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Celtic CD Releases

www.celtic-cd-releases.com

!! This page is purely for NEW Celtic Styled CDs !!

For Information and Links to the Artists and their CDs click on the CD cover.

You can follow the page on the following Social Media platforms. Click on the Logo.

New: threads & Bluesky

Spotify Link

Instagram Link

Bandcamp Link

Released 25th January 2025.

STOUT - IRISH FOLK REDEFINED

Even after more than ten years on tour, STOUT continue to consistently follow the path they took on day one - Irish folk redefined: they take any - mostly Irish - folk songs and tunes and deconstruct them to create new and fresh versions. Always with the aim of making even the most popular classics sound like they've never been heard before. The trick is that they always remain true to the originals. Add a few self-written songs and you get STOUT's very own sound.

The two thoroughbred musicians love to play the classics, well-known pub songs, ballads and tunes, but also modern and unknown compositions, sometimes even their own. But STOUT have one thing in common: for years they have been refining their style, adding to it, taking diversions and rethinking it, throwing all their influences into the mix, always trying something new. They always keep it folky despite borrowing from many other genres. As a result, Mario and Simon create folk music that sounds like the work of a band, inspired, fresh and flavoursome.

STOUT sound fuller and more powerful live than you would expect from a duo. With the aim of making the songs sound the way they hear them in their heads, Simon and Mario have worked their way forward as singers and instrumentalists. Both on their instruments, mostly guitar and banjo, but also mandolin and accordion, as well as on their mostly two-part vocals, STOUT try to break down limitations and realise every idea.

But in addition to the passionately arranged music, STOUT also offer great entertainment on stage. The audience is taken along and involved right from the start: Clapping along, singing, dancing and more are expressly encouraged to make the evening unforgettable for both sides of the stage.

With their strong stage presence, great humour and close proximity to the audience, both during the songs and in between,
STOUT have been delighting audiences throughout Germany and beyond since 2013. A steadily growing fan base shares their vision of music and folk that is unique and infectious.

https://www.stout-music.de/
https://www.facebook.com/StoutIrishFolk/

Both pages are in German. Translations with https://www.deepl.com/(free version) are very good.

You can find their Album on Spotify.
https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/album/6ZXWvfe7hj6sTdQp6UKeKj

Released March 2025.

This is the Debut EP of five songs written and performed by GREENSHANKS aka Will Boyd-Wallis, singer songwriter, based in the Highlands of Scotland along with six very fine musician friends.

G R E E N S H A N K S (Will Boyd-Wallis) singer-songwriter, woodworker, ecologist and land manager based in the Highlands of Scotland.
STORMBIRD features acclaimed musicians: Hamish Napier, James Mackintosh, James Lindsay, Ross Ainslie, Becky Doe and Iain Forrest – produced by Hamish Napier, Will Boyd-Wallis and Andrea Gobbi.

The STORMBIRD songs are all themed on the sea. The first, Fistful of Sand, featuring Ross Ainslie on whistle, is a powerful portrayal of the unjust clearance of the community from the Isle of Rum.
It immortalises his great-great-grandfather John Mòr McLean, only a year old when they were evicted. The Ballad of Billy and Eilidh is a cautionary folk tale with a foot-tapping tune lifted by Iain Forrest’s slide guitar and a pleasingly predictable finish. Sandstone, is a love story, defined by Becky Doe’s viola and a heart-wrenching piano solo by Hamish Napier. Into the Open began life in a secret cave during lockdown and became a message of hope inspiring the artist Stephen Redpath to paint the watercolour featured on the CD sleeve. The title track Stormbird, marks a moment in time and stretches it into an intense rendition of a life changing encounter with a Leach’s Storm Petrel on the cliffs of St Kilda.

This EP has been a long time coming. The first track Fistful of Sand has been growing in him ever since he was a boy when his mother told him that his great-great-grandfather was born on the Isle of Rum on the West Coast of Scotland. He was evicted and sailed to Nova Scotia, eventually settling in New Zealand. This story led him to move to the Highlands in his early twenties with a vow to put something back.

He dedicates this EP to his mother Maha, great-granddaughter of John Mòr McLean. All of the other songs have been inspired by the many people, places and creatures he has met on my daily life and work with the National Trust for Scotland. He is grateful to all of them – animal, plant and mineral – for all the joy and comfort they have given him.

https://greenshanks.com/
https://www.facebook.com/will.boydwallis

You can find his EP on Bandcamp and Spotify.
https://greenshanks.bandcamp.com/album/stormbird-3
https://open.spotify.com/int.../album/2J1p4rNKgGtqpBCU7zn9AB

Released February 2025.

Born in Cork 1961 and living in Gaeltacht Mhúscraí, Conal has played the flute since he was small.

"The Cork flute player Conal Ó Gráda has carved out a singular voice in traditional music, one which is as solid and as grainy as the wood of the instrument. His is a style that is fully integrated with and idiomatic of the wooden flute, where the rhythm, articulation and interpretation all stem from the interaction between the player and the possibilities of the instrument. His previous solo albums, both highly regarded, focused on traditional tunes, but he has been playing his own compositions for many years now in performances, with the band The Raw Bar Collective, and his music has been featured on the ITMA Saothar showcase. For his new album, Anú Abú, which is released on Raelach Records, Ó Gráda has adopted an approach that has become more common over the past few decades in traditional music, and put together a set comprised only of tunes that he has composed himself.

