Just because St. Patrick’s day was last month there’s still time to enjoy the wearing of the green . . . (or is it the listening of the green?).

That’s because it’s always a good time to listen to Celtic music. Celtic music includes a broad range of (mostly) folk genres associated with the Celtic people.

If you don’t know who would be considered a Celtic person, they’re the people who live in western Great Britain, Scotland, and Ireland. Specific locations in France have also been known to be home to some Celtic people.

And while some Celtic music might be simple traditional folk tunes other examples might be mistaken for hard-rockin’ punk.

“I was just introduced to the genre a few days ago; it can be nice to listen to sometimes when studying; or in other cases to lift your spirits up and allow you to be happier for a while after listening. A lot of Celtic music also reminds me of something I would hear from video games—adventure games, maybe—because of my brother playing them all the time,” commented sophomore Becca Leith.

Some Celtic musicians such as The Wolfe Tones and The Dubliners have adapted original Irish folk songs with their own personal spin to it. They have kept the original lyrics to the songs, just given them their own style.

Other bands, like Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys, have taken the classic Celtic sound and amped it up. They have worked to create a Celtic punk sound which fuses fiddles, tin whistles, and other folk instruments with the normal punk rock instrumentation.

But just because musicians are Irish doesn’t mean that they perform Celtic music. Van Morrison, The Waterboys, U2, The Corrs, and The Cranberries all are known for their Celtic roots—but not tradition Celtic music.

Across Europe there are popular festivals spanning both Celtic and non-Celtic countries. Some of these festivals include Galaicofolia in Portugal, Fleadh Cheoil in Ireland, Festival del Kan ar Bobl in France, and there are many others.

One of the biggest Celtic festivals in the US is the annual Milwaukee Irish Fest which will be August 15-18. Closer to home is the Dublin Irish Festival in Dublin, Ohio August 2-4. But those are just two of the dozens of Celtic-themed festivals around the country every year.

So dust off that tin whistle, tune up the old fiddle, and prepare to enjoy some great music!