Celtic Thunder

CELTIC THUNDER, MYTHOLOGY is a brand-new show created and produced by Sharon Browne. Celtic Thunder made its debut in the U.S. with a public television special airing on local stations nationwide in March 2008. 9 DVDs later, MYTHOLOGY was filmed in the Helix in Dublin last August, the show features six male vocalists (Keith Harkin, Ryan Kelly, George Donaldson, Neil Byrne, Emmet Cahill and Colm Keegan) who continue to astonish audiences, traveling as easily across the genres of folk, traditional Irish, adult contemporary, rock and classical crossover, as they travel the world, performing for an ever-growing number of fans.

MYTHOLOGY presents the perfect blend of entertainment, ideology and Gaelic spirituality, providing a modern twist on the old Celtic storytelling tradition. The new show was produced by Sharon Browne; the MYTHOLOGY album was produced by David Munro, Musical Director and Composer.

Meet the members of Celtic Thunder:

Keith Harkin-
Keith 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 26, Keith has played to audiences across Europe, Australia, 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 five years and has composed and recorded songs for the BBC show Dha Theanga, an Irish program on the BBC in which he played a lead role.

Keith started out as a guitar-playing singer-songwriter, and has recently released his debut solo album. He is one of the first artists signed to the Verve Records under the new leadership of Chairman David Foster, the Grammy® Award-winning producer who also served as Executive Producer on his self-titled solo CD. The album's twelve songs, split between classic covers and original compositions, illustrate Keith's gifts as both an interpreter and a writer. As a huge Van Morrison fan (like any self-respecting Irishman), he takes special pride in his version of "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You," done as a duet with Colbie Caillat. The song selections truly reflect Harkin's musical passions-"I've learned that there's nothing worse than doing a song you don't love," he says.

Although he has released his solo CD, Keith still continues his integral role within Celtic Thunder as one of the show's six vocalists. His career with Celtic Thunder began back in 2007, when returning back to Derry from a recording session in London, Keith heard about the auditions for Celtic Thunder that were underway and decided to chance calling in just as the auditions were wrapping up. He auditioned and was immediately invited to attend the final auditions in Dublin, and was ultimately selected as one of the principals for the Celtic Thunder show. The self-described "singer-songwriter-surfer" did 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." Keith has toured with Celtic Thunder since the show's inception and is featured on nine specials for Public Television and on 9 CDs and DVDs, which have sold millions of units worldwide. On Mythology Keith performs the haunting theme song from Gladiator entitled Now We Are Free as well as the Stephen Moccio/ Marc Jordan ballad Tears of Hercules. He also joins with the other Celtic Thunder soloists in the ensemble numbers My Land, Voices and Turning Away. The latest Celtic Thunder show Mythology will be released in the US and Canada in February 2013 and will be aired on Public Television stations across the US in commencing March 2013

Ryan Kelly -
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 won an Irish Music Award in the same year. Ryan's love of musical theatre has also led him to perform the lead role in the Willie Russell musical "Blood Brothers" and the role of Judas Iscariot in "Jesus Christ Superstar".

Ryan's love for drama made him the perfect pick for the role of the "rogue" or "Dark Destroyer" in Celtic Thunder Shows "We had to write a few lines about ourselves and what we'd done. Sharon and Phil had seen that I'd just finished playing Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar and it turns out Phil had produced the first touring Irish production of it." Celtic Thunder's production team was looking for someone who could "sing like they had a mean streak" and when Ryan sang as Judas, it all came together.

The dream of a musical career was always in Ryan's mind, but it was one he never thought would happen. Now he can't imagine anything else. "It's hard to not be in music once you have been," he admits. But if there's one thing he wishes, it was that he had more time to write songs like he did on his 2010 solo album, "In Time". "What I love about songwriting," he says, "is that you have to be truthful about how you feel. On my album, the songs are about heartache and missing people and life not going the way you'd want it to. I've found in the past, when you reflect on things that weren't as good as you'd like, you can often write the best stuff. There's something inside you that inspired you to write about it. That just seems the way it's fallen into place. You can always write better, perform better, sing a song better, if you can relate to it."

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 Celtic Thunder's new show MYTHOLOGY, Ryan gets to sink his teeth into the bad guy role once again. His solo performances in the show include the dark ballad The Hunter's Moon, which was written especially for him. He also performs the original track The Thunder Rolls, and the nostalgic Irish folk song Carrickfergus. Ryan also joins with his Celtic Thunder mates to perform the original ensembles Voices and My Land.

