#| rhiannon galway || interactions

[celtfather]

Christmas is A Comin'

Christmas is a coming in 2022 with Triskele and the Celtic Christmas Podcast. Subscribe at CelticChristmasPodcast.com.

WELCOME TO THE CELTIC CHRISTMAS PODCAST

I am Marc Gunn. I am a musician and podcaster. We are promoting Celtic culture through Christmas cheer.

I’m working on another new format for this show in 2022.

Galway-based We Banjo 3 has one foot in Irish music and one foot in Americana music, seamlessly combining the virtuosity and precision in each genre’s traditional disciplines with the artful song-craft and infectious live performance of today’s musical landscape.

This is their 10th year performing together to thousands of fans at Irish and Bluegrass festivals.

Their latest album is called Open the Road. And I'm happy I looked up that information because I can also add it to the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast that I host.

0:53 - We Banjo 3 "Joy to the World" from A Winter Wonderful

3:40 - THANK YOU CHRISTMAS PATRONS

The Celtic Christmas Podcast is brought to you by the kindness of Celtic Christmas fans on Patreon. Your generosity funds the creation, promotion, and production of the show. Join others to spread Christmas Cheer this holiday season! Sign up for as little as $1 per episode on Patreon.

Winners of the folk rock/Celtic band of the year award by Wisconsin Area Music Industry for 2019 and 2015, Reilly have garnered a reputation for being an interactive, get-off-your-chair act.

The band’s circuit continues to grow along with their reputation for being a highly respected professional group.  National programs such as Good Morning Ireland, Blarney on the Air, and Paddyrock internet radio have featured Reilly.  Celtic Radio Music Network rates them as five out of five stars.  Their ability to adapt Celtic music to an American rock audience, and include unexpected rock favorites into their set, makes them the perfect eclectic choice in today’s watered down and predictable Celtic scene.

Their latest album is called Durty Pool. You can find it on their Bandcamp page.

4:47 - Reilly "For You On Christmas" from Kick Ass Celtic Christmas

8:13 - PLAYLIST: Christmas Drive

There a number of Celtic Christmas playlists that I published on Spotify. The Christmas Drive playlist is Christmas music you will enjoy while taking a holiday drive to see your family or friends.

The Wexford Carols is a 2014 album of traditional Irish carols by Caitríona O'Leary featuring guest singers Tom Jones, Rosanne Cash and Carolina Chocolate Drops singer Rhiannon Giddens and more. The album went to No.1 on the Billboard World Albums Chart.

8:52 - Caitríona O'Leary "Tell Shepherds" from The Wexford Carols

15:16 - HOLIDAY FEATURE: Triskele

Triskele, [pronounced Tris-Kay-lee] is the premier all~female Celtic band out of Albany NY. They are known for their stunning harmonies, singing in the Gaelic language and for their Irish wit. Noeleen, who grew up in Dublin and is the youngest of 16, taught Sharon and Jenn the Gaelic language through song. These ladies perform, primarily, traditional Celtic/Irish music, but also have written originals. Triskele not only revitalizes the Gaelic language, but weaves history and traditions about growing up in Ireland. This gives the listener a deeper appreciation and understanding of Irish/Celtic history.

Triskele stands out in a Celtic music world dominated by men. They have gained fans and supporters with their ability to keep traditional songs traditional. Fans have stated that they enjoy hearing songs sung with the unique qualities of the female voice; given the timbre and rich, clear harmonies.

I’m particularly smitten with their byline–Celtic Trad. with a Women's Touch

Their song “Christmas Is a Comin’” is a new addition to the Celtic Christmas music world. But I’ll let them tell you more about it.

16:24 - STORY OF CHRISTMAS IS A COMIN’

18:02 - Triskele “Christmas Is A Comin’” from Christmas Is A Comin’

Do you have a Christmas story to share? Drop me an email. Include a picture for our shownotes.

19:57 - WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CELTIC CHRISTMAS SONG IN THIS EPISODE?

Make sure you add the song to your own Celtic music playlist or even better, support the artist by buying their music and joining their mailing list, or even joining their Patreon page. Several have that as well.

There’s another way to share your favorite track in this episode. You can vote for your favorite song or tune when you join us on Patreon. The most-popular track will be added to our Christmas playlists. You have just two weeks to vote. So…

Cast your vote for the Celtic Christmas Favorite song.

Then let me know if there’s a Celtic Christmas song or tune that I should add to the next episode of the show.

For more than three decades, Cape Breton-based family group the Barra MacNeils has been thrilling audiences of all ages, near and far, with their sparkling repertoire, vocals, instrumental prowess and vibrant showmanship. They are Canada’s Celtic ambassadors!

Their Christmas album is currently available on vinyl. You’ll also find a wooden tree ornament in their store along with all of their albums.

