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At Lunar New Year, certain foods are particularly lucky to eat. Why? Because in Chinese, their names are puns on fortunate things. Damn, maybe noodles are all it takes to get me into puns after all...

Professor Miranda Brown, cultural historian of China specialising in food and drink, explains the wordplay foods of new year, and why names are so resonant in Chinese.

EXTRA MATERIALS:

• Miranda writes in Atlas Obscura about some of the lunar new year foods.

• The Grass Mud Horse Lexicon.

• “Perhaps my favourite character, for the absurdity of his English name, is Intelligent Fragrant Chicken, which is one tone off from dǎ fēi jī, slang for masturbation.”

• ‘The head and tail of the fish also represent a saying, you tou you wei (有头有尾), which means “for the things you have started, you must end it well and not do things half-heartedly”.’

• Quite a different kind of food pun but you can vote in Babbel’s 2024 shop pun competition.

• Otherlusionists: I mentioned Jing Tsu talking about homophones to defy censors in Bonus 2022, and she also talked about Chinese and writing systems in In Character. Lacuna is about another food-related way to get around censors. Yes, As In is not only very entertaining, it also nudges at names with ambition and nominative determinism. And Name Therapy considers people’s relationships with their own names.

How often do you get a movie with some major linguistic plots? Not often enough! We’re going to watch the 2016 science fiction conlang hit Arrival together in the Allusioverse Discord, on Saturday 17 February 12.30pm PT/3.30pm ET/8.30pm UTC/check your timezone. This is for members of the Allusioverse, and you can become one via theallusionist.org/donate (no payment will be taken till the 1st of the month, so you can try it out for free). And you also get behind-the-scenes glimpses about every episode, fortnightly livestreams with me and my dictionaries, and the Allusioverse Discord community - AND your contributions help keep this independent podcast going. It’s rocky times!

YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
whim-wham, noun, archaic:
1. a quaint and decorative object; a trinket.
2. a whim.
Origin 16th century: fanciful reduplication

CREDITS:

• Miranda Brown is a professor at the University of Michigan, in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, specialising in food and drink. Read some of her posts about foods at chinesefoodhistory.org.

• This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman, on the unceded ancestral and traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

• The original Allusionist music is by Martin Austwick. Download his songs at palebirdmusic.com and listen to his podcasts Song By Song and Neutrino Watch.

• Thanks to MiMi Aye, food writer and alumsionist of the Food Into Words episode.

• Find the Allusionist at youtube.com/allusionistshow, twitter.com/allusionistshow, facebook.com/allusionistshow, @allusionistshow.bsky.social and instagram.com/allusionistshow

Back in two weeks with a new episode - HZ.

Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk compellingly and unskippably about your product, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads.

This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, your one-stop shop for building and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/allusionist for a free 2-week trial, and get 10 percent off your first purchase of a website or domain with the code allusionist. 

We're joined today by Rod and Karen from The Black Guy Who Tips Podcast. In this episode we talk about weightlifting tips, Super Bowl predictions, The 49ers employing minority coaches, learning to swim, and what alcohol goes with girl scout cookies.

Join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeguyson to get the YouTube link for today's show.

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Intro music provided by Felt Five.

Outro music provided by Infrared Krypto.

We're joined today by Rod and Karen from The Black Guy Who Tips Podcast. In this episode we talk about Beyonce getting played on country radio, going to skating rinks, and the YSL lawyer who lived her raps.

Join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeguyson to get the YouTube link for today's show. --------------------------------------

Intro music provided by Felt Five.

Outro music provided by Infrared Krypto.

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This is the Tranquillusionist, in which I, Helen Zaltzman, soothe your brain by saying a load of words that don’t really mean very much, to give you an emotional break by temporarily supplanting your interior monologue with something you can benignly ignore.

Note: this is NOT a normal episode of the Allusionist, where you might learn something about language and your brain might be energised. The Tranquillusionist's purpose is to rest your brain and for you to learn nothing.

If you like it, there's a collection of Tranquillusionists at theallusionist.org/tranquillusionist, on themes including champion dogs, Australia's big things, gay animals and more.

Today: a list of the characters who don't have names in film credits.

