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.
The Mountains Of Mourne
Celtic Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The people here are working by day and by night
They don't sow potatoes, nor barley, nor wheat
But there's gangs of them diggin' for gold in the street
At least, when I asked them, that's what I was told
So I just took a hand at this diggin' for gold
But for all that I've found there I might as well be
There's beautiful girls here, oh never you mind
Beautiful shapes nature never designed
Lovely complexions of roses and cream
But let me remark with regard to the same
That if at those roses you venture to sip
Colors might fall come away on your lips
So I'll wait for the white rose that's waitin for me
In the place where the dark Mournes sweep down to the sea
You remember young Davey McClaren of course
Well sure now he's round here with the rest of the force
I saw him one day as I was crossin the strand
And he stopped the whole street with a wave of his hand
And as we stood talkin of days that are gone
The whole town of London stood there to look on
But for all his great powers he's wishful like me
To be back where the dark Mournes sweep down to the sea
But for all his great powers he's wishful like me
To be back where the dark Mournes sweep down to the sea
The Mountains of Mourne is a song that speaks to the desire for a simpler life in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city. The singer, presumably an Irishman, is in London and marvels at the sight of people working day and night. He is fascinated by the fact that they don't sow potatoes or barley or wheat but have gangs of people digging for gold in the streets. Curious, he decides to join them in their work but finds that despite his efforts, he hasn't found anything of real value.
The singer also comments on the beauty of the women in London, but reminds himself that true beauty is found back home, in the white rose that awaits him in the Mourne Mountains. He even warns the listener that if they dare to taste the roses in London, the colors might come away on their lips. Eventually, the singer meets an old friend from home, Davey McClaren, who has also ended up in London, but like the singer, longs to return to the Mountains of Mourne. Despite the great power and influence that Davey has in London, he is still wishful to be back in the simple life he once knew.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, Mary, this London's a wonderful sight
The persona expresses their awe of the beautiful sight of London.
The people here are working by day and by night
The citizens of London are industrious, working from sunrise to sunset.
They don't sow potatoes, nor barley, nor wheat
Londoners do not focus on traditional agricultural activities like planting potatoes, barley, or wheat.
But there's gangs of them diggin' for gold in the street
Instead, they engage in digging for gold in the streets, as relayed to the persona.
At least, when I asked them, that's what I was told
The persona emphasizes that he merely heard of the gold digging activities through inquiries and didn't verify them himself.
So I just took a hand at this diggin' for gold
Despite his skepticism, the persona himself attempted to dig for gold in London.
But for all that I've found there I might as well be
The persona finds that his efforts in searching for gold have been fruitless, and he might as well be somewhere else.
In the place where the dark Mournes sweep down to the sea
The persona yearns to be back in the Mournes, where the dark mountains meet the sea.
There's beautiful girls here, oh never you mind
The persona notes the beauty of the women in London.
Beautiful shapes nature never designed
The women in London have striking physical features that defy the usual fashions of natural beauty.
Lovely complexions of roses and cream
Their skin complexion is luscious, smooth, and almost resembling roses and cream.
But let me remark with regard to the same
The persona cautions to be mindful not to get color from the roses onto one's lips while enjoying their beauty.
That if at those roses you venture to sip
If one tries to kiss London's beautiful women, they may be left with lipstick residue on their lips.
Colors might fall come away on your lips
The lipstick may transfer onto the person's mouth.
So I'll wait for the white rose that's waitin for me
The persona is content to wait for a white rose that is waiting for him instead of settling for any others.
In the place where the dark Mournes sweep down to the sea
The persona once again declares his longing to return to the Mournes.
You remember young Davey McClaren of course
The persona brings up Davey McClaren as a figure from the past.
Well sure now he's round here with the rest of the force
Davey is revealed to be in London currently, blending in with the rest of the city's workforce.
I saw him one day as I was crossin the strand
The persona recalls a moment where he came across Davey while crossing the street.
And he stopped the whole street with a wave of his hand
Davey's charm and influence were so great that he was able to impress the entire street with a simple gesture.
And as we stood talkin of days that are gone
The persona reminisces on past memories while chatting with Davey.
The whole town of London stood there to look on
Their conversation was captivating enough that even the people of London paused to watch.
But for all his great powers he's wishful like me
Despite Davey's apparent influence, he still desires to be back in Ireland just like the persona.
To be back where the dark Mournes sweep down to the sea
They both long to return to the charming beauty of the Mournes.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: RUSSELL CHARLES SHIPTON, H. COLLISON, PERCY FRENCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jimjones8381
We are fourth generation Kiwis, but my great grandparents migrated from Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, and I can remember my grandfather singing this song word for word when I was a very young lad, not really knowing the meaning or it’s heritage until I seen this video years later. It’s on my bucket list to one-day come and visit Northern Ireland and see where the McGuire family originated from. Beautiful song performed beautifully.
Love it!!! From a very proud Irish/Kiwi ❤
@margaretcrouser9020
I have never seen any one pick a guitar like Keith. It is awesome and Celtic thunder was not the same after he left.
@TeriB-rk4vm
I miss him with Celtic Thunder. I follow his career. He has great talent. I wish him the best.
@iulianachelariu7256
I am from Romania and I discovered Celtic Thunder two months ago,and since then, I listen to them every day. This song is one of my favorites. I love Celtic Thunder, I fell in love with them from the first moment I saw them ,but now it's not the same without George, Keith and Paul . ❤❤❤
@amandastoran6194
Agree
@ginaonisor9493
I think the best formula was with George, Keith, Paul, Neil, Ryan and Damian.
@mickellis809
Fabulous voice, could listen to Kieth Harkin all day. Very handsome too. ❤
@taliandzelda5006
Keith sings so beautifully. It always gives me chills. I follow him on his solo career journey but I still love himnin CT.
@irenewinerhalder5987
F
@eileenbachemin1617
I wish he stayed with Celtic Thunder and went out solo too !!!