21:22 - The Barra MacNeils "Party In Washabuckt" from The Christmas Album

What did you think of this week’s show? Send me your feedback.

Celtic Christmas Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn. The show was edited by Mitchell Petersen with Graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs.

Subscribe through your favorite podcatcher or on our website where you can become a Christmas Patron for as little as $1 per episode.

Promote Celtic culture through Christmas music at CelticChristmasPodcast.com. Nollaig Shona Daoibh!

#celticchristmas #celticchristmasmusic #triskele

Check out this episode!

[endlxssnights]

|   ⚜   |   R. & OPEN   |   ⚜   |

A rarity would be an Unseelie caring about another creature.

A miracle would be to see one so open about that affection.

Rhiannon buried her face in the ever-changing fur of the cat sí in her arms. She was going soft, showing such plain adoration for another creature. The purring of the cat reverberated in her own chest, Rhiannon readjusting her hold on the cat. She’d found the cat in the shop that morning, winding around the legs of her center display table. Causing English Ivy to grow up the legs of her display table, but how could she fault something for only doing what it was made to?

She grinned as the cat’s fur shifted to reflect her own skin, flecks of pastel blues and yellows. What better a creature than another, smaller sí for the Unseelie?

The bell above the top of door rung as someone entered, causing the cat to startle and fade back to black fur. Rhiannon’s grin quickly faded. “We’re closed. Leave.”

open for anyone!

[shallowmagics]

— *•̩̩͙   r. & arianwen  •̩̩͙* —

By other Unseelie standards, Rhiannon was soft. Too lenient with the mortals she played with, their fates condensed down to the deals made between them. She didn’t consider herself particularly lenient. If the human broke part of their deal? Fine, Rhiannon had every right to demand more on her part, seek retribution the moment the deal was finished. There was no fun in destroying the mortals in a fit of rage.

That didn’t mean the thought didn’t cross her mind.

Rhiannon kept her eyes on the bookshelf she was organizing, loathing even the sight of one such mortal. At the very least, Arianwen wasn’t human. Rhiannon didn’t think she could deal with the appalling, species-wide lack of manners at the moment.

“I don’t ask for any impossible tasks from you. Your end of the deal could have been so much worse.” She paused. “And you still failed.”

@feistyandfierce​

[endlxssnights]

|   ⚜   |   R. & OPEN   |   ⚜   |

Rhiannon placed the small flyer in her window, tucked in between the window panes. Having sales, classes, anything she would need to advertise for was far too much work for her. People knew exactly what the Cauldron was, the people that frequented her shop knew exactly what to expect. However something like this… she could see it being important to Tal. It was why Rhiannon had been saving this particular idea until pride month, knowing it would gain more traction with townspeople that would be interested in ‘passing’.

To most, it was a ‘free’ class on glamours. Rhiannon did ask for payment, but nothing humans would see as important. A physical piece of their home, their childhood. Small things necessary for performing the glamours she taught.

Footsteps behind her slowed, then stilled. Rhiannon turned, judging the newcomer. As if they could sneak up on a Sídhe. “Are you going to stare or are you interested in the glamour class?”

[shallowmagics]

— *•̩̩͙   r. & loki laufeyson  •̩̩͙*˚ —

There were only a few humans that could cause Rhiannon to embody her court’s ideals. The humans that caused her to shake under the power of her rage, that she could only imagine ripping limb from limb as a warm-up to precede every other vile action she had planned. Armes Sallow was every other human on that list rolled into one.

As much as she would like to walk into Town Hall and start the conversation with her fangs biting into Sallow’s heart, humans just didn’t respond kindly to that. Tal wouldn’t respond kindly to that. So Rhiannon had to start small, keep her “gifts” only half-way threatening.

“Get me the coffin nails in the front display.” Rhiannon was not one to ask when she wanted something. Letting Loki know of her demand was merely a formality, as she cheerfully arranged Sallow’s first “gift” inside a shallow basket.

@loki-thedeceiver​​

[shallowmagics]

— *•̩̩͙   r. & penelope bunce  •̩̩͙*˚ —

Most humans that walked into The Bubbling Cauldron knew better than to aimlessly wander. They walked in, bought their items, and walked right out. Even more so ever since the godling had decided they worked there, much to Rhiannon’s distaste. The one that had walked in a few moments ago, was not aware of the unspoken rule of the shop. Must be one of those Mari Lwyd chasers. 

Rhiannon didn’t even bother to turn to the human, stocking the books on one of the old bookshelves. “If you’re here for information on the Grey Mare, I don’t have it. Ask someone Welsh.”

@perfectwordspenny​ 

[shallowmagics]

— •   r. & open-ish • —

Rhiannon shuffled the deck in her hands, black and white card backs melding into a blur as she played with the cards. Carnivals were breeding grounds for her kind, an invitation to come out of their burrows and hiding-holes and make good on their favorite past time: teaching humans a lesson or two. 

