Celtic Thunder debuted in August 2007 at the Helix in Dublin, Ireland, accompanying the Celtic Concert Orchestra under the direction of Phil Coulter, the musical director of the group.
Since the group's formation, Celtic Thunder has released twelve albums: Celtic Thunder, Act Two, Take Me Home, It's Entertainment!, Celtic Thunder Christmas, Storm, Heritage, Voyage, Voyage II, Christmas Voices and Mythology as well as best-of collection Homeland, and twelve live performances on DVD, entitled Celtic Thunder: The Show, Take Me Home, It's Entertainment!, Storm, Christmas, Heritage, Voyage, Voyage II, Live and Unplugged and Mythology, as well as a Christmas performance. In December 2009 Billboard magazine named Celtic Thunder the Top World Album Artist.
Celtic Thunder is known for its eclectic style with songs ranging from a soloist to an ensemble focus. The group is backed by the Celtic Thunder Band on their concert tours, and their live shows are known for the use of dramatic effects via lighting and choreography as well as a stage set resembling an ancient stone pathway suggestive of those referenced in Celtic lore.
Members
The members of Celtic Thunder are (in alphabetical order of family name):
Neil Byrne (born November 16, 1977): Music has always been a major part of Neil's life. Born into a musical family, Neil’s father has worked as a professional musician his entire life and his mother is a huge fan of all music. By the age of 5, Neil was gripped by rhythm, which instinctively lead him to drum on anything in front of him. He began learning the guitar when he was 7, hugely helped and encouraged by his father. Later in life a mutual friend approached Neil and asked him to play at a function for one of Ireland’s most renowned songwriters and producers, Phil Coulter. When Sharon Browne and Phil began working on production for Celtic Thunder he was invited to record backing vocals for the debut DVD, and subsequently play lead guitar player for the live show. Neil would have to say the most memorable and prestigious performance of his career to date was in Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Since then he has toured America and Canada extensively with Celtic Thunder and most recently has joined the cast as the 6th leading vocalist with Celtic Thunder.
Paul Michael Byrom (born April 11, 1979) is from Dublin, Ireland. In addition to Celtic Thunder, he has also performed at major sporting events in Ireland and abroad, including singing at the All Ireland Finals in Dublin's Croke Park and at Heinz Field for a Pittsburgh Steelers game in the USA. He has also performed for Ireland's President, Mary McAleese, and for Emperor Akihito of Japan. Paul has released two albums: Velvet and I'll Be Home For Christmas. He left Celtic Thunder as of 2011 to pursue his solo career. Member from 2008-2011
George Donaldson (February 1, 1968- March 12, 2014) is the oldest member of the group and is a well-known balladeer, guitarist and flutist from Glasgow, Scotland. At Scotland's Celtic Park, Donaldson played to 65,000 fans at the opening match of the 2000-2001 season.
Keith Ronald Harkin, (born June 10, 1986), like Damian, is from Derry, Northern Ireland. He plays the guitar and has written one of the songs for Celtic Thunder: "Lauren and I". In 2008, a new solo album by Keith was rumoured to be in the working stages but has not yet been released as of mid 2009. Keith enjoys surfing and has written a song called Chasing Dreams that articulates his love for it. Keith has now recorded more original songs apart from Celtic Thunder, some titles include: Vanity, Don't Lose the Feeling, and What I Like.
Ryan John Kelly (born November 6, 1978) is from The Moy, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. He holds two degrees from the Queen's University Belfast, having earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and also a Graduate Diploma in Advanced Accounting, qualifying Ryan to be a chartered accountant.
Damian Joseph McGinty, Jr. (born September 9, 1992) was the youngest member of the group for 4 years and is from Derry, Northern Ireland. He recorded the first Celtic Thunder album when he was only fourteen years old. It is rumoured that McGinty will begin work on a solo album in the next 6 months. He won his first singing contest at the age of five. He recorded the first Celtic Thunder album when he was fourteen years old. McGinty lists Michael Buble, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra among his inspirations.[5] On April 29, 2011 it was announced that Damian was chosen as one of 12 contenders for The Glee Project, a reality series on the Oxygen Network. He tied for first and had a guest starring role in the third season of the Fox hit TV show Glee. He debuted on Glee season 3 episode 4 Pot o' Gold. Though originally awarded a seven-episode arc, his run-time was later extended to 16 episodes including a guest appearance in season 4's Glee Actually. In the summer of 2013 Damian joined Paul Byrom for "The Me and My Shadow" Tour. McGinty is also part of Ethan Bortnick's concert.