George Donaldson-
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. For George, joining Celtic Thunder was a true case of following his heart. Much as he loves the physicality of what used to be his day job, music has always been special for him. "The first time I saw a guy playing in a bar, I was on Spain in holiday; one guy, one guitar. I said as a kid, 'that's what I want to do.' There was always a guitar at home when I was growing up and I remember getting an instruction out of the library because I didn't have enough money to buy it and I taught myself to play from that."

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. He released his first solo CD entitled The White Rose and 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 joined Celtic Thunder in 2007 after auditioning for the show's producer Sharon Browne and has been on tour with Celtic Thunder ever since. George has appeared in all nine Celtic Thunder Public Television specials and on all of the show's CDs and DVDs released to date. He has toured extensively through the US, Canada and Australia with Celtic Thunder and as a soloist in Europe. George admits to 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 and at the White House for President Obama.

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 Mythology George returns to his Celtic roots and performs the traditional song She Moved Thru the Fair and the original anthem My Land with his fellow Celtic Thunder soloists. George also performs solos numbers such as the love song Scarlet Ribbons in Celtic Thunder's new show MYTHOLOGY.

NEIL BYRNE-
Neil fell in love with music as a kid when he dragged some suitcases down from the attic and started drumming on them. His destiny was sealed when he was six and watched his father's three-piece band play at a wedding. "The sound just completely blew me away," he recalls. "I didn't really understand what I was listening to but I just understood it was absolutely wonderful." Shortly after Neil swapped his drums for a guitar and then added vocals at the recommendation of his dad. "He told me, 'Listen, if you learn to sing, you'll never go hungry.'" Neil took the advice and started playing professionally with his father's band before branching out into jazz and then forming a retro funk band called Hipple Street that had considerable chart success and performed at O2 in the Park Festival in Dublin to an audience of 100,000 people.

When Neil turned 16 his father retired from his band and the music scene entirely 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 Neil about musical arrangements. 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 thrilled when asked to play bass guitar in his backing band.

After working with Phil for a short stint, Neil was asked to record backing vocals for the first Celtic Thunder DVD, "The Show". Neil has been a part of Celtic Thunder since its inception and has toured America, Canada and Australia extensively with the show. He has appeared on every Public Television special that Celtic Thunder has made and is featured on all 9 CDs and DVDs. From starting off as backing vocals, Neil quickly moved to the lead guitar slot and eventually became one of the principals in the show. In 2010, he also released "Sensitive Souls" a solo EP, which Hotpress Magazine says, "shows him as a classy singer of soulful pop," proving that his dad knew what he was talking about.

Neil is a wizard guitar player and his vocal styling lends itself equally well to pop as to Irish ballads and folk music. In Celtic Thunder's latest show MYTHOLOGY Neil's performances run the gamut from Celtic classics Carolina Rua to the a cappella version of the Irish traditional song She Moved Through The Fair. He also steps up to join the rest of the soloists in the ensemble numbers.

EMMET CAHILL-
2010 was a very exciting year for Emmet Cahill. He was awarded The John McCormack Bursary for the most Promising Young Tenor, was named the most promising young singer at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, was a multiple prizewinner at the National Feis Ceoil singing competition in Ireland and was approached by Celtic Thunder producer Sharon Browne and invited to join the show.

Emmet is 22 years old and hails from Mullingar in County Westmeath in Ireland. His musical journey began with a piano lesson when he was just 5 years old. By the time he turned 7 Emmet had begun to have his voice professionally trained and he later 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, violin and vocal training, but singing was always his true choice. He continued his education at the prestigious Royal Irish Academy of Music where he received a university degree in Music Performance.

Emmet has been cast 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 twice sung the Irish national anthem at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin in front of crowds of 90,000. Emmet has also performed for the former President of Ireland Mary McAleese and has sung at several international rugby games in Dublin's new Aviva Stadium. He also sings regularly at the Mullingar Cathedral.

Emmet attended auditions for Celtic Thunder in June 2010 and was thrilled to be asked to join the show. He started his Celtic Thunder journey in the Heritage tour with his rendition of a Phil Coulter song Kindred Spirits written especially for him. The Baritone of the group, Emmet performs belting solo numbers that showcase the richness of his voice. In Celtic Thunder's new show MYTHOLOGY Emmet performs the haunting Irish ballad Isle of Inisfree and a uniquely beautiful version of the all-time favorite Danny Boy. Emmet loves picking up the tempo (and his fiddle) from time to time and joining the rest of the soloists during their rendition of fast-paced Irish ballads, Seven Drunken Nights and The Rocky Road to Dublin.

