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://patreon.com/celticpodcast

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.

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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.

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10:04 "Ann am Baile Ri'oghail Dhaibhidh (Once In David's Royal City)" by The Barra MacNeilsfrom 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.

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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.

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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, the band has garnered many a dedicated fan. Its not uncommon to hear the audience bellow "Joooose!" as the band takes the stage.

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22:20 "Always Believe" by Celtic Cross from Single

Out of New York City, Celtic Cross is the legendary seven-piece band fronted by Kathleen Fee, a talented singer-songwriter and her brothers John on accordion & Kenny Vesey on fiddle. They are joined by a group of accomplished and skilled NYC players Wally Ensor on guitar, Pat Dineen on bass/keys, Frankie McCormick on mandolin/banjo, and Ryan Cavan on drums.

Products of Irish parents, traditional Irish music roots, and American pop radio, Celtic Cross puts it all together in a very different way than what you will hear from most Celtic acts. The band's music tells great stories using the traditional on top of sassy pop, alt-country and funk playing. They are a band's band around the NYC Irish scene and will remind you of Fleetwood Mac or the B-52s with a heavy dose of Saw Doctors or Stockton's Wing.

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26:47 "Logs to Burn" by Golden Bough from Winter's Dance

An Old World carol states, "Good fortune attend each merry man's friend to do the best that he may, forgetting all wrongs in carol and song to drive the cold winter away." With that in mind, Golden Bough has created 3 volumes of Christmas/Holiday music, incorporating Old World Carols and other Celtic songs of Christmas and Winter with their own compositions, written especially for the Yuletide season.

Out of Modesto, CA, there are no new comers to the current Celtic trend, Golden Bough (founded in 1980) has been bringing their Winter Concerts to family audiences far and wide. These modern-day minstrels have traveled the world over performing their own brand of Celtic music, drawn from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, The Isle of Man, French Brittany and even Galicia (in Spain).

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If you're in a Celtic band and you have recorded Christmas music, then please submit through at www.4Celts.com. Please complete all of the information, especially the band description.

If you have a Celtic podcast, I would love to share your show with my listeners. Just email me at [email protected]. Include a link to download your Christmas shows. I will get them in our feed.

Of course, if you enjoy this show, then please rate it on iTunes, Stitcher or your favorite podcatcher. And please share the show with your friends.

One final note. This podcast is here to support the artists in the show. So if you enjoy the music you heard, please buy a CD, MP3s or show your support anyway you can for these artists.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Remember too, when you buy through our affiliates at CD Baby, Amazon, or iTunes, you support the artists AND the podcast.

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather. If you enjoyed the music you heard, support the artists in this show. Buy their music. Then tell your friends to visit www.celticmusicpodcast.com