In 2007, Ní Mhaolchatha left the group to focus on her solo career and was replaced by Hilary. Sharpe initially joined the group to fill in for Kelly who was on maternity leave, and later became a full member as a replacement for Fallon (who left to spend more time with family and record a solo work).
Since then, both Alex Sharpe and Lynn Hilary have left, making way for Lisa Lambe.
In 2013, Lisa Kelly left to pursue a teaching career at a Voice Academy she started up that year with her husband, making way for Susan McFadden for the 2013 Believe Tour.
In 2013, Chloë Agnew left to pursue solo work, making way for Máiréad Carlin.
Celtic Woman was recorded on September 15, 2004 for PBS Television in The United States at The Helix, Dublin to a sell-out audience. The show was organized by show producer Sharone Browne and musical director and composer David Downes, and produced by Dave Kavanagh. The show was first broadcast in March 2005 in The United States and within weeks the album Celtic Woman reached number one in the World Music charts in America and on Amazon.com charts. Their huge success in Asia and in America has been credited to the already successful megastar Enya and has been called "Riverdance for the Voice". As of July 22, 2006 the group has broken a long standing record in the music business. Their CD has been at the #1 position on the Billboard charts for an amazing 68 weeks.
On October 19th of that year, Celtic Woman was knocked off its No.1 spot on Billboard's World Music Charts, which it had maintained for 82 weeks, by Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration. This put the groups' 2 CDs at Nos. 1 and 2 respectively. Since then, Lisa Lambe has left the group to pursue a solo career.
Away in a Manger
Celtic Woman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No crib for His bed
The little Lord Jesus
Laid down His sweet head
The stars in the bright sky
Looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus
The cattle are lowing
The Baby awakes
A little Lord Jesus
No crying He makes
I love Thee, Lord Jesus
Look down from the sky
And stay by my side,
'Til morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus,
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever
And love me I pray
Bless all the dear children
In Thy tender care
And take us to heaven
To live with Thee there
The song "Away in a Manger" is a classic Christmas hymn that has been sung for generations. The first verse sets the scene of where the baby Jesus was born, as he lay in a manger with no crib or bed to sleep in. The second verse speaks of the beauty of the starry sky on the night of his birth and how it looked down on the humble stable where He lay surrounded by the animals. The third verse speaks to the peacefulness of the scene where the baby was laid, even as the cattle make noises nearby. It is said that Jesus was not an ordinary child, he was the Son of God and therefore did not cry like other children. Finally, in the fourth verse, the singer of the song is asking Jesus to watch over them till morning when they will wake up.
The final verse is a call for Jesus to be near and provide protection, love and care. The line "Bless all the dear children" acknowledges the love of Jesus for all people, young and old, rich or poor, weak or strong. The phrase, "Thy tender care," highlights his loving, compassionate nature. The last line "To live with Thee there," makes reference to the ultimate goal of every Christian; to spend eternity with Jesus in heaven.
Line by Line Meaning
Away in a manger,
Our Lord Jesus was born in a humble place, a manger.
No crib for His bed
There was no bed available, so Jesus slept in a manger.
The little Lord Jesus
Jesus was a small and innocent Lord, yet the King of Kings.
Laid down His sweet head
Jesus peacefully rested His head in the manger.
The stars in the bright sky
The stars in the sky shone brightly and illuminated the night.
Looked down where He lay
The stars gleamed directly above where Baby Jesus lay.
The little Lord Jesus
Again acknowledging the innocent nature of Baby Jesus.
Asleep on the hay
Baby Jesus peacefully slept on a bed of hay.
The cattle are lowing
The cattle were making soft sounds and noises.
The Baby awakes
Baby Jesus opens His eyes, and becomes alert.
A little Lord Jesus
Baby Jesus, although small, is the true Lord.
No crying He makes
Baby Jesus does not cry, for He is at peace in His manger.
I love Thee, Lord Jesus
The singer expresses her love and adoration for Jesus.
