"Ceol" & Alec Finn.

"Ceol" means "music". When my friend Justyna and I were in Ireland in 2006, we didn't get to see any traditional Irish music performed in pubs as it was April (off-season) AND we weren't on the west coast, where the traditional music is more prevalent.

On my travels to Ireland this past fall, I was not only lucky enough to be able to listen to traditional Irish music in the pubs but I got to listen to Alec Finn, one of Celtic music's most influential musicians and a founding member of DeDanaan, play in his castle. Finn's debut solo album, Blue Shamrock, received critical lauds, described by Hot Press as "a beautifully crafted, highly satisfying, collection of Irish airs". You might wanna pause the Celtic jukebox at the top of the blog before listening to this.

Alec and his wife, Leonie, live at Oranmore Castle in Oranmore, Co. Galway. Oranmore Castle is family friend Michael's ancestral home and the purpose of our visit was to spread Michael's father's ashes over the sides of the castle turret. They graciously invited Michael and I into their home/castle and we had a wonderful time. Irish music, live performance, port wine, roaring fire, castle...a high point of the trip.

The Irish bouzouki, the instrument Alec is playing, is a derivative of the Greek bouzouki, adopted into and adapted for Irish music from the late 1960s onward. Not sure which bouzouki Alec is playing, but I assume it's the Greek version (it's what he's known for).