Something could be said for the tackiness of her little tent: the dark, velvet material and artfully lettered sign simply reading ‘Tarot’, but it was beyond Rhiannon to care. Humans would see what they wanted, make their own fearful conclusions, yet would still end up sitting in front of her asking for their fortunes read. 

Fortune, she thought, could be so easily persuaded. 

Her eyes slid up as the soft sound of fabric moving caught her ears, taking in the person backlit by the carnival lights and setting sun. She picked the first three cards off the top of the deck, setting them on the table in front of her. Past, present, future. Perhaps more, if she felt like it. 

“Do you feel lucky tonight? The cards can be... unforgiving at the best of times.”

@wickedpotions & @ofmvoonlight​ & @perfectwordspenny​ @theadorablewinchester​ 

[shallowmagics]

— *•̩̩͙   r. & merlin emrys  •̩̩͙* —

Rhiannon hated hospitals.

Oh, she could understand death. Human spirits were far more tolerable once they had tasted the Otherworld in the most final sense. Death was understandable, constant. Hospitals only staved death for a mere moment, defending humans from fate’s claymores with sticks and stones. The sweet smell of rot hidden underneath a layer of chemicals made her want to gag, even as she sat in Emrys’ office, legs slung over the arm of a chair. 

The charge nurse hadn’t even been a deterrent. The human had led her to the doctor’s office with barely a pointed comment from Rhiannon. Appointments be damned, apparently. She breathed through her mouth as she waited for the doctor, a taloned hand swiping along the smooth surface of her necklace.

She paused as she heard the click of the door handle, weighing her options on what would prevent Emrys from leaving her there. Rhiannon only needed minutes. “What exactly do you know about memory loss? Magical, I don’t need a human anatomy lesson.”

@wickedpotions​ for merlin!

[shallowmagics]

— •   r. & simon snow salisbury  • —

Rhiannon watched the fire climb high over the seasoned logs, her only barrier between her and Sallow Hills’ treacherous waters. Despite the merrow and their violence, they posed no threat to Rhiannon. Even as the sirens popped their heads above the waves to catch a glimpse of the rare blue moon, they paid her no attention. They were the same, on the most basic level. Predatory creatures made of magick, but without competition. Rhiannon had no quarrel with them. She was not here to take their food and they knew better than to bother the Sidhe. 

Eyes fluttering shut, the Unseelie lifted her face up to the light of the moon. She enjoyed being away from town on nights like these. It was easier to feel the magick swirl beneath her skin, to give in and let her glamour drop in the intimacy of the moment. 

She picked up the sound of shoes crunching on sand, languidly opening those sapphire eyes to see the dragon-child approaching. They couldn’t have picked a better night for this if they had tired. 

“Are you ready? I’m having you start small, just routine. No magick.” Not for him, at least. Rhiannon was a completely different story. 

@simcnsncwsalisbury​ !

[shallowmagics]

— *•̩̩͙   r. & baz grimm-pitch  •̩̩͙* —

There had to have been something Rhiannon had missed. 

Something that had opened up two years ago, that managed to allow her beloved to cross the barrier without aging, ignoring time. That something had to be tangible, to be understood, and utilized in order to bring Simon back. Magick had an understandable flow to it, at least for creatures like Rhiannon. If she could just discover exactly how it ebbed and flowed in Sallow Hills, she could find Simon. 

Rhiannon inspected the barrier, lowering the hood of her cloak in order to get a better look. Unchanged as ever. Could it have to be due to a strong emotional connection with someone on the inside? If that was the case, Simon shouldn’t have gone missing in the first place. The vampire, magician, and the magician’s human were all still in the town. Rhiannon was still there. 

She shut her eyes as she registered the presence nearby. One all too familiar, having spent months in the corner of her shop. Against her better judgment, Rhiannon decided to call out. “Making yourself sick with exhaustion won’t bring Simon back.” 

@wickedpotions​ for baz! 

[shallowmagics]

— *•̩̩͙   r. & your choice  •̩̩͙*˚ —

Rhiannon had left the shop in Loki’s hands and while she still was not certain in her decision, she let herself have the day off. It was her birthday, a day she would much rather spend with her own company rather than trying to find what new thing the little god had destroyed.

Her gossamer wings gave a twitch at her back as she bent down to look at one of the plants in the nursery. It would look good in the shop’s window boxes, even if the stems of the oxalis seemed a little thin to survive a Welsh winter.

Something, someone, brushed against her wings. The barest of a touch but enough to hurt her delicate wings. Rhiannon whirled on the stranger in a second, all pearl-white fangs and inhuman eyes. “Don’t you have manners?! Watch what you’re doing.”

@sinnersxonly​ for your choice! 

