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.
Heartbreaker
Celtic Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I just can't help myself
That even though I know I should
I'm just too bad to be good
They call me a romancer,
A chancer, a gigolo
Who'll always have an alibi
[Chorus]
I never meant to hurt you
I never meant to break your heart in two
I'm sorry if I hurt you
I'm sorry, but it's what I seem to do
They call me a heartbreaker
Nothing, but a heartbreaker
They say I'm the dark destroyer
That I just can't get enough
Of girls hanging on a string
That I'm only after one thing
That I'm filled with desire
A liar, a Romeo
Like a bee in a honey comb
Welcome to the pleasure dome!
[Chorus]
They call me a heartbreaker
Nothing, but a heartbreaker
I just can't live without it
The thrill of a woman's touch
It's written in the stars above
I'm just addicted to love
But they all want to train me
To chain me and tie me down
Don't they know I was born to be
Footloose and fancy-free
[Chorus]
They call me a heartbreaker
Nothing, but a heartbreaker
The lyrics to Celtic Thunder's Heartbreaker describe the musings of a morally ambiguous character who is constantly misunderstood by those around him. Despite attempts to change his ways and live a virtuous life, he is convinced that he is simply too bad to be good. Labels such as 'romancer,' 'chancer,' and 'gigolo' suggest a life of reckless abandon, and the chorus reveals that he never intended to harm anyone in the process. However, he acknowledges that he has a tendency to hurt those closest to him, leaving him with no choice but to accept his fate as a 'heartbreaker.'
The final verse of the song reveals that the singer is addicted to the thrill of a woman's touch and that he is constantly pursued by those who seek to 'chain' and 'tie him down.' However, he resists the idea of being boxed in by anyone or anything, declaring that he was 'born to be footloose and fancy-free.' In total, Heartbreaker presents a portrait of a complex figure who struggles to balance his desires with his responsibility towards others and ultimately accepts his fate as someone who is labeled a heartbreaker.
Line by Line Meaning
They say that I'm a bad boy
Others perceive me as a person who behaves badly
That I just can't help myself
I have no control over my actions
That even though I know I should
Despite my knowledge that I should behave differently
I'm just too bad to be good
I am unable to become a good person
They call me a romancer,
People call me an individual who pursues romantic relationships
A chancer, a gigolo
I am sometimes perceived as an opportunist and a professional lover
Who'll always have an alibi
I always seem to have an excuse or explanation for my actions
Who'll kiss the girls and make them cry
I am known for kissing and causing emotional distress to women
I never meant to hurt you
I did not intend to cause you pain
I never meant to break your heart in two
My actions were not intended to result in you feeling deeply hurt
I'm sorry if I hurt you
I express regret if I caused any pain to you
I'm sorry, but it's what I seem to do
I apologize, yet confess that hurting others seems to be my nature
They call me a heartbreaker
Others refer to me as someone who leaves a trail of broken hearts in their wake
Nothing, but a heartbreaker
In their eyes, I am solely a person who causes romantic heartbreak
They say I'm the dark destroyer
Others allege that I cause darkness and destruction in people's lives
That I just can't get enough
I can't resist the temptation to engage in certain behaviors
Of girls hanging on a string
I seem to enjoy having multiple women interested in me and waiting for my attention
That I'm only after one thing
People believe that my motives are solely focused on obtaining one specific thing
That I'm filled with desire
I am consumed by wanting or needing certain things
A liar, a Romeo
I am interpreted as someone who speaks falsehoods and who is excessively charming
Like a bee in a honey comb
I am attracted to and preoccupied with things that are sweet and tempting
Welcome to the pleasure dome!
I am indiscriminately drawn to places and activities that bring me pleasure
I just can't live without it
I am unable to go on with my life if I don't have this specific thing or experience
The thrill of a woman's touch
Contact with women in a specific way brings me a certain excitement
It's written in the stars above
It is fated or predetermined that I am to have a particular passion or habit
I'm just addicted to love
I am unable to control my desire for romantic or physical relationships
But they all want to train me
Others think that I need to be reformed or disciplined
To chain me and tie me down
They want me to be bound and controlled in some way to prevent me from behaving badly
Don't they know I was born to be
I believe that my nature and character is ordained in a certain way
Footloose and fancy-free
I am meant to be free and aimless in my activities and lifestyle instead of tied down
They call me a heartbreaker
Once again, others label me as someone who causes emotional pain to women
Nothing, but a heartbreaker
They reinforce their negative view of me as entirely and exclusively a cause of heartbreak
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: PHILIP MICHAEL COULTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind