Episodios

  • Itinerary for Celtic Invasion of Westport, Ireland 2023

    Itinerary for Celtic Invasion of Westport, Ireland 2023
    Jan 20 2023

    Every year, I take a small group of people on an exciting adventure overseas. We don't see everything. Instead, we stay in one area. We get to know it through it's culture, history, and legends. EtZvGiAuFJKsacyM2U1d

    In June 2023, we are going to Westport, Ireland in County Mayo. The itinerary is now online. We will spend seven nights, visiting Matt Malloy's famous pub, hike Croagh Patrick, and ferry to Clare Island. We'll learn more about the Grace O'Malley, the famed Pirate Queen, by visiting her castles. We'll see standing stones and lots more.

    Check out the itinerary for the Celtic Invasion of Westport, Ireland right now to see if you want to join me in Ireland this summer.
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    12 m
  • Celtic Invasion Vacations FAQ

    Celtic Invasion Vacations FAQ
    Aug 29 2022
    Celebrate Celtic culture and music through travel. I'm gonna tell you what you can expect on my Celtic Invasion Vacations? If you go to the website you won’t find much information. I usually list the itinerary when it becomes available but that can be January or March before the trip. You will find podcasts and links to pictures and videos. I don't know that any of it really paints a good picture. So I thought I would try to break down how these trips work to help you decide if you want to join me in the future. Celtic Invasion Vacations are not your typical travel tour experience. Most tourists travel on big buses. They go place to place. You stay up late. You get up early. There’s 30, 60 or even 90 people packed on one to three tour buses. If you’re like me, that sounds pretty miserable. My first two trips were on tour buses. Everyone was a fan of my music. So that was pretty awesome. The bus drivers were awesome too. But that's a lot of people for an introvert like me. I don’t know how much of the fatigue was from so many people or the staying up late/getting-up-early business. But it’s not my preferred way of traveling. I like small groups. My mom moved to Italy in 1985. So I’ve gone back-and-forth to Europe for a long time. My mom is an awesome adventurer. I went to school on an American military base in Vicenza, Italy for my senior year of high school. While all the other high school seniors went to Remini to get drunk, my mom and I went on in artistic pilgrimage following the works of Piero Della Francesca. She instilled in me the value of planning as well as spontaneity. You see that in my Celtic Invasion Vacations itinerary. When I finally make one that is. Typically, I don't have a full itinerary when I announce the latest trip. I have… ideas. In fact, I usually have one big idea. Then I find a way to make it work. One person told me he was disappointed when my trip to the Highlands of Scotland a few years back did not also include the Isle of Skye, like it was initially listed on the early itinerary. That was because I had a big idea. But when I finally settled on details, I realized it was impractical. I learned from that error. If I make any big changes to what was planned, you are welcome to back out. I don’t usually settle on solid itineraries until December or January. I just don’t have enough details to make a solid decision. That might make some people uncomfortable, especially when you’re putting down nearly $3000, plus air travel, to join me. The adventure is worth it! The great thing about traveling on the Celtic Invasion Vacation in my opinion is that it is a small group. That means maximum flexibility for adventure. So let’s answer some questions. 3:11 - WHEN ARE THE CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS? This can always vary. But typically I run my trips in late May or early June. This seems to be the best time to travel to Ireland and Scotland. People talk about rain in Ireland. June seems to invariably have one of the lightest rain falls ever. It's just... perfect! 3:32 - HOW LONG IS EACH TRIP? Celtic Invasion Vacations are about seven days long. The trips are officially scheduled from Saturday to Saturday. That’s because that’s how long most vacation rentals book. But I’m not going to be taking you to seven hotels in seven days. We stay in one place most of the week. If the vacation rental is more than a couple hours from the airport or there's something cool to see closer, we may stay in a hotel near the airport on the last night of the Invasion. It just depends on how soon everyone on the trip has booked their departure. 4:04 - WHEN SHOULD I ARRIVE? I usually ask Invaders to arrive the day before the trip. That way you can recover from jet lag and adjust to the time change. But that also allows us to leave first thing in the morning on Saturday to drive to our vacation rental. While it is recommended, it is not required. As long as you arrive by 11 am on Saturday, we will adjust. You are also responsible for the hotel on Friday night. But you might find a roommate with other Invaders. 4:43 - WHEN SHOULD I DEPART? Again, it’s up to you. I prefer you to set your departure after noon on Saturday. You can stay as long as you want. I usually leave on Sunday after the trip is over. 4:54 - HOW DO YOU SELECT THE DESTINATIONS? Destinations are chosen by invaders and of course me. I usually have an idea of a place I want to see. I look for a suitable vacation spot. But sometimes I ask for suggestions from Invaders. Our trip to Brittany and Cornwall were both chosen because some regular Invaders wanted to visit all seven Celtic nations. Of course, I get the final say. And if I can't get enough people to attend one of these more remote spots, I may make adjustments. Once we settle on a big destination, the next step is figuring out the generalized itinerary. 5:27 - IS THERE DOWNTIME? Yes. This is not an intense, constantly moving tour. Celtic Invasion Vacations are ...
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    18 m
  • 8 St Patrick's Day Party Music Tips

