National Celtic Festival Focus: Paul McKenna

Answered by: Paul McKenna

Describe your sound in four words: Modern Scottish Folk Music.

Give us a brief history of yourself and your music: I'm a singer-songwriter from Glasgow, Scotland. I have been playing music for most of my life and have been lucky enough to tour across the globe with The Paul McKenna Band over the past 10 years. 

Is there a Celtic background in your family history? Being from Scotland I suppose there is. My family background is Irish with both my grandfathers coming from Donegal and Mayo respectively. 

Is there one solid definition of Celtic music, or is it a broad church where lots of elements can be incorporated? I think of it as a broad church and can include traditional, folk and original music from many Celtic countries throughout the world. 

What album would you offer someone who knew nothing about Celtic music as an introduction and why? That's a tough one. Personally, I would go with the legendary Irish band Plenty. Their self-titled first album changed my life! 

Do you experience many Celtic Festivals? Do people hold them regularly? I have played at many Celtic festivals all over the world. They are quite common especially in North America and Germany. 

Do you plan to hang out for the entire festival or only be there for your set? I think I'll be hanging around as much as I can. I'm hoping to catch up with some of the other artists that I know and also hear some new music. 

What day(s) are you playing the festival? 9-12 Jun

Website link for more info? paulmckennascotland.com