An album of new compositions is always exciting and fresh, and gives the listener a real sense of discovery. At the same time, it asks a lot of the listener, in the sense that these tunes haven’t yet laid down familiar aural grooves in our musical memory, so that our appraisal of processual features of interpretation and performance has to compete with our own internal mapping of the tune. Listening to the Album, it became evident how close an integration there was between Ó Gráda’s flute style and the style of the compositions. The shape of the tunes stem from his style, allowing his punchy and percussive articulation, driving rhythm, and his signature powerful tone to come to the fore. Perhaps even on a more fundamental level, these are always tunes that are built on the ergonomics of the instrument, bringing out the musical shapes and sounds that the flute affords.

This is a fine album of new flute music, which is seamless in its knitting together of playing technique and compositional style. While it certainly delivers on its promise of musical discovery, it does so through structures that are totally familiar, as the dance tunes are all very playable – and indeed danceable. It’s also welcome to have a complete set of tunes composed on flute, given how often the figure of ‘composer’ in traditional music is associated with the fiddle and button accordion, and it should be a useful resource for flute players (and others of course) in the years to come.
(Review courtesy of Adrian Scahill - The Journal of Music)

https://www.conalograda.com/

You can find his Album on Bandcamp.
https://conalgrda.bandcamp.com/album/an-ab

Released April 2025.

Amelia Hogan began singing traditional and contemporary Folk songs from Ireland, Scotland, England, Canada, and the Americas as a child and was deeply imsersed in song carrying traditions through Folk Clubs and sessions in San Francisco, and Ireland. Her focus has always been the continuity, sharing, and deep love of well loved old songs.

Amelia Hogan is also a mixed media artist, singer, painter, and hosts a podcast called MixedMedia Talks.

Amelia Hogan is an impeccably authentic singer of Celtic music, and her “lilting, buoyant, distinctive voice” (AM Kennedy, Irish Music Magazine) comes through in honeyed tones on Irish, Scottish, British, and American-styled vocals. She sings both contemporary and traditional music well versed in the Irish tradition of Sean-Nós, or “old style”, a highly lyrical solo a cappella style, as well as with accompaniment, plays bodhran, Shruti box, and a small 22-string Welsh lap harp, and tours internationally to global acclaim.

Hogan’s newest project, Burnished, is a full length studio album, released April 1, 2025.

This album showcases the artistry of traditional music heavyweights: Richard Mandel, Jimmy Murphy, Marla Fibish, Skyler Blakeslee, Maureen Brennan, Lewis Santer, Steve O’Neill, Ray Frank, and Christa Burch and produced by Steve O’Neill of Foxtail Sound in Dixon, CA.
Previous recordings include her first solo project, Transplants: From the Old World to the New, released in March 2013, about ancestral immigration and identity, and the Album Taking Flight (2022).

https://ameliahogan.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AmeliaHoganSings/

You can find her Album on Bandcamp and Spotify.
https://ameliahogan.bandcamp.com/album/burnished
https://open.spotify.com/int.../album/77kDWzHqwXiqvIJ0jN2jQk

Released March 2025.

Willowgreen celebrates the release of their legacy album, “Sheila’s Brush”. Sheila’s Brush is a Newfoundland term for the last storm of the winter season, on the heels of St. Patrick’s Day. “Sheila” herself is a figure steeped in Irish folklore.

This is Willowgreen's 6th album, released in March 2025! It's the first album Willowgreen recorded since their last recording 26 years ago. This new album includes traditional, contemporary, and original music from Ireland, Newfoundland, Scotland, Canada, Wales, and the USA.

Duluth-based Willowgreen performs traditional, contemporary and original music from the Celtic music world. Their signature vocal style combined with instrumentation including fiddle, harp, hammered dulcimer, bodhrán, guitars, octave fiddle, button accordion, whistles and mandolins appeals to audiences of all ages.

As in the true Newfoundlanders they are storytellers with music that is authentic to the culture.

Band member include: Sue Spencer (guitars, vocals), Georganne Hunter (Gaelic harp, whistle), Jim Ofsthun (bodhrán, vocals, mandolins, whistle), Wendy Nelson (hammered dulcimer), Mary Lou Williams (vocals, percussion), Liesel Wilson (fiddle, vocals), and Bridget Spencer (octave fiddle, vocals).

https://willowgreenmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/willowgreen8

You can find their Album on Bandcamp.
https://willowgreen.bandcamp.com/album/sheilas-brush

Released January 2025.

The latest Copley Street offering, featuring former L.A. player Joey Abarta plus Nathan Gourley and Owen Marshall, is a fitting sequel to the first album, which is now 8 years old. Since moving to the Boston area many years ago, Joey has become a fixture in the New England Irish traditional music scene. Likewise, Nathan and Owen are well known musicians in the Irish tradition, both on the U.S. East Coast as well as on the West Coast and in Ireland.

All three of these musicians are masters of their respective instruments: Abarta’s piping is wonderful, as always, as is the fiddle of Nathan Gourley and the Bouzouki and Guitar backup of Marshall. It’s readily apparent from the recording that all three of these lads have played with one another for quite a while now as they blend their instruments seamlessly throughout the recording, which makes for a sweet sound.

This is a no-nonsense album of jigs, reels, slides, marches, O’Carolan pieces, and airs, each played with much reverence to the tradition. Many of the tunes, such as the “Grand Spy” “Gallagher’s,” “Three Litte Drummers” (which is apparently an American version of “Ten Penny Bit” recorded by Tom Ennis) “Patsy Geary’s” “The Road to Lisdoonvarna” and “A Tailor I Am,” are favorite session favorites with some unusual versions.