Content note: this episode contains some terminology from the original film credits that I do not endorse, plus one Category B swear and four Category A swears (which I endorse just fine). If you’re not sure about the Category A/B/etc, I refer you to episode 4.

ALSO:

• Enormous thanks to Jez Burrows for letting me use some 2,700 of these credits that he had collected for his book And Introducing. Find it at jezburrows.com, as well as his other work - including his book Dictionary Stories, short stories composed of the example sentences from dictionaries, which he talked about in the Trammels episode of the show a few years ago.

• Want more relaxing listening? I’m on a couple of other podcasts this week:

• 1. Shedunnit has started a book club of the Green Penguin crime novels, and I’m on the first episode, discussing The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers. ‘Unpleasantness’ is such a euphemistic euphemism for a murder. Whether or not you have read the novel, this is a good show to listen to. Find it here.

• 2. The Incomparable Game Show’s Random Pursuit, where we played Trivial Pursuit from dozens of different sets. Some of the sets are ideal for the trivia stuffed in the trashbin of my brain; others, I am very not good at. Find out which by listening here!

• 3. The fortnightly YouTube livestreams where I read from my collection of reference books. Here is an example of one, the rest are for members of the Allusioverse, and it’s very easy to become one of those: just head over to theallusionist.org/donate. You also get a host of perks, including the inside scoop of the making of every episode; watchalong parties (lately, weekly gatherings to watch Great Pottery Throwdown, and now the Canadian version too) - AND to hang out with your fellow Allusionauts in our delightful Discord community.

YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:

haecceity, noun, philosophy:
1. the quality of a thing that makes it unique or describable as this (one).
2 individuality.

CREDITS:

• This episode is based on the book And Introducing by Jez Burrows, get it via jezburrows.com.

• The original Allusionist music is by Martin Austwick. Download his songs at palebirdmusic.com and listen to his podcasts Song By Song and Neutrino Watch.

• This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman.

• Find the Allusionist at youtube.com/allusionistshow, twitter.com/allusionistshow, facebook.com/allusionistshow, @allusionistshow.bsky.social and instagram.com/allusionistshow

Back in two weeks with a new, non-tranquil episode. Well it might be tranquil too, but it’ll be not deliberately aiming for tranqullusioneity - HZ.

Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk lovingly and winningly about your product or thing on the show in 2024, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by:

• Bombas, whose mission is to make the comfiest clothes ever, and match every item sold with an equal item donated. Go to bombas.com/allusionist to get 20% off your first purchase. 
• Squarespace, your one-stop shop for building and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/allusionist for a free 2-week trial, and get 10 percent off your first purchase of a website or domain with the code allusionist. 

In 1974, musician Connie Converse drove away from home and was never heard from again. 

Howard Fishman’s book is To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse. Martha Wainwright’s cover of “One By One” is on Vanity of Vanities: A Tribute to Connie Converse. Julia Bullock’s album is Walking in the Dark. You can find Connie Converse’s music at http://connieconverse.com.

Episode transcript will be posted here as soon as it is available.

Enjoy a brilliant story to launch the St Patrick’s Day season with Nick Hennessey

The Celtic Music Magazine is a quick and easy way to plug yourself into more great Celtic culture. Enjoy seven weekly news items for Celtic music and culture online. Subscribe now and get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free.

0:43 - Nick Hennessey “Girl in the Street” from Pebble & Bone

5:27 - SUPPORT WHAT YOU LOVE

5:56 - Nick Hennessey “Devil’s in the Sea” from Soundcloud

23:16 - CLOSING

23:30 - Nick Hennessey “Annachie Gordon” from A Rare Hunger

30:27 - CREDITS

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather and our Patrons on Patreon. The show was edited by Mitchell Petersen with Graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs. Visit our website to follow the show. You’ll find links to all of the artists played in this episode.

Todd Wiley is the editor of the Celtic Music Magazine. Subscribe to get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. Plus, you’ll get 7 weekly news items about what’s happening with Celtic music and culture online. Best of all, you will connect with your Celtic heritage.

Please tell one friend about this podcast. Word of mouth is the absolute best way to support any creative endeavor.

