Celtic Woman is an all-female Irish musical ensemble conceived and created by David Kavanagh, Sharon Browne and David Downes, a former musical director of the Irish stage show Riverdance. In 2004, Downes recruited five Irish female musicians who had not previously performed together: vocalists and shaped them into the first lineup of the group that he named “Celtic Woman”, a specialty group. Downes chose a repertoire that ranged from traditional Celtic Tunes to modern songs.
The show was meant to be a one-time event held in Dublin, but multiple airings on PBS in the Statyes helped boost the group’s popularity. The group’s line-up has changed over the years. Eleven albums have been released under the name “Celtic Woman”: The group has undertaken a number of world tours. Cumulatively, albums by Celtic Woman have sold over nine million records worldwide.
The foundation for Celtic music’s popularity outside Ireland and Europe was built by tapping into the success of artists such as Enya and Clannad, along with stage show Riverdance. Celtic Woman has been described as being “Riverdance for the voice.” Celtic Woman has been named Billboard World Album Artist of the Year six times.
Celtic Woman is currently comprised of four young Irish women—dynamic vocalists Mairéad Carlin, Megan Walsh and returning special guest artist Chloë Agnew, alongside gifted violinist Tara McNeill—whose performing skills bring centuries of musical and cultural tradition to life. In concert, their angelic voices and instrumental virtuosity are accompanied by a robust ensemble that includes Irish dancers, bagpipers and a full band playing an array of traditional Celtic instruments, including bodhran, tin whistle, bouzouki and Uileann pipes.
