We're Back!

Sorry for the long layoff, folks, we're getting back into it.

Congratulations are in order for CelticFest Mississippi, which received a grant from the Southern Arts Federation to bring back the Fuchsia Band for CelticFest 2007.  You may remember that their leader, Mairtin de Cogain played Celtic Crossing in April.

CelticFest is September 7, 8 and 9 in Jackson, MS, it's always a great time.

Jimmy Crowley and Mairtin de Cogain come to Celtic Crossing April 12

One week from tonight at Celtic Crossing, acclaimed Irish folksinger Jimmy Crowley will play, to be joined by Fuchsia Band front man Mairtin de Cogain, with shows at 6 and 8 PM at their 903 South Cooper location.

This will be the first time I will have seen Jimmy Crowley, but I have seen Mairtin de Cogain with his band at CelticFest Mississippi, and he is a delight, it will be a lot of fun.

Here's Mairtin telling a story, hat tip to CelticFest for the link!

The Battlefield Band is Memphis-bound!

Robert Campbell of the Mid-South Celtic Arts Alliance advises that the legendary Battlefield Band will be at the Memphis College of Art Auditorium on March 25. In case you can't make out the poster, tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door and are available at Cafe Francisco, Davis-Kidd Booksellers, and Fiddler's Green Music Shop.

It has been awhile since they last played here, so be sure to attend!

MAMA brings Robin Bullock to Otherlands

MAMA has a St. Patrick's Day treat for you at Otherlands on Cooper with the arrival of Celtic guitarist Robin Bullock at 8 PM. Come enjoy this magical instrumentalist with us; tickets are $12 and are available at Otherlands and Davis-Kidd. More details at the link above.

Feel like a long weekend? I have a suggestion

This weekend brings the 25th annual North Texas Irish Festival at Fair Park in Dallas, TX, which has become a can't-miss for Celtic fans from the Mid-South and the Southwest.

This festival continues to showcase the finest talent in music and dance in the Southwest, as well as bringing in the top performers from the US, Canada, and the British Isles. Among the international headliners are the legendary Tommy Makem, along with his sons The Makem Brothers, Cathie Ryan (who has wowed audiences at our local CoffeeHouse Concerts each of the last two years), Scottish singer-songwriter Ed Miller (one of my favorites), and Brian McNeill, founder of the Battlefield Band, who is a powerful performer.

Included among the regional headliners are Jackson, MS's Legacy (featured on the blogroll), Jim Flanagan, a USM professor from Ballyvourney (I hope that's right) who is the best Sean Nos (traditional) Irish singer I've heard, Tinsmith (who just played the Folk Alliance Conference here this weekend), and Spot & Albert, two brilliant musicians who don't sing a lot but are hilarious as well as talented beyond words.

If you love this music (and chances are you wouldn't be here if you DIDN'T), this is a worthy trip to make. I will be there, and I hope you are, too, it's terrific, not just for the music during the Festival itself, but for the sessions at the Radisson bar late into the night, where you see world-class players jamming with local musicians, it's just amazing.

Come to big D this weekend and you won't go wrong; you can even buy tickets in advance online at the website (above and on the blogroll), a weekend pass is just $30 (if you're going to be there all weekend, why not?).

While the host hotel has sold out, you can still find a room (if you move quickly) at the backup hotel, the Holiday Inn Select on North Central Expressway; they WILL provide shuttles to and from the Radisson Central Dallas, where you can hear sessions and take shuttles to and from Fair Park.

I will have more on some great places to eat in Dallas later this week.

How to read the blogroll

I know (or hope) all of you are literate; however, I have these organized kind of like this:

1) organizations and venues by location
2) local artists
3) regional artists
4) international artists

If you have an Artist you would like to see, please email me with the name and link!

We're testing this to see how it will go

I've wanted to do a Celtic Music site for the Mid-South for awhile, and we are also testing the bells and whistles on the New Blogger site.

We will have an EXTENSIVE blogroll filled with links to great artists and great festivals and great organizations dedicated to promoting the music and dance of the six Celtic nations:
Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall (England), Brittany (France), Galicia (Spain) and the Isle of Man.

More later!