Celtia

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Donovan chronology
Celtia

Studio album by Donovan
Released	not released
Recorded	February 1990
Genre	folk
Label	no label
Producer(s)	Patrick Hehir
Donovan's Greatest Hits and More (1989)	Celtia (unreleased)	Rising (1990)

Celtia is a studio album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan that has not been officially released (though it did appear as a bootleg). Had it been released it would most likely have appeared sometime during 1990. The music on the album was arranged by Maire Bhretnach and engineered by Dan Fitgerald.

[edit] Musicians

David Gilmour (guitar)
Nigel Kennedy (violin)
Sharon Shannon (box accordion, fiddle)
Noël Bridgeman (congas, drums, percussion)
Anthony Thistlewait (mandolin, slide mandolin)
Colin Blakey (whistles, flutes)
Eleonor McIvoy (violin, backing vocals)
Maire Bhretnach (violin, celtic strings, backing vocals, electric violin)
Dan Fitgerald (tambourine)
Steeve Cooney (bass, didgeridoo, lead acoustic guitar, bass, finger picking guitar)
Mandy Murphy (backing vocals)
Astrella Celeste (spoken)

[edit] History

In February 1990, Donovan entered Sulan Studios in Ireland to record tracks for what was likely intended to be his eighteenth studio album and nineteenth album overall. The songs were produced by Donovan's manager Patrick Hehir, who had recorded several of Donovan's concerts for Mellow Records throughout the 1980s. Those recordings would be released in 1990 as Rising in the UK, The Classics Live in the U.S., and 25 Years in Concert in Europe.

The songs recorded during the Celtia sessions were written at various stages throughout Donovan's life. "The Ferryman's Daughter" was originally written and recorded for Moon in Capricorn, another unreleased album whose sessions dated from 1968 and 1969. "Everlasting Sea" was reportedly written during the sessions for The Hurdy Gurdy Man and later appeared on Donovan's 1996 album Sutras. "Lover O Lover" was originally released on Donovan's 1981 album Love Is Only Feeling and later recorded and released on his 2004 album Beat Cafe.

While it is not publicly known why Celtia was not released, it has been speculated that Donovan and his manager and producer Patrick Hehir had disagreements about the running of Donovan's business affairs. Celtia was released in 2002 by Durga Records and was made available on Patrick Hehir's "Donovan's Friends" website. The album was quickly withdrawn, however, and that release of the album is now viewed as a bootleg.