Ceili-Album is the website where I share the results of two of my passions: photography and Celtic music. I began with film, but now I use digital almost exclusively. I enjoyed sharing prints of my film photographs, and digital photography has made sharing even easier. Until telepathy becomes widely available, the World Wide Web provides the ultimate medium for sharing photographs.

So Ceili-Album is the perfect name for this website. (I chose ceili instead céilí because the Internet and English language keyboards aren't quite ready for accented characters.)

During the 90's a friend unobtrusively but persistently spoke of his interest in Irish and Scottish music. At first I listened to Celtic music tentatively and experimentally, but gradually I became more interested. By the late 90's I had become passionate, too.

As a software engineer and computer user, I have worked with several computer graphics programs. I even wrote one (a computer-aided software engineering tool) during my studies toward a Master of Science degree in computer science. (I've worked with computers since they used card readers and line printers.) Then a friend asked me to help with the digital preparation of performer photographs in the program for the 1998 North Texas Irish Festival.

In 1999 another friend resumed his hobby of photography after a hiatus of many years. Knowing that I enjoyed the visual uses of computers, I decided that I ought to see whether I would enjoy the visual art of photography. I learned the technical principles and basic composition in two 35mm photography classes at Richland Community College. I enjoyed the class exercises, but I really wanted to capture the emotion and energy I felt in Celtic music. The photographs from my first attempts at the 1999 Milwaukee Irish Fest and CelticFest Mississippi festivals were not very good, but I learned a lot from my mistakes and I made rapid progress. My photographs of the 2000 North Texas Irish Festival gave me my first feelings of success.

I am personally affiliated with some of the organizations and festivals mentioned in these pages:

Nevertheless, this website is not officially endorsed by the SCMA, its Ceili newsletter, the NTIF, nor any of the other festivals pictured here.

The photographs and other content of Ceili-Album are intended solely for personal, local, non-commercial use. All other uses are prohibited without express permission. However, I am always eager to promote Celtic music; if you would like to use any of these photos for promotional (or other) purposes, please contact me through the feedback page.

Absolutely! Next I will add new photos from upcoming festivals and more digital photos from earlier festivals. After that I hope to scan and display many of my film photographs. I think I can even digitally rescue many of my early photos.

I can't answer that, but maybe the following history will help:

I hope you enjoy the site.
Steve Farmer