Celtic Woman is a musical group from Dublin, Ireland comprising five Irish … Read Full Bio ↴Celtic Woman is a musical group from Dublin, Ireland comprising five Irish women with a repertoire that ranges from traditional Celtic tunes to modern songs. Current members include the five vocalists Méav Ní Mhaolchatha, Máiréad Carlin, Susan McFadden, Lynn Hilary, Alex Sharpe, and the violinist Máiréad Nesbitt. Deirdre Shannon sang with the group during Ní Mhaolchatha's pregnancy in 2005-2006. Hayley Westenra, a New Zealander of Irish descent, sang with the group during its 2006-2007 tour as its sixth member. Méav Ní Mhaolchatha and Órla Fallon were two of the original members of the group, though both have since left to pursue other projects.

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.

The Wexford Carol
Celtic Woman Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Good people all, this Christmas time
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done
In sending His beloved Son

With Mary holy we should pray
To God with love this Christmas day
In Bethlehem upon that morn'

There was a blessed Messiah born

Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep
To whom God's angels did appear
Which put the shepherds in great fear

"Arise and go", the angels said
"To Bethlehem, be not afraid
For there you'll find this happy morn'
A princely Babe, sweet Jesus born"

With thankful heart and joyful mind
The shepherds went that Babe to find
And as God's angel had foretold
They did our Savior Christ behold

Within a manger He was laid
And by his side the Virgin maid

As long foretold upon that morn'
There was a blessed Messiah born

Overall Meaning

The Wexford Carol is a traditional Irish Christmas carol that originated in County Wexford, Ireland. The lyrics of the song tell the story of the birth of Jesus Christ and serve as an invitation for people to celebrate the joy and hope that this event brings. The first stanza of the song encourages listeners to contemplate the true meaning of Christmas, and expresses gratitude for the gift of Jesus' birth. This is followed by a call to prayer to celebrate the day with Mary, and the retelling of the story of the shepherds who were visited by angels and guided to the birthplace of the Messiah. The song ends with a description of the manger and the joining of Mary and Joseph with the child.

The Wexford Carol has been performed by many artists throughout the years, but is perhaps most notable when performed by the Irish all-female group, Celtic Woman. The traditional Irish instrumentation and haunting vocals of the group add depth and emotion to the already poignant lyrics. The dynamics and harmonies in the group create a powerful rendition that conveys the religious significance of the song.

Line by Line Meaning

Good people all, this Christmas time
Attention everyone during Christmas

Consider well and bear in mind
Remember and think about

What our good God for us has done
The things that God has done for us

In sending His beloved Son
By sending his beloved son to us

With Mary holy we should pray
We should pray with the holy Mary

To God with love this Christmas day
Show love to God on Christmas day

In Bethlehem upon that morn'
In Bethlehem on that morning

There was a blessed Messiah born
The Messiah was born

Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
Shepherds kept watch near Bethlehem

Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep
They were taking care of their lambs and sheep

To whom God's angels did appear
God's angels appeared to them