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.
Hunter's Moon
Celtic Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No more to say
Time I was gone now
Why would I stay?
Don't rake the ashes
I'll take the lashes
You go now
I'll walk away.
No one's immune
I kissed you under
The hunter’s moon.
You wander free now
Don't look for me now
You go now
Before you,
Find your dreams are strewn
Beneath that icy hunter's moon
Dying all too soon
Beneath the hunter's savage moon
Time I was gone now
Anchors aweigh
I'm moving on now
Just one more day
I'll let you go now
How do we know though?
Who hunted?
Who was the prey?
You and I
Flew too high
Now we're falling free
Through the night
Burning bright
And colder than the sea
Now our dreams are strewn
Beneath that icy hunter's moon
Dying all too soon
Beneath the hunter's savage moon
Souls are out of tune
That kiss beneath that hunter's moon
Harsh and out of tune
And cursed to wander here and there forever,
Like the lonely moon.
The lyrics of Celtic Thunder's song "Hunter's Moon" speak of a relationship that has ended, one in which the singer has finally decided to walk away from after realizing that it is time to move on. As the song progresses, we hear a desire for the partner to also move on and live freely, with the singer stating that there is no cause to wonder or seek them out. The phrase "Don't rake the ashes, I'll take the lashes" refers to the idea that the singer is willing to suffer the consequences of their actions rather than involve the partner in the blame game.
The chorus describes a moment of intimacy shared under the "hunter's moon", which is the first full moon following the harvest moon. It is a time that has long been associated with hunting deer and other game, and is said to have mystical and romantic qualities. Though the moment may have been meaningful to both parties, the relationship has since ended, and the imagery of the harsh, icy hunter's moon is used to represent the brutality and tragedy of their love.
Overall, the song speaks of the bitter end of a relationship, and the emotional fallout that follows. Both parties are struggling to move on and find happiness, but the singer has decided it is time to let go, hoping that their partner will do the same and avoid the cruel fate of the hunter's moon.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm moving on now
I am leaving now and moving on from this situation
No more to say
I have no more words or explanations to give
Time I was gone now
It is time for me to leave now
Why would I stay?
I have no reason to stay here anymore
Don't rake the ashes
Please do not dwell on the past or reopen old wounds
I'll take the lashes
I will take responsibility for the mistakes made in this situation
You go now
It is time for you to leave as well
I'll walk away.
I will leave and not look back
No cause to wonder
There is no need to question or speculate about what happened
No one's immune
Everyone is susceptible to getting hurt
I kissed you under
We shared a moment under
The hunter’s moon.
The full moon in the month of October when it is believed that hunting is most successful
You wander free now
You can go wherever you want now
Don't look for me now
Do not try to find me or seek closure
Before you,
In advance of your departure
Find your dreams are strewn
Realize that your hopes and aspirations have been scattered
Beneath that icy hunter's moon
During that time when everyone was hunting and the moon was its fullest and coldest
Dying all too soon
Fading away much too quickly
Anchors aweigh
Ship's anchors are raised and it begins to move
Just one more day
Only a little more time is needed before leaving
How do we know though?
We are unsure of what the truth really is
Who hunted?
Who perpetrated the pain in this situation?
Who was the prey?
Who was the recipient of that pain?
You and I
Our actions and decisions led to this outcome
Flew too high
We became complacent and took unnecessary risks
Now we're falling free
We are losing control and experiencing the consequences of our actions
Through the night
During this dark time
Burning bright
With intense emotion and passion
And colder than the sea
But also cold and lifeless, like the unforgiving sea
Souls are out of tune
We are out of sync with each other and our souls are not in harmony
That kiss beneath that hunter's moon
That moment we shared when we were blinded by misguided passion
Harsh and out of tune
It was not a gentle or loving kiss, and it did not complement our souls
And cursed to wander here and there forever,
We are doomed to wander aimlessly for an indefinite amount of time
Like the lonely moon.
Just like the solitary and lonely moon, we are unable to find peace or companionship
Contributed by Samantha J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ZYX261
I love watching Ryan put everything into a song. ❤🎉😊
@tigre7739
Such a beautiful song, and showcases Ryan's talent beautifully! I always love how he displays such emotion and expression in his songs!💖🤩
@southernlady5085
Yes. He doesn’t have a pretty voice- it’s unique; little rough sounding, a textured, “sandpaper voice.” He uses that for such incredible expression in his singing. It becomes a perfect theatrical voice. Very , very talented singer. One of the best!
@janet8418
What a great voice, and nice looking!
@michelleezeugo5098
Awesome Ryan
@patriciacauret8472
Encore une belle voix oh j’adore bravo à vous Messieurs 😊
@colettelucas2532
Ce sont des jeunes magnifique et de superbes de belles voix BONNE journée mon amie lointaine bisous d'amitié ❤🌹🎵🎶
@patriciacauret8472
@@colettelucas2532 oui c’est vraiment une belle découverte pour moi bonne journée à toi mon amie lointaine bisous d,amitiés 👍🌹🎶❤️❤️😍🥰
@colettelucas2532
@@patriciacauret8472 BONNE journée mon amie lointaine bisous d'amitié 🌹❤🌹❤
@patriciacauret8472
@@colettelucas2532 👍🥰🌹❤️