Emmet Michael Cahill (born October 18, 1990) became Paul Byrom's replacement. 2010 was a very exciting year for Emmet Cahill; he was awarded the 2010 John Mc Cormack Bursary for the most Promising Young Tenor, and was named the most promising young singer at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. He has been a multiple prizewinner at the National Feis Ceoil singing competition in Ireland. Emmet is 20 years old and hails from Mullingar in County Westmeath in Ireland. His musical journey began when at just 5 years old he began learning the piano. By 7 Emmet had begun voice training, and he soon went on to win a music scholarship for high school in Mullingar and spend 5 years intensively studying and playing music. At school he furthered his studies in piano, organ and violin and vocal training, however singing has always been his true love. He continued his education at the prestigious Royal Irish Academy of Music where he received a university degree in Music Performance. He has been in many stage productions in Dublin and has performed on stage at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin and as a soloist at the National Concert Hall. He is an avid sports fan and has performed twice at Croke Park in Dublin, in front of crowds of 90,000. One such occasion was for the 125th Anniversary of The GAA. He has also performed for the President of Ireland Mary McAleese and at several international rugby games Dublin’s new Aviva Stadium. Emmet also sings regularly at the Mullingar Cathedral.
He is a huge sports fan and has won many prizes playing football with his college and local teams. In his spare time, he also loves attending music and sporting events, playing the guitar and listening to music. He attended auditions for Celtic Thunder in June 2010 and was delighted to be asked by Sharon and Phil to join the show. Emmet Cahill is the latest addition to the Celtic Thunder family.
Daniel Furlong
Vocalist
Daniel Furlong was the newest (and youngest) member of Celtic Thunder. Daniel is 13 years old and hails from the town of Taghmon in County Wexford on the Southeast coast of Ireland. He is a boy soprano and was discovered when he entered a singing competition at the age of seven and won! Although Daniel is barely a teenager, he has been performing and singing in public for over six years. Daniels hometown of Wexford is synonymous with Opera and is host to the internationally acclaimed Opera Festival in October of every year. Indeed Daniel is no stranger to opera and played the role of Edgar in the Wexford Light Opera Society production of Ragtime in 2008. In 2008 and again in 2009, Daniel was also cast in the lead role of Oliver in the musical Oliver with both Oyster Lane and Festival productions. He has also performed solo on two national television stations in Ireland. In 2009 Daniel won an All Ireland Song Contest as a solo singer, competing with artists considerably older than he. In 2011 he won "The All Ireland Talent" Show a nationally televised talent competition and Irelands answer to Americas Got Talent. In light of all of his incredible achievements to date, his home county of Wexford honored Daniel by naming him "Wexford Person of the Year" for 2011.
Daniel describes himself as an outgoing and optimistic, friendly and a fun person. He likes to spend time with his friends and family, and he loves the chance to perform. He is quite competitive and loves playing team sports such as hurling, Gaelic football, soccer and rounders (softball). Music is obviously Daniels passion, he practices with his local choir "The Young Wexford Singers" every week and is also learning to play the guitar and the pigeon box. Daniel came to the attention of Celtic Thunder producer Sharon Browne, when he won the All Ireland Talent Show" and she quickly arranged to meet him. His energy and enthusiasm is infectious and once Sharon had met Daniel and seen him perform, she immediately offered him a place in Celtic Thunder. He performs an angelic version of Walking In The Air in the Christmas show and also sings solo in Heritage on Somewhere Over The Rainbow and the Josh Groban hit To Where You Are. Daniel also joins with other members of Celtic Thunder in the Ensembles and performs duets with Keith and Emmet.
Colm Joseph Keegan (born August 2, 1989) is from Dublin, Ireland. He attended University College Dublin on a music scholarship, graduating in 2011 with an honors degree in Music and Irish. Colm auditioned for and was selected for Celtic Thunder in May 2012 as a new vocalist, becoming a sixth member of the previously five-man group. He was formerly a member of the Aontas Choral Ensemble, who are known for their work with Celtic Woman. Colm appeared in the Celtic Woman DVDs 'Songs From The Heart' (2009) and 'Believe' (2011).
Emmett O'Hanlon (born July 9, 1991), Celtic Thunder's newest member, is Emmet Cahill's replacement. He is Irish- American. Emmett will be touring with Celtic Thunder during their Mythology tour and the Christmas Voices Symphony tour.
Beginning in March 2008, the group has been featured throughout the US on the PBS television network more than 1200 times, and during May and June 2008, members of the group were interviewed on dozens of local PBS stations during performances of their show
Celtic Thunder is also the name of a traditional Irish band formed in 1977. The band recorded three albums―1981’s Celtic Thunder; The Light of Other Days (1988), and Hard New York Days in 1996.
Castles In The Air
Celtic Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I'm tired of castles in the air.
I've got a dream I want the world to share
And castle walls just lead me to despair.
Hills of forest green where the mountains touch the sky,
A dream come true, I'll live there till I die.
I'm asking you to say my last goodbye.
Save me from all the trouble and the pain.
I know I'm weak, but I can't face that girl again.
Tell her the reasons why I can't remain,
Perhaps she'll understand if you tell it to her plain.
But how can words express the feel of sunlight in the morning,
In the hills, away from city strife.
I need a country woman for my wife;
I'm city born, but I love the country life.