    8 St Patrick's Day Party Music Tips
    Mar 2 2021
    I will share EIGHT great ways for you to have a spectacular St Patrick's Day today Celtfather Music & Travel. The best thing about St Patrick’s Day for me is that is a great time to celebrate Celtic culture. My passion lies in the music.  I immersed myself in nothing but Irish and Scottish music for over a decade. I took that knowledge to create newsletters, blogs, videos, and eventually podcasts that celebrate Celtic culture through music. St Patrick's Day is also my favorite time of year. It makes sense. I play Celtic music, and have done so since the 90s. I host the largest podcast of Celtic music in the world. Oh! And if that's not enough, it's also my birthday. I guess you could say I  know a little something about St Patrick's Day. So let's get started. The cream of the Celtic music crop is the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Since 2005, this show has shared the music of the Celts from around the world. It's a like your favorite Celtic radio program, except you can download it to you computer or phone. You can listen to it ANYWHERE at ANY TIME. And just like those most of those weekly Celtic radio shows, it's 100% free. It also focuses on the smaller Celtic bands. The ones that you might not hear on your favorite Celtic radio program. That's because most of these bands don't have record labels. They're doing it themselves. And they might be performing in YOUR community. You might not even know about them yet. But they are fantastic. The music ranges from traditional reels and jigs to pub songs to Celtic rock and fusion. It's a HUGE amalgamation of incredible music. And it's available for free on nearly all of your favorite podcatchers. And you can even download a free app to listen to the show on your phone. You can subscribe and find out more at CelticMusicPodcast.com This is a good time to mention the St Patrick's Day Podcast. That was a short-run show that was released by the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast many years ago. The goal was to provide you with a St Patrick's Day playlist of amazing Celtic music by some of the best indie Celtic bands online. There's not a lot of talking. It's mostly about the music. You can find that at stpatricksdayparty.net And some St Patrick's Day gifts here. Next on the list is the Pub Songs & Stories podcast. I started this show in 2005. It's gone through many renditions over the years, but right now, it is the virtual public house for Celtic and geek culture. I sing songs live in each show. I also chat about Celtic and Geek things that inspire me. I also share stories about my songs, both traditional and original. That's the thing that I love about the show. I love story telling. Pub Stories are stories from primarily Celtic musicians about their songs. It's stories from the road. The things that inspired them to write songs or share music. It's the stories that make you fall in love with Celtic music in the first place. Since I also host the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, I have direct access to hundreds of Celtic musicians. I'm adding new stories from these amazing bands in every show. It's fantastic! Again, you will find this podcast available EVERYWHERE online. Subscribe to the podcast for free at pubsong.com If you want to find other Celtic podcasts and stay on top of what's new, the Celtic Music Magazine is a great resource. I started publishing the weekly newsletter in 2000. It's still going today. You can still get 34 free Celtic MP3s when you subscribe. And every St Patrick's Day I share 17 more free Celtic MP3s from some of the bands featured on the Irish & Celtic  Music Podcast. But the best part is every podcast that features Celtic music or culture is featured in the newsletter.  It's a great way to find new podcasts of Celtic culture. Sign up so you don't miss  at BestCelticMusic.net If you just love Celtic music and want some of the best of the best, the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast hosts the Celtic Top 20 every year. This is where you vote for your favorite songs of each episode of the podcast. At the end of the year, I compile your votes and create a Best Of episode. You can listen to it on the website. However, my goal is to promote indie Celtic musicians. So I also made a playlist of all of these amazing Celtic bands on the Spotify. It's called Top Irish & Celtic Music playlist on Spotify. You'll hear MOST of the bands who won in the Celtic Top 20. Admittedly, some are no longer available. But the vast majority are. And it's a powerhouse playlist with hundreds of listeners. Follow it and enjoy! That alone will probably give you countless hours of Celtic musical entertainment. But before I let you go, I want to share one more really cool thing. Every year, I take a small group of people on the adventure of a lifetime. It's called Celtic Invasion Vacations. We go to the Celtic nations and locations. We stay in one area and get to know the region through it's culture, history and legends. I have numerous videos that highlight these amazing ...
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    9 m
  • Swimming the Horses with Gerry O’Beirne

