The Tartans’s Are Coming

Gunn Clan TartanGunn

Watch for the National Tartan Day, April 6th.  In the Americas’s we acknowledge the men and women who gave effortlessly to give us the heritage that is honored this day.

From the framers of the Declaration of Independence to the first man on the moon, Scottish-Americans have contributed mightily to the fields of the arts, science, politics, law, and more. Today, over eleven million Americans claim Scottish and Scotch-Irish roots — making them the eighth largest ethnic group in the United States. These are the people and accomplishments that are honored on National Tartan Day, April 6th.

April 6 has a special significance to Americans because the Declaration of Arbroath, the Scottish Declaration of Independence, was signed on April 6, 1320 and the American Declaration of Independence was modelled on that inspirational document.

National Tartan Day of April 6 was officially recognized on a permanent basis when the U.S. Senate passed  Senate Resolution 155 recognizing April 6th as National Tartan Day.

Canada has been celebrating “National Tartan Day” since 1993. The idea and motivation for creating a similar American holiday was provided by the Scottish Coalition, a group of national Scottish-American cultural organizations.

What does “tartan” mean?  What is it exactly?

1. a woolen or worsted cloth woven with stripes of different colors and widths crossing at right angles, worn chiefly by the Scottish Highlanders, each clan having its own distinctive plaid.

2. a design of such a plaid known by the name of the clan wearing it.

Origin:
1490–1500;  variant of tertane  < Middle French tertaine  ( Old French tiretaine ) linsey-woolsey.
The Dress Act of 1746 attempted to ban tartan and other aspects of Gaelic culture in order to bring people under tighter government control. The law was repealed in 1782 and tartan became symbolic as the national dress of Scotland.
In many countries today, the pattern of interlocking stripes called a tartan is often mistakenly known as “plaid.”  Plaide actually comes from the Gaelic word for a blanket, and is specifically used in the context of Highland dress to refer to a large length of material.  The original kilt was known as the “belted plaid”.thus the connection.
In 1822 King George IV visited Edinburgh, in a veritable “tartan fest” partly organized by Sir Walter Scot.  All the clan chiefs were asked to come out to greet the King in their “proper clan tartan.”  Again, many did not have a clan tartan.  Many new tartans were no doubt created, or renamed for the occasion.  From this point on, however, the idea was firmly established that in order to even be a proper tartan, it had to be a named tartan.

The Scottish Register of Tartans was established by an act of the Scottish Parliament in 2008, to protect, promote and preserve tartan. The Register is a database of tartan designs, maintained by the National Records of Scotland.

To celebrate National Tartan Day, wear your favorite tartan and celebrate Scottish-American culture.  Look into your community for festivities.  If there are not any, start some !

MP3: “Paddy West” by Ed Yother

Ed Yother

Ed Yother is a Philadelphia area musician playing mandolin, octave mandolin and Irish tenor banjo.

He draws his repertoire mainly from Ireland, New England, and the maritime traditions. His aim is to treat these traditions with the sensitivity, detail, and liveliness that they deserve.

Band: Ed Yother

Buy CD: Ed Yother

Download MP3: “Paddy West”

Website: www.edyother.com

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Similar Artists: Planxty, Andy Irvine, Donal Lunny, Ewan McColl, A.L Lloyd, Stan Hugill, Louis Killen.

The Celtic Music Magazine is the Voice of indie Celtic Music online.
It features Celtic CD reviews, articles, and free Celtic MP3s since 2000.
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Rob Howell actively wonders what wyrd has in store for him next. Since wyrd answers in her own time, he writes poetry, follows where his whimsy leads, and spends his weekends singly (badly) to whomever will listen to him.

 

Playlist: Post-St. Patrick’s Day Blues

St. Patrick’s Day is over and all the great music a Celtic culture has disappeared from it’s well-deserved visibility on the media.  It’s kinda sad, huh?  I want to help you through your post-St. Patrick’s Day blues by recommending a bunch of great Celtic music.  Give these artists a listen today.

Apple iPod nano

Remember. When you buy through our affiliates at CD BabyAmazon, or iTunes, you support the artists AND the magazine.

“Hills of America” by Emerald Rose
from Celtic Crescent

“The Shearin’s No’ for You” by Ed Miller
from The Edinburgh Rambler

“The Mooncoin (jigs)” by Cuig
from Prospect

“Tim Finegan’s Wake” by Barleyjuice
from Six Yanks

“By the Sionnain” by Damanta
from The Drunken Priest and the ghostly hymns of autumn

“Britches Full of Stitches” by Mrs. Ferris’ Pighouse Collection
from Mrs. Ferris’ Pighouse Collection

“The Newry Highwayman” by Seamus Kennedy
from Favorite Selections

“Captain Ludd” by TJ Hull and Jeff Ksiazek
from Eist

“As I Roved Out” by Celticana
from Celticana

“Jack Haggarty/Arthur McBride” by Whirly Jig
from Thing-A-Ma-Jig

“Will You Come Down to Limerick Set” by Athena Tergis
from A Letter Home

“P Stands for Paddy” by James Olin Oden
from Samhain’s March: A Winter Journey

“Roger the Shrubber Set” by Kennedy’s Kitchen
from A Pocket Full of Lint

Irish drinking songs and science fiction.  Nowhere else but from the bizarre imagination of Marc Gunn would those four elements be so riotously integrated. He is the Chief Editor of the Celtic Music Magazine and host of the award-winning Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.  His newest album Not Every Day Is St. Patrick’s Day topped the charts on iTunes and Amazon in January 2013..

St Patrick’s Day Message from Black 47

On one day a year, they congregated outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral off Prince Street in New York City and marched in celebration. To some of these immigrant Irish and their American born children it was a religious occasion, but to most the gathering was an affirmation of their right, not only to survive but to thrive in their adopted country. That’s what I sense on St. Patrick’s Day – an echo from a time when the Irish were despised outsiders. And that’s why I go along with the raucous energy, the excitement and even the green beer, the plastic shamrocks and the ubiquitous leprechaun.

I didn’t always feel that way. When I arrived from Ireland, these manifestations of Irish-America were at best embarrassing. Back home, our own celebrations were rigid and religious; we did sport actual sprigs of shamrock but there was no beer, green or otherwise on this gloomy church holiday. The Parade up Fifth Avenue and the ensuing bacchanal seemed downright pagan by comparison.

I had other immigrant battles of my own ahead. Black 47 was formed to create music that would reflect the complexity of immigrant and contemporary Irish-American life and to banish When Irish Eyes Are Smiling off to a well earned rest in the depths of Galway Bay. This idea met with not a little resistance in the north Bronx and the south sides of Boston and Chicago; but when irate patrons would yell out in the middle of a reggae/reel “Why can’t yez sing somethin’ Irish?” I would return the compliment with, “I’m from Ireland, I wrote it! That makes it Irish!”

With time and familiarity, Irish-America came to accept and even treasure Black 47, probably more for our insistence that each generation bears responsibility for solving the political problems in the North of Ireland, than for recasting Danny Boy as a formidable gay construction worker. I, in turn, learned to appreciate the traditions of the community I had joined along with the reasons for the ritualized celebration of our patron saint. And now on St. Patrick’s Day, no matter what stage I’m on, mixed in with the swirl of guitars, horns, pipes and drums, I hear an old, but jarring, memory of a people rejoicing as they rose up from their knees.

Our battles, for the most part, have been won; indeed, one has to search an encyclopedia for mention of the Know-Nothing Party or various 19th Century nativist politicians and gangs. Anti-Irish sentiment, not to mention Anti-Catholicism is a thing of the past. Might it not be time then that our New York St. Patrick’s Day Parade broadens its parameters to celebrate all Irishness no matter what religion (or lack thereof), sexuality or political conviction? It’s a broad step, I know. But with the makings of a just peace finally taking seed in the North of Ireland, might we not some day witness Peter Robinson, Martin McGuinness and various members of the Irish Gay community walk arm in arm up Fifth Avenue. Impossible? Perhaps, but I, for one, would have wagered heavily 20 years ago that the Sinn Fein party would never sit in a Northern Irish Parliament. Times change and with them tactics and even treasured principles!

