They are small indie groups that rely on people just like you to support their music so they can keep creating it. Please show your generosity. 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.

We have a Kickstarter that is running until January 30. The initial goal was to fund our 2025 Best of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast album. Happily that goal was reached within three days of the start of the campaign. Now we have a secondary stretch goal to fund the…

IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODFEST AND ARTS MARKET

This is a one - day music festival and arts market that will take place on Sunday, March 8, 2026 at The Lost Druid Brewery in Avondale Estates, GA, 15 minutes from downtown Atlanta. There are four bands performing at the festival. I am performing one show solo and one show with May Will Bloom, where my daughter takes the lead.

Kinfolk will join us as well as I mentioned last week. But the final band performing at the festival is a 3 - piece version of The Muckers, our local Celtic punk band. That will complete our lineup.

Follow our event page on Facebook for more details.

Or Follow us for Free on our Patreon page.

Now my next goal is to raise $3200 so that all of the bands are paid a decent wage and to promote our first - ever Celtic festival.

To that end, I added three new rewards for Kickstarter. Each is a chance to sponsor individual bands at the festival. When you do, you’ll get one of the first album pins from each of these amazing Celtic bands.

That’s because we are highlighting album pins at the festival as well, as another means to promote the music of bands. Our album pins are wooden lapel pins themed to a particular album released by a band. The buyer gets a digital download of the album, then they can wear their album!

There’s just 8 days left on this Kickstarter. So please make a pledge to support Celtic culture through music.

THANK YOU PATRONS OF THE PODCAST!

Because of generous patrons like you, the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast releases new episodes nearly every single week. Your support doesn't just fund the show—it fuels a movement. It helps us share the magic of Celtic music with thousands of new listeners and grow a global community of music lovers.

Your contributions pay for everything behind the scenes: audio engineering, stunning graphics, weekly issues of the Celtic Music Magazine, show promotion, and—most importantly—buying the music we feature from indie Celtic artists.

And if you're not yet a patron? You're missing out! Patrons get:

• Early access to episodes
• Music - only editions
• Free MP3 downloads
• Exclusive stories and artist interviews
• A vote in the Celtic Top 20

Join us today and help keep the music alive, vibrant, and independent. 🍀

A special thanks to our new and continued Patrons of the Podcast: Gerry Corr

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, $4, $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. 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? Is there a new Celtic CD or Celtic band that you heard of or saw? I’d love to see a  picture of what you're doing while listening.

Email me at follow@bestcelticmusic.

Peredur messaged on Facebook: "was just wondering, what are your views on irish or scottish songs that lyrics are all written by human not AI but the song is then sang by AI?"

Gary Hattal emailed: “Dear Marc,

I am very pleased to be able to support the Celtic Music Podcast in even this small way.  When I think of where I spend money and what value I get in return, it's an easy choice, as your show easily provides entertainment, sustenance in a troubled world and joy to those of us who appreciate this artistry.  I've been listening to your music since I stumbled upon it decades ago and appreciate both the variety and the evolution from the traditional to the more modern.  You do keep it fresh.

My wife is a classical musician, although she has played in every genre and appreciates good music in any form.  We are also great fans of Celtic culture in general and truly enjoyed our travels in Scotland and Ireland.  We often contemplate a move there, especially in this unhappy and dangerous political climate.

So, my go - to formats at home or driving are those two:  classical music and Celtic music.  I am the grandchild of immigrants from four different countries, and my paternal grandfather's ancestry goes back to the Scottish/English borders for hundreds of years, eventually ending up in London  -  -  Cockney of all things.  I guess it's "in my blood."

I truly look forward to each week's offering and play it while on my computer, doing yard work, dog walking, or reading on these cold, dark nights sipping something amber, dogs at my feet, a novel in my hands.  Reading Bernard Cornwall  -  -  historical novels of the settling of "Englaland" during the norse period under King Alfred   -  -  warms the soul and eases strife in these troubled times.

Lastly, I appreciate your take on climate and billionaires.  I come from hard - working, progressive stock.  I enjoy hearing your own music and the Patreon app.  Please keep up the brilliant work and the pleasure you bring to all of us.

May your house always be too small to accommodate all your friends!

Gary (Gershon) Hattal