Several of the tunes hail from the Slieve Luachra area and from the master Kerry fiddler Pádraig O’Keefe, whose famous students included Denis Murphy and Julia Clifford. For example, “The Gleanntán Frolics,” “The Ceanngulla.” and “The Hare in the Corn” were a set of slides played by Pádraig O’Keefe. Joey’s pipes are great in this set. Additionally, Callaghan’s was taken from a recording of O’Keefe with Murphy and Clifford.

So too is the repertoire that Gourley picked up from Paddy O’Brien from Offaly while he played with the Doon Ceili Band, including one of my favorite reels “Sailing Into Walpole’s Marsh” “The Primrose Road” and “The Siege of Guingap.” Likewise, we have tunes associated with the playing of fiddler John Kelly such as the eponymous “John Kelly” and “The Humours of Carrigaholt.”

The album includes three stately O’Carolan pieces. “Loftus Jones” is a beautiful tune I remember playing quite a bit with Cáit Reed, Derry flute player Paddy O’Neill, and Dublin flute player Frank Simpson back in my days in Los Angeles. So too with “O’Carolan’s Draught” and “Planxty Davis.” All three are done beautifully.

The marches are Scottish and Irish – one by 18th century Scottish composer and fiddler Neil Gow (“Bonnie Prince Charlie”) and the other recorded by Irish pipers James and Séamus Ennis (Return to Fingal”). The Neil Gow piece, in particular, is a lovely and heart wrenching piece, evoking all of the anguish of the lost Jacobite cause.
(Review courtesy of FolkWorks)

https://www.copleystreet.com/
https://www.facebook.com/copleystreet
https://owenmarshallmusic.com/home/

You can find their Album on Bandcamp.
https://copleystreet.bandcamp.com/album/copley-street-2

Released March 2025.

Talented Scottish accordionist and singer Calum MacPhail had already begun his musical journey at the tender age of seven. Raised in Fort William and later moving to Inverness, Calum's upbringing was steeped in the rich cultural traditions of the Highland region. Utterly engrossed by the local music scene, the youngster honed his craft learning from some of Scotland’s most esteemed accordionists, setting the stage for a remarkable musical career.

With an unwavering passion for music and a dream of playing professionally, Calum co-founded the acclaimed trad folk band Hò-rò in 2014 at age 16. After winning the MG Alba Scots Trad Music
Awards Up & Coming Band of the Year in 2017, the band’s infectious melodies continue to captivate listeners worldwide as the seven-piece tours regularly across the UK and Europe. Most recently, in
August 2023, they embarked on a tour of China, sharing their unique blend of Scottish and Irish influences with audiences across the globe. Calum has released three critically acclaimed albums
with Hò-rò, showcasing his talent and boundless creativity.

Calum also clinched the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2021 Original Work of the Year for 7 Years Old, a poignant song reflecting on parental addiction, a topic which resonates deeply with him.
The release raised £2000 for Mikeysline, an Inverness-based suicide prevention hotline aiding struggling youth, underlining the musician's heartfelt commitment to mental health support.

In 2022, Calum boldly embarked on another solo venture, assembling a five-piece band to support his vision for combining Celtic music with country pop. The culmination of this work saw the release of his debut solo album At Last... in April 2023, a testament to his musical prowess and artistic evolution. The album soared to success, marked by the chart-topping single Oh My Darlin' on the iTunes Country Charts which only solidified Calum's status as a promising figure within Scotland’s thriving music scene.

His live performances continue to electrify audiences, from the packed tents of Belladrum's grassroots stage in 2023, to sold-out shows at Eden Court in March 2024, and Calum’s music remains
in high demand, with a busy summer schedule of festivals and shows spanning Scotland’s towns and cities this year.

Calum also remains an integral part of Highland Fire Ceilidh, a renowned wedding and function band, further showcasing his versatility on stage. Whether delivering heartfelt ballads or igniting lively sessions in local pubs, Calum's passion for music shines through, leaving a lasting impression on audiences far and wide.

As his star continues to rise, Calum MacPhail's musical journey is a testament to his perseverance, creativity and the enduring power of his Highland musical heritage.

https://www.calummacphail.com/
https://www.facebook.com/CalMacMusic

You can find his Album on Bandcamp and Spotify.
https://iamcalummacphail.bandcamp.com/.../highlands-to...
https://open.spotify.com/int.../album/1B77DBBkHsRSpdS73PR88L

Released February 2025.

MEET KINNFOLK

KINNFOLK – the husband and wife duo of Josh and Julie Kinn – weave octave mandolin, bodhrán (Irish drum), and smooth vocal harmonies into their Celtic folk music from the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. From sea shanties and working songs, to trad tunes and Old Time favorites, Kinnfolk’s fresh take on classics blends seamlessly with their original compositions. They share stories as enduring as tartan, spinning yarns steeped in Appalachian charm and enjoying playful banter with the audience. Their shows feel like a kitchen party, where everyone is family, and there’s always room for a dancer.

Kinnfolk is rooted in tradition, lore and ancestry – and began with a story of love and romance in the misty mountains of their home in Roanoke, Virginia. After meeting over a shared passion for folk music at an Irish music session, Josh and Julie found a harmony of the heart. They began making music together, and soon after became kin – and Kinn (with two Ns!). In the heartland of Appalachian music – an American style with Irish and Scottish roots – where the lilt and twang intertwine like a Celtic knot, Kinnfolk has brought this musical lineage full circle.

Since forming Kinnfolk in late 2018, the pair have played at festivals and listening rooms with a quickly growing following across Canada and the United States. In 2023 Kinnfolk won the Robinson Emerging Artist Showcase, earning them a Main Stage appearance at Canada’s premiere Celtic event, the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival. They have been featured on the cover of the largest traditional music magazine in the world — Irish Music Magazine — and named one of the top Celtic folk bands to watch in 2025 by The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.