Look down from the sky
She asks Jesus to look upon her and hear her prayers.
And stay by my side,
She implores Jesus to stay with her forever.
'Til morning is nigh.
She wants Jesus to remain in her presence until the morning.
Be near me, Lord Jesus,
Again, she asks Jesus to stay near her and be with her always.
I ask Thee to stay
She asks Jesus to remain in her presence and hear her prayers.
Close by me forever
She desires Jesus to be close to her, now and always.
And love me I pray
She asks Jesus to love her always.
Bless all the dear children
She prays for all children to receive blessings from Jesus.
In Thy tender care
She hopes that Jesus gently and lovingly cares for all children.
And take us to heaven
She wants Jesus to take all her loved ones to Heaven.
To live with Thee there
She wants all her loved ones to live forever with Jesus in Heaven.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Public Domain
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Aris Minarto
Away in a manger
No crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus
Laid down His sweet head
The stars in the bright sky
Looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus
Asleep on the hay
The cattle are lowing
The Baby awakes
But little Lord Jesus
No crying He makes
I love You, Lord Jesus
Look down from the sky
And stay by my side
Until morning is nigh
Be near me, Lord Jesus
I ask You to stay
Close by me forever
And love me I pray
Bless all the dear children
In Your tender care
And fit us for heaven
To live with You there
Adam Withey
Riz Lateef from BBC London News watched ''Celtic Woman - A Christmas Celebration or A Celebration of Christmas'' on the DVD on her computer and on BBC FOUR and SKY ARTS on TV since Monday 22nd December 2014. What's her favourite song? #CelticWoman #AChristmasCelebration #ACelebrationofChristmas
1. Carol of the Bells #CaroloftheBells
2. Silent Night #SilentNight
3. White Christmas #WhiteChristmas
4. Away In A Manger #AwayInAManger
5. Ding Dong Merrily On High #DingDongMerrilyOnHigh
6. The Little Drummer Boy #TheLittleDrummerBoy
7. The Christmas Song #TheChristmasSong
8. In The Bleak Midwinter #InTheBleakMidwinter
9. The First Noel #TheFirstNoel
10. The Wexford Carol #TheWexfordCarol
11. Once In Royal David's City #OnceInRoyalDavidsCity SONG NOT CONTESTED ON CELTIC WOMAN A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION OR A CELEBATION OF CHRISTMAS
12. Christmas Pipes #ChristmasPipes
13. O Holy Night #OHolyNight
14. Panis Angelicus #PanisAngelicus
15. Green The Whole Year Round #GreenTheWholeYearRound
16. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas #HaveYourselfAMerryLittleChristmas
17. Don Oiche Ud I Mbeithil (That Night In Bethlehem) #DonOicheUdIMbeithil #ThatNightInBethlehem
18. O Come All Ye Faithful #OComeAllYeFaithful
19. Let It Snow! #LetItSnow!
Orla Fallon, Chloe Agnew, Lisa Kelly, Mairead Nesbitt and Meav Ni Mhaolchatha will love it!
Doo Little
This is the most beautiful version of this song I've ever heard. I miss the original crew. Luckily I got a chance to see them in concert before everyone left the group.
Shawna Weesner
👍❤️🇺🇸
MJ J
I couldn't agree more. I have been coming back to it for years to listen to the voice of this angel.
Earth Mother
Orla's voice ever engenders goose bumps. Never fails. 😌
Christian Castillo
I miss Orla so much! I hope she has a chance to get a sing with a current Celtic woman.
james lawracy
The original cast is still the best.
Lucille Petillo
Absolutely Beautiful Voice for this endearing song of Baby Jesus! God Bless you Celtic Women! AMAZING TALENT!
AnaxErik4ever
I miss Orla's voice so much. This is one of my favorite Christmas songs Celtic Woman has done.
La Fea's chronicle
I sang this song for Christmas service one year so it's rather nostalgic to see Celtic women sing it
Raymond M
She sing it beautifully 🧡