Source: Relevant Magazine
Picture a young man sitting in a large cathedral in Ireland with his wife and small children. He lives around the time of our founding fathers and is a rising entrepreneur in Dublin. His name is Arthur Guinness, and he is a brewer, and it is hard to exaggerate just how important beer was to the people of Guinness’ day.
Guinness lived at a time when no one understood micro-organisms and how disease is spread. They routinely drank from the same waters in which they dumped their garbage and their sewage. Unknowingly, they polluted the rivers and lakes around their cities. People died as a result, and this made nearly everyone in Guinness’ day avoid water entirely. Instead, they drank alcoholic beverages.
Usually, this was done in moderation and all was well. Occasionally, though, excess set in and drunkenness plagued the land. This is what happened in the years just before Guinness was born, in the period historians call “The Gin Craze.” Parliament had forbidden the importation of liquor in 1689, so the people of Ireland and Britain began making their own. It was too much temptation. Drunkenness became the rage. Every sixth house in England was a “gin house,” many of which advertised, “Drunk for one penny, dead drunk for two pence, clean straw for nothing.” It was a terrible, poverty-ridden, crime-infested time.
Ireland’s contemporary rock icon, Mickey Harte, will return to the US in March for several shows in Illinois, North Carolina, Virginia & DC.
This is a follow up to his first successful tour in the fall of last year with Celtic Force and is in support of his new recording project, Man’s Aloud to Dream, due to be released this spring.
Be sure to check out the schedule on his web site and listen to the sneak preview song, Bordertown. from his new CD.
We are also pleased to announce that Mickey will be a special guest with the world famous Irish band, The Chieftains, on Sunday night March 13 in Raleigh, NC. Don’t miss a chance to experience this 4 time platinum Sony recording artist if you are near one of these shows.
For more information, visit: http://www.mickeyhartemusic.com
Posted in irish music, mickey harte | 
Celtic Music, celtic rock, irish music, mickey harte, The Celtic Force
Source: http://www.dallasobserver.com
Getting typecast as “that St. Patrick’s Day band” could be a terrifying prospect.
But whereas some respond to such designation by playing down certain hackneyed elements of their culture as an attempt to avoid becoming cliché, Los Angeles’ Flogging Molly, whose combination of the traditional elements of Celtic music with the energy and brashness of American-style punk has propelled this band for well over a decade now, unapologetically embraces this classification.
“Fourteen years down the road, the typecasting has already been done,” says Flogging Molly mandolin and banjo player Bob Schmidt. “I don’t think we’re afraid of it. It just is what is. People like to look at things compartmentally and narrowly because it’s easier to associate them with other things they know. It’s there, and we don’t want to perpetuate it, but at the same time we’re not going to worry about it. We are what we are. People have to learn to love it or hate it on their own accord, and there’s not a lot we can do about it.”
Posted in Celtic Music, celtic rock | Celtic Music, celtic rock, flogging molly, irish music, scottish music | 
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“A Man’s Aloud to Dream.”
Wanna hear a bit of what we’ve been working on lately?
Mickey Harte’s new album! Can’t say enough how excited we all are to share it with you!
Sneak peek on the website…
Visit MickeyHarteMusic.com!
Posted in mickey harte | Celtic Music, celtic rock, irish music, scottish music, The Celtic Force | Leave a comment
Tartan Day South is a new Celtic festival being presented on April 1 & 2, 2011 in Columbia, SC and Celtic Force has been hired to produce the event!
The kickoff is on Friday evening at 6pm with a reception and is followed by a fundraising event featuring whiskey tasting, dinner, concert & auction at the host hotel. Later that evening a pub-crawl is planned in downtown Columbia with music provided by some of the weekend’s featured entertainers.
Saturday the main festival takes place at the Historic Columbia Speedway in Cayce, SC. which highlights Celtic music, Highland athletics, pipe bands, clan/society area, Celtic Marketplace, food, kids activities and demonstrations in dancing, piping, storytelling, herding, to name a few. The hours on Sat. run from 10am until 8pm and will be packed with something for everyone and a few special surprises.
We’re especially excited about the first musical line up because it brings together some diverse, quality acts with plenty of energy. Drum roll please…..RATHKELTAIR, BARLEYJUICE, THE BLESSED BLEND, CUTTHROAT SHAMROCK, THISTLEDOWN TINKERS, DAVEY RAMONE MORRISON, MARCILLE WALLIS.
