Putumayo  presents a new collection of Celtic music, returning to a genre that has generated some of the label’s best-selling titles. Celtic Crossroads provides a glimpse of exciting new directions in music from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Eastern Canada.

# Emer Kenny • Parting Glass • (Ireland)

# Banu Gibson • Hoireann O • (Scotland)

# Keltik Elektrik • Wild Mountain Thyme • (Scotland)

# Michael McGoldrick • Sully’s No.37/Lucy’s Reel • (Ireland)

# Gwenno • Tryweryn • (Wales)

# Mick McAuley • The House Carpenter • (Ireland)

# Cara Dillon • She’s Like the Swallow • (Ireland)

# Alan Stivell • E Kreiz Hag Endro • (Brittany/France)

# Sinéad O’Conner • Her Mantle So Green • (Ireland)

# Peatbog Faeries • Captain Coull’s Parrot • (Scotland)

# Ashley MacIsaac featuring Mary Jane Lamond • To America We Go • (Canada)

The roots of contemporary Celtic culture stretch back thousands of years. Modern Celtic music maintains a deep connection to this distant past, with many of today’s Celtic musicians combining haunting medieval melodies, rustic folk songs and traditional Gaelic lyrics with electronic beats, rock, reggae and other modern elements. Indeed, this juxtaposition of past and present, tradition and modernity has helped keep Celtic music thriving and relevant to new generations. In the 1990s, Celtic music experienced a worldwide surge in popularity thanks to Enya, Loreena McKennitt, Clannad and others who updated traditional Celtic music. As the songs on Celtic Crossroads reveal, inventive artists have created a second wave of boundary-crossing music that appeals to fans of both traditional and popular music. Celtic Crossroads features the enchanting voice of Sinèad O’Connor, the controversial pop star who recently returned to her traditional Irish music roots, and Emer Kenny, whose wistful voice and atmospheric style have earned her comparisons to Enya and Björk. Young up-and-coming vocalists Cara Dillon from Ireland and Welsh discovery Gwenno also contribute captivating performances. Virtuoso musicians such as Ireland’s wooden flute master Michael McGoldrick, Cape Breton violinist extraordinaire Ashley MacIsaac (in a duet with fellow Canadian Mary Jane Lamond) and gifted accordionist Mick McAuley, a member of leading Celtic band Solas, are all featured on Celtic Crossroads. The collection also highlights cutting-edge bands like Scotland’s Capercaillie, Peatbog Faeries and Keltik Elektrik, all of whom have stretched the boundaries of traditional Celtic music and helped it cross over to more mainstream audiences. Veteran Breton harpist Alan Stivell shows that even old-timers can be innovators, as he blends hip-hop beats and turntablism with ancient Celtic melodies.