# Recommendations for good Irish/Celtic music. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 23, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-celtic-music/220651 "2003-12-23T14:52:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-celtic-music/220651/21 "2003-12-23T23:29:06Z")
i like clannad, maire brennan and enya on their own as well. altan is rather good. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-celtic-music/220651/22 "2003-12-24T05:47:07Z")
Moving this to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![BabaBooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dfb087/32.png) [@BabaBooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BabaBooey)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-celtic-music/220651/23 "2003-12-24T07:32:50Z")
Nitro beat me to it, but Flogging Molly’s “Devil’s Dance Floor” get’s me about as buck as some AC/DC, and “Grace of God go I” just makes me have to lay down, smoke a cig, and relax. ---
**Author:** ![beegirl13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@beegirl13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beegirl13)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-celtic-music/220651/24 "2003-12-24T07:59:19Z")
The Young Dubliners are one of my favorite bands. They do a great mix of rock with Celtic influence. If you’ve heard the Killian’s beer commercial, they do the music for that. [www.youngdubs.com](http://www.youngdubs.com) ---
**Author:** ![kmg365](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ec9cab/32.png) [@kmg365](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kmg365)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-celtic-music/220651/25 "2003-12-24T14:18:57Z")
Riverdance! ---
**Author:** ![Phoebestar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Phoebestar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phoebestar)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-celtic-music/220651/26 "2003-12-24T15:32:30Z")
In the same vein as Great Big Sea, there is [Carbon Leaf](http://www.carbonleaf.com). They opened for Great Big Sea when I saw them last February. I was instantly in love. And if you ever get the chance, see Great Big Sea live!!! They put on one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen a lot of shows.) ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-celtic-music/220651/27 "2003-12-24T17:26:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BabaBooey \* > \*\*Nitro beat me to it, but Flogging Molly’s “Devil’s Dance Floor” get’s me about as buck as some AC/DC, and “Grace of God go I” just makes me have to lay down, smoke a cig, and relax. \*\* Gotta throw in a ditto for these guys. I don’t drink much, but I can appreciate good Irish drinking music, and it doesn’t come much better than Flogging Molly. I saw them play a club in New Orleans and was absolutely floored by their live act (as was the lead singer, who got knocked flat on his ass by a crowd surfer during one song :)). **nitro** , thanks for the tidbit about Dave King. I didn’t know that. Also interesting is that FM’s accordian player, Matt Hensley, is a [pro skateboarding legend.](http://www.duffs.com/riders/hensley/hensley.html) [The Saw Doctors](http://sawdoctors.com/index.htm) are another band I really like. Their songs really run the gamut from very well-written pop rock songs like “Villains” to haunting tunes like “Same Oul’ Town,” “Green & Red of Mayo,” and “Clare Island” to empowering songs such as “All the Way from Tuam,” “Sing a Powerful Song,” and “This is Me” to high energy numbers like “Hay Wrap.” Great stuff. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-celtic-music/220651/28 "2003-12-24T17:48:40Z")
Just looking down my CD collection, I can recommend: Altan Capercaillie De Dennan Clannad Solas The Tannahill Weavers The Chieftans Deanta Wolfstone Leahy!!! The last is HIGHLY recommended. They are a Canadian family of 9 brothers and sisters who are all multi-instrumentalists. Wonderful stuff. For a sample, check out the DVD of “Gael Force.” ---
**Author:** ![Profane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@Profane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profane)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-celtic-music/220651/29 "2003-12-24T20:19:03Z")
The thread has gotten this long with no mention of **Silly Wizard**?? ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-celtic-music/220651/30 "2003-12-24T20:50:26Z")
[Dervish](http://www.dervish.ie) out of County Sligo, is the best trad band out there now IMNSHO. ---
**Author:** ![Swede\_Hollow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Swede\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swede_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-celtic-music/220651/31 "2003-12-26T02:30:27Z")
[The Thistle and Shamrock](http://www.npr.org/programs/thistle/index.html) is a good radio show to hear a wide variety of Celtic and related music from the old traditionals to modern Celtic. It’ll give you lots of leads for performers you might like. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-celtic-music/220651/32 "2003-12-26T02:58:50Z")
Try [this page](http://www.ceolas.org/reviews/Narada/Legacy.html) as well, it’s a great sampler album. I really like Talitha Mckenzie-a New Yorker who taught herself Gaelic and 4 yn y Bar-a Welsh group. ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-celtic-music/220651/33 "2003-12-26T04:16:50Z")
I don’t even know if they are still in print, but a lot of us old guys cut our teeth on _The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem_. Their stuff may be old but it is good. For Scots stuff its hard to beat _The Battlefield Band_ and _Old Blind Dogs_. _The Chieftains_, of course, just go on forever and get better and better. _The Boys of the Laugh_ (bad spelling) are well liked by many but don’t resonate with me the way the Clancys did when I first head they banging away on their Rebel Songs like _The Rising of the Moon_. ---
**Author:** ![Elenfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cc9497/32.png) [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-celtic-music/220651/34 "2003-12-26T16:05:31Z")
No one mentionned “Anuna”, one of the best modern Irish choirs that does a lot of new takes on old classics, most of which they sing in irish. They do some fine work. ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-celtic-music/220651/35 "2003-12-26T16:11:13Z")
For something very special in this style you could give Dan Ar Braz (from Brittany) a try. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-celtic-music/220651/36 "2003-12-26T17:22:59Z")
Small group, rather local, but beautiful music: Empty Hats. My co-worker told me of another group called [Pooka](http://inklein.com/~pooka/index.html). I haven’t listened to them yet. ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-celtic-music/220651/37 "2003-12-26T17:34:26Z")
I’m quite fond of [Danu](http://www.danu.net), young trad players with lots of energy. ---
**Author:** ![radar\_ralf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-celtic-music/220651/38 "2003-12-27T11:18:57Z")
The Barra McNeils [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-celtic-music/220651.md?page=1)