And the best part……it’s only $10 per person for Saturday! Start your festival season at Tartan Day South. You’ll find more details at www.tartandaysouth.com
Imagine a wintry day in the Christmas season. Inside a pub, Irish and Scottish traditional musicians regale locals and travelers alike with their playing. In wander carolers, seeking shelter from the snow, but hardly in the mood to stop their evening s music-making. Soon, caroling from the choir mixes with the instrumental riffs of the traditional musicians, and the warmth from their collaboration literally chases the cold winter away. This scene is created annually in Charleston, SC in the Taylor Music Group s Celtic Christmas presentations and it is brought into the listener s living room with this recording.
The making of this CD represents years of dreaming with my wife Mary of a Christmas recording that reflects the musical universe we are lucky enough to inhabit every Holiday season. It brings together the worlds of classical and Celtic music in a fashion that may seem to be a dichotomy to some, but is perfectly natural to those of us that live with both art music and folk music on a daily basis. We have drawn inspiration from so many including composer/song collectors Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gustav Holst; the Baltimore Consort, Ensemble Galilei, and Yo Yo Ma; our friend Steve Rosenberg, and above all, my deceased father Bob Taylor, the namesake for the Taylor Festival Choir. Of course, the instrumentalists on this CD have been heroes for years, many of whom we met originally at the Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville, NC, and subsequently brought to Charleston to teach in our annual summer festival. It s hard to express the high that was generated in the recording sessions and even the rehearsals.
Posted in Celtic Music | celtic christmas, Celtic Music, celtic rock, irish music, scottish music | Leave a comment
I think it is important on this occasion to give a little insight in to the inspiration behind “Home on Christmas day”. A story a friend shared with me on how as a young child her Dad returned home after getting sober, and thankfully stayed sober, and how this changed and improved the lives of her and her family forever.
This recording is dedicated to anyone who may find themselves in a similar place this Christmas. Be strong, there is hope and help!!
Originally recorded for a previous Christmas project, I’m delighted I got the chance to revisit this song. Please enjoy the new arrangement, live drums, some extra guitars, some old bits out and new ones in, and a better vocal comp over all…I think!!.
Happy Christmas Mj
Website: www.mickeyhartemusic.com
Contact Europe: theagency@ireland.com
USA: thecelticforce@cox.net
Click on the graphic below…
Posted in irish music, mickey harte | Celtic Music, celtic rock, irish music, mickey harte, The Celtic Force | Leave a comment
We’re excited to announce that Celtic Force has reached an agreement with Catalyst Events Agency to represent Scotland’s hottest new Celtic band in North America.
SKERRYVORE is a six member ensemble making some major noise in Scotland and are being referred to as “The Young Guns of Celtic Rock”.
Be looking for the announcement next month of their upcoming 2011 US tour dates.
Check out their sound, their look and the vibe at Celtic Force Radio, we’re pretty sure you are going to like it.
We are proud to announce the newest member of the Celtic Force Team.
When we decided to launch Celtic Force Radio we knew we needed the right kind of personality to head up that project, someone that would really sink their teeth into it.
We’ve found just the right fit. He is known a bit around the festival circuit and has been a friend of Donovan’s for some time.
It is our pleasure to officially introduce to you the new Station Manager for Celtic Force Radio, Buster D. Badger. Buster will oversee the day-to-day operations and work with us on building a solid station. Buster will also head up the Celtic Force Complaint Department (he’s doing that for free!)
Buster has stated the the only place you will be able to find him on the web will be through the Celtic Force Radio site. So drop by, sign up and say hello.
Membership is growing fast…join us!
Visit: www.celticforceradio.com!
We are proud to inform you about our new Social Radio Network we’ve established online, in partnership with Zeus Radio, that will provide a site for keeping up with, listening to, providing ideas for and talking about Celtic music and related topics!
Along with Celtic music we’ll strive to cover some of the best in independent music artists from across the world, such as Mickey Harte. Did we mention that we plan to include artists interviews, CD & book reviews, chat rooms, a calendar of events, travel features and some cool shopping opportunities as part of the experience?
Visit: www.celticforceradio.com and create your profile and start looking around. We hope to build our base of fans and get your input on what type of music you would like to be hearing. We will also be asking for your ideas on other items of interest, we want to make this a place that you enjoy visiting often. It will take a bit of time to grow and refine but we hope we provide a place to get good music, good information, good ideas and find some good friends.
The music will be switched on the first of December, just in time for Christmas, and will be streaming 24/7. Tell your friends about what’s coming and invite them to join. Let’s establish a “gathering” on line. More details will follow as we grow. Come along for the ride. Help us make Celtic Force Radio your radio.
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