Storytelling and music have been intertwined branches of Irish culture since the days of the bards, which is probably why the mix of story and song on Castles of Gold fits together so smoothly. Musician, composer and arranger Pan Morigan and playwright Katerie Morin convey the tale of the Irish immigration to America through a well-chosen collection of traditional songs, sensitively written originals, and spoken word recitations based on Morin"s family"s memories about their emigration from Ireland. The stories are read by Roma Downey, star of Touched by an Angel, and Frank McCourt, author of Angela"s Ashes and "Tis. Morigan herself sings the songs backed by an all-star band of Irish musicians, including fiddler Liz Carroll, accordionist John Whelan, and uilleann piper Jerry O"Sullivan. The sound is decidedly contemporary Celtic, with percussively strummed acoustic guitars and exotic percussion, but it effectively evokes the mix of excitement and sorrow the original emigrants must have felt as they set off to America for a new life, perhaps never to see their families again. --Michael Simmons