Celtic Music as Creative Muse

For each petal on the shamrock.

This brings a wish your way

Good health, good luck, and happiness

For today and every day. 

-Irish Verse

The shamrocks on the postcard above caught my eye, when I was at a market in Frankfurt a few years ago, and I picked up the card (which is truly a New Year card) for its interesting mixture of symbolic imagery.  Paired with the Good Luck card from 1908, I thought that it was a fitting vintage postcard tribute to St. Patrick’s Day. 

Today, I thought that I would share a very Irish-inspired driver to my creativity, which is Celtic music.  About two years ago, I was working through a snowy weekend on an intensive project whose deadline had just been moved up a month.  Having been through all my usual music, I started hunting around for something more energizing than classical and not as distracting as rock.  That is when I decided to take a listen to the Celtic Sojourn radio on WGBH.org and a whole new genre of music opened before me—filled with spritely fiddles, moving aires, and folky ballads.

CelticSojourn is hosted by Brian O’Donovan, whose Irish lilt is a warm pairing for his musical knowledge as he “explores the roots and branches of traditional Irish music.”  Since that working-weekend two years ago, I have come to look forward to the three, well-crafted hours of music that Brian O’Donovan shares every Saturday afternoon from 3pm to 6pm (in what I believe may be one of the last remaining, truly independent music-based radio shows.)

And while I may prefer the fiddle over the moan of the ellenhorn, I will always welcome an Irish tune to inspire my state of creative flow.

Explore what Irish music does for your creative process and share here on The Paper Compass.  You can listen to Celtic Sojourn live every Saturday afternoon in the Boston area on 89.7 WGBH or online at WGBH.org from 3pm to 6pm. There is also a streaming radio feed to listen anytime, or you can select specific shows at: www.wgbh.org/celtic.

May the luck of the Irish be with you on this St. Patrick’s Day and every day!