The following is a list of notable musicians who compose or have composed Celtic fusion music.
Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celtic people of Northwestern Europe. It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and recorded music and the styles vary considerably to include everything from traditional music to a wide range of hybrids.
Tony McManus is a guitarist from Paisley, Scotland, who plays finger-style acoustic guitar arrangements of tunes from Celtic music, classical music, and other genres. He emigrated from Scotland to Canada in 2003.
Steve McDonald is a New Zealand composer, singer, and instrumentalist who performs in the Celtic fusion musical style. He performed in rock bands Timberjack, Dizzy Limits, and Human Instinct before embarking on a solo career. He has composed musical scores for television shows and documentaries. Beginning in the early 1990s, McDonald has explored his Scottish heritage through a series of Celtic recordings. He is published on the Etherean Music music label.
Irish music is music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland.
Scottish folk music is a genre of folk music that uses forms that are identified as part of the Scottish musical tradition. There is evidence that there was a flourishing culture of popular music in Scotland during the late Middle Ages, but the only song with a melody to survive from this period is the "Pleugh Song". After the Reformation, the secular popular tradition of music continued, despite attempts by the Kirk, particularly in the Lowlands, to suppress dancing and events like penny weddings. The first clear reference to the use of the Highland bagpipes mentions their use at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547. The Highlands in the early seventeenth century saw the development of piping families including the MacCrimmons, MacArthurs, MacGregors and the Mackays of Gairloch. There is also evidence of adoption of the fiddle in the Highlands. Well-known musicians included the fiddler Pattie Birnie and the piper Habbie Simpson. This tradition continued into the nineteenth century, with major figures such as the fiddlers Niel and his son Nathaniel Gow. There is evidence of ballads from this period. Some may date back to the late Medieval era and deal with events and people that can be traced back as far as the thirteenth century. They remained an oral tradition until they were collected as folk songs in the eighteenth century.
Celtic music is primarily associated with the folk traditions of Ireland, Scotland, Brittany and Wales, as well as the popular styles derived from folk culture. In addition, a number of other areas of the world are known for the use of Celtic musical styles and techniques, including Newfoundland, and much of the folk music of Canada's Maritimes, especially on Cape Breton Island and Prince Edward Island.
Celtic rock is a genre of folk rock, as well as a form of Celtic fusion which incorporates Celtic music, instrumentation and themes into a rock music context. It has been prolific since the early 1970s and can be seen as a key foundation of the development of successful mainstream Celtic bands and popular musical performers, as well as creating important derivatives through further fusions. It has played a major role in the maintenance and definition of regional and national identities and in fostering a pan-Celtic culture. It has also helped to communicate those cultures to external audiences.
Sing Loud, Sing Proud! is the third studio album from Boston punk rock band the Dropkick Murphys. Before the album's release in 2001, guitarist Rick Barton left the band. He announced James Lynch of Boston punk band The Ducky Boys as his successor. As well as Lynch, the band also recruited then 17-year-old Marc "The Kid" Orrell on lead guitar. The band also recruited a full-time piper, Robbie Mederios, and Ryan Foltz on mandolin and tin whistle.
Celtic fusion is an umbrella term for any modern music which incorporates influences considered "Celtic", or Celtic music which incorporates modern music. It is a syncretic musical tradition which borrows freely from the perceived "Celtic" musical traditions of all the Celtic nations, as well as from all styles of popular music, it is thus sometimes associated with the Pan-Celtic movement. Celtic fusion may or may not include authentic traditional music from any one tradition under the Celtic umbrella, but its common characteristic is the inspiration by Celtic identity.
Enter the Haggis is a Canadian Celtic rock band based in Toronto. The band was founded in 1995 by Craig Downie, the only remaining original member in the lineup, which currently consists of Downie, Brian Buchanan, Trevor Lewington, Caroline Browning (bass), and Tom Barraco (drums). For about a year, starting in late 2014, they recorded and performed under the name Jubilee Riots, and released their eighth studio album Penny Black under that name, before returning to the original name.
Celtic punk is punk rock mixed with traditional Celtic music.
Eric Rigler is an American player of the Uilleann pipes, Great Highland Bagpipes, and tin whistle. He performs as a solo artist and with the band Bad Haggis, and has been featured on a number of movie soundtracks. He has been described as "the most recorded bagpiper of all time". He has been playing all forms of bagpipes and tin whistles since he was a child, performing solo, with bagpipe bands and other musical groups.
Gung Haggis Fat Choy is a cultural event originating from Vancouver, Canada. The name is a combination wordplay on Scottish and Chinese words; haggis is a traditional Scottish food while Kung Hei Fat Choi is a traditional Cantonese greeting used during Chinese New Year.
Mick Linden is the bassist for the Celtic/Fusion group Bad Haggis.
Croft No. 5 are a Scottish world music–Celtic fusion band, composed of accordionist John Somerville, guitarist Spad Reid, drummer Paul Jennings, bassist Duncan Lyall, fiddler Innes Watson, and Misha Somerville on whistles. The band was started in 1998 with original bassist Somhairle MacDonald and the band was soon joined by Adam Sutherland. Both Sutherland and MacDonald left to pursue other projects in 2003. Croft No. 5 toured all over the world from New York to the Czech Republic. Croft No. 5 split at the end of the summer of 2006 following disagreements over the musical direction of the band, but reformed in 2017 for concerts at Glenelg Village Hall and Celtic Connections 2018.
Grit is the last studio album by the Scottish Celtic fusion artist Martyn Bennett. It was released on 13 October 2003 on the Real World label.
Whitelake is Enter the Haggis's sixth studio album. It was released in October 2011, and was paid for entirely by Enter The Haggis's fans, through a fundraiser called the Haggis Helper.
Haggis pakora is a Scottish snack food that combines traditional Scottish haggis ingredients with the spices, batter and preparation method of Indian and Pakistani pakoras. It has become a popular food in Indian and Pakistani restaurants in Scotland, and is also available in prepared form in supermarkets.