Step-dancing to the Radio!

Updated October 29, 2003

National Radio Shows

The Thistle and Shamrock This National Public Radio show is produced and moderated by Fiona Ritchie in Edinburgh, Scotland. Add my name to the long list of men hopelessly in love with Fiona's Scottish accent. This program features a wide variety of Celtic music from around the world, both traditional and more experimental with good interviews with the musicians and background information about Celtic history, music, and the songs. An excellent way to get exposed to new artists

Local Radio Shows & Broadcasts of National Shows:

Sonoma - on KRCB -- 91.1-FM in Sonoma and 90.9 in Santa Rosa.:

• Tuesday
  • 8-10 p.m. Eclectic Cafe with Cloud Moss - a gourmet mix of Celtic, world and acoustic music.
• Saturday
  • 8-9 a.m. NPR's Thistle & Shamrock with Fiona Ritchie
  • Noon-1 p.m. (Alternate Saturdays,) The Driven Bow hosted by Heidi Chesney The show features traditional and contemporary celtic fiddle music from Scotland, Ireland, Cape Breton, Shetland and local American musicians. For more information, contact Heidi at heidi@monitor.net.
  • 1-5 p.m. Our Roots Are Showing - singer/songwriters, celtic, country, blues, bluegrass and all things acoustic.
• Sunday
  • 10-11 p.m. Open Space District with John Katchmer - New Age with a Celtic Lilt
  • 11- 12 p.m. Night Traveler with Linda Coffin

San Francisco:

Celtic music is relatively hard to find on the radio. Your best bet is KALW  91.7 FM. There are three shows which have the most traditional music, all on Saturday afternoon:

• 2:00-3:00 pm. NPR's Thistle & Shamrock.
• 3:00-5:00 pm, Folk Music and Beyond Hosted by JoAnn Marr and Bob Campbell. This local show features contemporary folk, traditional, and original music from America, England, Ireland, and occasionally other parts of the world. The website contains playlists, current schedule and lots of resources.
• 5:00-6:00 pm A Patchwork Quilt. Hosted by Kevin Vance. This local show has a variety of Celtic and other music.

If you live in San Francisco, you should also check out The High Reel hosted by Cormac Gannon on Tuesdays at 8-9 p.m. on S.F. Liberation Radio 93.7.

South Bay:

• Cupertino, KKUP  91.5 FM,
  • Tues 10am - 1pm
  • Thursday 7-10 am hosted by Mark Cook
  • Friday 3-6 pm (folk offerings)

Sacramento:

• KYDS  91.5 FM
  • Sunday 12-3 Program name?? hosted by Pall Carr

Santa Cruz & Monterey Bay:

• Santa Cruz:
  • Saturday 11-1-- "Continental Drift -- Celtic Music" hosted by Cindy Odom on KUSP 88.9 FM (476-2800).
  • Monday AM - noon, hosted Michael Sammet on KZSC 88.1 FM
• Monterey:
  • Sunday 11 am-1:00, "Eagle's Whistle"hosted by Ray Brown on KAZU 90.3 FM
• Mendocino:
  • Sunday 9-11 a.m, "Oak and Thorn" with Colleen Bassett or Gael Brown on KZYX -- 90.7-FM in Philo and KZYZ -- 91.5-FM in Ukiah and Willits. - Locally produced show of traditional Celtic and British Isles music -- ballads, rousing reels, and sweet airs (Studio Request Line: 1-800-499-7177)

Web Radio!

This is an exciting development, even if the sound quality is not up to FM quality yet. Hopefully, this technology will make more of this music available. All you generally need is free RealAudio software (download from www.realaudio.com) and an Internet connection 28.8 or higher. (All broadcast times are shown as Pacific Time.)

• All the Time:
  • CELTIC
    • RadioCelt is available through AccuRadio.com, a 24-hour, free multi-channel Internet radio station. The station " offers listeners a unique blend of traditional, progressive, instrumental, and vocal Celtic music. Additionally, listeners can choose a more “specialized” listening experience by tuning in to one of RadioCelt’s “subchannels,” such as “Fir” (male artists), “Mná” (female artists), “Tradisiún” (Trad), and “Ceol nua” (progressive)."
      
  • IRISH
  • Eist le Ceol Gaelach agus Nuacht Gaelach ar an Lion Raidio Na Gaeltachta (the national Irish radio service): Schedule on-line
  • Clancy's Irish Music Radio.com - "the world's only dedicated Irish music internet radio station, webcasting from the heart of Ireland. To hear the very best of Irish music, from Van Morrison and the Chieftains to Mary Black, The Corrs and Paul Brady."
  • For Irish Traditional music programs recorded once a week: http://www.rte.ie/radio/av_radio1.html Download: Ceili House and The Late Session
  • You can also hear several traditional music programs (live only) at Clare FM. Schedule
  • SCOTTISH
    • Radio Scotland
    • Toby Rider's Internet Radio Station using Shoutcast that plays Scottish Traditional Music 24/7. Please do me a big favor if you are interested and go to www.shoutcast.com then do a search for "celtic", then select to listen to my radio station "Tobys Traditional Music".Then it should start streaming music to you if you have either Winamp or the Real Audio Player installed on your computer (both free programs). The music is a mixture of players from Scotland, Cape Breton, a little Irish and a little Chinese traditional music.
  • NEWFOUNDLAND
    • Radio Newfoundland Live broadcast from St. John's 24 hours/day. When you need your GBS or Ennis Sisters fix.
  • "CELTIC"
    • Net Radio.com - Celtic Channel - this was sounding great until I ran into a bunch of Net congestion...

• Weekdays, Noon-2 pm (Pacific Time) Mainstreet from CBC Radio One Halifax. Keep up with what's happening in Atlantic Canada.
• Thursdays 5:00-7:00pm (Pacific Time), Downeast Ceilidh - Traditional and contemporary folk music of Atlantic Canada with emphasis on the fiddle music and songs in Scottish Gaelic and Acadian French. WMBR at http://wmbr.mit.edu
• Thursday 4pm-5pm, The Atlantic Ceilidh at www.ciut.fm on CIUT FM in Toronto features music from the Maritimes.
• Saturday 1:15 pm, Ceili House and Late Session on Radio One, RTE (Ireland) www.rte.ie
• Sunday
  • 5:00-8:00 amEast Coast Rising (http://www.1015thehawk.com/live.html) on "101.5 The Hawk" from Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia for your very early morning fix of Cape Breton music (and I won't ask from which day your are greeting 5:00 am!)
  • 9-11 a.m, "Oak and Thorn" with Colleen Bassett or Gael Brown on KZYX -- 90.7-FM in Philo, Calif. Locally produced show of traditional Celtic and British Isles music -- ballads, rousing reels, and sweet airs (Studio Request Line: 1-800-499-7177)
  • 2:00-4:00 pm The Harp and the Bard on WMPG from the University of Maine. An Irish show featuring trad. & contemporary Irish music & news of Irish events in the Portland, Maine area, with Paul O'Neil.
• Radio Na Gaeltachta (the national Irish radio service): http://www.rte.ie/rams/rnag.ram
• Also check: http://www.netradio.net/earthbeat/ select "Celtic"

For a complete list of radio stations broadcasting over the Internet go to http://www.radio-locator.comfor U.S. and Canadian stations and other nations.

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Please send me your comments or suggestions: jim@sfcelticmusic.com