In 2022, Kinnfolk received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and the City of Roanoke to create a body of work exploring the history, geography, and folk legends of their town. The resulting project, “Star Above the Mountain”.

Kinnfolk’s self-titled debut album (2020) received much airplay and launched them into the international Celtic music scene. Their second album, “The Knotted Circle” (2022), was lauded as “authentic…with a subtle contemporary seasoning” by Music Connection Magazine. Now they’ve released “Star Above the Mountain” (2025), their third album consisting of 8 original tracks and two trad favorites.

https://www.kinnfolkmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/kinnfolk.music

You can find their Album on Spotify.
https://open.spotify.com/album/5pshRwwPIu8KU6xqxJOOTH

Released February 2025

Based in Glasgow, Beatha brings together three talented musicians who met while studying Traditional Music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. The band features Kenneth Macfarlane on whistle, Iona Reid on piano, and Cam Lawson on bodhran.

Needless to say, they clicked immediately and Beatha was born..

Their inventive new sound caught ears around the country, with debut year performances at Piping Live!, Birmingham TradFest, Under Canvas, Braemar Folk Festival & a Danny Kyle award at Celtic Connetions.

The group recently made their international debut in Chédigny, France, ahead of their EP release.
They then returned to Celtic Connections in 2025 to launch their debut E.P.

https://www.facebook.com/beathafolk

You can find their Album on Bandcamp and Spotify.
https://beathafolk.bandcamp.com/album/bloom
https://open.spotify.com/int.../album/3s5ClU8RPI22f6M8mvblkT

Released February 2025.

Tern's debut album Flyway celebrates the cultural interchange between Scotland and Scandinavia including traditional tunes as well as modern compositions. All the music was selected and arranged collaboratively by the band and showcases the individuality of all 5 members in a musical setting that shifts focus between tone and texture, contemplative moods and bursts of energy, all encompassed in a deep search for voicing of place and the acknowledgment of the importance of traditional arts in the times we live in and the times yet to come.

Named after the migrating bird of the Nordic regions, Tern is a 5-piece band composed of Rose Logan (SC - Fiddle), Kristina Leesik (SE - Fiddle), Lea Søndergaard Larsen (DK - Bodhran), Miguel Girão (PT - Guitar) and BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2023 Amy Laurenson (SC - Piano) Tern crafts contemporary arrangements of traditional and original material, which draw on the music of Shetland, Mainland Scotland and Scandinavia. Exploring the connections between the music of their homelands, Tern challenges listeners, inviting audiences on an exciting, cross-cultural journey, deeply rooted in a Nordic soundscape. Winners of the Danny Kyle Open Stage at Celtic Connections 2023.

https://www.facebook.com/ternfolkk

You can find their Album on Bandcamp and Spotify.
https://ternfolk.bandcamp.com/album/flyway-2
https://open.spotify.com/int.../album/4V6aafiTPYG5ANfJeOhXQd

Released February 2025.

Glasgow, Scotland — February 28, 2025, award-winning Scottish musician Jenn Butterworth has released her highly anticipated debut album, Her By Design.

A stirring blend of traditional folk and contemporary artistry, the album focuses on women’s narratives and places their strength, struggles, and stories at the forefront. With eight meticulously crafted tracks, Her By Design stands as a feminist reimagining of traditional folk music, offering a new and contemporary lens on age-old tales.

A New Chapter in Folk Music.

Folk music is synonymous with storytelling, but women represented in folk tales have historically been overlooked or undervalued, with stories focusing on their beauty or their vulnerabilities rather than their strengths. Butterworth’s work on Her By Design seeks to readdress that.

“I’ve always been drawn to songs with women at the centre,” she explains. “But often, traditional songs were sung about a woman’s physical appearance, her inferiority or at times her exploitation. I wanted to create an album where women’s experiences are explored on their own terms.”

The album opens with Sandy Denny’s ‘All Our Days,’ an epic poetic reflection on the changing of the seasons, that encourages the listener to step back from the concerns of our inequalities and view humanity as one; collectively in awe at the power of the earth we live upon.

From there, Her By Design explores a wide range of themes: a warning about courtship and relationships in ‘Little Sparrow’, the layered symbolism of women’s safety in ‘Fair Maids of February’, and the silent endurance of the unpaid labour carried out in the home in ‘The Housewife’s Lament’.

A Personal and Collaborative Vision

Crafting Her By Design was a deeply personal journey for Jenn. The self-produced album builds on her celebrated career as a guitarist and folk accompanist, and centres her as a solo artist, vocalist, arranger, writer and producer.

“This is the first time I’ve taken complete control of a project from start to finish,” she says. “I wanted to challenge myself not just artistically but as a producer, and that meant being responsible for every step of the process. It’s been a steep learning curve, but incredibly rewarding.”

The road to Her By Design began in 2023, with recording sessions stretching into mid-2024. “As a woman creating her own music, it could have felt daunting to walk into a recording situation and take the lead,” Butterworth shares. “However, I was fortunate to work with a talented team of engineers and artists who encouraged and empowered me, and quickly helped me feel right at home.”

The album features an all-star lineup of collaborators, including one of Scotland’s finest string arrangers Seonaid Aitken (violin, string arrangements), Breabach’s James Lindsay (bass/moog) and Admiral Fallow’s Louis Abbott (drums/percussion).

