The Celtic Show
WRFG Atlanta (89.3FM)

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After substituting on The Celtic Show
a few times, Jon Kiger is delighted to
have assumed regular hosting duties
starting in the summer of 2013, while
longterm host John C. Falstaff takes a
break.

Jenny and Dave also host from time
to time.

The Celtic Show now has a
Facebook page!

Jon Kiger first sat behind a radio station
control board at the tender age of 14 at
WPEA the on campus radio station of
Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH.
During his time in boarding school he
hosted hundreds of radio shows and
eventually earned a spot as General
Manager of the station. Apart from a
few shows related to alumni reunions
on campus, he was off the air for
the better part of thirty years.

Jon first traveled to Ireland in September 2007. On his last night in the country he walked into a local session in Lahinch in County Clare and was immediately enamored with Irish music. He stayed until closing time being mesmerized by the quality and enjoyment of the music. Since that trip, he has been back to Ireland once or twice a year, usually making music the focus of the trip. He has attended formal performances and local sessions from Leitrim to Kilkenny, and many places in between. In addition, he has attended many regional Irish festivals in the US to listen to and meet many of the performers featured on the show.

1 Sep 2013 (tribute to Seamus Heaney, host John C. Falstaff
with guest Jim Flannery of Emory University.)
Podcast of Part 2 – about 54 minutes
Email received on 2 Sep: Dear John and Jim, Thank you both for an incredible show and tribute to the late Seamus Heaney. It was first class - not alone the insights to Seamus' greatness, extracts from his own readings, but also the music contributed from the giants like Liam Og O'Flynn, Sarah McQuaid/Niamh Parsons and more. Thank you, thank you. I am so glad I caught the show. I will go forth and invite others to look for the podcast.

28 Jul 2013 (host Jon Kiger) See here for show details.
Part 1 –
Part 2 –

12 May 2013 (host Jon Kiger) See here for show details.
Part 1 –
Part 2 –

"Thank you for your show. It brings so much joy to my life. After the weekend I always cook Sunday nights to get ready for the week. I do this while listening to your show. It makes going back to work not seem so bad" [loyal listener, March 2012]

As the long running host of The Celtic Show on WRFG Atlanta, John C. Falstaff is highly entertaining. He possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of the music and the musicians, from legendary figures of the past to the current ones just making their mark. He gives enough commentary to provide meaningful background, but the focus is on the music, and there is lots of it, well-paced. – Jim Alexander, Chair, Irish Music Traditions (Atlanta Branch of CCE)

Info on the image

I congratulate WRFG Atlanta on promoting appreciation of the rich Celtic heritage of Georgia and the South East. Anyone with Scots-Irish, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Manx or Cornish family roots, or with interests in knowing more about the diversity of British and Irish folk music, will particularly enjoy listening to John C. Falstaff's show.
– Annabelle Malins, British Consul General for Atlanta

For three decades plus, The Celtic Show on non-commercial community radio station WRFG Atlanta (89.3FM) has brought the finest Celtic music to listeners in the metro area and beyond. The show goes out live each Sunday from 5 to 7pm EST at 100,000 watts. Please turn your dial to 89.3FM–or catch the streaming audio–we now have many loyal listeners worldwide from Edinburgh to Honolulu as well as throughout Georgia and North America. You can listen to a past show now.

Since 1995, native Dubliner John C. Falstaff has been the main host. (Note: starting summer 2013 he's taking a break.) If you're a fan of harp, accordion, pipes, whistles, fiddles or flutes, or beautiful haunting singing, then this is the show for you. You'll hear an ever-changing mix of classic and modern tunes and songs from Ireland, Scotland and Wales, as well as music with roots in those regions, from places as diverse as Australia, Brooklyn, Cape Breton, Ottawa and Maine. Items from Brittany, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Galicia get a look in too.

Jenny Hubbard Young from Wales co-hosts from time to time, as does long time WRFG volunteer Dave Aton. Siusaidh Ruadh (who hosted regularly in the years 2001-2005) has been known to sit in on rare occasion also.

Half way through the show, at 6pm, we generally have a special feature either on a musical theme (e.g., local musicians performing live, Robert Burns' birthday, the 50th anniversary of Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem's debut on the Ed Sullivan Show, Welsh or Irish tenors, Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama students, Irish covers of Dylan songs, recent Celtic music award winners, etc.) or current events (e.g., the opening of the new Irish Consulate in town, President Obama's visit to Ireland, etc.), often with visiting guests. Of course, in March we highlight both St. David's and St. Patrick's days with appropriate music.

Now and then, Scottish storyteller Kathleen Mainland drops by for a live reading. Several podcasts feature her.

Over the years, many of the biggest wigs in Celtic music have been interviewed live on The Celtic Show on WRFG, from piper Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains, Altan, singer Susan McKeown, fiddler Kevin Burke and Riverdance composer Bill Whelan, to Scottish singer Andy M. Stewart, Battlefield Band and Welsh bard Dafydd Iwan.

Here's the full 27 minute interview of Dafydd Iwan which Jenny did on 31 Aug 15 2007 (excerpts of this have been used on several shows).

Please email Jon Kiger if you'd like information about a particular piece heard on the programme, or you wish to submit a CD for airplay consideration. Please check the playlists too. Note that, in general, there is very little singer songwriter material, new age Celtic music or Celtic rock–however exceptions are sometimes made for artists of calibre who are soon to play in town, or for recordings of historical significance.

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The Celtic Show WRFG Atlanta (89.3FM)

The Celtic Show
WRFG Atlanta (89.3FM)