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.
Past The Point Of Rescue
Celtic Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Larger than life again, holding me tight again
Placing those same kisses on my brow
Sweeter than ever now; Lord, I remember how
Couldn’t get enough of kissing; do you know how much you’re missing
No, you don’t, but I do
The days like a slow train trickle by
All I can hear is your song haunting me
Can’t get the melody out of my head, you see
Distractions are amusing; do you know how much you’re losing
No, you don’t, but I do
But I do, and I wonder if I’m past the point of rescue
Is no word from you at all the best that you can do
I never meant to push or shove you; do you know how much I love you
No, you don’t, but I do
I never meant to push or shove you; do you know how much I love you
No, you don’t, but I do
I swore I’d never fall like this again
Fools like me never win; I came to my knees again
I can’t close the door on likelihood
Things might be just as good; always knew they would
Gotta let your love invite me; girl, do you think it might be just as good
No, you don’t, but I do
Oh, but I do, and I wonder if I’m past the point of rescue
Is no word from you at all the best that you can do
I never meant to push or shove you; do you know how much I love you
No, you don’t, but I do
I do
I do
I do
In the song "Past the Point of Rescue" sung by Neil Byrne of Celtic Thunder, the lyrics speak of a lost love and the struggle to move on from it. The opening lines describe a dream of the lost love returning, with the singer remembering the sweetness of their kisses and realizing how much they miss them. The days seem to drag on without the love, with the singer feeling haunted by their memory and unable to escape thoughts of the past. The chorus repeats the question of whether they are past the point of rescue in the relationship, and if there is no communication from the other person, is that the best they can do? The singer then affirms their love for the person and their desire to reconcile, hoping that the love might invite them back.
Throughout "Past the Point of Rescue," the lyrics are emotional and raw, capturing the pain of a broken heart and the longing for reconciliation. The repetition of the chorus and the use of rhetorical questions emphasize the singer's frustration with the situation. The song's structure is also notable, as the verses repeat the same melody with slightly different lyrics, while the chorus has a different tune and builds to a climax with the singer's affirmation of their love. Overall, the song captures a universal experience of heartbreak and the struggle to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night I dreamed you were back again
I had a dream about your return last night
Larger than life again, holding me tight again
You seemed bigger and embraced me tightly in the dream
Placing those same kisses on my brow
You kissed me on my forehead just like before
Sweeter than ever now; Lord, I remember how
Your kisses are even more pleasing now, and I recall how sweet they were
Couldn’t get enough of kissing; do you know how much you’re missing
I loved kissing you and wonder if you realize what you're missing out on
No, you don’t, but I do
You don't know, but I do
The days like a slow train trickle by
The days pass by slowly, like a train moving at a snail's pace
And even the words that I write refuse to fly
I struggle to express myself through writing
All I can hear is your song haunting me
I can't get your song out of my head, it's like a haunting melody
Can’t get the melody out of my head, you see
I can't stop hearing the tune, don't you see?
Distractions are amusing; do you know how much you’re losing
I'm entertained by distractions, but wonder if you realize what you're missing out on
No, you don’t, but I do
You don't know, but I do
But I do, and I wonder if I’m past the point of rescue
I know, and I question if it's too late to save us
Is no word from you at all the best that you can do
Can you not say anything to me? Is this the best you can do?
I never meant to push or shove you; do you know how much I love you
I didn't intend to come on too strong, do you understand how much I care about you?
I swore I’d never fall like this again
I vowed to never fall in love like this again
Fools like me never win; I came to my knees again
People like me don't succeed, I feel defeated again
I can’t close the door on likelihood
I can't completely give up hope
Things might be just as good; always knew they would
Things could still work out, I always had a feeling they would
Gotta let your love invite me; girl, do you think it might be just as good
I need you to invite me back with your love, do you believe it could be just as good?
Oh, but I do, and I wonder if I’m past the point of rescue
But I do believe, and I question if it's too late to save us
I do
I definitely believe
I do
I truly believe
I do
I really believe
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Michael John Hanly
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sheilalott9672
Don't you just want to hug him, a lot!
@actioncfc
I think this is my favorite sole CT song. It haunts me and I catch myself singing now for almost two years. Thank you Neil!
@ajkrivenko2422
Such a beautiful song. Neil is amazing!!
@bobopaxaton
He looks extremely good too !!
@amandat553
great song ,i think you have all grown,matured into very talented singers,always stay true
@MoonLightJazz1980
Great song, Neil has an amazing voice! All the CT men do.
@janetbailey8837
I like this band ,and love the music
@riccawthra
Love Neil's presence and voice. Magic!
@QueenMalic97
I absolutely LOVE Neil's voice it's beautiful
@mushtakali2751
great song with great artists