Track Listing

1. Droichead (The Bridge) - Liam O'Flynn
2. Sìor-Uaine (Evergreen) - Phil Cunningham, Manus Lunny
3. Derdriu - Máire Breatnach
4. Airdí Cuan - Maighread Ní Dhomnaill, ,
5. Medley: Sweeney's Buttermilk/The Ships Are Sailing/Jerry's Chickens - Paddy Glackin, Mícheál Ó Domhnaill
6. Cradle Song - William Coulter
7. Morning Star - Lisa Lynne
8. AR Droim Na Gaothe - John Fitzpatrick
9. Whiter Than Snow - Nightnoise
10. St. Stephen's Green - W.G. Snuffy Walden
11. December Rain - Brian Dunning, Jeff Johnson
12. Kitty Magennis - Patrick Cassidy,
13. Christmas Time's A-Coming - Ricky Skaggs

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #67010 in Music
• Released on: 1998-08-11
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
With contributions from Uillean piper Liam O'Flynn, Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler, former Skara Brea singer Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill, harpist Patrick Cassidy, and country singer Ricky Skaggs, the fourth in Windham Hill's Celtic Christmas sampler series is a varied and somewhat austere collection of winter ballads and yuletide airs. Guitarist William Coulter turns in a lovely arrangement of J. Scott Skinner's "Cradle Song," while harp and mandolin player Lisa Lynne, backed with bouzouki and double-bass, performs the two-beat "Morning Star." W.G. Snuffy Walden's lyrical "St. Stephen's Green," with added guitar by Dean Parks, sums up the album's moody yuletide sentiment. A Christmas to reflect and relax. --James Rotondi

Customer Reviews

Go against the grain, you won't regret it.
Hard-core celtic music fans have a tendency to derisively dismiss this particular form. New age music has (deservedly in most cases) been worthy of the abuse and contempt heaped upon it but this particular collection (and the three previous editions) will make believers out of even the worst of skeptics. This is first-class celtic music that does more to suggest the holiday season than any other traditional sounds making the rounds. Take a chance, sometimes it really is worth the risk.

Celtic Christmas IV-Almost Perfect
This a wonderful CD for those who love or are learning to love Celtic music. The tunes are truly beautiful. I do agree with the previous reviewer that the Ricky Skaggs number at the end sounds like a mistake that someone let happen on the master CD. BUY and ENJOY this CD, ignore the last cut.

Another winner from Windham Hill
This represents the 4th installment of this best selling collection. Those who loved the first 3 will not be disappointed. More lovely, haunting music by the usual group of contributors. But why they included Ricky Scagg's "Christmas Time is Coming" as the last track is a true mystery...it ruins the mood of what up till then was a truly beautiful release.