Finally, remember. Reduce, reuse, recycle, and think about how you can make a positive impact on your environment.

Promote Celtic culture through music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/.

* Helping you celebrate Celtic culture through music. I am Marc Gunn.

This podcast is here to build a diverse Celtic community and help the incredible artists who so generously share their music with you. If you hear music you love, please email artists to let them know you heard them on the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast. Musicians depend on your generosity to keep making music. So please find a way to support them. Buy a CD, Album Pin, Shirt, Digital Download, or join their communities on Patreon.

You can find a link to all of the artists in the shownotes, along with show times, when you visit our website at celticmusicpodcast.com.

If you are a Celtic musician or in a Celtic band, then please submit your band to be played on the podcast. You don’t have to send in music or an EPK. You will get a free eBook called Celtic Musicians Guide to Digital Music and learn how to follow the podcast. It’s 100% free. Just email Email follow@bestcelticmusic and of course, listeners can learn how to subscribe to the podcast and get a free music-only episode.

You are amazing. It is because of your generosity that you get to hear so much great Celtic music each and every week.

Your kindness pays for our engineer, graphic designer, Celtic Music Magazine editor, promotion of the podcast, and allows me to buy the music I play here. It also pays for my time creating the show each and every week.

As a patron, you get music-only episodes before regular listeners, vote in the Celtic Top 20, stand-alone stories, and you get a private feed to listen to the show.  All that for as little as $1 per episode.

HERE IS YOUR THREE STEP PLAN TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

1. Go to our Patreon page.
2. Decide how much you want to pledge every week, $1, $5, $25. Make sure to cap how much you want to spend per month.
3. Keep listening to the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast to celebrate Celtic culture through music.

You can become a generous Patron of the Podcast on Patreon at SongHenge.com.

#celticmusic #irishmusic #celticmusicpodcast

Happy St Patrick’s Day from the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast #652.

Arise & Go, Santiago Molina, Corey Purcell, Mary Beth Carty, The Haar, The Gothard Sisters, Emma Langford, Socks in the Frying Pan, Fire In The Glen, The Chieftains, Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer, The Langer's Ball, We Banjo 3, The BorderCollies, Heather Dale, Banshee in the Kitchen, The Celtic Kitchen Party. Santiago Molina, The High Kings, The Bow Tides, Matt McGinn, Poitín, Syr, Marc Gunn, Jesse Ferguson

The Celtic Music Magazine is a quick and easy way to plug yourself into more great Celtic culture. Enjoy seven weekly news items for Celtic music and culture online. Subscribe now and get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free.

This is our way of finding the best songs and artists each year. You can vote for as many songs and tunes that inspire you in each episode. Your vote helps me create next year's Best Celtic music of 2024 episode. You have just three weeks to vote this year. Vote Now!

You can follow our playlist on Spotify to listen to those top voted tracks as they are added every 2 - 3 weeks. It also makes it easier for you to add these artists to your own playlists. You can also check out our Irish & Celtic Music Videos

0:17 - Arise & Go “The Dirty Bee: La Grondeuse / Mutt's Favourite / Break Yer Bass Drone / The Dirty Bee” from Meeting Place

5:28 - WELCOME

8:23 - Santiago Molina “Acá y ahora” from Desde un nuevo lugar

11:30 - Corey Purcell “Jock Stuart” from Undaunted

16:14 - Mary Beth Carty “Lake Ainslie to Millburn” from Crossing the Causeway

20:07 - The Haar “Home Boys Home” from Where Old Ghosts Meet

27:26 - The Gothard Sisters “Alaska Set” from Dragonfly

31:01 - Emma Langford “Demon Darling” from Sowing Acorns

34:14 - Socks in the Frying Pan “Ahhhhhhhhh (Live)” from Raw & Ríl (Live)

37:50 - FEEDBACK

44:36 - Fire In The Glen “Big Strong Man” from Cutting Bracken

46:57 - The Chieftains “The Morning Dew” from Bear's Sonic Journals: The Foxhunt  -  Live In San Francisco 1973

50:40 - Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer “Folk Club Song” from Twelve Months & A Day