For I cannot be part of this cocktail generation:
Partners waltz, devoid of all romance.
The music plays and everyone must dance.
I'm bowing out. I need a second chance.
Save me from all the trouble and the pain.
I know I'm weak, but I can't face that girl again.
Tell her the reasons why I can't remain,
Perhaps shell understand if you tell it to her plain.
And if she asks you why, you can tell her that I told you
That I'm tired of castles in the air.
I've got a dream I want the world to share
And castle walls just lead me to despair.
De de de de de de
De de de de de de de de de de de
Na na na na na na
De de de
Nana na na na na
De de de
Ain't worth another try
The song "Castles in the Air" by Celtic Thunder speaks of a man who is let down by the superficiality of urban existence and he longs for a more primitive way of life. He is fatigued by illusions of grandeur that lead to nothing but disappointment, and instead, he desires to have a more authentic experience. In the opening verse, he requests the person listening to the song to convey his message to his former love interest that he wishes to end their relationship. He expresses that he is tired of his dreams just being empty fantasies that don't materialize. He has a dream that he wants the world to share, and he believes that living in castles leads him to despair. Therefore, he needs to leave this place and all its toxicity behind.
The chorus of the song, "Save me from all the trouble and the pain. I know I'm weak, but I can't face that girl again. Tell her the reasons why I can't remain, Perhaps shell understand if you tell it to her plain," underscores the man's desperation for escape. He feels that he cannot handle the discomfort and sorrow that arise from their breakup. He pleads with the person carrying his message to help him accomplish this and he hopes that his lover will understand him if someone else explains his reasons for leaving.
The song's final verse explains why the man can't bear to be in the urban areas and instead seeks the wilderness. He wants a natural environment where he can interact with nature, and he wants a rustic companion to accompany him in his quest. He feels that he can't be a part of the cocktail generation's rigors and would instead live a more romantic life without too much noise. He thinks that his departure might lead to a second chance for him and his partner.
Line by Line Meaning
And if she asks you why, you can tell her that I told you
If she questions, let her know that I've conveyed
That I'm tired of castles in the air.
I'm exhausted of my unrealistic ideas and illusions
I've got a dream I want the world to share
I possess a dream that I desire to share with everyone
And castle walls just lead me to despair.
The fortresses I build only cause me to feel hopeless.
Hills of forest green where the mountains touch the sky,
Forested hills that touch the skies where mountains stand high
A dream come true, I'll live there till I die.
A dream fulfilled, where I'll reside until my demise
I'm asking you to say my last goodbye.
I request that you say the final farewell on my behalf
The love we knew ain't worth another try.
The affection we had isn't worthy of making a fresh attempt
Save me from all the trouble and the pain.
Rescue me from this torment and agony.
I know I'm weak, but I can't face that girl again.
I acknowledge my frailty, but confronting that girl is unbearable.
Tell her the reasons why I can't remain,
Inform her the motives for my inability to continue
Perhaps she'll understand if you tell it to her plain.
Maybe she'll comprehend if you speak to her plainly.
But how can words express the feel of sunlight in the morning,
How do I depict the emotions of morning sunlight with mere speech
In the hills, away from city strife.
In the serene, mountainous regions, free from urban conflicts
I need a country woman for my wife;
I prefer a rural lady to be my spouse
I'm city born, but I love the country life.
Although I was born in the city, I adore the countryside.
For I cannot be part of this cocktail generation:
I don't fit into this current era of socialization over drinks,
Partners waltz, devoid of all romance.
People mechanically dance together, but devoid of any Romance
The music plays and everyone must dance.
The tune resounds, and everybody is compelled to dance.
I'm bowing out. I need a second chance.
I quit; I require another opportunity.
De de de de de de
N/A
De de de de de de de de de de de
N/A
Na na na na na na
N/A
De de de
N/A
Nana na na na na
N/A
De de de
N/A
Ain't worth another try
It's not worth attempting again.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DON MCLEAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
AJ Krivenko
Still my favorite singer/songwriter. Yes, he is 'easy on the eyes'.
DebbiBoyd
So young yet able put your heart un rhe song. The music moved me. Thank you
ura machode
better than the original. Smokin!
David W
One of my favorite songs
Ramona Leigh
Beautiful.
Cristina Albu-Iacob
Splendid!
Elizabeth Smith
Thank you Keith very sweet:))))))))))))))))
reklawj9
Lovely...thanx so much
P. Dom
Oh Keith you are so underrated
Sharon Piccone
LOOOOOOOVE, IT,"KEITH" ,"DARLING, "MAYBE, "I'LL, "SEE,"YOU..""SOOON.".."LOOOOOOOVE
"LOOOOOOOVE, "LOOOOOOOVE,
"SharonSands" :~) ."Also, HAVE,~"STAND,"AND "DELIVER, "STUCK, IN,"MY,"HEAD.":~)<3<3
"LOOOOOOOVE, "YA...<3