Recorded in Scotland at Castlesound, Chem19 and GloWorm studios, the album’s multi-layered production is seamlessly woven into one cohesive and powerful sound. Butterworth worked in fine detail on the mixes with acclaimed studio engineer Andrea Gobbi before the album was mastered by Cicely Balston at the iconic
Abbey Road Studios.

Songs That Tell a Story

Each track on Her By Design brings a unique story to life.
‘A Toast’ is a gripping tale of jealousy and consequence, while ‘One in Ten’ shines a light on the overlooked struggles of women with endometriosis, a condition that affects one in ten women globally. In ‘Jeannie’, Butterworth reframes the narrative of traditional song ‘Anachie Gordon’ to focus the story of forced marriage from the woman’s perspective. The album closes with ‘Her Bright Smile Haunts Me Still’, a timeless ode to the echoing legacy women leave behind.

https://www.jennbutterworth.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/jennbutterworthmusic/

You can find her Album on Bandcamp.
https://jennbutterworth.bandcamp.com/album/her-by-design

Released February 2025.

Alannah Thornburgh is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist and composer with a focus on Irish harp. Alannah’s music explores her family’s musical heritage, reimagining ancient airs and tunes from the Irish harping and American folk & jazz traditions. This cross-genre interaction and juxtaposition of old melodies with contemporary harmonies and technique, carries through her original compositions, creating an innovative style described as ‘unforced, fluid & utterly at home in her own sound’ (The Irish Times). Alannah’s debut album ‘Shapeshifter’ was released on 12th February 2025.

Alannah’s debut solo single “The Front”, a homage to the late composer Conor Walsh, was debuted by Seattle’s legendary KEXP and featured on BBC documentary “High - Confessions of an Ibiza Drug Mule”. She is also a multi-award winning musician, both in a solo and group setting, including the 2021 Arts Council Ireland Next Generation Artists Award, multiple All-Ireland Fleadh Championships, The Freshgrass Bluegrass Competition (USA) with banjoist Ryan McAuley, and a 2022 & 2021 nominee for ‘Best Emerging Artist’ & ‘Best Instrumentalist’ at the RTÉ Folk Awards. Alannah’s playing has brought her on tour in Ireland, America and Europe both as a soloist and with an array of ensembles and she is often invited to host masterclasses on the Irish harp at academic institutions and international festivals (Maynooth University, University of Limerick, Harfentreffen Festival (Germany), Achill International Harp Festival). Alannah’s version of Conor Walsh’s ‘One Swallow’ was featured on RTÉ 1 'A Note for Nature’ in collaboration with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

Alannah is a founding member of the band Alfi, a trio who combine music & song sourced from the folk traditions of Ireland & America to produce a unique sound described as “beautiful, tear-jerking musicianship” (Bristol in Stereo). Following on from their 2019 release ‘Wolves in the Woods’, Alfi released their debut album ‘Say Old Man’ in July 2023 to great critical acclaim - ‘the album captures the organic, full-bodied spirit of their live shows, as well as the distinctive personalities of the players – and marks Alfi as a vital force in Ireland’s ever-diversifying folk scene’ (Hot Press). Alfi were the winners of the 2020 US Embassy Creative Minds Award, the 2019 Caoimhin O Dochartaigh stage at Imbolc International Festival and the 2018 “Molloy Award” at the Trip to Birmingham Tradfest. They were also nominated as 'Best Emerging Artist' at the 2019 RTÉ Folk Awards.

Alannah has also collaborated and recorded with an array of artists including Loah, Brían Mac Gloinn (Ye Vagabonds), Anna Mieke, Lemoncello, Brigid Mae Power, Cathy Jordan, Ruth Clinton (Landless, Poor Creature), Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Jiggy, David Keenan, Grammy-nominee Tristan Scroggins, Niamh Bury, Aoife Scott, Gareth Quinn Redmond, Jamie Duffy & Varo.

https://www.alannahthornburgh.com/
https://www.facebook.com/alannahthornburghmusic

You can find her Album on Bandcamp and Spotify.
https://alannahthornburgh.bandcamp.com/album/shapeshifter
https://open.spotify.com/int.../album/1cFMASUx2C2gb0TlWgrLqu

Released November 2024.

The Half Room, an exciting new addition to the folk music scene, released their debut self-titled album inNovember. What began as a weekly gathering of friends with a shared passion for folk songs has evolved into a harmonious ensemble, ready to make their mark.

The album was launched at An Taibhdhearc on Friday November 15th, 2024, as part of the inaugural Galway TradFest, offering a glimpse into the group’s heartfelt interpretations of traditional and contemporary folk music.

Though newly formed, The Half Room features some of Ireland’s most esteemed singers and artists. The quartet includes the evocative vocals of Pauline Scanlon from Dingle, whose emotional range has long captivated audiences, alongside the velvety richness of Nicola Joyce, best known for her work with Galway’s renowned trio, The Whileaways. Their harmonies are beautifully grounded by the earthy voices of Eoin Wynne and Fabian Joyce, creating a unique and striking blend.

The Half Room’s arrangements are simple yet powerful, allowing their vocals and storytelling to shine. With minimalist guitar and subtle ambient accompaniment, their songs range from tales of the battlefields of Flanders to the turbulent seas of Lisbon, offering listeners a rich tapestry of harmonies and emotion.

Rooted in the Irish traditional canon, while also drawing from American and European folk traditions, The Half Room’s debut album is the culmination of a year’s work and a lifetime of love for the music they sing. Their profound connection to these songs—steeped in history and personal experience—is palpable throughout the record.

https://www.thehalfroom.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheHalfRoom

The Half Room’s self-titled album is available on Bandcamp and Spotify.
https://thehalfroom.bandcamp.com/album/the-half-room
https://open.spotify.com/album/6jag0HvYarCwUvqbQZY17S

Released January 2025.

