Team Members

When I retired I worked for Inverclyde Radio. I joined Celtic Music Radio about two and a half years ago and have loved doing my Wednesday “Jukebox” since then.

Fiona McNeill is certainly no stranger to Celtic and folk madness, being the guitarist and front woman in folk rock band Reely Jiggered since 2011. So, of course, it is only natural that she offers a completely fresh and unique take on the Celtic/folk genre. Fiona celebrated seven years of Celtic & Folk Fusions in […]

Sandy Semeonoff worked for BBC Scotland for many years as a music librarian.  He has produced country, folk, and world music programmes for BBC Radio Scotland. He grew up in a house full of classical 78s and LPs, but his passion for seeking out new and exciting styles of traditional music really began when he heard Finbar Furey playing the Irish uillean pipes in Edinburgh folk clubs in the 1960s. Sandy is also a performer and for several years could be found singing and playing the Cajun music of SW Louisiana in Glasgow pubs. Sandy presents and produces an eclectic choice of international, mainly acoustic music in his monthly Planet Waves programme on the last Tuesday of the month from 6.00-8.00pm.

Hamish Burgess’ weekly show based in Maui, Hawaii, plays 2 hours of the best Celtic music from around the planet. Hamish travels to many countries interviewing musicians for the program and often has interview clips with the top traditional Celtic musicians and folk singers, such as the late Liam Clancy, George Millar of The Irish Rovers, Paddy Moloney, Carlos Nunez, and many more.

Gavin Paterson has been in training to be a radio presenter since he used to entertain his family by selecting 7” singles from the family collection – before he could even read. As a performing musician he went through piano lessons and recitals, playing as a backing musician in “the clubs” while in his mid-teens, leading a 1977 punk band and playing with the first Glasgow punk band to issue an independent single. Many, varied instruments were half-learned along the way; he became an on-call side man, to a huge range of bands and artists. A career in the Glesga Polis “forced” a move into amateur theatre for a while but in 1985 he became a founder member of 21 Red who, until they finally stopped in 2020, were the longest standing wedding/club band in all Scotland. Other band work included Musical Director for Crescent City Soul and Dexys Bootleg Runners – two 10-piece bands who played all over the UK. His folk song was given in outlet in “Off The Beat” a pun-based collection of Polis & Pals and in Whappit Ben, a mixing of various musical styles. Long an admirer of Liam Clancy and the extended Clancy/Makem families, Gavin has been involved in every Clancy Brothers Festival since it started in 2008, as musician and on-call historian to the Clancy Family. This close connection lead to a rather unique recording project. After making a very simple album of Clancy/Makem songs to sell at his festival gigs, Gavin decided to use his instrumental skills and went back to the studio where he spent weeks overdubbing everything from drums to Hammond Organ. The album was self-issued at the end of 2016. To promote his “CMR Album Of The Week”, he came into the studio to be interviewed by both Gordon Hotchkiss and Ross McFadyen. It didn’t take long to realise that his encyclopedic musical knowledge and absolutely massive record collection had found a natural home at CMR. He started broadcasting Ballads & Balladeers in March 2017 and as a reward for the success of that show, a few months later, was given a Sunday night spot where he could play “Whatever” he liked. Gavin curates four hours of radio for CMR every week. Both are in-depth, knowledgable and very opinionated shows and that’s the way he likes it. “Ballads and Balladeers” focusses on what he calls “the first generation of vinyl folkies” (roughly 1960 to 1990) while “Whatever” is a theme-based show that changes every week and is aimed at the listener with more than just a casual love for music. You have to tune in to find out what the theme is, and hopefully stick around.

Whilst David was at school he learned to play Irish traditional music at his local branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and he once qualified for the all-Ireland Fleadh in the penny whistle! He has presented many different types of shows across different genres over the years, but it was only when he made the move to Celtic Music Radio that he came up with the idea of Sounds Irish.

Occasional presenter, but primarily responsible for all the "behind-the-scenes" gubbins that keeps Celtic Music Radio on air, and gets our great music from our presenters and studios to your ears.

Ross has been with Celtic Music Radio since 2008.