    Swimming the Horses with Gerry O’Beirne
    Jul 15 2020

    Gerry O'Beirne is an Irish guitarist and songwriter behind the scenes of many great Celtic musicians. I met him when he toured the U.S. with Andy M. Stewart. But his history playing music is long and fascinating.

    I was surprised on last summer's Celtic Invasion Vacations that he's living in Dingle, Ireland now. He's performing both solo and with many of the top Irish musicians there.

    Show #266.

    We talk about his new CD Swimming the Horses, the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, and how he got started as a songwriter in the desert of America.

    Find out more about Gerry O'Beirne here.
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    20 m
  • Mazz O'Flaherty Interview in Dingle Record Shop

    Mazz O'Flaherty Interview in Dingle Record Shop
    Jun 9 2020

    Mazz O'Flaherty owns the smallest record shop in Ireland. It's in Dingle, Ireland. It is a place you don't want to miss. It's walls are lined with music from Irish musicians, especially those in the County Kerry.

    In 2019, I took my Celtic Invasion Vacations to Dingle, Ireland. Ten years after my last trip. Mazz was as delightful a person to talk to as ever.

    Show #264
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    21 m
  • Irish & Celtic Music Podcast on Spotify?

    Irish & Celtic Music Podcast on Spotify?
    Apr 4 2020
    The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast is no longer on Spotify. But it is still coming out each and every week.   Spotify announced at the beginning of 2020 that they will no longer host music podcasts like ours. So in February, they pulled it from their app.   This stinks, but it is understandable. And it doesn't affect the delivery of the podcast into the future. The podcast still comes out every week.    You can subscribe at BestCelticMusic.net.    Subscribe on your favorite podcatcher and to our Celtic Music Magazine so you're up-to-date on all of our podcast news.   While you're there, you can download our free app and never, ever miss a single episode.   Thanks for listening on Spotify while you did.   Slainte! Marc Gunn, The Celtfather, show #261 Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
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    2 m
  • Oban Scotland Flashback: Celtic Invasion Vacations 2010