COLM KEEGAN-
Colm is 23 years old and hails from Dublin in Ireland. As a schoolboy, Colm studied under vocal coach Ken Shellard and won several highly acclaimed awards at the Dublin Feis Ceoil singing competition. During this time Colm was also a lead soloist with the Palestrina Choir under the direction of Ite O'Donovan and a regular performer at Dublin's National Concert Hall. Colm has performed with the Palestrina Choir in Dublin's Pro-Cathedral, New York's St Patrick's Cathedral and St Peter's Basilica in Rome where the Pope was in attendance.
Soloist

Colm went on to join the prestigious Piccolo Lasso Choir and the Habemus Chamber Choir, with whom he has toured Europe extensively and has recorded several CDs. He has performed as a lead soloist in Spain, Ireland, and The Czech Republic with the choir. Colm also has a great love of musical theater and has played the lead role of Sky Masterson in "Guys and Dolls", and starred in a Dublin production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Pirate's Of Penance".

Colm continued his music studies in college; he attended University College Dublin on a music scholarship, and was conferred with an honors degree in Music and Irish in 2011. He was also asked to join the choir of Celtic Woman for their "Songs From The Heart" CD and DVD Public Television special and has toured with the production in the US, Europe and Japan. Colm has also shared the stage with PBS favorites "The Priests" in the O2 Arena in Dublin and alongside Irish tenor Peter Corry at the Helix in Dublin.

Since graduating college in 2011, music has continued to be the main focus in Colm's life. He is currently honing his skills as a songwriter and a performer and has eclectic musical influences, drawing from his Choral, Irish, Pop and Folk backgrounds, all helping him develop his own style. Colm was invited to join Celtic Thunder by producer Sharon Browne in May 2012 and was delighted to join with the five principals to become the newest member of the show. He began performing with Celtic Thunder for the first time at Harrah's Resort and Casino in Atlantic City this June 2012 and then toured the US and Canada with the Voyage Tour later that fall.

In the latest Celtic Thunder show MYTHOLOGY, Colm performs alongside George, Emmet, Ryan, Keith and Neil while his solo numbers reflect his personality and his musical style and diversity. He plays piano on the love song Katie, while his vocals blend easily with the rest of his Celtic Thunder brethern in the ensemble numbers She Moved Through The Fair, My Land, Rocky Road to Dublin and Turning Away.

CELTIC THUNDER, MYTHOLOGY is a brand-new show created and produced by Sharon Browne. Celtic Thunder made its debut in the U.S. with a public television special airing on local stations nationwide in March 2008. 9 DVDs later, MYTHOLOGY was filmed in the Helix in Dublin last August, the show features six male vocalists (Keith Harkin, Ryan Kelly, George Donaldson, Neil Byrne, Emmet Cahill and Colm Keegan) who continue to astonish audiences, traveling as easily across the genres of folk, traditional Irish, adult contemporary, rock and classical crossover, as they travel the world, performing for an ever-growing number of fans.

MYTHOLOGY presents the perfect blend of entertainment, ideology and Gaelic spirituality, providing a modern twist on the old Celtic storytelling tradition. The new show was produced by Sharon Browne; the MYTHOLOGY album was produced by David Munro, Musical Director and Composer.

Meet the members of Celtic Thunder:

Keith Harkin-
Keith 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 26, Keith has played to audiences across Europe, Australia, 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 five years and has composed and recorded songs for the BBC show Dha Theanga, an Irish program on the BBC in which he played a lead role.

Keith started out as a guitar-playing singer-songwriter, and has recently released his debut solo album. He is one of the first artists signed to the Verve Records under the new leadership of Chairman David Foster, the Grammy® Award-winning producer who also served as Executive Producer on his self-titled solo CD. The album's twelve songs, split between classic covers and original compositions, illustrate Keith's gifts as both an interpreter and a writer. As a huge Van Morrison fan (like any self-respecting Irishman), he takes special pride in his version of "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You," done as a duet with Colbie Caillat. The song selections truly reflect Harkin's musical passions-"I've learned that there's nothing worse than doing a song you don't love," he says.

