The Wizard of Donegal Bay #773

A peeler's jacket, a wizard hiding in glass, and a cuckoo singing somewhere in May. This week runs from a French village to Donegal Bay, from the heart of Buffalo to a lay sung in old Gaelic. Fifteen artists, one hour, and not a dull mile in it. It's the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast #773.  -  -  Subscribe now at CelticMusicPodcast.com!

Caitlin Finley & Will Woodson, Boxing Robin, Almost Seamus, Cedar Dobson and Debojyoti Sanyal, Brian Quigley, Brobdingnagian Bards, Hildaland, The Leftovers, Tara's Folk, Ned Bigham, The Edinburgh Quartet & Màiri Macmillan, The McDades, Irish Millie, River Driver, MacCumhaill and the Gang, Trí

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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!

THIS WEEK IN CELTIC MUSIC

0:02 - Intro: Robert Eby

0:18 - Caitlin Finley & Will Woodson  -  "The Peeler's Jacket / The Duke of Leinster" from Once Through the Hall

2:43 - WELCOME

5:09 - Boxing Robin  -  "Derriere Chez Nous / Chypre / Congo de Captieux" from Land of the

Noon - Day Moon

(pronunciation: deh - ree - EHR shay NOO / SHEEP - ruh / KOHN - goh duh kap - SYUH)

8:30 - Almost Seamus  -  "Danny Boy" from Almost Seamus

12:49 - Cedar Dobson and Debojyoti Sanyal  -  "Sí Bheag, Sí Mhór" from From Kolkata to Dublin

(pronunciation: SHEE - vig, SHEE - vore; often anglicized "Sheebeg, Sheemore")

15:21 - Brian Quigley  -  "Galway Bay" from Joys, Fears, Laughter, and Tears

19:31 - FEEDBACK

22:21 - Brobdingnagian Bards  -  "Paddy McCollough" from Songs of Ireland

25:46 - Hildaland  -  "The Brushy Fork Of John's Creek" from Fiddle Tunes  -  EP

28:53 - The Leftovers  -  "The Old Man" from Heart of Buffalo

33:10 - Tara's Folk  -  "Lockdown" from remember how we fall

36:35 - Ned Bigham, The Edinburgh Quartet & Màiri Macmillan  -  "Laoidh Dhiarmaid (the Lay of Diarmaid)" from The Heroic Ballads  -  Laoidhean nan Gaisgeach  -  EP

(pronunciation: LOY YEER - mij)

42:19 - THANKS

44:40 - The McDades  -  "Gardener's Child" from Thread The Light

48:41 - Irish Millie  -  "End Is Due" from Can You See Me?

52:32 - Blaggards "Leaving of Liverpool" from Live in Texas

55:59 - MacCumhaill and the Gang  -  "Wizard in Glass" from 2

58:17 - CLOSING

59:16 - Trí  -  "Fiddle without a bow" from The cuckoo sings in May

1:02:35 - CREDITS

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

Support for this program comes from John Sharkey White, II.

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.

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 is good news.

Solar and wind are now the cheapest power sources in history.

That means lower bills for families like yours.

It means cleaner air in the towns we love.

You can be part of it. Ask your energy provider about renewable options today.

Every small step counts. A brighter future is ours to build, together.

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.

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.

Because we are more than just a radio show. We are a community. A community of Celtic music and culture lovers. We support small and local artists. We spend money on things that truly matter. The personal and heart felt.

You can do that with each of the artists on today's show OR your favorite artists. 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.

CELTIC PODFEST AND ARTS MARKET

The 2026 Celtic PodFest was a tremendous success. Kinnfolk and The Muckers joined me for our first festival at The Lost Druid Brewery in Avondale Estates, Ga. The festival happened because of many of my listeners who pledged at our start - of - the - year Kickstarter. We had a great turnout, but we could've done better if we had planned it more than a month out.

There is now a Kickstarter Pre - Launch Page for our Second Celtic PodFest. You'll find a link in the shownotes. This fundraiser will hopefully allow us to bring a second festival to you.

The Kickstarter will launch in September. Will you help?

ALBUM PINS ARE CHANGING THE WAY WE HEAR CELTIC MUSIC

Looking for a fresh way to support the music you love? Meet the Album Pin.

Album Pins are lapel pins themed to a specific album — and each one comes with a digital download. Wear your music. All of my latest pins are wood - burned and locally produced, which means a smaller footprint and a one - of - a - kind feel you won't find anywhere else.

Pick yours up at magerecords.com

THANK YOU PATRONS OF THE PODCAST!

Here's where your support goes. Every month, your patronage buys the music you hear on this show, straight from the independent artists who made it. It keeps our audio engineer polishing every episode until it shines. It pays the server bills that carry the podcast to listeners in every corner of the world.

None of it happens without you. So thank you. As a patron, you get episodes free of ads, music - only editions of the show for when you just want the tunes, and a vote in the Celtic Top 20 that shapes what everyone hears. Small thanks for keeping this whole thing afloat.

Want to be part of it? Come find your people at SongHenge.com.

Special thanks to our newest Patron of the Podcast: Katy K

HERE IS YOUR THREE STEP PLAN TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

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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.

I am now accepting applications for people to join the Celtic Invasion of Isle of Skye hiking trip in 2027 at http://celticinvasion.com/

CELTIC CHRISTMAS MUSIC

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I WANT YOUR FEEDBACK

What are you doing today while listening to the podcast? Send me a photo. If you're in a Celtic band, send me an audio recording of you performing live. Just audio. I'll use it in a podcast episode later this year.

Email me at follow@bestcelticmusic.

Troy of The Secret Commonwealth emailed a sad follow up back in March to the news about his friend who was illegally held in ICE custody: "Marc, thank you so much for sharing the fundraiser for my friend on your new episode.

It is with profoundly heavy heart that I have to tell you that my friend died last Sunday of a heart attack. He had been moved to a hospital in Mississippi and apparently suffered two successive attacks. His body is being returned now.

To say we are devastated and infuriated would be inadequate to describe our state of being. We had just been sending his lawyers important records and documents that we felt, along with his obvious serious health conditions, had a very good chance of securing his release. We'll never know now if that would have proven to be true, but we just needed him to endure a little while longer, which he ultimately could not. He died one month short of a year since being detained by ICE.

I have not yet publicly announced this in an update to our fundraiser because, frankly, it's still too fresh and painful to address. But any proceeds we've made will obviously now be put toward the cost of his funeral service.

Sorry to impart this bad news, but I mostly wanted to express my gratitude to you for your kind support on behalf of Pejman's family, my girlfriend (who was his dearest friend in the world and who spearheaded this fight for his freedom) and for me.

Best to you,"