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.
Midnight Well
Celtic Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the midnight well
For it's dark and evil, so they say
The midnight well
They'll tell you a tale of a lovely young maid
The fairest that they'd ever known
What a beauty, they say
On that night, she set out on her own
For they say, she had a rendezvous
At the midnight well
With a gypsy man she barely knew
At the midnight well
Nobody knew where he came from
But they remember the fire in his eyes
His earring of gold
And his hair black as coal
And a look that could just hypnotize
When he said
Come away, come away with me
Come here and lay with me
Come away out of the light
Come away, come away
Come and ride with me into the night
Never more, they never saw her face
At the midnight well
She was gone, and never left a trace
At the midnight well
They say when the summer nights come to an end
The harvest moon glows in the sky
A black horse will appear and a sound you will hear
As the ghost of a gypsy flies by
And he says
Come away, come away with me
Come here and lay with me
Come away out of the light
Come away, come away
Come and ride with me into the night
Come away, come away with me
Come here and lay with me
Come away out of the light
Come away, come away
Come and ride with me into the night
Come away, come away with me
Come here and lay with me
Come away out of the light
Come away, come away
Come and ride with me into the night
The Celtic Thunder song "Midnight Well" tells the story of a young maid who meets a mysterious gypsy man at the town's infamous midnight well. The people in the town believe the well to be a place of darkness and evil, but the maid ignores the warnings and sets out to meet her rendezvous. The gypsy man has a mesmerizing presence, with his black hair, gold earring, and eyes that seem to hypnotize those around him. He convinces the young maid to come away with him into the night, and she is never seen in the town again.
Line by Line Meaning
In the town, the people stay away
The residents avoid going near the midnight well
From the midnight well
Due to the negative reputation it holds
For it's dark and evil, so they say
The locals believe the well to possess malevolent energy
The midnight well
Despite its ominous aura, the well is still a place of interest
They'll tell you a tale of a lovely young maid
The townspeople recount a story of a beautiful girl
The fairest that they'd ever known
She was considered the most attractive woman in their community
What a beauty, they say
Her looks were greatly admired
But she went her own way
Despite her beauty, she was independent
On that night, she set out on her own
One evening, she journeyed alone
For they say, she had a rendezvous
According to rumor, she planned to meet someone
At the midnight well
Specifically, at the infamous well at midnight
With a gypsy man she barely knew
Her intended companion was not familiar to her
At the midnight well
The location where she allegedly met the stranger
Nobody knew where he came from
The townsfolk did not recognize the man
But they remember the fire in his eyes
Those who saw him recall his intense gaze
His earring of gold
A distinctive feature on his person was a golden earring
And his hair black as coal
He had dark hair that was likened to coal
And a look that could just hypnotize
His captivating stare left an impression on witnesses
When he said
Perhaps with his entrancing voice
Come away, come away with me
He requested her presence elsewhere
Come here and lay with me
Suggesting an intimate encounter
Come away out of the light
Inviting her to leave behind the society's conventions
Come away, come away
Encouraging her to accompany him
Come and ride with me into the night
Proposing a journey together under the cover of darkness
Never more, they never saw her face
The girl remained forever missing
At the midnight well
The last known location where she was seen
She was gone, and never left a trace
No evidence or indication of her whereabouts was ever found
They say when the summer nights come to an end
According to another legend that circulated later
The harvest moon glows in the sky
A particular moment during autumn, associated with the lunar cycle
A black horse will appear and a sound you will hear
A horse of dark hue will emerge, along with some audible cue
As the ghost of a gypsy flies by
A spirit in the form of a nomadic person will make an apparition
And he says
The ghost addresses its audience
Come away, come away with me
A similar message to the one previously relayed
Come here and lay with me
Reiterating the proposal of intimacy
Come away out of the light
The invitation still remains to leave behind the mundane realm
Come away, come away
Persisting with the request to journey together
Come and ride with me into the night
The ghost's offer is linked to the earlier tale of the maiden
Come away, come away with me
The ghost repeats the same lines yet another time
Come here and lay with me
A final invitation to intimacy
Come away out of the light
The ghost wishes to take its company to an unknown destination
Come away, come away
Repeating the suggestion to escape together
Come and ride with me into the night
Concluding the eerie, recurring show of desire to elope
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Evan Bogart, Donna Summer, Jonathan Rotem
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gabrielleherbinetmetz1546
I really love his voice! He is a great artist! He sings and plays as the greatest! And he is a very beautiful man!
@lovinglife6080
โค Ryan is such an amazing singer love this song
@tigre7739
Ryan is such a great singer, and does fantastic character portrayals! ๐๐
@JasGould-sh3fh
I have seen Celtic Thunder in concert 4 times here in Australia. Ryan always does these character songs really well. I hope to see them live again soon.
@sandrablacksher1766
Ryan is an amazing singer & storyteller. You see it in his facial expressions & actions.
@dianegorman4959
Awesome song ,you were brilliant you should be proud of yourself โ๏ธ๐ฎ๐ชโค๏ธ
@kathyosullivan9785
I love Ryan singing he is a favourite from the Celtic group.
@antonygent1342
Very good. Outstanding ๐๐โ๏ธ
@gabrielleherbinetmetz1546
I love your voice dear Ryan, and... you are a great actor! Lu ky will be your wife! You seem to be a so great man
@user-dq8iv6ix6y
Merveilleux il chante avec son cลur โค๏ธ c'est rรฉconfortant รงa fait du bien merci