What is a shimli? Owen Shiers observes that, if you were to be cast back through time to the turn of the last century in a sleepy village in the county of Ceredigion, shimlis were gathering places in working structures like the corn mill, the smithy or the cobbler’s workshop where the farmers, the farriers and other tradespeople could pass the time in sharing a poem, a story or a song – maybe most of the night. Until the 1950s, shimlis had functioned as the seed beds of Welsh cultural life of hundreds of years; he says that in the 17th century, when the upper classes had abandoned the language to the werin, the peasantry, and the bardic order had collapsed, it was the shimli that kept Welsh folk song and the Welsh language alive.

Owen, who describes himself as a “Welsh folk singer, researcher, grain grower and cultural historian” and has taken the name Cynefin, was born in the Clettwr Valley of rural West Wales; he draws inspiration from folk artists such as The Gentle Good, the legendary band Fernhill and most importantly the beirdd gwlad, the ‘folk poet’ tradition which has honoured and lauded the bards for hundreds of years. He outlines Shimli (the follow-up to Owen’s album Dilyn Afon, which was released in 2020): “As well as living oral history and story, the album explores the intersection between music, poetry, food and the natural world. A personal dispatch from the struggle to maintain a language, culture and way of life, the album is a musical petition – a stake in the ground for the diverse and the disappearing in our age of homogenisation and mass amnesia.”

Owen says that the word ‘cynefin’ is layered with many meanings, a Welsh noun with no direct equivalent in English. Its origins lie in a farming term used to describe the constant tracks and paths worn by hillside animals: “The word has since morphed and deepened to conjure a very personal sense of place, belonging and familiarity.” Indeed, the late landscape artist Kiffin Williams described it as: “That relationship – the place of your birth and of your upbringing, the environment in which you live and to which you are naturally acclimatised.’

Shimli is a collection of incredible beauty and great peace, an utterly vanished rural way of life which has been lovingly polished and revitalised by the absolutely stunning musical arrangements. Owen’s calm and appealing voice, matched by his magical hypnotic guitar, is enhanced by Ailsa Mair Hughes’ cello and Cerys Hafana’s triple harp, a quintet of strings, horns, piano, double bass, percussion and even the Machynlleth Wind Band – but it all quite wonderfully blends in, melds and jells. Above all, Owen’s re-tuned guitar fascinatingly shines alone, like some beacon in the night.

https://cynefinmusic.wales/en/home-page
https://www.facebook.com/cynefinmusic

You can find the Album on Bandcamp and Spotify.
https://cynefinwales.bandcamp.com/album/shimli
https://open.spotify.com/album/2MOSNX6DmDG

Released January 2025.

Gwilym Bowen Rhys has established himself as a worthy ambassador for the Welsh language and singing, at home in Wales and around the world as well. This was confirmed by his nomination for the Folk Singer of the Year Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and by winning the Best Solo Artist Award at the Welsh Folk Awards.

Performing from Aberystwyth to Argentina, he has represented Wales and the Welsh language in fascinating performances at the British Embassy in Paris and the National Eisteddfod, and with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

Hailing from the village of Bethel at the foot of Snowdon in North West Wales, Gwilym has been singing in Welsh, his native language, since he could remember, giving him a deep connection with the traditional songs and music of his birthplace and love to share his music with the local communities of this Welsh area.

His music, which brings ancient Welsh words and melodies to life, is unique as a result of his own contemporary musical style. His first album 'O Groth y Dæaar' was released in 2016 and was shortlisted for Best Album of the Year at the National Eisteddfod, helping to establish him as a new and essential voice for music from Wales.

‘Aden' is Gwilym Bowen Rhys' fifth album. The Bethel, north Wales folk singer blends original compositions and traditional songs with folk, bluegrass and baroque influences.

Gwilym is joined on the album by Gwen Màiri (lever harp / triple harp / harmonium), Patrick Rimes (fiddle, viola, harmonium, trombone), Ailsa Mair (Viola da Gamba), Will Pound (harmonica, melodeon) and Aled Wyn Hughes (tuba bass).

https://www.gwilymbowenrhys.com/
https://www.facebook.com/gwilymbowenrhys

You can find his Album on Bandcamp and Spotify.
https://gwilymbowenrhys.bandcamp.com/album/aden
https://open.spotify.com/album/1CatlbGSrfCWXY5pc6kbct

Released December 2024.

Songs of Northeast Scotland - the latest CD from Janie and Allan.

Janie Rothfield (fiddle/banjo/vocals) and Allan Carr (guitar/mandola/vocals) play a unique blend of Scottish and American songs and tunes, many original, on fiddle, guitar, mandola, and clawhammer banjo! Their ability to merge these styles comes from years of living, touring and recording in the UK, Europe and USA, playing concerts, clubs and festivals,etc.

Janie and Allan play celtic and roots music that is directly from the source while expanding on that tradition with newly composed songs and tunes. They blend their love of traditional music as well as their own compositions to present a concert that weaves a musical story from both sides of the Atlantic.

Since meeting in 1978 when Janie was at college in Aberdeen, Scotland (they met at a folk music concert Allan was singing at), Janie and Allan have played and taught at festivals, concerts, workshops and music camps throughout the USA and Europe-including Edinburgh Folk Festival, Glasgow Folk Festival, Old Songs Festival, Philadelphia Folk Festival, New Bedford Summer Fest, Portsoy Traditional Music Festival, Great Lakes Music Festival, Earful of Fiddle, Southern Maryland Celtic Festival, Fiddle Hell and more!

https://www.allanandjaniemusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/JanieandAllan

You can find their Album on Bandcamp.
https://janierothfieldandallancarrmusic.bandcamp.com/

Released November 2024.

