THE unmistakable whisper of Celtic flutes mixedwith the soothing blend of traditional Celtic string instrumentswill drift through the Central Valley this weekendand next, as the first Festival of Celtic Music presentstwo concerts in Heredia’s INBioparque, north of SanJosé, and with the launching of thecountry’s first Celtic-themed radioshow on Radio Eco, 95.9 FM.“We didn’t expect this to growso big,” said concert and radio showproducer Darren Mora. “When westarted organizing the event is whenall of the people came together…saying they really like the music andwanted to come to the show.”The large interest in Celticmusic that Mora has seen since hebegan organizing the concert oneyear ago is due in large part to anoverall interest in world music, hesaid.“I think there is a trend not justin Costa Rica but all over the worldfor world music,” Mora said. “Thisand the fact that there is loads of Celtic music in severalpopular movies… like ‘Cinderella Man’ and ‘Road toPerdition,’ have given it a large part in our everyday popculture.”Although Mora, a Costa Rican citizen, does not havea Celtic background, he explained that the Celtic traditionis more than just a part of Irish folk culture.“The Celts came from Poland and Austria, fromEastern Europe,” he said. “(Their migration) ended mostlyin Ireland, but there is still strong Celtic blood inFrance, Poland, Britain and northern Spain. They stillcarry over some of the Gaelic culture and language.”This is why Mora believes that the concerts will be ofimportance not only to those interested in world music,but to the many Costa Ricans who have descended fromnorthern Spain, particularly the Celtic-Spanish provinceof Asturias.THE first concert, scheduled totake place tomorrow, will featureIrish acoustic instrumentalist AndyIrvine; Peregrino Gris, a CostaRican Celtic, jazz and rock ensemblegroup; and Santos y Zurdo, twomusicians who fuse world instrumentswith trip-hop and ambientmusic.The second concert, scheduledfor Nov. 19, will feature PeregrinoGris alongside Asgaya, a groupfrom northern Spain that features amix of traditional Celtic and classicalmusic with a Latin touch,according to Mora.The festival is sponsored by theSpanish Embassy, the IrishEmbassy of Mexico, Aisling Mahonof Galería Namu in San José, and San José’s Tin Jorestaurant.Tickets cost ¢10,000 ($20) apiece or ¢16,000 ($33)for a pair if bought prior to Nov. 12, after which ticketswill cost ¢12,000 ($25) each. To reserve or buy tickets,visit Mora Books, Radio Eco, Tin Jo restaurant, orGalería Namu in San José. For information, visitwww.celticos.org or e-mail mail@celticos.org.
Today in Costa Rica
