Celtic Music Around the World

Welcome to my "Celtic Music Around the World" page! This page has information on groups based outside the Celtic lands who play Celtic music. As you'll hopefully see from this page, there are some good ones out there.

Afro Celt Sound System
As the name implies, they play a mix of African and Celtic music. It's got an interesting and very modern sound to it, I think.
  • Group members:
  • Simon Emmerson - acoustic guitars
  • James McNally - keyboards, low whistle, flute, bodhran, accordion
  • Iarla O'Lionaird - vocals
  • N'Faly Kouyate - kora, balafon
  • Johnny Kalsi - dhol drum, tablas
  • Moussa Sissokho - Djembe, talking drum
  • Demba Barry - West African & Angolan dance
  • Emer Mayock - flute, uilleann pipes
  • Myrdhin - harp
Celtic Fiddle Festival
As you've wandered around this site, I'm sure you've come across their name more than once. Their existence proves that great music (and more specifically, great fiddle music) can cross boundaries and bring people together…or something like that! Over time, their lineup has changed several times for various reasons.
  • Celtic Fiddle Festival (original lineup):
  • Johnny Cunningham (Scotland) - fiddle
  • Kevin Burke (Ireland) - fiddle
  • Christian Lemaître (Brittany) - fiddle
  • John McGann (USA) - guitar, mandolin
  • Celtic Fiddle Festival II:
  • Brian McNeill (Scotland) - fiddle
  • Natalie MacMaster (Cape Breton) - fiddle
  • Martin Hayes (Ireland) - fiddle
  • Dennis Cahill (USA) - guitar (with Martin Hayes)
  • Tony MacManus (Scotland) - guitar (with Brian McNeill and Natalie MacMaster)
  • Celtic Fiddle Festival (Encore):
  • Johnny Cunningham (Scotland) - fiddle
  • Kevin Burke (Ireland) - fiddle
  • Christian Lemaître (Brittany) - fiddle
  • Soïg Sïberil (Brittany) - guitar
  • Celtic Fiddle Festival (Rendezvous):
  • Johnny Cunningham (Scotland) - fiddle
  • Kevin Burke (Ireland) - fiddle
  • Christian Lemaître (Brittany) - fiddle
  • Ged Foley (England) - guitar

If you've been over to the Scottish music page, you've already read of the untimely passing of Johnny Cunningham. Since his name featured prominently in the above lineups, I thought it was worth mentioning again here.

Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Club
The Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Club is a group of people in Melbourne, Australia, who get together regularly and play Scottish and Scottish-style fiddle music. The club's members span a wide range of age groups (from 10 to 70!), and they all bring their own talents (and their love for the music they play) to the table. The club was founded a few years ago after Judy Turner, their musical director, returned to Melbourne after spending time in Boston and playing with the Boston Scottish Fiddle Club. The club recorded its first CD, "Red Hot Scots," back in June of 1999, and has since followed that up with two more CD's called "Reel Cool" and "A Long Way From Home." You can find out more about the club and their CD's by following the link above.
Rua
What do you get when you take Celtic music, a Northumbrian pipe player, and New Zealand, and put them together? You get Rua, that's what you get. I haven't heard a lot of their music, but what I have heard was enough to prompt me to put them on this page.
  • Group members:
  • Jimmy Young - Northumbrian pipes, whistle, flute, percussion
  • Denny Stanway - lead vocals, percussion
  • Davy Stuart - guitar, cittern, viola, fiddle, keyboards
  • James Wilkinson - guitar, bass, vocals
  • Jon Hooker - guitar