OUR MUSIC
"Celtic songs, Irish ones especially tell of love and loss, laughter and crying, of human greatness and weakness, of birth and death. We seek to make these stories, the roots of our society come to life. The band is based in Austria and tours mainly in Europe."

"Handspun" brings together nine pieces from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, and the Isle of Skye, presented in their original languages. A special focus of the album is on the genre of waulking songs—a traditional form of work song originating in Scotland. In this tradition, woolen fabrics were processed by a group of women, who would beat the cloth on tables or similar surfaces while singing rhythmic songs. These songs helped to maintain a steady working rhythm.

The spinning wheel as a motif symbolises many of their musical ideas and wishes. The sound of a spinning wheel has for many generations been associated with calm, reflection, winter, stories and magic.

"I find it fascinating how singing transforms an otherwise monotonous and lengthy work process into a lively, social experience," says Danika Ruso.

"What I find especially interesting is that the waulking songs were created and passed down exclusively by women—not for performance, but as an integral part of a communal, craft-centered project." (Danika Ruso)

https://www.celticsong.at/
https://www.spinningwheel.at/celtic-folk.html (in German)
https://www.facebook.com/spinnlied

You can find their Album on Bandcamp.
https://spinningwheel.bandcamp.com/album/handspun-light

Released November 2024.

Amongst The Wild Rowans, the second album from Gaelic singer Rachel Walker and renowned singer and musician Aaron Jones, is a beautiful folk record which sees the acclaimed duo celebrate their roots with an intimate collection of twelve traditional songs. Set for release on Friday 29th November 2024, the album pays tribute to many of the songs that shaped them both as traditional singers.

Inspired by the expression ‘Dig Where You Stand’, the duo made an active decision to search for songs with deep personal significance, songs they heard and learned at the beginning of their musical journeys, songs that were important at different times in their lives, songs that inspired, broke hearts or raised a smile.

Rachel Walker said: “It’s been a real pleasure to work on this album and to sing so many of our favourite songs from the Gaelic and traditional folk repertoire. All too often we have steered away from the most popular songs, so for this album it was lovely to focus on singing the songs that we love, or that have been a part of our soundtrack as we were growing up. The end result is a varied and heartfelt collection of performances that we are very proud of.”

Aaron Jones said: “It was so satisfying to make an album of songs we love. I was brought up in a family that always sang and since those early days I've always looked for new songs to sing. Whether learned from the music that surrounded me in my youth, from family sessions or from the many great singers I've had the good fortune to work with over the years, these songs feel like the story of my life. We've tried to capture an honesty and sincerity in the arrangements which do justice to what these songs mean to us both.”

Rachel and Aaron are celebrated names within the traditional music scene in Scotland, having both worked as singers and instrumentalists for many years. Rachel previously recorded four of her own solo albums, with her recent album Gaol showcasing her songwriting talent. She has played with much-loved Gaelic song band Cruinn and is a regular guest with Skipinnish. Aaron has recorded on multiple projects, including with his own band, Old Blind Dogs. He is recognised as one of the foremost accompanists on the trad music scene, working with singers such as Emily Smith, Siobhan Miller and Kate Rusby, and has contributed to many mainstream television sound-tracks, including Jane Austin period drama Sanditon and NBC’s Law and Order.

Following the release of 2022’s debut EP entitled A Happy Place, the duo launched their first full album Despite The Wind And Rain to a standing ovation at 2023’s Celtic Connections. The critically acclaimed album featured ten new self-penned songs which celebrated inspirational Scottish women and the resulting tours - which included trips to Canada, Ireland and extensive touring in Scotland - saw the duo nominated in the ‘Folk Band of the Year’ category at the 2023 MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards. They were included in The List Magazine’s ‘Hot 100’ for 2023, Rachel was listed as one of The Scotsman’s ‘Women in Culture 2024’ and was added to the Scottish Poetry Library’s list of poets in recognition of her songwriting.

Although the intimate, and deeply personal arrangements on Amongst The Wild Rowans feature the interplay and musical bonds that Rachel and Aaron have nurtured on the road since the release of their EP A Happy Place, the album also includes contributions from a small but stellar trio of guest musicians, Duncan Lyall on Double Bass and Moog, Alice Allen on Cello and Nathon Jones on Resonator Guitar.

https://www.rachelwalkerandaaronjones.com/

https://www.facebook.com/RachelandAaronSong

You can find their Album on Bandcamp.
https://rachelwalkerandaaronjones.bandcamp.com/album/amongst-the-wild-rowans

Released November 2024.

‘A Whistle Wonderland: Christmas Melodies in a Celtic Style’ is a collection of some of your favorite Christmas melodies as you've never heard them before!

Performed and arranged in a traditional/contemporary Irish style, these melodies are treated as Irish tunes. Some are arranged in sets while other melodies stand alone to demonstrate the beauty and liveliness of the melodies. From high energy to slow and emotional pieces, this album, (featuring whistles, Bodhrán, guitar, and bouzouki) reflects the beauty of Christmas music with a fresh, new flavour!

Cedar Dobson is a versatile musician hailing from California with a deep passion for traditional Irish music. Currently based in Dublin, Cedar holds an Honours Bachelors Degree in Music Production at Pulse College based in Windmill Lane Recording Studios.

