Just came back after watching Angels and Demons.I enjoyed the movie. I love the way they highlighted the Large Hadron Collider at CERN and the whole thing about creating the ‘God’ particle.Scientists at CERN did verify that the procedure in creating the amount of anti-matter would have to take billions of years.The soundtrack is perfect.Ewan MacGregor’s portrayal of Camerlengo Patrick McKenna is superb.I did some research and they used the California set to film most of the part in the story because some Priests find the book series offensive.I don’t want to write too much about this film because a lot of people have already done so and film analysis is not my major. Again this is another kudos for my fave Scottish actor.
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The Picts of Ancient Scotland
It was Anne Rice (who can trace her roots in Scotland) who introduced me to the Picts and the Pictish culture in her novel Lasher.It’s part of the series about the lives of the Mayfair witches. You can say that Pictish is related to Celtic or they look the same. But there is a difference. The are the ‘painted people’ of ancient Scotland inhabiting most of the North Eastern part. A beautiful example of their art can be found here: http://www.penandprint.com/images/scotland/2007_dec/pictish_stone_lrg.jpg
For more resources, visit the following links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picts
Enya-related artists
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/music/enya-like/ has a list of artists you might want to check out.
Long time favorite artists on the list include:
Aoife Ni Fhearraigh
Aine Minogue
Mary Jane Lamond
and Connie Dover. Check it out! You might get some on your next shopping list.
Iona’s Treasure
Iona-Treasure
It’s my headache that made me listen to Iona’s Revelation which is a Best of compilation. This band from the UK has been around for quite sometime. What made me drawn to them was the song “Here I Stand “.You can look them up at Youtube.The band’s music is a combination of progressive Rock, Jazz and Celtic elements. Joanne Hogg has the voice that makes it into the front row of the Celtic stalwarts. I would warn you though. This is only recommended for chosen ears. The whole rock n’ roll can get in the way. For people who are into purely rock, the traditional air might make you sleepy. For people into secular stuff, the Christian themes might get in the way. But for me, they are just lovely.
Tracks off the album:
1. Treasure 2. Island 3. Flight Of The Wild Goose 4. Chi Rho 5. Burning Like Fire 6. Iona 7. Revelation 8. Columcille 9. Dancing On The Wall 10. Kells 11. Today 12. Here I Stand 13. Edge Of The World 14. Matthew The Man 15. Beyond These Shores
Check out the band’s website: http://www.iona.uk.com
Vitas is the name
Vitas
Occasionally, an artist makes it into celticmusicfan’s site. Vitas is Russian and his music is not what you would really call Celtic. But there are Classical elements on this style that makes it universal.To know more about Vitas visit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitas and his official site:http://vitas.com.ru
I am also posting a link to the videos because these are official videos from the site.http://vitas.com.ru/china_tour_2009_eng.php
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His music is a fusion of Reggae,Classical,Pop Ballads and even Electronica.His concerts are always stylized, giving emphasis on lights and costumes. Something that Sarah Brightman does.
What really surprised me about his vocal range is the fact that he can reach the counter tenor part.The vocal heights that are usually sung by female contraltos.And you could tell his voice has been trained classically because it emulates that operatic feel.It’s like listening to a soloist of American Boy Choir.His voice is otherworldly and for those who haven’t heard him yet, I encourage you to give him a try.
Celtic Music Fan 
