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.
Ride on
Celtic Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Standing 16' one or two, with eyes wild and green
You ride the horse so well, hands light to the touch
I could never go with you no matter how I wanted to
Ride on, see you
I could never go with you no matter how I wanted to
Ride on, see you, I could never go with you no matter how I wanted to
Run your claw along my gut, one last time
I turn to face an empty space, where you used to lie
I look for the spark that lights the night
Through a teardrop in your eye
Ride on, see you, I could never go with you no matter how I wanted to
Ride on, see you, I could never go with you no matter how I wanted to
Ride on, see you, I could never go with you no matter how I wanted to
Ride on, see you, I could never go with you no matter how I wanted to
I could never go with you no matter how I wanted to
I could never go with you no matter how I wanted to
The song "Ride On" by Celtic Thunder is a melancholic tune that tells the story of a person who is unable to follow the one they desire, even though they ride the "finest horse" and possess great skill. The first verse describes the object of the singer's affection as they ride a horse with a wild and green look in their eyes. Despite their yearning to join them, they cannot, as the person is aware that they cannot keep up with the skills of the rider. Thus, they must continue to ride alone.
The second verse describes the emotional turmoil that the singer feels, as they watch the rider disappear into the night. They ask that the rider "run their claw along my gut one last time," perhaps indicating that they want to feel some kind of physical or emotional connection before the rider leaves them in their empty bed. The singer struggles to come to terms with the fact that their lover is gone, and they are left with only a teardrop in their eye to remember them by. The chorus repeats the sentiment that the singer could never go with the rider, no matter how much they want to.
Overall, "Ride On" is a sad but beautiful ballad of unrequited love and the realization that sometimes, we cannot be with the ones we desire, even if we have the means to do so.
Line by Line Meaning
True you ride the finest horse I've ever seen
You ride the most exquisite horse I have ever laid my eyes on, which is indeed a sight to behold.
Standing 16' one or two, with eyes wild and green
The horse you ride stands tall at 16 feet, and its eyes are a mesmerizing shade of green.
You ride the horse so well, hands light to the touch
You are able to ride the horse skillfully while having a gentle touch, which is a remarkable feat.
I could never go with you no matter how I wanted to
As much as I desire to accompany you, my heart tells me it is not meant to be, and I must stay behind.
Ride on, see you
Go on with your journey, farewell.
When you ride into the night, without a trace behind
As you disappear into the darkness of the night, leaving nothing but memories behind.
Run your claw along my gut, one last time
Before you leave, leave behind a mark of your presence on me, one last time.
I turn to face an empty space, where you used to lie
When I look to the place where you usually would be, there is only emptiness and loneliness.
I look for the spark that lights the night
I search for a sign that would make the dark night feel less gloomy and dull.
Through a teardrop in your eye
A simple tear in your eye would hold more emotions than words could ever express.
I could never go with you no matter how I wanted to
Once again, I know deep down that we cannot be together no matter how much my heart desires.
Ride on, see you, I could never go with you no matter how I wanted to
I must bid you farewell, although I wish I could join you, it is not meant to be.
Ride on, see you, I could never go with you no matter how I wanted to
I must accept that us venturing together is not a possibility.
Ride on, see you, I could never go with you no matter how I wanted to
As you continue with your journey, remember that my heart will always long for you, even though I cannot accompany you.
Ride on, see you, I could never go with you no matter how I wanted to
Go on with your adventure and thrive, even if it means leaving me behind.
I could never go with you no matter how I wanted to
Once more, I have come to terms with the fact that my destiny lies in a different direction than yours, and we cannot merge our paths.
I could never go with you no matter how I wanted to
It is now crystal clear that I cannot be part of your journey no matter how much I desire it.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DOUGLAS M. JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marilyn Wink
Ryan is one in a million. I truly love all of Ryan's numbers but this one is exceptional. I really think that this song was written specially for him. He puts so much energy into it. It's very noticeable in his hand movement and the way moves over the sage. You can also see it in his eyes. Thank you so much, Ryan.
AJ Krivenko
Great song. This song is perfect for Ryan. He is the most dramatic of all the CT lads.
TheBabyhornetdan
This is easily my favourite of Ryan's songs. His character is perfect for it and the emotion is excellent. Well done Ryan.
Janet Smith
I love this song Ryan is the best.
John Lappe
Great song, wonderful performance. Thanks for sharing.
Rosalind Simmons
You are are a legend Ryan Kelly.
Janet Smith
I love to hear Ryan sing. He has an amazing voice he puts a lot of feelings . And very handsome to. Love you Ryan.
Janet Martin
lovin' ALL the new Celtic thunder on Youtube. I have this cd. SO good!
Cathleen Pollard
Beautifully done! Shared all over! ;)
Lila Wiens
Only Ryan could do this song well. Such a handsome and talented man.