Whatever about Parade pipe dreams, we still must honor the memory of those who paved the way for us. Part of that responsibility is that Irish-Americans should never forget the new immigrants from other lands, legal and otherwise. Many, like our forebears, are fleeing tyranny and are striving to feed and educate their families. It would be the ultimate irony if an Irish-American were to look down upon the least of them; for, in my mind anyway, there is no place in the Irish soul for racism, sectarianism, homophobia or even dumb old Archie Bunker type xenophobia.

I once heard Pete Hamill ask: “What does the Pakistani taxi driver say to his children when he gets home after 12 hours behind the wheel?” I can’t answer for certain but I’ll bet he echoes many of the sentiments of those Irish who gathered outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral so many immigrant tears and years ago.

Larry Kirwan is the leader of Black 47.

17 Free Celtic MP3s for St. Patrick’s Day 2013

I play a lot of drinking songs, but I don’t spend a lot of time drinking. That’s because St. Patrick’s Day is not just about drinking. It’s about the music. Some of the best Celtic music explodes across the airwaves, in pubs, and at festivals as we celebrate our united Celtic heritage and the music that we love.

It’s your lucky day…
Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Free St. Patrick’s Day Music

I’m pleased to share more Celtic music with the seventh annual edition of “17 Celtic MP3s for St. Patrick’s Day”. I dug through the archives of bands who submitted music over the past year and compiled a fantastic list of great Irish and Celtic music for you to enjoy. Best of all, the songs you will download are 100% free and legal.

My hope is that you will find a song that you love so much that you will find a new favorite band. You will visit their webpage. You’ll buy a CD. And you might even share this free album with other Celtic music fans. That’s it. No catches. Just listen and enjoy!

Slainte!
Marc Gunn, The Celtfather

How to Download Your Free Celtic MP3s for St. Patrick’s Day

The music is all easily compiled into one large ZIP file. To download, right-click the link below. “Save as” to the folder you choose. Then unzip the file.

Download: 17 Celtic MP3s for St Patrick’s Day (ZIP file, 86.9 MB)
Listen to the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast St Patrick’s Day specials for more great St. Patrick’s Day music.

If you enjoy the music, please show your support of the bands you enjoy. See their shows. Buy their CDs and swag. You can also download music from all of these artists from Amazon, iTunes or CD Baby.

17 Celtic MP3s for Your St Patrick’s Day 2013

“Scholar” by Poitin
from Bofiguifluki

“Scotland the Brave” by The Rogues
from Live from Canada, Eh?

“Dark Eyed Sailor” by Rambling Sailors
from Ports of Call

“Willie’s Auld Trews/Fionnghuala/Tam Lin” by IONA
from Silver

“Oro Se Do Bhaetha Abhaile” by Beth Patterson and Patrick O’Flaherty
from Caelic

“Hunter’s Purse” by Dave Hum
from Celtic and Bluegrass 5 String Banjo Vol 2

“Martin Wynne’s Set” by Flashpoint
from Jammed

“Club 2 da Pub” by The Stubby Shillelaghs
from Whiskey Business

“Medley (Rare Old Mountain Dew & Hills of Connemara)” by Wolfhound
from Demo

“Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye” by Feckless Fear Dearg
from Feckless Fear Dearg

“Living In The Heart Of Ireland” by Brendan Loughrey
from To Those Who Fell

“Drunken Sailor” by Marc Gunn
from Not Every Day Is St. Patrick’s Day and Best Irish Drinking Songs

“Fortune” by Staggering Jack
from The Sailor’s Daughter

“The Tower” by Sora
from Scorpion Moon

“Whiskey In the Sauna” by Sliotar
from Fine Friends

“Step It Out Mary” by BOWI
from Dry Land

“Johnnie Cope” by Jasper Coal
from Drowning the Shamrock

Marc Gunn “The Celtfather” is an award-winning acoustic Celtic folk musician. He riotously combines Irish drinking songs and Sci Fi fanaticism into a satirical jam session between Weird Al and The Clancy Brothers. It’s Celtic music, the Traditional and the Twisted. Gunn hosts the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, the most-popular Celtic podcast online. He also Chief Editor of the Celtic Music Magazine. Find out more at www.celticmp3s.com.  His newest CD is Not Every Day Is St. Patrick’s Day which features many songs from his Best Irish Drinking Songs compilation. Check out his St. Patrick’s Day playlist on YouTube featuring music from his latest CD.