55:49 - The Langer's Ball “Reel/Jig: The Otter's Holt/Morrison's Jig” from Appetite for Tradition

58:46 - We Banjo 3 “Alive With You” from Open The Road

1:01:38 - The BorderCollies “Carraig Nua” from Sticks and Stones

1:04:55 - Heather Dale “Down By the Salley Gardens” from My Celtic Heart

1:08:10 - Banshee in the Kitchen “Banish Lisa” from The Last Pint  -  Not

1:11:29 - THANKS

1:15:08 - The Celtic Kitchen Party “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya” from Lobster Tail and Beer

1:19:05 - The High Kings “Paddy's Day” from The Road Not Taken

1:21:52 - The Bow Tides “The Power of Three” from Sailing On

1:26:44 - Matt McGinn “Lig Dúinn” from Behind Every Door // 2023

1:29:24 - Poitín “Mashed Mouse” from One For The Road

1:31:28 - Syr “To Avalon” from Sentinel

1:35:00 - CLOSING

1:37:02 - Marc Gunn with Jesse Ferguson “Molly Malone” from Come Adventure With Me

1:39:39 - CREDITS

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather and our Patrons on Patreon. The show was edited by Mitchell Petersen with Graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs. Visit our website to follow the show. You’ll find links to all of the artists played in this episode.

Todd Wiley is the editor of the Celtic Music Magazine. Subscribe to get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. Plus, you’ll get 7 weekly news items about what’s happening with Celtic music and culture online. Best of all, you will connect with your Celtic heritage.

Please tell one friend about this podcast. Word of mouth is the absolute best way to support any creative endeavor.

Finally, remember. Reduce, reuse, recycle, and think about how you can make a positive impact on your environment.

Promote Celtic culture through music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/.

* Helping you celebrate Celtic culture through music. I am Marc Gunn.

This podcast is here to build a diverse Celtic community and help the incredible artists who so generously share their music with you. If you hear music you love, please email artists to let them know you heard them on the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast. Musicians depend on your generosity to keep making music. So please find a way to support them. Buy a CD, Album Pin, Shirt, Digital Download, or join their communities on Patreon.

You can find a link to all of the artists in the shownotes, along with show times, when you visit our website at celticmusicpodcast.com.

If you are a Celtic musician or in a Celtic band, then please submit your band to be played on the podcast. You don’t have to send in music or an EPK. You will get a free eBook called Celtic Musicians Guide to Digital Music and learn how to follow the podcast. It’s 100% free. Just email Email follow@bestcelticmusic and of course, listeners can learn how to subscribe to the podcast and get a free music - only episode.

At the end of every show, I ask you to vote for your favorite songs and tunes in that show. At the end of the year, I compile your votes into the Celtic Top 20 most - popular tracks of the year. We had some great music and musicians last year. I decided I want to share more music from these incredible artists on our first St Patrick’s Day music special.

You can listen to our Celtic Top 20 Best of 2023 episode #641 on our website.

You are amazing. It is because of your generosity that you get to hear so much great Celtic music each and every week.

Your kindness pays for our engineer, graphic designer, Celtic Music Magazine editor, promotion of the podcast, and allows me to buy the music I play here. It also pays for my time creating the show each and every week.

As a patron, you get music - only episodes before regular listeners, vote in the Celtic Top 20, stand - alone stories, and you get a private feed to listen to the show.  All that for as little as $1 per episode.

A special thanks to our Celtic Legends of the Podcast: Bill Mandeville, Marti Meyers, Brenda, Karen DM Harris, Emma Bartholomew, Dan mcDade, Carol Baril, Miranda Nelson, Nancie Barnett, Kevin Long, Gary R Hook, Lynda MacNeil, Kelly Garrod, Annie Lorkowski, Shawn Cali

HERE IS YOUR THREE STEP PLAN TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

1. Go to our Patreon page.
2. Decide how much you want to pledge every week, $1, $5, $25. Make sure to cap how much you want to spend per month.
3. Keep listening to the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast to celebrate Celtic culture through music.

You can become a generous Patron of the Podcast on Patreon at SongHenge.com.

