Celtic Thunder
| Celtic Thunder | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Ireland |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2007–current |
| Labels | Decca, Verve (formerly) Legacy (2014-current) |
| Website | Official website |
| Members |
Neil Byrne Emmet Cahill Ryan Kelly Damian McGinty Michael O'Dwyer |
| Past members |
Paul Byrom George Donaldson (deceased) Daniel Furlong Keith Harkin Colm Keegan Emmett O'Hanlon |
Celtic Thunder is an Irish singing group and stage show known for its eclectic, theatrical style show. The group is backed by the Celtic Thunder Band on their concert tours, and their live shows are known for the use of dramatic set pieces (often invoking symbols of ancient Celtic mythology), visual effects, and highly choreographed staging.
Since the original group's formation in 2007, Celtic Thunder has released twelve albums as well as ten live performances on DVD.
Celtic Thunder debuted in August 2007 at The Helix in Dublin, Ireland. They are accompanied by the Celtic Concert Orchestra under the direction of Phil Coulter, the musical director of the group.
In December 2008, 2009 and 2011, Billboard magazine named Celtic Thunder Top World Album Artist. Their first three albums also placed in the top 10 for World Albums.
In March 2009, Celtic Thunder opened the Saint Patrick's Day Parade in New York City.
On November 28, 2010, Celtic Thunder member Paul Byrom announced his resignation from the group to begin a solo career. He left the group when the 2010 concert tour was over. Byrom released his album This is the Moment in November 2011. He has also appeared as a singer of the national anthem at Boston Celtics' games. In March 2013, he recorded his first PBS special to be aired later in the year.
In 2011, Damian McGinty (the group's youngest member) entered and won the Oxygen reality show The Glee Project. On August 21, 2011, McGinty announced on The Glee Project's Live Viewing Party, that he would be stepping down from Celtic Thunder due to his new role on Glee.
During their 2012 tour, Colm Keegan was asked to stand in for Ryan Kelly, who was hurt in a fall. After Kelly returned, Keegan was asked to become a permanent member of the group.
On October 15, 2012, Celtic Thunder performed at The Pentagon.
In December 2012, Celtic Thunder performed an unplugged concert at the Sullivan Hall, New York, in front of an audience of just over 300 people. The concert was in aid of the victims of Hurricane Sandy and resulted in approximately $50,000 being raised.
On January 13, 2014, after three years with Celtic Thunder, Emmet Cahill announced his decision to leave Celtic Thunder via his Facebook fan page.
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Wikipedia