Although he has released his solo CD, Keith still continues his integral role within Celtic Thunder as one of the show's six vocalists. His career with Celtic Thunder began back in 2007, when returning back to Derry from a recording session in London, Keith heard about the auditions for Celtic Thunder that were underway and decided to chance calling in just as the auditions were wrapping up. He auditioned and was immediately invited to attend the final auditions in Dublin, and was ultimately selected as one of the principals for the Celtic Thunder show. The self-described "singer-songwriter-surfer" did 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." Keith has toured with Celtic Thunder since the show's inception and is featured on nine specials for Public Television and on 9 CDs and DVDs, which have sold millions of units worldwide. On Mythology Keith performs the haunting theme song from Gladiator entitled Now We Are Free as well as the Stephen Moccio/ Marc Jordan ballad Tears of Hercules. He also joins with the other Celtic Thunder soloists in the ensemble numbers My Land, Voices and Turning Away. The latest Celtic Thunder show Mythology will be released in the US and Canada in February 2013 and will be aired on Public Television stations across the US in commencing March 2013

Ryan Kelly -
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 won an Irish Music Award in the same year. Ryan's love of musical theatre has also led him to perform the lead role in the Willie Russell musical "Blood Brothers" and the role of Judas Iscariot in "Jesus Christ Superstar".

Ryan's love for drama made him the perfect pick for the role of the "rogue" or "Dark Destroyer" in Celtic Thunder Shows "We had to write a few lines about ourselves and what we'd done. Sharon and Phil had seen that I'd just finished playing Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar and it turns out Phil had produced the first touring Irish production of it." Celtic Thunder's production team was looking for someone who could "sing like they had a mean streak" and when Ryan sang as Judas, it all came together.

The dream of a musical career was always in Ryan's mind, but it was one he never thought would happen. Now he can't imagine anything else. "It's hard to not be in music once you have been," he admits. But if there's one thing he wishes, it was that he had more time to write songs like he did on his 2010 solo album, "In Time". "What I love about songwriting," he says, "is that you have to be truthful about how you feel. On my album, the songs are about heartache and missing people and life not going the way you'd want it to. I've found in the past, when you reflect on things that weren't as good as you'd like, you can often write the best stuff. There's something inside you that inspired you to write about it. That just seems the way it's fallen into place. You can always write better, perform better, sing a song better, if you can relate to it."

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 Celtic Thunder's new show MYTHOLOGY, Ryan gets to sink his teeth into the bad guy role once again. His solo performances in the show include the dark ballad The Hunter's Moon, which was written especially for him. He also performs the original track The Thunder Rolls, and the nostalgic Irish folk song Carrickfergus. Ryan also joins with his Celtic Thunder mates to perform the original ensembles Voices and My Land.

George Donaldson-
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. For George, joining Celtic Thunder was a true case of following his heart. Much as he loves the physicality of what used to be his day job, music has always been special for him. "The first time I saw a guy playing in a bar, I was on Spain in holiday; one guy, one guitar. I said as a kid, 'that's what I want to do.' There was always a guitar at home when I was growing up and I remember getting an instruction out of the library because I didn't have enough money to buy it and I taught myself to play from that."

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. He released his first solo CD entitled The White Rose and 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 joined Celtic Thunder in 2007 after auditioning for the show's producer Sharon Browne and has been on tour with Celtic Thunder ever since. George has appeared in all nine Celtic Thunder Public Television specials and on all of the show's CDs and DVDs released to date. He has toured extensively through the US, Canada and Australia with Celtic Thunder and as a soloist in Europe. George admits to 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 and at the White House for President Obama.

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 Mythology George returns to his Celtic roots and performs the traditional song She Moved Thru the Fair and the original anthem My Land with his fellow Celtic Thunder soloists. George also performs solos numbers such as the love song Scarlet Ribbons in Celtic Thunder's new show MYTHOLOGY.

NEIL BYRNE-
Neil fell in love with music as a kid when he dragged some suitcases down from the attic and started drumming on them. His destiny was sealed when he was six and watched his father's three-piece band play at a wedding. "The sound just completely blew me away," he recalls. "I didn't really understand what I was listening to but I just understood it was absolutely wonderful." Shortly after Neil swapped his drums for a guitar and then added vocals at the recommendation of his dad. "He told me, 'Listen, if you learn to sing, you'll never go hungry.'" Neil took the advice and started playing professionally with his father's band before branching out into jazz and then forming a retro funk band called Hipple Street that had considerable chart success and performed at O2 in the Park Festival in Dublin to an audience of 100,000 people.

When Neil turned 16 his father retired from his band and the music scene entirely 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 Neil about musical arrangements. 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 thrilled when asked to play bass guitar in his backing band.

