Show 162 – Bealtaine
(2021-05-01)

[This episode originally aired 5/11/19] Thugamar Féin an Samhradh Linn–“We Have Brought The Summer With Us.” It’s Bealtaine, one of the four major Celtic fire festivals, so Joe and Katie dig up joyful tunes and songs dealing with Bealtaine, the first of May, and the coming of summer. During Bealtaine, the Celts would (and still do) build bonfires, then drive their cattle between the fires for luck. Granted, this is not something we should do in the pine forests and sagebrush of the High Sierra, but it was certainly a way for ancient Celts to connect to nature and the coming of summer. For us modern folks, we can revel in the delightful music inspired by the festival of Beltaine.

To help bring in the month of May and the first whispers of Summer, we play tracks from Kevin Crawford, Mick Conneely & David Munnelly, John McSherry, Zoë Conway, The Here & Now, Lá Lugh, Lúnasa, James Keane, The Bothy Band, Kevin Burke, Mick O’Brien, Martin Quinn & Angelina Carberry, The Alt, and Becky Tracy.

Playlist:

#	Track	Artist	Release
1	Glen Where The Deer Is-The Ivy Leaf-The Dublin Lasses	Nuala Kennedy	Behave the Bravest
2	Queen Mary (Queen of May-Tom Dowd’s Favorite-Nautghton’s)	Kevin Crawford	Carrying the Tune
3	The New Mown Meadow-Big John MacNeill-The Silver Spire	Mick Conneely & David Munnelly	‘Tis What It Is
4	Sunrise at Bealtaine	John McSherry	The Seven Suns
5	Butter and Peas Fahey’s The First Month Of Summer	Zoë Conway	Zoë Conway
6	Summer Fly	The Here & Now	Ladybird
7	Bealtaine Song	Lá Lugh	Senex Puer
8	Bealtainne	Lúnasa	Lúnasa
9	Glen Where The Deer Is-The Ivy Leaf-The Dublin Lasses	Nuala Kennedy	Behave the Bravest
10	Paddy Taylor’s-The First Month Of Summer-Sporting Molly	James Keane	James Keane
11	Tiochfaidh An Samhradh (Summer Will Come)	The Bothy Band	Old Hag You Have Killed Me
12	Untitled Reel-Queen Of The May-The Congress	Kevin Burke	Open House
13	May Morning Dew-Sporting Nell (Air, Reel)	Mick O’Brien	May Morning Dew
14	The First Of May-The Blackbird	Martin Quinn & Angelina Carberry	Angelina Carrberry & Martin Quinn
15	One Morning in May	The Alt	The Alt
16	John Henry’s Reel-First Month of Summer-Bean A Ti Ar Lar-The Wild Irishman	Becky Tracy	Evergreen