Demystifying Irish Sessions with Shannon Heaton

Demystifying Irish Sessions with Shannon Heaton

Author: Marc Gunn, The Celtfather December 19, 2017 Duration: 45:17

As a Celtic singer and autoharper, I've never felt super comfortable going to Irish sessions. I had a couple dirty looks when I first got into Irish music. It biased me a lot against them since. But I love Irish music. So I was excited to watch a video by Shannon Heaton where she provides a sort of how to guide to Irish sessions. It was very inspiring.

Shannon Heaton hosts the Irish Music Stories podcast. She hosted an episode of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast last June. And I wanted to find out more about her. We had a great chat a couple months back.

My bandcamp store now offers the Celtfather Classics USB. This album features all my music from 1995 through 2009. You'll get 10 albums, including all of my current cat CDs, plus a bunch of exclusive EPs and podcasts, all for just $50. This is a way-to-generous deal. Follow the link to my Bandcamp store for details.

Coffee with The Celtfather is a new live streaming show I'm hosting on my Facebook fan page. I go live on Monday morning around 9 am. We will chat and have fun while we sing along together with your song requests. Come join me. Oh! And the more you share the show and tip, the longer I will play. The show is off right now, but it will be back in January.

Finally, I want to share some Christmas music with you. You may know I host the Celtic Christmas Podcast. But you might not yet be aware of my Spotify playlists. My two favorites right now are Christmas Drinking Songs and Fun Christmas Songs for Kids and Families.

Oh! Speaking of Spotify, this show will be available on Spotify at the beginning of 2018. Yup! You will be able to listen directly through your Spotify account.

Interview with Shannon Heaton

  • How Shannon Heaton found Irish music

  • Irish Music Stories

  • How do you create your podcast stories

  • YouTube Channel

  • Irish Session Culture

  • Touring as an Irish musician

  • Favorite Places in Ireland: Cruise's Pub in Ennis in County Clarre, Crane Bar in Galway City

  • Clare.Fm for trad music in Ennis

  • Desert Island Discs

  • Handful of Earth by Dick Gaughan

  • Kitty Lies Over by Mick O'Brien and Caoimhim O' Raghallaigh

Music featured in this show:

"Thady Casey's & Reel of Rio" by Matt & Shannon Heaton from Blue Skies Above

"Mantle of Green" by Matt & Shannon Heaton from Tell You in Earnest

I hope you enjoyed this interview, if you did, then please support Shannon Heaton. Subscribe to her podcast. Listen. Share it with your friends. Buy a CD. She's an awesome lady and deserves your kind support.

You can support my music and travels for as little as $1 per month when you join the Gunn Runners Club and become a patron of my music. If you enjoy this show, subscribe to the podcast and my mailing list at celtfather.com.


Join musician and storyteller Marc Gunn, known to many as The Celtfather, as he extends the journey beyond his popular music show. This companion Travel Ireland, Scotland and Beyond with Celtic Invasion Vacations podcast is an audio postcard from the road, directly from the small-group tours he leads annually. Rather than a checklist of tourist sites, each episode immerses you in the texture of a place. You’ll hear from local guides sharing histories you won’t find in textbooks, catch snippets of spontaneous music sessions in a cozy pub, and listen to travelers’ reflections as they connect with a landscape steeped in legend. The recordings are intimate and immediate, capturing the crackle of a peat fire, the rhythm of a weaving loom, or the wind across a remote headland. It’s about depth over distance, offering a sense of what it truly feels like to wander these regions with someone who knows their soul. Through this podcast, Marc provides a genuine auditory layer to the travel experience-a blend of personal narrative, casual interview, and ambient sound that makes each destination feel vividly alive. It’s for anyone who dreams of a more meaningful connection with Celtic lands, whether they’re planning their own invasion or simply wishing to escape from their armchair.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Travel Ireland, Scotland and Beyond with Celtic Invasion Vacations
Podcast Episodes
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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 invader…
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Duration: 18:30
Join me as I talk with Samuel of Visite Bretagne about the history of the Celts in Brittany, France. You'll learn how the Celts got to Cornwall, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. And how they came back to Brittany. You'll fi…