After working with Phil for a short stint, Neil was asked to record backing vocals for the first Celtic Thunder DVD, "The Show". Neil has been a part of Celtic Thunder since its inception and has toured America, Canada and Australia extensively with the show. He has appeared on every Public Television special that Celtic Thunder has made and is featured on all 9 CDs and DVDs. From starting off as backing vocals, Neil quickly moved to the lead guitar slot and eventually became one of the principals in the show. In 2010, he also released "Sensitive Souls" a solo EP, which Hotpress Magazine says, "shows him as a classy singer of soulful pop," proving that his dad knew what he was talking about.

Neil is a wizard guitar player and his vocal styling lends itself equally well to pop as to Irish ballads and folk music. In Celtic Thunder's latest show MYTHOLOGY Neil's performances run the gamut from Celtic classics Carolina Rua to the a cappella version of the Irish traditional song She Moved Through The Fair. He also steps up to join the rest of the soloists in the ensemble numbers.

EMMET CAHILL-
2010 was a very exciting year for Emmet Cahill. He was awarded The John McCormack Bursary for the most Promising Young Tenor, was named the most promising young singer at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, was a multiple prizewinner at the National Feis Ceoil singing competition in Ireland and was approached by Celtic Thunder producer Sharon Browne and invited to join the show.

Emmet is 22 years old and hails from Mullingar in County Westmeath in Ireland. His musical journey began with a piano lesson when he was just 5 years old. By the time he turned 7 Emmet had begun to have his voice professionally trained and he later 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, violin and vocal training, but singing was always his true choice. He continued his education at the prestigious Royal Irish Academy of Music where he received a university degree in Music Performance.

Emmet has been cast 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 twice sung the Irish national anthem at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin in front of crowds of 90,000. Emmet has also performed for the former President of Ireland Mary McAleese and has sung at several international rugby games in Dublin's new Aviva Stadium. He also sings regularly at the Mullingar Cathedral.

Emmet attended auditions for Celtic Thunder in June 2010 and was thrilled to be asked to join the show. He started his Celtic Thunder journey in the Heritage tour with his rendition of a Phil Coulter song Kindred Spirits written especially for him. The Baritone of the group, Emmet performs belting solo numbers that showcase the richness of his voice. In Celtic Thunder's new show MYTHOLOGY Emmet performs the haunting Irish ballad Isle of Inisfree and a uniquely beautiful version of the all-time favorite Danny Boy. Emmet loves picking up the tempo (and his fiddle) from time to time and joining the rest of the soloists during their rendition of fast-paced Irish ballads, Seven Drunken Nights and The Rocky Road to Dublin.

COLM KEEGAN-
Colm is 23 years old and hails from Dublin in Ireland. As a schoolboy, Colm studied under vocal coach Ken Shellard and won several highly acclaimed awards at the Dublin Feis Ceoil singing competition. During this time Colm was also a lead soloist with the Palestrina Choir under the direction of Ite O'Donovan and a regular performer at Dublin's National Concert Hall. Colm has performed with the Palestrina Choir in Dublin's Pro-Cathedral, New York's St Patrick's Cathedral and St Peter's Basilica in Rome where the Pope was in attendance.
Soloist

Colm went on to join the prestigious Piccolo Lasso Choir and the Habemus Chamber Choir, with whom he has toured Europe extensively and has recorded several CDs. He has performed as a lead soloist in Spain, Ireland, and The Czech Republic with the choir. Colm also has a great love of musical theater and has played the lead role of Sky Masterson in "Guys and Dolls", and starred in a Dublin production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Pirate's Of Penance".

Colm continued his music studies in college; he attended University College Dublin on a music scholarship, and was conferred with an honors degree in Music and Irish in 2011. He was also asked to join the choir of Celtic Woman for their "Songs From The Heart" CD and DVD Public Television special and has toured with the production in the US, Europe and Japan. Colm has also shared the stage with PBS favorites "The Priests" in the O2 Arena in Dublin and alongside Irish tenor Peter Corry at the Helix in Dublin.

Since graduating college in 2011, music has continued to be the main focus in Colm's life. He is currently honing his skills as a songwriter and a performer and has eclectic musical influences, drawing from his Choral, Irish, Pop and Folk backgrounds, all helping him develop his own style. Colm was invited to join Celtic Thunder by producer Sharon Browne in May 2012 and was delighted to join with the five principals to become the newest member of the show. He began performing with Celtic Thunder for the first time at Harrah's Resort and Casino in Atlantic City this June 2012 and then toured the US and Canada with the Voyage Tour later that fall.

