CELTIC THUNDER - BIOGRAPHIES EMMET CAHILL

CELTIC THUNDER – BIOGRAPHIES

EMMET CAHILL
Vocalist
2010 was a very exciting year for Emmet Cahill; he was awarded The 2010 John
McCormack Bursary for the most Promising Young Tenor, was named the most
promising young singer at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and was a multiple
prizewinner at the National Feis Ceoil singing competition in Ireland.

Emmet is 21 years old and hails from Mullingar in County Westmeath in Ireland. His
musical journey began when he was just 5 years old and began learning the piano. By 7
Emmet had begun voice training and he went on to win a music scholarship for high
school in Mullingar. Emmet spent the next 5 years intensively studying and playing
music. At school he furthered his studies in piano, organ and violin and vocal training,
however singing has always been his true love. He continued his education at the
prestigious Royal Irish Academy of Music where he received a university degree in Music
Performance.

Emmet has been in many stage productions in Dublin and has performed on stage at
the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin and as a soloist at the National Concert Hall. He is an avid
sports fan and has performed twice at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin, in front of crowds
of 90,000. He has also performed for the President of Ireland Mary McAleese and has
sung at several international rugby games in Dublin’s new Aviva Stadium. Emmet also
sings regularly at the Mullingar Cathedral.

Emmet attended auditions for Celtic Thunder in June 2010 and was thrilled to be asked
by Sharon and Phil to join the show. Emmet Cahill is the newest member of the Celtic
Thunder family and he started his Celtic Thunder journey in Heritage with his rendition
of a Phil Coulter song Kindred Spirits which Phil wrote especially for him. In Voyage
Emmet also performs solo number “This is the Moment” from the musical Jekyl & Hyde
along with the lamenting Irish ballad Isle of Hope Isle of Tears. Emmet picks up the
tempo joining the rest of the soloists with his fiddle during their rendition of Galway
Girl. He also steps up to join Damian, George, Ryan and Keith in the fast-paced
traditional classic song Galway Girl in the same show.

KEITH HARKIN
Vocalist
Keith Harkin comes from County Derry in Northern Ireland, where he started performing
for the public at the tender age of four, wowing audiences with his beautiful voice and
musical talent. Now at 25, Keith has played to audiences across Europe the USA and
Canada. He has performed at the Tavistock Festival in the UK, and at the Glasgowbury
Festival in Northern Ireland for the past three years and has composed and recorded
songs for the BBC show Dha Theanga. Keith is also an accomplished songwriter and
guitarist and has opened concerts for acts such as John Martyn, The Undertones and
David Kitt and has recently been signed to the newly helmed David Foster Verve Music
Group, and is readying his forthcoming solo debut CD while he continues his integral
role in Celtic Thunder. He describes his musical likes and influences as “anything with a
bit of heart and soul, Tom Waites, Neil Young, The Beatles, Bon Iver, Fleetfoxes. Keith is
also an avid surfer, and spends his time catching waves on the West Coast of Ireland
when he is not songwriting or touring with Celtic Thunder.

Keith is a guitar fanatic, and appreciates a rich sounding acoustic tone, a mellow jazzy
blues feel, or even a rock and roll distorted twang that he can blast through his Fender
amp. His inability to pass a guitar shop means that his collection of guitars grows every
time he goes out on tour!

On returning back to Derry from a recording session in London in 2005, Keith heard
about the auditions for Celtic Thunder that were underway and decided to chance
calling into the auditions, just as they were finishing. He auditioned and was invited
then and there to attend the final auditions in Dublin, and ultimately selected as one of
the five soloists for the Celtic Thunder show. Self-described “singer-songwriter-surfer”
Keith does not fit into any particular role in Celtic Thunder. “I’m just doing what I’m
doing, being myself,” he says. “I don’t really have to play a part. I just get up there
with my guitar, and I get to perform. In Voyage Keith performs the solo numbers The
Dutchman and his original song All Day Long, as well as joining the others for the
powerful ensembles Dulaman and the rousing Irish ballads Galway Girl and The Clancy
Brother’s Medley.