Every year, I take a small group of Celtic music fans on the relaxing adventure of a lifetime. Well, that’s how most of my Celtic Invasions work anyway.

But later this year, I schedule a brand new Celtic Invasion of Scotland’s Whisky distilleries. We’re gonna travel to Scotland, taste whisky, go for a hike through glorious Scottish countryside, then taste more whisky and do it all over, mixed in with some incredible food and a ton of fun.

I need 6 people to make this trip happen. If you’re interested in joining the invasion, sign up to our mailing list at http://celticinvasion.com/

#celticmusic #irishmusic #celticmusicpodcast

What are you doing today while listening to the podcast? Please email me. I’d love to see a  picture of what you're doing while listening or of a band that you saw recently.

Email me at follow@bestcelticmusic.

Christopher Fennell replied to my Re: Happy St Patrick's Month Feedback Request:  "Hi Marc, I love your podcast! I'm celebrating the early part of St. Patrick's month by volunteering in the Iditarod race in Alaska. I'll be singing Celtic tunes while taking care of the huskies running for 1,049 frozen miles from Anchorage to Nome. I have dual citizenship with the Republic, as my grandparents immigrated from Roscommon, Dublin, and Limerick. Perhaps I can start a sled - dog team representing the Republic somewhere in the future. Best wishes,"

Ben Doran replied to my feedback request: "Hello Marc;

The weather here in Wisconsin today definitely inspires kilt wear. And weather/whether or not it is nearly this nice on St. Patrick's Day weekend, I'll be kilting it up. And singing with the band Ar Ais Aris (a - rash a - reesh)("Back Again") on Saturday in Berwyn, Il; then Sunday, to Galena, Il; then finish up with our two usual gigs for retirement communities in Rockton, Il and Beloit, WI on Monday. I will (yep) probably color my beard in orange and green for Monday.

I think among the many new sounds/new music that I've heard from your podcasts, it would be the band, Larkin, that has my fancy (this week, anyway). No, I don't consider myself fickle, just distracted.  Slainte, Marc!!"

woodland folk emailed a photo: "heading to the wood for a fire and a practice,can listen then my friend... Attached is a picture,me and another friend who plays a Welsh harp, stopped to play a little on the river brue ...."

Nathanael Stottlemyer emailed: "We're losing Good Celtic Music

Hi Marc, It was last year that I started listening to your podcast, and like a mad man I started your podcast at the very beginning. I'm now at the year 2016 and I've loved every episode. There is just one problem. When I look up the bands that I loved and that I want to purchase their music, they're gone. There's no website, no Spotify, no YouTube, sometimes I can't even find their CD's used! And it's a shame, because they're good songs and sometimes, take Young Hunting by Serious Kitchen (Which was in your best of the year podcasts more than once) it's the only Celtic rendition of the song on the internet. I managed to buy the last Tig! Album off the internet, but it's looking bad for some of my other favorites.

We're losing years of Celtic music, and it's a shame, especially since I know that the members of Serious Kitchen and others are still around. I don't suppose I'm missing a way to buy these albums. I really hope I am. I don't suppose you could use your amazing Celtfather connections and reach out to some of the people of these bands and see if they'd put on Bandcamp? Or perhaps a huge "Best of the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast" album with some of these lost treasures? They're some of the best music I've heard. Thanks, Nathanael"

In the early 1920s, painters at a watch dial factory in New Jersey started to get sick. No one could tell them why.

Kate Moore’s book is called The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women.

Episode transcript will be posted here as soon as it is available. 

Coming to you from Belfast this week, Andy Zaltzman quizzes the news with Zoe Lyons, Neil Delamere, Diona Doherty, and Alex Kane.

In this episode Andy and the panel will be asking if turning the Northern Ireland Assembly off and on has made it work again?

Why Labour is keeping the red flag flying?… a Formula 1 style red flag, that is, which they’re waving at their own environment policy to tell it it’s off.

And whose chopper has got them in trouble?

Written by Andy Zaltzman

With additional material by: Cody Dahler, Alison Spittle, John Meagher, and Claire Sullivan

Producer: Sam Holmes Executive Producer: Richard Morris Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Nicholls Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4