Cedar has performed music in the United States, Ireland, Scotland, and Brazil, meeting and playing music with renowned musicians such as John Doyle, Tara Breen, Blackie O’Connell, Liam Kelly, Catherine McEvoy, and Alexandre Romanazzi. She is a part of the band, ‘Tradify’, who has performed in various festivals across Ireland including Fiddler’s Green and the Fleadh Cheoil Mullingar.

In 2021, Cedar released her first album, “Harmonies,” which she composed, performed, mixed, mastered, and produced herself. In July 2023, Cedar engineered, mixed, and produced a traditional and contemporary Irish music album with her band Tradify entitled ‘Take Flight’.

Cedar’s composes music for visual media, including the short film “Camp,” released January 2023. Cedar composed music for the TG4 Autumn Showreel video entitled ‘Seoladh Sceideal an Fhómhair 2023’. Her immersive audio-visual project ‘Shoreline Serenity’ was installed in the legendary Windmill Lane Recording Studios in late October/early November, supported by The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and Visit Dublin.

Cedar continues to immerse herself in creative projects and pursue opportunities to expand her musical horizons.

This is her latest Album.

https://cedardobson.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/CedarDobsonMusic

You can find her Album on Bandcamp.
https://cedardobsonmusic.bandcamp.com/

Released November 2024.

The Irish traditional band FourWinds has returned with Allta, their second album, an exhilarating celebration of Ireland’s wild musical spirit. Recorded at Black Mountain Studios in Dundalk, Allta, meaning “wild” or “untamed” in Irish, feels as free and alive as the landscapes that inspired.

The band’s core lineup—Tom Delany (uilleann pipes, whistles, vocals), Caroline Keane (concertina, whistles, vocals), and Robbie Walsh (bodhrán, vocals)—is complemented by Alan Murray, Laura Kerr, and Barry Kerr to create a record that thrives from the co-musicianship and the joys that was passed between each other.

The album opens with “The Road to Cúl Ros,” a tune led by Caroline Keane’s concertina, with reed instruments joining in to create a lively, Irish pub-like atmosphere, embodying the organic, communal joy of Irish music.

“Men of the Sea” is a reflective song for the seas and the travelers penned by John Conolly and Bill Meek. Delany’s pipes and Walsh’s bodhrán create an oceanic ambiance, while warm, expressive vocals bring the narrative to life. The song feels like an old tale retold by the fire, reminding us of Ireland’s connection to the sea and the seafaring traditions that run deep in its culture.

“The Great Big Roaming Ass,” inspired by the tales of Robbie McMahon from Co. Clare, recounts the misadventures of a man and his rather scruffy donkey. Beginning with playful whistling, the song’s witty lyrics and minimal instrumentation let the story shine through.

The album closes with “The Slide to Lisdoonvarna,” a high-energy track that builds to an intense crescendo. Pipes and tapping drums set a rhythmic foundation, gradually layering sounds to create an impressive wall of sound.

With a major tour across Ireland, Europe, the U.S., and Canada in support of Allta, FourWinds is poised to captivate audiences around the world. Stay tuned for mch merriment ahead.
(Review by: Naomi Joan)

https://fourwindsirishmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/FourWindsIrishMusic

You can find their Album on Bandcamp and Spotify.
https://fourwindsirishmusic.bandcamp.com/album/allta
https://open.spotify.com/album/3wa8XGDmpafVApn3y21hmg

Released October 2024.

Originating in Glasgow, Ape House delivers a wide range of both new and traditional tunes and songs, combining them with their signature raw and varied style to produce an exciting listening experience. The band grew organically from playing in Glasgow - most notably at The Drum and Monkey, which inspired the band’s name and (still organised by an ‘ape’) has become one of the top weekly sessions in the city centre.

Ape House’s new self-titled album is their first full length release. Recorded by Ian Stephenson in Northumberland, its compositions and arrangements tell a story of the band’s formative years: an exploration into contemporary traditional music as the trio evolved and found their sound. Like the band itself, ‘Ape House’ takes its time, gradually inviting the listener into its world. But there’s a time and a place to bring the fire, and this band’s energy and enthusiasm are more than a match when that time comes!

Band Members:

Craig Harrison is a fiddler from Co. Clare, Ireland. Immersed in Clare’s rich culture from a young age, Craig competed at many fleadhanna cheoil throughout his teens. He moved to Glasgow in 2016 in order to study mathematics and since then, he has become increasingly involved in the Glasgow scene and enhanced his Clare fiddle style.

Lachie Robinson is from Knoydart in the West Highlands. Growing up in a wild place surrounded by Folk song, cèilidhs, and electronic-trad fusion, music quickly became his natural habitat. His ear was developed further through local Fèisean, where he learned guitar, banjo, and mandolin, and later the Traditional Music course at the RCS. Lachie values experimentation and musical curiosity, and isn’t afraid to bring many wacky and wonderful ideas to Ape House rehearsals!

Wallace Calvert began learning both classical and traditional music on cello. His passion grew as he participated in various youth projects, taught himself other instruments including concertina, and eventually went on to study traditional music at the RCS. Wallace has become a versatile multi-instrumentalist, seeking to refine his skills and sensitive playing style through the exploration of Irish, Scottish, Northumbrian, and other traditional folk repertoire.

https://www.facebook.com/ApeHouseBand

You can find their Album on Bandcamp, Spotify and Soundcloud.
http://apehouseband.bandcamp.com
https://open.spotify.com/album/0UA5nPcUHheUJm7ZjDMJ0r
https://soundcloud.com/ape-house-26711029

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