[shallowmagics]

— •  r. & loki laufeyson  • —

As the waves crashed against the pebbly shore, Rhiannon couldn’t help but curse them under her breath. There was a pattern to nature, even if humans still could not understand it. The tide ebbed and flowed, the sun would rise each morning. Everything- except for Rhiannon’s kind- died. Nature was comforting in it’s simplicity, even as it mocked her. 

Everything died but Rhiannon. The flowers in her windowsill, a handful of employees, even their new dragon pests. Humans. Humans always died. It was madness to watch for a ghost ship to appear over the horizon, to have every minute detail of someone so infuriatingly mortal burned into her mind. 

She pulled the blanket around her that much tighter, in an attempt to stave off the chill within her bones, placed there by her court, made unbearable by loss. The crunch of footsteps followed by an annoyingly familiar shadow caused that chill to turn to ice. 

“What do you want, godling?”

for @loki-thedeceiver​​

[shallowmagics]

— *•̩̩͙   r. & simon snow salisbury  •̩̩͙* —

Rhiannon had started to grow tired of this town. Checking along barrier far too often for Simon, the truce with the vampire, and Sallow’s meddling were grating. Being thrown out of her own shop for her behavior… Well, she would do the same to any of them, Rhiannon shouldn’t have been so surprised at their actions.

At least the sun was shining, such a rare occurrence in winter. The weak rays were doing their best to warm the streets, Rhiannon letting her hand trail across a stone wall. Her eyes scanned across the street, latching onto the one spot of color in the gray. Red, leathery wings she had been looking for for months.

“Simon,” She breathed. This was it. Despite the tattered state of Tal’s memories, her increasing desire to tear Sallow limb from limb, Rhiannon had everything she considered hers in one place. She was moving before she knew it, crossing over towards Simon.

Taking his face in her hands- soft and glamoured, she’d never had the stomach to hurt him- Rhiannon turned it this way and that. No cuts, no bruises, nothing that would speak of a rough journey back into town. She was satisfied with nearly everything, except for that look in his eyes. He’d seen her without much glamour, her fangs and eyes shouldn’t be a shock to his system.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

@simcnsncwsalisbury​ 

[shallowmagics]

​ — •  r.  & open!  • —

Rhiannon placed another wrapped necklace on display, sliding the cord around a gnarled hook. A very pretty bit of tempered sea glass, supposed to bring with it “all the powers of the ocean”. In truth, it was no more than just glass in a very strange shape. Most things in her shop were inherently valueless until the humans that frequented it assigned those trinkets their purpose.

Surprisingly powerful lot, humans were. Only when they knew what they were doing.

Some things worked. Others were cursed, “blessed”, or even her own little brand of protection. There had even been a box with a chaos entity trapped inside some years back, that had been exciting.

The slide of the door across the welcome mat alerted her, the tiniest quirk of her eyebrows raising. They usually didn’t get this many customers close to dusk. But she kept her face pleasant, turning towards the newcomer.

“Did you want help finding anything?” Rhiannon asked, repositioning the box to rest against her hip.

open for everyone!

[shallowmagics]

​  — •   r. & zelda • —

Rhiannon did not like messes.

She did not like upstart humans, she did not like humans in general. She liked them even less when they were cultists intent on burning down her shop, with their- unfortunately still living- bodies strewn about in front of her shop. It was bad for business and she was expecting that one human with the immortality question any day now.

Rhiannon kept her now splintered broom as protection as she flirted between the three prone cultists, ripping a chunk of hair from each of their heads. These would do rather nicely in the curse she already had brewing in her head. Call in a favor with the others of her kind in the woods, talk to a few of the local spirits...

Feeling a gaze upon her, the Sídhe turned around to find a surprisingly-not-quite-human looking in her direction.

“They attacked my shop first,” Rhiannon’s sapphire eyes flicked back to the bodies. Oh, one of them was starting to stir, that wouldn’t do. “Would you like to come in, or take your chances with... these creatures outside?”

@ofmvoonlight​ for zelda! 

[shallowmagics]

— •   r. & simon snow • —

All magickal things made their way to Rhiannon’s shop, eventually.

Stones, cursed items, hex bags, even the little dragon pests. It was like they were drawn to the store, Rhiannon’s own natural magick calling out to them. She didn’t mind, usually. Only when it brought others of her kind in, other Sídhe intent on gawking at the Unseelie deserter or looking to make a mess of things did it actually become an issue.

She had been editing a grimoire made by some local Wiccan for accuracy- the lack of herb knowledge in it made Rhiannon want to scream-when yet another magickal thing walked into her shop. Not exactly a human, not exactly a dragon, and not exactly a witch. But magick seemed to cling to him, in the way it clung to anyone who spent enough time around it.

“Aren’t you an interesting one?” She asked the dragon-child, the grimoire no longer holding any of her attention.

@deviumsouls​ for simon!