    Oban Scotland Flashback: Celtic Invasion Vacations 2010
    Oct 27 2018
    Scotland is an incredible country. In 2010, I led my third Celtic Invasion Vacations to Scotland. I learned a lot from this trip which helped form future invasions. I'm gonna share the comments from some of those invaders in #249 of Celtfather Music & Travel. Greetings my name is Marc Gunn. This show is about the many amazing experiences I have as a musician and an adventurer. In 2010, I hooked with John Wilmott of Celtic Ways, who now runs the Carrowcrory Cottage and Labyrinth Gardens in County Sligo. John used to live in Oban. So he offered to organize my third Celtic Invasion Vacations to Scotland. Unfortunately, he had health issues a few months before the trip. So I was forced to make this trip come to life. It's now eight years since that trip happened. But I was looking for Bootleg Concerts to share for my Heroic Gunn Runners on Patreon when I found the comments of invaders from that trip. Every year, I ask my invaders to share their thoughts of what was cool and what wasn't. This invasion had some of amazing pieces of synchronicity and challenges and fun. It might've helped or hurt that this was the year a volcano erupted in Iceland which grounded a lot of airplanes. So a few invaders arrived late. I wish I kept a more details journal of the invasion. But alas... Interestingly, my wife did keep a little journal. However, this was also the trip where she was pregnant and got sick the first day we arrived. So I think journal was cut short. Now since I don't have a detailed list of what we did. I thought instead, I would share the itinerary, some of my memories of the invasion and then you could hear the feedback from invaders. And then I will comment respond to some of their comments. The Celtic Invasion of Oban, Scotland began in Glasgow. We met up with all the invaders and then drove three cars to Oban. The accommodations were really nice, but sadly, we had such a big group that we were separated into two houses, and separated also by about a 1/2 mile. I actually never saw the second house. The second day was in Oban was scheduled to walk around and see the town. It was a fairly open day, which was good because we were waiting for invaders to arrive, since a couple at least were stopped by the volcano. Day 3, we took a boat to Iona. I honestly don't remember much except for the photo that Gwen I took in front of some church on the island. I used for the release of my single "Christmas in Scotland" which was inspired by this invasion. Day 4, lists oban area chill out, time out, everyone do their thing, shopping, fishing, maybe go walking on nearby islands. That's hilarious because I couldn't tell you what was involved in that. However, I do remember that some folks decided to take a trip to see a castle from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. So I'm assuming that that was this day. Day 5 mentions Kilmartin. Again, no clue. But this might've been the day when we got a private tour of a cemetery from Liam Griffin, as well as lunch. Day 6 took us to Edinburgh. I think we might've stopped in Stirling to climb the William Wallace memorial. But I'm not sure. That evening, we enjoyed bagpipes from Jimi McRae and Sam Ooko. Day 7 was the final exploration of Edinburgh and of course music from me. Okay. Let's see if this recording will jog my memory and I share a few more thoughts about the invasion. INVADER COMMENTS Alright, a few things stuck for me. First, second ferry ride? What the heck? I don't think I remember that ride at all. I maybe remember some musicians on a ferry. But I don't remember if it was to Scotland. I think this was the trip that I realized I have to better plan. After this, I started creating a sort of cookie cutter plan for each trip. A loose one, but a plan nonetheless. I also mention a bus tour. I have no recollection of that. Someone mentioned the late starting times. That was remedied on future trips. I think we were leaving around 10 am, which was just way too late. I think future trips vary between and 8 and 9 am. What was incredible for me was the number of folks who commented on the time with Liam Griffin. So what happened was we had dinner a couple nights at a place called the Barn. I asked them if I could play music. They said that was fine. So we ate dinner. I pulled out the autoharp and sang for an hour or two. I don't really remember. What I do remember is one of the locals, Liam, got really into the show. He called all of his friends to come out. He sang us a song. And he invited all thirteen of us to his place for lunch the following day. Then he gave us a tour of his private historical cemetery. It was an amazing experience and it helped me fine tune my trips. You see, I realized that all of the stuff I planned was not very memorable. What was memorable was our personal experiences with the people and the culture of the region. That's why I say in my ads on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, "we get to know the region through its culture, history and legends." It's ...
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    24 m
  • Best and Worst of the Isle of Skye