NEIL BYRNE
Vocalist, Guitar, Percussion

Music has always been a major part of Neil Byrne’s life. The son of a professional
musician, Neil by the age of 5 was instinctively drumming on anything in front of him.
He began learning the guitar when he was 7, and also began playing piano from an
early age. This skill was to become a positive writing tool for him in the future. By the
time he turned 11 Neil, had started a band, performed regularly at school concerts, and
won an All-Ireland Music and Arts competition beating out over 33,000
participants. Neil’s band also appeared on Irelands national television station RTE and
played numerous open-air summer festivals around Ireland.

At 15 Neil began playing with his father’s band, and the following year Neil’s father
retired from the music scene and handed the reigns over to Neil. He was fortunate to
be playing (and studying) alongside one of Irelands most renowned jazz bass players,
Frank Hess, and Frank began teaching him about musical arrangements. At the same
time Neil was playing base guitar and lead vocals of a retro funk band, performing a lot
of American classic 70’s music, from artists such as Earth, Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder
and George Benson. He performed at O2 in the Park Festival in Dublin to an audience of
100,000 people. He has had his songs play listed on Irish radio in the Top 10 in the Irish
Charts.

A mutual friend invited Neil to play at a function for one of Ireland’s most renowned
songwriters and producers, Phil Coulter. He began working with Phil and was honored
when asked to play bass guitar in his backing band. From here Neil was picked to record
backing vocals for the Celtic Thunder debut DVD, and subsequently play lead guitar in
the live show. Since then he has toured America and Canada extensively with Celtic
Thunder and has now stepped forward to join Keith, George, Damian, Emmet and
Daniel as a lead vocalist. In Voyage Neil performs the contemporary Irish hit Past The
Point of Rescue, and joins with Ryan and Emmet in the beautiful a cappella number
Lagan Love, while joining the ensemble for the Maid of Culmore, Song for the Mira and
Dulaman.

GEORGE DONALDSON
Vocalist
Born and raised in Scotland and a bus builder by trade, George Donaldson is the Scot in
Celtic Thunder. He is a self-taught and accomplished musician, who has mastered guitar
and flute and is currently being taught to play the fiddle by his daughter Sarah. George’s
love of Celtic music stems from his childhood in Glasgow, where his main influence was
his late father Bernard, who had a love and appreciation of all kinds of live music. One
of George’s greatest thrills was performing for his Dad and 65,000 other fans at the
Glasgow Celtics opening match of the 2000 season at Celtic Park in Glasgow. Now at 42
years of age, George is a well-established singer in the vibrant Glasgow and West of
Scotland Folk scene, and he released his first solo CD in 2011 entitled The White Rose.
George was also nominated for an Irish Music award in 2011. His musical influences are
Harry Chapin and Jim Croce, and the Scottish group The Proclaimers. George has
recorded folk sessions for BBC Scotland and has made appearances at Glasgow’s own
Celtic Connections and the Glasgow West End Festival.

George has toured as part of Celtic Thunder in America and Canada and as as soloist in
Europe, and he has a very special fondness for Germany, whose language he continues
to attempt to master. He has also performed (alongside the other soloists in Celtic
Thunder) at the St Patrick’s Day Parades in New York, Boston and Chicago in the US.

George was cast in Celtic Thunder is the “steadfast” one, and he carries the distinction
of being the sole Scotsman in the show, as well as the only married family man of the
group. Although George misses his wife and daughter when he is on tour, he enjoys the
easy camaraderie on and off stage with the other members of Celtic Thunder. He sees
the new direction his life has taken with Celtic Thunder as being the most exciting of his
musical career to date and feels he has best of both worlds, a rich and supportive family
life at home and a fun and challenging job that allows him to travel. In Voyage George
pays homage to one of his musical heroes and performs the Harry Chapin classic Cat’s in
the Cradle. He also performs the fan favorite Red Rose Café and of course joins the rest
of the soloists in the ensemble numbers.

