sarahillis's blog

We're back for another week of great Celtic music on Mushroom FM. There's no theme this week, just a fine selection of pieces guaranteed to make you laugh, cry and possibly go to sleep. These were the three skills an ancient bard had to possess to be worthy of the title, and I've brought together many of the best modern bards, bands and balladeers from both sides of the pond for three hours of awesomeness which I hope you will enjoy.

It's hard to believe that it was one year ago this coming Monday, August 21, that Mushroom FM took a chance on me and my passion for Celtic music and let me start producing this weekly dose of fun and frolic that I call Come by the Hills, the Celtic Music Show! I can't thank Jonathan and the other Fun Guys enough for welcoming me and encouraging me along the way. Also, the show wouldn't be the same without you and all the other listeners who tune in every week and give me suggestions for what to play and who keep me honest. Thanks for a great year and here's to many more!

Come along and join me this week for another episode of Come by the Hills, the Celtic Music Show on Mushroom FM! I've got all the usual features: "Me Music," "Fiddlin' Around" and "Celtic Covers," plus songs of protest, songs of love and death, and everything in between.

I have just returned from my vacation and am suitably happy to be home. The cottage was lovely and the company was even better, and consequently, I'm quite pleasantly nackered. Don't worry though. We at Mushroom FM have planned for this eventuality, and for the first time in the history of Come by the Hills, the Celtic Music Show, your host for this week will not be me, Sara Hillis. Instead, Anne Cosgrove, fellow fun guy and Celtic enthusiast, has a great show lined up with some amazing song and artist selections!

Yes, even though I'm on vacation this week, Come by the Hills is still going ahead thanks to the miracle of modern technology. We'll have a few songs that remind me of summers up north at cottages by lovely lakes, and of course the usual selection of lovely Celtic music. Dervish will be our featured artist in "Fiddlin' Around," and we'll have a "Celtic Cover" which is all about the rugged beauties of the land and lakes of the Canadian Shield. We'll also have one of my "simple singles" in "Me Music."

If you want to know exactly what that title means, you'll just have to tune in! It's another episode of Come by the Hills, the Celtic Music show on Mushroom FM. We've got three hours of every kind of Celtic music you can imagine, including a Donovan song performed by the Irish Descendants in "Celtic Covers," a setting of a Dylan Thomas poem in "Me Music," and plenty of other great music from artists such as Mary Black, Mackeel and Meg Davis. Mmmmmmm! That sounds good, doesn't it?

Yes, it's time once again for another infusion of Celtic goodies to be squirted into your week! (Wasn't that a great image? Well, moving on...) I've got yet another Simple Single in "Me Music," a "Celtic Cover" that just popped out at me from nowhere, and some great tunes from Planxty in "Fiddlin' Around." As ever, if you tune in this week, you'll get three hours of high-quality music with a healthy dose of less-than-high-quality wit courtesy of yours truly.

Yes, July 1 is Canada Day, and it's the 150th anniversary of confederation to boot, so we'll be going all Canadian on Come by the Hills. We have a fine Stan Rogers song in "Celtic Covers," a couple of segments on some great Canadian bands who sing about Canadian things, some great Quebecois music in "Fiddlin' Around," and a lot of obscure and interesting Canadian folk songs for you to enjoy.

More great Celtic music is the order of the day this week on Come by the Hills, including a "Celtic Cover" involving not one, not two, but three jugs of punch. There's also another simple single in "Me Music," some fiddle tunes from The Green Fields of America, and lots of other great listening as usual.

Join me on Sunday night after The Early Years or catch the replay on Friday morning after The Smorgasbord!

As my Apple Watch informs me, the days are getting longer and longer, and this coming week will be the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. This day has traditionally been called Midsummer's Day and has been a time of dancing, bonfires and general merry-making to honour the high-point of the growing season. We're going to celebrate this on Come by the Hills this week with a few songs about summer for your enjoyment. We'll have a summer-themed "Celtic Cover," another one of my "simple singles" in our feature called "Me Music," and a whole lot more.