We have lost a great friend and a marvelous singer and storyteller, RIP Peggy Loyd

Peggy Roach Loyd, a wonderful singer and even better human being, who sung at several ClanJamfrys, passed away in Little Rock after a battle with cancer.  She will be remembered this weekend at a benefit for her family to defray expenses incurred from this battle.

I knew her as a warm and kind person, always ready to help, with a magnificent voice and great songwriting skills.  She will be missed by all in the Mid-South Celtic community.  Here is the information on the Benefit in Little Rock this coming Saturday, staged by her friend and former Cairde bandmate Judy Warner, information courtesy of Len Holton and the Little Rock Folk Club:

 BENEFIT

For

singer-songwriter, musician, Author & storyteller

PEGGY LOYD

to HELP THE FAMILY WITH MEDICAL BILLS AND EXPENSES

Sat JANuARY 11^th 2014

2PM TILL 12AM

HIBERNIA IRISH TAVERN

9700 RODNEY PARHAM RD

LITTLE ROCK, AR 72227

GREAT FOOD, LIVE BANDS, RAFFLE AND A SILENT AUCTION  

                                  2:00-2:20                 O’Donovan School of Irish Dance

                                  2:30-3:00                 Joe Ott and Jeff Jenkins

                                  3:00-3:20                 McCafferty School of Irish Dance

                                  3:30-4:30                 ACMS Irish Session Musicians

                                  4:30-5:30                 Gene Reid and James Kersey

                                  6:00-7:00                 Dead Celt Society

                                  7:00-7:20                 Conway Firefighters Pipe Band

                                  7:30-8:20                 Carnie Barkers

                                  8:30-8:45                 Mark Stone

                                  9:00-10:00               Midwest Caravan

                                10:00-12:00             Secondhand Cannon

Celtic Crossing puts on their OWN Celtic Fest this weekend!

From Celtic Crossing's website;

Celtic Fest 2013

Saturday, Nov 2, 2013 - Saturday, Nov 2, 2013, 10AM-10PM

Celebrate being Irish for our Annual Celtic Fest with live music, bagpipes, and Irish Dancers!

Come to Celtic Fest, our annual celebration dedicated to music, food, and most of all being Irish.

All day, we will have 7 live acts in the front and in the Celtic Tent. Coolin starts us off at noon, followed by The Old Ways at 3PM, Evan Rogers Band at 6PM, Molly Ramone with Mark Hariman(formerly of the Sally Macs) at 8PM, and of course the Ping D. Rose Band at 9PM.

Oysters from around the world will be served and we even brought back the delectable Seafood Chowder.

Celebrate being Irish for our Annual Celtic Fest with live music, bagpipes, and Irish Dancers!

New Orleans will have a Celtic Festival in 2014!

Many of you may remember years ago when there was a Celtic Festival in NOLA, but it went away before Katrina hit, if I remember correctly.  My friend Kate Kane Laborde of Wild Irish Roots has informed me that there will be a new Festival in New Orleans June 29 & 21, with performers to be announced in January, per their Facebook page.

I will put this on the Calendar of Good Craic and will update with more information as I get it.  In the meantime, you may want to go like the Facebook page to get updates!  Thanks to Kate for the info!

Big night tonight! Seisuns at Celtic Crossing and MAMA Presents Danny Ellis

This is not a night to stay in if you're in Memphis, Celtic friends!  MAMA presents Danny Ellis at Just For Lunch in Chickasaw Oaks Village at 7 PM, and that should be a great show, check the link for ticket availability.

If you just want to hear tunesets and seisuns, just head to the patio at Celtic Crossing from 7-9, and ask about Celtic's specials!  The clouds should clear off later this afternoon, so it's time to get out of the house!

Jacksonians! Celtic Night at Fenian's TONIGHT with Spirits of the House with Valerie Plested

Yes, Spirits of the House is holding court at Fenian's tonight, starting at 8 PM and running until 11.  If you are in the area, come on out for some great Irish music and songs.  For more information, go here.

MAMA Presents Danny Ellis at Just For Lunch on September 24

This just in from our friends at Memphis Acoustic Music Association (MAMA):

The Memphis Acoustic Music Association presents Irish musician/author Danny Ellis  7-9 pm    Tuesday,  Sept 24, 2013 at Just for Lunch 3092 Poplar  $12 Tickets are at The Booksellers at Laurelwood and online at mamamusicdannyellis.eventbrite.com A successful singer/songwriter, Danny Ellis thought he'd ‘handled' his painful past: the grinding poverty of the 1950s Dublin slums and the brutality of the orphanage, the notorious Artane Industrial School. Then one night, while writing a song that would launch his acclaimed album, 800 Voices, his past came flooding back. Long-forgotten memories of betrayal and abandonment burst forth in a shocking revelation: his eight-year-old self was still lost in the orphanage Although badly shaken, Danny began a courageous journey that would lead him back to the streets of Dublin, to the tenement slums and, eventually, to the brutality of the Artane. His book, The Boy at the Gate, is a profoundly moving memoir and an inspiring testament to the healing power of music and love. Not only did he write a book, he also wrote songs. This is what people say about his album, 800 Voices: "There are those rare musicians that are also poets and storytellers who can bend time and space and language so it penetrates into the deepest places of the human soul. Danny Ellis is one, and his music has shattered and embraced me with the severe grace.” William Paul Young, author of The Shack "800 Voices is a searing testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the depths to which that spirit can sink... A musically healing and lyrically breathtaking debut." The Irish Times "It may just be the most powerful storytelling through music and stories I have ever experienced. ...a riveting oral memoir ...filled with clear images of pain, hope and humor." Connie Reagan Blake, Storyteller We are delighted to co-sponsor this concert with Just for Lunch . The restaurant (inside Chickasaw Oaks shopping center at 3092 Poplar) will be open for dinner at 5:30 but not during the concert...so come early enough to finish your meal around 6:30.    Call 454-0755 for reservations or email Justforlunch@bellsouth.net.  Reservations are not required, but since it's not usually open for dinner, this would be helpful for Ann Barnes, the owner of the restaurant.     During the concert,  you can purchase  "small plates”  inside which you can take to your tables.   Wine will not be sold, but you are welcome to bring your own… no corkage fee. The shopping center will be closed, so come to the west entrance…facing the library.  Danny will be at the Booksellers at Laurelwood for a book signing on Monday, Sept 23 at 6 pm and on Channel 3’s Live at 9 on Tuesday morning, Sept 24,  as well as on Marybeth Conley's radio show from noon until 1 on Sept 24.  He will also be at Overton High School at 2 pm on Monday, Sept 24, as a guest artist for the creative writing, theatre, and music classes.    dannyellismusic.com               http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-X5cCoicCU Save the date: Oct 19     Steve Lockwood, Zeke Johnson, Mark Allen,  Candace and Robert Mache   at Otherlands

To download the track "Tommy Bonner" for free, go to http://mamamusic.org/dl and enter the codewqt9-n756

I know it's 6 months early, but NTIF has announced their headliners

The North Texas Irish Festival, which will be held from February 28 through March 2, 2014, has announced their Headliners for the upcoming event:

Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy

Solas

Dervish

Nuala Kennedy Trio

Makem and Spain Brothers

Ed Miller

The Máirtín de Cógáin Project

The Town Pants

We Banjo 3

For more information, go to the Headliners page at the NTIF website, it looks like a great festival indeed!