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Traditions, folklore, history and more. If it's Irish, it's here. Or will be!
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 The Music Library
Celtic Woman - A Christmas Celebration
Imagine lilting Celtic voices against rich orchestral arrangements and sparser settings enhanced with the traditional Irish sounds of uilleann pipes, harp, and ancient choral harmony. The result is a splendid variety of reverent but lively arrangements which wouldn't be out of place at a church, concert hall, or good old-fashioned Irish ceili.
Edited from an Amazon review.
Click here for Celtic Woman - A Christmas celebration.
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Spirit of an Irish Christmas
by Roisin Dempsey
A collection of best loved Christmas carols which have been given a traditional Irish quality! The songs are performed by Róisin Dempsey and the arrangements feature a band of celebrated Irish musicians, including David Hayes, Declan Masterson, Colm O'Tiarnaigh, Nigel Davey and Nick Bailey, who brought their wealth of expertise together to help create a unique sound to highlight Róisín's wonderful voice.
Click here for Spirit of an Irish Christmas.
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For a non-traditional Christmas (yet very traditional Irish) recording, this CD offers a wide variety of moods - from serious and reflective to joyful and exuberant. The cover photo is particularly appealing and reminds this reviewer of the eager anticipation she once knew - oh, to have that feeling back again.
Click here for Real Irish Christmas.
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...a spellbinding portrait of midwinter's moods and textures. Her harp is austere, never glissando-glossy or aimlessly lush. Familiar melodies such as "Noel Nouvelle" and "Greensleeves" are delivered gracefully, with gorgeous string and oboe support. Minogue's shy whisper of a soprano delivers a lulling Gaelic version of "Silent Night" and the ethereal "Darkest Midnight." Spun together with brief snatches of spoken narration, this is a tender holiday masterpiece. Scott Alarik, the Boston Globe.
To listen to a few excerpts, please click Warm Winter's Night Listen.
To buy the recording, please click To Warm a Winter's Night.
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As always, the trio is brilliant as they deliver superb renditions of seasonal favorites - from the title cut to O Holy Night. They also give us some surprises with Battle Hymn of the Republic, America The Beautiful, and a flawless duet by Finbar and Anthony of Pie Jesu.
Click here for We Three Kings.
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One of Ireland's best-loved folk groups mixes traditional Irish holiday fare with more familiar carols and songs. Included are that wickedly funny Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake" as well as the always-popular "Christmas in Killarney. A merry set of tunes, just try to sit still or not sing along when the lads break into "Christmas Caroling" with all the gusto of a good round of pints at the pub. Well worth a listen.
Click here for Songs of Christmas.
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If you've ever been to O'Flaherty's Pub in New Orleans, you'll be familiar with Danny and you should particularly enjoy this recording where he offers a lovely assortment of Irish songs for the season. Some we are familiar with - Curoo, Curoo, for example, but there are many here that are new to us.
Click here for An Irish Christmas Carol.
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Here we have new material and old favorites, including a beautiful reading of Patrick Kavanagh's "A Christmas Childhood/A Call to Hope." Backed by Liam O'Flynn's haunting uilleann pipes and vocals by Dolores Keane, save for a couple of incongruities such as "Whiter Shade of Pale, it's an excellent seasonal recording.
Click here for To Shorten The Winter.
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By passing over too-familiar Christmas songs in favor of less-well-known melodies, Brian O'Donovan, the host of the Celtic Sojourn radio show, has come up with that rarest of all holiday treats - a gift that both surprises and delights. Edited from a review by Michael Simmon.
Click here for A Celtic Christmas Sojourn
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We include this classic because of our favorite cut - Christmas in Killarney. But the rest of the recording isn't half-bad! For all the Bing fans, we're just kidding - this is one of the best Christmas recordings ever.
Click here for White Christmas.
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We've owned The Bells of Dublin for about ten years and it remains one of our favorite Christmas recordings. The Chieftains are impeccable as always but, in addition to their traditional Irish sound, they team up with a group of contemporary vocalists; for the most part, the mix works well. In fact we like every cut except one.
See Review
Click here for The Bells of Dublin
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Wed, Jul 30, 2008
The Phoenix Park, Co. Dublin
Five times the size of Hyde Park in London and twice as big as Central Park in NYC, Páirc an Fhionn-Uisce is the largest urban enclosed park in Europe, with a circumference of seven miles and a total area 1,760 acres. Located west of the city centre, it features ornamental gardens, nature trails, and broad expanses of grassland separated by avenues of trees. A herd of fallow deer have roamed the forested areas since the 17th century. Main attractions within the park include Aras an Uachtaráin - the residence of the Irish president and Dublin Zoo. The name is a corruption of the Irish fionn uisce meaning "clear water".
Photo Credit: Dublin i.e.
Click for More Culture Corner.
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 Can't Find it?!
Our Library is compiled from what we know and like. If you can't find what you're looking for read on.
• First: go to Amazon -
There's no escaping the fact that they are the largest catalog.
Note: There are multiple Amazons and they do not carry exactly the same items. Any one of the U.S., U.K. and Canada sites may not have the item but another Amazon will. Each site will ship anywhere in the world. Try them all before you give up.
Click here for Amazon.US.
Click here for Amazon.UK.
Click here for Amazon.Canada.
• Second: Amazon doesn't have it? Try BMG. They are one of the largest Music stores - period. Click here for  BMG Music.
We recommend you search for artist or title words.
• Third: Still can't find It? Alright, try ALibris they are the place for 'books you never thought you'd find'. They now carry music (even vinyl). The prices vary, since they are offered from various sources.
Click here for ALibris.
• Fourth: Is it in print, at least?
Try Irish Music International, they'll go out of their way to obtain any item currently available.
Click for Irish Music International.
• Last: Nothing Worked?
E-Mail us, we'll give it a go. Click for Russ & Bridget.
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Oct 18 2006, 07:08:43 |
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This Web Site Bashed, Kicked & Glued together by Russ Haggerty.
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