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, Neilโs 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 Irelandโs 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 Dublinโs 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 albumsโ1981โs Celtic Thunder; The Light of Other Days (1988), and Hard New York Days in 1996.
Desperado
Celtic Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You been out ridin' fences for so long now
Oh, you're a hard one
I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin' you
Can hurt you somehow
Don't you draw the queen of diamonds, boy
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet
Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can't get
Desperado, oh, you ain't gettin' no younger
Your pain and your hunger, they're drivin' you home
And freedom, oh freedom well, that's just some people talkin'
Your prison is walking through this world all alone
Don't your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won't snow and the sun won't shine
It's hard to tell the night time from the day
You're losin' all your highs and lows
Ain't it funny how the feeling goes away?
Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you
You better let somebody, before it's too late.
In this song, Celtic Thunder addresses a man who has been riding fences for too long, and is now losing touch with the reality of living. The singer is a "hard one," with his own reasons for being the way he is, but he continues to pursue only what he cannot seem to get. The queen of diamonds is a metaphor for temptation, warning him that he continues to chase something that will ultimately beat him. The queen of hearts, on the other hand, is the safer option, and the one that will bring him the most happiness.
The song tells us that the singer is not getting any younger, and that his pain and hunger have driven him to a place called "home", which is actually more of a prison than anything else. He is trapped in a world where there is no difference between day and night, where the feeling of being alive is slipping away from him. The song ends, calling him to come to his senses and "open the gate" to someone who may love him, while reminding him that it might be too late if he waits any longer.
Line by Line Meaning
Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Why don't you realize it is time to change your ways?
You been out ridin' fences for so long now
You have been avoiding intimacy for a long time
Oh, you're a hard one
You are stubborn and resistant to change
I know that you got your reasons
You have your own justifications for your actions
These things that are pleasin' you, can hurt you somehow
The things that satisfy you can also harm you in some way
Don't you draw the queen of diamonds, boy, She'll beat you if she's able
Avoid the allure of superficial success since it can lead to a downfall
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet
Choose real love and compassion over materialism
Now it seems to me, some fine things, Have been laid upon your table
You have had opportunities presented to you
But you only want the ones that you can't get
You are drawn to things beyond your reach
Desperado, oh, you ain't gettin' no younger
You are getting older, and time is running out
Your pain and your hunger, they're drivin' you home
Your need for love and fulfillment will lead you to the right place
And freedom, oh freedom well, that's just some people talkin'
Freedom can be a concept that is claimed but not truly experienced
Your prison is walking through this world all alone
Your isolation is holding you back from true happiness
Don't your feet get cold in the winter time?
Don't you feel the need for warmth and connection?
The sky won't snow and the sun won't shine
Your life is without joy or hope
It's hard to tell the night time from the day
Your life is a blur, without meaning or direction
You're losin' all your highs and lows
You are losing the excitement of life and the depth of feeling
Ain't it funny how the feeling goes away?
How strange it is when the passion of life fades away
Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Why don't you awaken to reality and seek a better life?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
Bring down your barriers and let others in
It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you
Even in the darkest of times, there is hope and beauty
You better let somebody love you
You deserve love, and should allow yourself to receive it
You better let somebody, before it's too late.
You should allow someone to love you before it's too late and you lose the chance
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Glenn Lewis Frey, Don Hugh Henley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kathleenstanton4975
I like Ryan's version the best of any I've heard. He was really something - 28 years old, beautiful to behold, loaded with talent. A bright future awaited him.
@centrist1008
Still does.
@tigre7739
One of my top favorites of Ryan's performances!! ๐๐๐
@Daphne-cp8ss
Like a lot of the Eagles songs, this one is my favorite. I never heard it sung with such feeling and emotion until now. Ryan does such a a fantastic job singing country-style songs. Want to hear more like that from him besides Garth Brooks covers. Maybe some George Strait? ๐
@janiskeller8790
Ryan has been my favorite since the debut of Celtic Thunder. ๐
@kathleenpereira3228
Love Celtic Thunder but Ryan is my favorite...
@bronwincahill3765
Ryan is a great artist.just love this group โค๏ธโค๏ธ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ
@isabelpetersen3531
Excellent rendition Ryan. Wonderful voice ๐
@suedunalp3314
Ryan did such a beautiful rendition of one of this song that is one of my all time favorites โฃ๏ธ God Blessโฃ๏ธ
@gabrielleherbinet1660
La voix et le charisme de Ryan en font un artiste exceptionnel ! Merci Ryan de nous faire profiter de votre talent!