In 1972, Mike and Lal Waterson released an extraordinary album of their original songs, Bright Phoebus. This magical collection of very English songwriting has long been acknowledged a classic and one of the finest achievements of the British folk revival. Shining Bright was conceived to pay tribute to Mike & Lal's remarkable songs, and it draws upon the songs recorded for Bright Phoebus, and on a further dozen songs written at the same time but not previously recorded. Features 15 tracks performed by Norma Waterson, Dayteller, Maddy Prior, Richard Thompson, Eliza Carthy, Blue Murder, Dick Gaughan, Linda & Teddy Thompson, Helen Watson, Billy Bragg & The Blokes, Martin Carthy, Christine Collister & others.

Reuniting with all their original members plus original producer Stephen Street just over a decade after their swan song Wake Up and Smell the Coffee, the Cranberries recapture the sound of their earliest records on 2012's Roses. Nearly 20 years have passed since their breakthrough Everybody Else Is Doing It So Why Can't We?, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that there are some signs of age on Roses, notably in an increased sense of professionalism in the band's craft and also in a slight stripping of the ethereal echo that gave their debut an appealing floating quality. Without this dreaminess, the Cranberries are merely pretty, but unlike the turgidly ambitious Bury the Hatchet and Wake Up and Smell the Coffee – or on Dolores O'Riordan's pair of perfectly fine solo albums – Roses has definition and momentum, momentum that doesn't derive from artificially enhanced electric guitars, either.

People of Celtic culture all over ancient Europe were fascinated by lip reed instruments, and made great horns and trumpets in many forms including the carnyx, a two-metre-long bronze trumpet surmounted by a stylised animal head. One of these was found at Deskford, Scotland, in 1816 and reconstructed in the early 1990s; it is joined here by the magnificent Tintignac carnyx, discovered in southern France in 2004 and reconstructed specially for the current project. A new reconstruction has also been made of the Loughnashade horn from Ireland, with its exquisite decorated bell disc. Recent developments in music archaeology have vastly increased our knowledge and understanding of both the physical construction of these instruments and their likely playing techniques. John Kenny has specialised in their performance for a quarter of a century, and his newly created music explores the voices of these instruments in solo, duo and ensemble textures, drawing upon Celtic mythical characters, echoes of ancient ritual in modern society, and impressions of real places in Ireland, Scotland and France.

EMI's two-disc collection Souvenir: 1989-1998 rather nicely chronicles the decade when the Rankin Family rose to prominence in the Canadian pop/folk scene and opened a floodgate of likeminded musicians who brought Celtic influences into the contemporary scene. The collection is evenly focused on their entire career, with a bit of emphasis on the albums North Country and Uprooted, but also properly serves as an end cap to an impressive career (the Rankins disbanded in 1999) and as a memorial to the late John Morris Rankin (1959-2000). It is the perfect place to start for the curious and a fine set for those looking for a comprehensive retrospective.

Celtic Twilight is a compilation for those who like bagpipe singing, quiet and quiet flute sound, measuring guitar voice, playing the violin … Or rhythmic drums combat, sound of pipes, sonorous bagpipe voice and flute and guitar sound … All this there is in Celtic music. For those who are in the heart of a peaceful music that inspires calm or vice versa, music calling for battle or in a frenzied dance.

Down the Road is the twenty-ninth studio album by Northern Irish singer Van Morrison. The album has a nostalgic tone, lyrically and musically, and its arrangements mix R&B and blues with country and folk, and with a few exceptions, like "Georgia on My Mind," the music is most often rooted in 1950s and early 1960s popular music.

Astrolabe: An instrument used by early astronomers to measure the altitude of stars and planets and also as a navigational aid. C13: via Old French and Medieval Latin from Greek, from astrolabos (adj), literally: star-taking, from astron star + lambanein to take.

