Summary: There are a lot of wonderful Celtic Christmas Traditions, some of which will be shared in song in this week's edition of the Celtic Christmas Podcast as we share Celtic Christmas songs by Marc Gunn, Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer, The Barra McNeils, Four Celtic Voices, Barleyjuice, Celtic Cross, Golden Bough. www.celticchristmaspodcast.com This show is brought to by the Patrons of the Podcast. These are 54 people over on Patreon who kindly and generously support the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Because of their generosity, I bring you this show each week running up to Christmas. If you enjoy the music, you can support this podcast by becoming a patron at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/patreon You can also show your support by purchasing a copy of our 2013 Celtic Christmas CD. It's called "A Celtic Christmas". It's a wonderful album of Christmas music by Celtic musicians. You'll find links on the website where you can buy the CD or download the album. Irish Christmas Traditions Can you help us push The Pogues song "Fairytale of New York" to the top of the charts? Find out more. This Week’s Celtic Christmas Music 1:46 "Let's Have a Celtic Christmas" by Marc Gunn from Celtic Christmas Greetings Marc Gunn plays rhythm and folk autoharp music inspired by Celtic culture, science fiction, fantasy, and cats. He is an award-winning musician one of the top Celtic musicians on Reverbnation, the world's largest indie music website. He has wowed audiences around the globe with fun, upbeat Celtic songs, parodies, and a lively performance. He is also the award-winning host of this and the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. --- 5:09 "Down in Yon Forest" by Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer from A Sound of Christmas Past Out of Essex in the United Kingdom, Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer effortlessly blend traditional material with contemporary sounds. Their performances showcase new interpretations of old songs alongside original self penned tunes and new contemporary songs that are entirely at home in the tradition. Out of this combination they have developed a sound that is both familiar and fresh. Strong believers in letting the music tradition live and breathe through sensitive interpretation, Vicki and Jonny allow the melody to sing without any constraints. Be entranced by the haunting nyckelharpa, amazed at the cow horn (one of the worlds earliest communication devices) and meet some of the bagpipes that didn’t come from Scotland. --- 10:04 "Ann am Baile Ri'oghail Dhaibhidh (Once In David's Royal City)" by The Barra MacNeils from The Christmas Album Canada’s Celtic ambassadors! For nearly three decades, Cape Breton-based family group the Barra MacNeils has been thrilling audiences of all ages, both near and far, with their sparkling repertoire, vocals, instrumental prowess and vibrant showmanship. 2014 marks over 27 years for the Sydney Mines, Cape Breton Island based family group, the Barra MacNeils, in an outstanding recording and touring career. --- 13:59 "The First Noel (Featuring Celeste Ray)" by Four Celtic Voices from Four Celtic Seasons Four Celtic Voices perform a spellbinding journey through the magic and wonder of the Celtic Lands... Traditional Celtic instruments such as bowed psaltery, harmonium, flute and Celtic harp mesmerize audiences and bring singing and playing time-honored traditionals and surprise with upbeat originals. Exceptional vocal harmonies of the women instantly transport audiences to the ancient mysterious realms of the Celts. --- 18:35 "Whiskey for Christmas" by Barleyjuice from This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things From Philadelphia, Barleyjuice mixes pop / rock sensibilities and lyrics with traditional celtic melodies to form a next gen world sound. acoustic instruments blend with heavy bass and drums to focus on a rocking sound. Compared to the Pogues with a frontman Kyf Brewer who sings like Ronnie Drew with a cold,
