Bill Hughes formed the idea of a trio of Irish tenors during a Cannes festival at which the famous Three Tenors, Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras and Plácido Domingo were performing. Hughes wanted to produce a television special and first approached Ireland's Finbar Wright in 1998 to join the group but Wright's recording contract with Sony BMG prohibited such a venture. Hughes then invited Canadian John McDermott to head up the group and he accepted. After conferring with Ireland's leading vocal coach, Dr. Veronica Dunne, Anthony Kearns and Ronan Tynan were asked to join. In 1999, "The Irish Tenors-in Dublin" debuted on PBS television in the United States.
PBS signed up for another special by the increasingly popular new group but early in 2000 McDermott's mother died and John decided he could not fully commit himself to the group. Days before PBS was to film The Irish Tenors - Live in Belfast Hughes again contacted Finbar Wright and asked him to step in. Wright agreed to help and was asked to stay on for upcoming tour dates. Having left Sony, Wright was able to join the trio on a permanent basis.
In 2001, the Irish Tenors filmed their third special, an historic PBS broadcast at New York's Ellis Island , hosted by Irish/American actor Martin Sheen. Their album "Ellis Island" topped Billboard's Heatseeker list and landed on its "Top 10 Best of 2001".
In 2006, after Tynan left the group to concentrate on his solo career, Karl Scully was asked by Kearns and Wright to join the trio. This successful blend of voices spurred Bill Hughes to produce a television 9 part series for Ireland's RTE titled The Irish Tenors & Friends. Friends performing on the television special with The Irish Tenors include Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber , Paul Carrick, Finbar Furey , Hayley Westenra , Shayne Ward , Sharon Shannon, Peter Grant , Rebecca Storm, Lucia Evans , and Celine Byrne.
In 2007 the South Carolina Legislature issued a "Proclamation" welcoming the trio to that State at their performance in Charleston.
The trio continues to tour yearly.
The Wexford Carol
The Irish Tenors Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
The night before that happy tide
The noble Virgin and her guide
Were long time seeking up and down
To find a lodging in the town
But mark how all things came to pass
From every door repelled, alas
As long foretold, their refuge all
Was but a humble oxen stall
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
"Prepare 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 the Babe to find
And as God's angel has foretold
They did our Savior Christ behold
Within a manger He was laid
And by His side the Virgin maid
Attending on the Lord of Life
Who came on earth to end all strife
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
The Wexford Carol is a traditional Irish Christmas carol with unknown origins, though it is believed to have originated in the 12th century. The song is a reminder to all of the true meaning of Christmas, and asks listeners to consider the great sacrifice that God made by sending His Son to earth. The lyrics of the song encourage listeners to pray to God and give thanks for the miraculous birth of the Messiah.
The song begins by asking listeners to consider what God has done for us by sending Jesus Christ to earth as a baby. The lyrics remind us to think deeply about the birth of Christ and to take time to reflect on its true meaning. The song then recounts the story of Jesus’ birth, describing how Mary and Joseph searched for a place to stay in Bethlehem before finally finding refuge in a humble stable.
The second half of the song describes the visit of the shepherds and the angels who announced to them the birth of the Savior. The shepherds are told to travel to Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus for themselves, and they do so, finding the newborn lying in a manger. The song ends with a call to all of us to consider what God has done for us by sending His Son to earth, and to be grateful for this great gift.
Overall, the Wexford Carol is a poignant reminder of the true meaning of Christmas and the incredible gift that God has given us in the birth of His Son.
Line by Line Meaning
Good people all, this Christmas time
Listen to me, everyone, during this Christmas season
Consider well and bear in mind
Think deeply and remember
What our good God for us has done
Recall what our kind God has done for us
In sending His beloved Son
By sending his beloved son to us
With Mary holy we should pray
Let's pray with Holy Mary
To God with love this Christmas Day
Today, on Christmas day, let's show our love to God
In Bethlehem upon that morn
On that morning in Bethlehem
There was a blessed Messiah born
The birth of the blessed savior happened there
The night before that happy tide
On the night before the joyful event
The noble Virgin and her guide
The noble virgin Mary and her partner
Were long time seeking up and down
Were searching for a place to stay for a long time
To find a lodging in the town
To find a place to stay in the city
But mark how all things came to pass
See how everything unfolded
From every door repelled, alas
Although they were turned away from every door
As long foretold, their refuge all
As it was predicted, their refuge
Was but a humble oxen stall
Was only a simple stable meant for oxen
Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
Shepherds kept watch near Bethlehem
Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep
Their lambs and sheep that were being fed
To whom God's angels did appear
God's angels appeared to them
Which put the shepherds in great fear
Which caused the shepherds to be very scared
"Prepare and go", the angels said
The angels said "Get ready and go"
"To Bethlehem, be not afraid
"Don't be afraid, go to Bethlehem
For there you'll find, this happy morn
Because there, on this joyous morning
A princely Babe, sweet Jesus born"
A royal baby, sweet Jesus, has been born
With thankful heart and joyful mind
With grateful hearts and happy minds
The shepherds went the Babe to find
The shepherds went to find the baby
And as God's angel has foretold
As the angel of God had prophesied
They did our Savior Christ behold
They saw our savior Christ
Within a manger He was laid
He was laid in a manger
And by His side the Virgin maid
And the Virgin Mary was by his side
Attending on the Lord of Life
Serving the Lord of Life
Who came on earth to end all strife
Who came to earth to put an end to all disputes
Good people all, this Christmas time
Listen to me, everyone, during this Christmas season
Consider well and bear in mind
Think deeply and remember
What our good God for us has done
Recall what our kind God has done for us
In sending His beloved Son
By sending his beloved son to us
Contributed by Christopher G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ron Wickman
on Grace
A glorious rendition that tears at one's heart, without histrionics.. Wm. Shakespeare couldn't have said it better.