    Best and Worst of the Isle of Skye
    Jul 19 2018
    The 2018 Celtic Invasion of the Isle of Skye is over. We had an amazing vacation. Every year, I ask my invaders for feedback. This year, I decided to do it a little different. I wanted to help you figure out what were some of the best things to see when you come visit. So I’m gonna share my Best and Worst things to see on the Isle of Skye, followed by feedback from Invaders, including some of their favorites. Best of the Isle of Skye. My favorite thing in Skye was the Quiraing. This is up in Trotternish. It’s June, lush and green with powerful, towering mountains. Now Skye is a big hiking area. I think most people go to Skye to hike. Most of our Invaders were not big hikers. We were all happy to hike and explore. But the hardcore hiking was not for us. Now I’m sure there’s some difficult hiking in the Quiraing, but the two places we visited were fairly easy. A third place looked even easier. I guess for me there was more room to relax and enjoy the magnificent mountain range in the Quiraing. If you’re looking for one thing to do in Skye, this is my suggestion. My second favorite thing to do in Skye was the Skye Cruises out of Uig. They offered a three-hour boat tour of the ocean and shoreline. We saw a castle, seals, and even watched puffins flying about. The captain was very friendly. He and a friend started this cruise a couple years ago. It made for a very pleasant experience. They provided free snacks and drinks including Skye Beer from the local brewery. They had binoculars available for seeing the sea life too. Of course, it probably helped that the seas were calm. There was a little bit of rain that fell on us for about ten minutes. Then it was done. They had some good Celtic music playing in the back of the boat. And up front, I played songs and along with Pace. And happily Danny and Christine Faught of Green Man Clan joined us. Okay so that was a benefit of me boating out there. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful relaxing trip. Third in my list of the Best of the Isle of Skye we’re The Fairy Pools. On day three of our Invasion, we got a tour guide to take us to The Fairy Pools. The guide was kind of a flop. Not much more than a driver sadly. But the Pools were brilliant. Tho a little tricky too. It was raining when we arrived. We walked down the hill to the starting point. I say walk, but to be honest l, there was a little sliding. I had my bad shoes. The ground was moist and squishy. So I fell a couple times. That didn’t bode well. At the bottom of the hill, there was a stream and no way to cross it but get your feet a little wet. I wasn’t quite in the mood to plunge in. In fact, I was about to skip it. I’m glad I didn’t. I took off my shoes and walked across the small stream. After that, the walk was a breeze. It was a gentle slope into the valley. A river guides you on the right. And all along it are bunches of small waterfalls and “Fairy Pools”. I didn’t go all the way into the mountains. I took my time and had fun making videos. I sat with my feet in the freezing water. It was delightful. Again, I’m so happy I went. The fourth coolest thing for me was the excitement of finding dinosaur tracks. So we stayed in Staffin Bay Cottages. They are located a 3 minute drive from Staffin Bay Slipway. When we arrived, we learned that there were dinosaur tracks down there. So one evening, we hiked over to the beach and looked for the tracks. It took some time to find them, but eventually we did. They were covered in seaweed. They were also difficult to make out. But we went to the local dinosaur museum to confirm. That was cool and all. But 2-3 months ago, new tracks were discovered at Brother’s Point. On Friday, we finally headed to the point. We arrived just before low tide. So I should point out that there are no markers for these prints. You have to find them. Now what I learned at the dinosaur museum was the footprints were found in sedimentary rock. The first step was to find that. I am no geologist. But I did overhear, that sedimentary rock is layered rock. Most of the rocks out there, I think, are igneous. I found a big slab of sedimentary rock and started looking. I found some small impressions and called over Pace and Selena. Pace told me that they were about a foot in diameter. I spent the next thirty minutes staring at the rock. How weird is that! Eventually I noticed differences. I saw breaks in the rock and looking at puddles, I realized the indentations were different from the breaks. I called over Pace and we jokingly decided we found dinosaur tracks. I got some pictures and videos but I don’t think you’ll see much of anything. Pace got a good picture. We decided to take his picture to the dinosaur museum to confirm it. We were thrilled they said yes! Yay. I’m officially an amateur dinosaur track hunter. I was trying to settle on my top 5 of Skye but I couldn’t. So for number five, I picked two. First is the Skye Museum of Island Life. It’s...
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    22 m