RYAN KELLY
Vocalist

Ryan comes from The Moy in Co. Tyrone in Northern Ireland. Although he studied
accountancy at Queens University, Belfast and is a qualified Chartered Accountant by
trade, music and theater have always been Ryan’s true passion. He first began singing
in public at the age of seven and has won many accolades and awards for his
performances, including SCOR 2007, a national Irish Singing Competition, and the BBC’s
Country Cool competition in 2003. In his solo career to date Ryan has performed
alongside Westlife, Girls Aloud and Simply Red at the televised “Children In Need”
Charity Concert. He also released his solo debut album In Time in October 2011 to great
critical acclaim and was nominated for an Irish Music Award in the same year. Ryan’s
love of musical theatre has also let him to perform the lead role in the Willie Russell
musical “Blood Brothers” and the role of Judas Iscariot in “Jesus Christ Superstar”.

Ryan is also a fanatical sports fan and has also played Gaelic football and basketball at
national level. One of the highlights of his Celtic Thunder journey so far was the
opportunity to stand in the Bank North Garden in Boston and sing the US National
Anthem to open a game for his beloved Celtics.

Ryan’s love for drama made him the perfect pick for the role of the “rogue” or “Dark
Destroyer” in Celtic Thunder Shows. Nothing could have prepared Ryan however for the
momentum surrounding Celtic Thunder. “It’s great fun being the bad guy,” said Ryan.
 “For me, there’s no better role, and they’ve given me great songs to do it with.
 Besides, thankfully I’m a much better singer than I was an accountant!”

In Voyage Ryan performs the Garth Brook hit Friends in Low Places, as well as the
dramatic Black is the Color, he joins with Emmet and Neil for the a cappella rendition of
the Irish classic love song Lagan Love and picks up the tempo and the tin whistle on the
ensemble number Galway Girl.

DANIEL FURLONG
Vocalist
Daniel Furlong is 13 years old and hails from the town of Taghmon in County Wexford
on the southeast coast of Ireland. He is a boy soprano and was discovered when he
entered a singing competition at the age of seven and won! Although Daniel is barely a
teenager, he has been performing and singing in public for over six years. Daniel’s
hometown of Wexford is synonymous with Opera and is host to the internationally
acclaimed Opera Festival in October of every year. Indeed Daniel is no stranger to opera
and played the role of Edgar in the Wexford Light Opera Society production of Ragtime
in 2008. In 2008 and again in 2009, Daniel was also cast in the lead role of Oliver in the
musical Oliver with both Oyster Lane and Festival productions. He has also performed
solo on two national television stations in Ireland. In 2009 Daniel won an All Ireland
Song Contest as a solo singer, competing with artists considerably older than he. In
2011 he won “The All Ireland Talent Show” a nationally televised talent competition and
Ireland’s answer to America’s Got Talent. In light of all of his incredible achievements to
date, his home county of Wexford honored Daniel by naming him “Wexford Person of
the Year” for 2011.

Daniel describes himself as an outgoing and optimistic, friendly and a fun person. He
likes to spend time with his friends and family, and he loves the chance to perform. He
is quite competitive and loves playing team sports such as hurling, Gaelic football,
soccer and rounders (softball). Music is obviously Daniel’s passion, he practices with his
local choir “The Young Wexford Singers” every week and is also learning to play the
guitar and the pigeon box. Daniel came to the attention of Celtic Thunder producer
Sharon Browne, when he won the “All Ireland Talent Show” and she quickly arranged to
meet him. His energy and enthusiasm is infectious and once Sharon had met Daniel and
seen him perform, she immediately invited him to join Celtic Thunder as a guest artist in
their latest show Voyage. In Voyage Daniel performs an angelic version of Somewhere
Over The Rainbow and performs the hilarious version of Toy Story’s You’ve Got a Friend
in Me with Keith. Daniel also joins with other members of Celtic Thunder in the
ensemble numbers Galway Girl and the Clancy Brothers Medley.