After 75 million sales; four Grammy Awards; six World Music Awards; an Ivor Novello, an Oscar nomination, a Golden Globe nomination; and seven studio albums (plus the ‘Paint The Sky With Stars’ compilation) which have hit the upper echelons of charts all over the world, Enya will embark upon a new chapter in her spectacular career with the November 20th release of her new album Dark Sky Island. The Enya creative triumvirate – Enya, producer and sound engineer Nicky Ryan, and lyricist Roma Ryan – started work on the album in the spring of 2012. Inspired by Roma’s work on a series of poetry books themed around islands and specifically the island of Sark’s decision to be designated as a dark sky island, the album’s title track was the first song to be written for the collection. The album’s buoyantly optimistic first single ‘Echoes in Rain’ possesses an irresistible surge of globe-trotting euphoria which made it an obvious choice as the album’s lead track. While it shares the adventurous themes of Enya’s breakthrough hit ‘Orinoco Flow’, its rhythmic march instead celebrates the anticipation of a journey’s end. ‘Echoes in Rain’ also shares another coincide with its famous predecessor.

A Sense of Wonder is the fifteenth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison released in 1985. On first release, original pressings had to be recalled when the W. B. Yeats estate refused to allow Morrison's musical version of the poem "Crazy Jane on God" to be included, as they believed his poems should only be set to classical music. Morrison substituted "If You Only Knew" for the Yeats' recording. (Later, perhaps due to Morrison's efforts, Yeats poems would be put to rock settings on a whole album). The 29 January 2008 reissued and remastered version of the album contains an alternative take of "Crazy Jane on God" and "A Sense of Wonder".

Alan Stivell (born Alan Cochevelou on 6 January 1944) is a Breton and Celtic musician and singer, recording artist, and master of the Celtic harp. From the early 1970s, he revived global interest in the Celtic (specifically Breton) harp and Celtic music as part of world music.[1] As a bagpiper and bombard player, he modernized traditional Breton music and singing in the Breton language. He was the precursor of Celtic rock. He is inspired by the union of the Celtic cultures and is a staunch defender of the Breton culture.

2011 issue 68-track 5-CD box set comprised of the best selling and critically acclaimed album releases 'Borrowed Heaven', 'Forgiven Not Forgotten', 'Home', 'In Blue' and 'Talk On Corners'; each album is housed in a mini LP-style card picture sleeve with the complete set presented in a sealed card slipcase.

Clannad bridged the gap between traditional Celtic music and pop, and the results were an entrancing, enchanting form of pop that managed to fuse the disparate elements together rather seamlessly, creating an invigorating blend of Irish traditional folk with modern influences. Such fusions have earned the band an international cult of fans. Clannad are at their best when unleashing gargantuan choruses against Moya Brennan's hushed leads, and the inclusion of the beautiful "Newgrange," a mystical ode to one of Britain s famous stone circles, and "Caislean Oir," the leadoff track from the band's excellent 1985 release, Macalla, are prime examples. With 30 tracks on 2 CDs, The Essential Clannad touches on fan favorites, collaborations, and songs from films. The material is quite varied in scope, and the arrangements and vocals are vastly pretty and melodic. The full range of the band's styles are presented here, from gorgeous a cappella to slick pop/rock, acoustic guitar ballads, Irish folk strains, and sophisticated power pop crunch.

Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show is Riverdance, as you've never seen it before! A powerful and stirring reinvention of this beloved favourite, celebrated the world over for its Grammy Award-winning score and the thrilling energy and passion of its Irish and international dance. Twenty-five years on, composer Bill Whelan has rerecorded his mesmerizing soundtrack while producer Moya Doherty and director John McColgan have completely re-imagined the ground-breaking show.

Für große Aufregung in der Irish Folk Szene im In- und Ausland sorgte das Debüt der Gruppe LARÚN. Kein Wunder, hat die Band ihre Gründung doch bis zur Veröffentlichung der ersten Videoproduktion im Januar 2018 wie ein großes Geheimnis gehütet. Binnen weniger Tage sprengten die aufwendig produzierten Musikvideos die Zehntausender-Marke.