In the latest Celtic Thunder show MYTHOLOGY, Colm performs alongside George, Emmet, Ryan, Keith and Neil while his solo numbers reflect his personality and his musical style and diversity. He plays piano on the love song Katie, while his vocals blend easily with the rest of his Celtic Thunder brethern in the ensemble numbers She Moved Through The Fair, My Land, Rocky Road to Dublin and Turning Away.

CELTIC THUNDER, MYTHOLOGY is a brand-new show created and produced by Sharon Browne. Celtic Thunder made its debut in the U.S. with a public television special airing on local stations nationwide in March 2008. 9 DVDs later, MYTHOLOGY was filmed in the Helix in Dublin last August, the show features six male vocalists (Keith Harkin, Ryan Kelly, George Donaldson, Neil Byrne, Emmet Cahill and Colm Keegan) who continue to astonish audiences, traveling as easily across the genres of folk, traditional Irish, adult contemporary, rock and classical crossover, as they travel the world, performing for an ever-growing number of fans.

MYTHOLOGY presents the perfect blend of entertainment, ideology and Gaelic spirituality, providing a modern twist on the old Celtic storytelling tradition. The new show was produced by Sharon Browne; the MYTHOLOGY album was produced by David Munro, Musical Director and Composer.

Meet the members of Celtic Thunder:

Keith Harkin-
Keith 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 26, Keith has played to audiences across Europe, Australia, 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 five years and has composed and recorded songs for the BBC show Dha Theanga, an Irish program on the BBC in which he played a lead role.

Keith started out as a guitar-playing singer-songwriter, and has recently released his debut solo album. He is one of the first artists signed to the Verve Records under the new leadership of Chairman David Foster, the Grammy® Award-winning producer who also served as Executive Producer on his self-titled solo CD. The album's twelve songs, split between classic covers and original compositions, illustrate Keith's gifts as both an interpreter and a writer. As a huge Van Morrison fan (like any self-respecting Irishman), he takes special pride in his version of "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You," done as a duet with Colbie Caillat. The song selections truly reflect Harkin's musical passions-"I've learned that there's nothing worse than doing a song you don't love," he says.

Although he has released his solo CD, Keith still continues his integral role within Celtic Thunder as one of the show's six vocalists. His career with Celtic Thunder began back in 2007, when returning back to Derry from a recording session in London, Keith heard about the auditions for Celtic Thunder that were underway and decided to chance calling in just as the auditions were wrapping up. He auditioned and was immediately invited to attend the final auditions in Dublin, and was ultimately selected as one of the principals for the Celtic Thunder show. The self-described "singer-songwriter-surfer" did 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." Keith has toured with Celtic Thunder since the show's inception and is featured on nine specials for Public Television and on 9 CDs and DVDs, which have sold millions of units worldwide. On Mythology Keith performs the haunting theme song from Gladiator entitled Now We Are Free as well as the Stephen Moccio/ Marc Jordan ballad Tears of Hercules. He also joins with the other Celtic Thunder soloists in the ensemble numbers My Land, Voices and Turning Away. The latest Celtic Thunder show Mythology will be released in the US and Canada in February 2013 and will be aired on Public Television stations across the US in commencing March 2013

Ryan Kelly -
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 won an Irish Music Award in the same year. Ryan's love of musical theatre has also led him to perform the lead role in the Willie Russell musical "Blood Brothers" and the role of Judas Iscariot in "Jesus Christ Superstar".

Ryan's love for drama made him the perfect pick for the role of the "rogue" or "Dark Destroyer" in Celtic Thunder Shows "We had to write a few lines about ourselves and what we'd done. Sharon and Phil had seen that I'd just finished playing Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar and it turns out Phil had produced the first touring Irish production of it." Celtic Thunder's production team was looking for someone who could "sing like they had a mean streak" and when Ryan sang as Judas, it all came together.

The dream of a musical career was always in Ryan's mind, but it was one he never thought would happen. Now he can't imagine anything else. "It's hard to not be in music once you have been," he admits. But if there's one thing he wishes, it was that he had more time to write songs like he did on his 2010 solo album, "In Time". "What I love about songwriting," he says, "is that you have to be truthful about how you feel. On my album, the songs are about heartache and missing people and life not going the way you'd want it to. I've found in the past, when you reflect on things that weren't as good as you'd like, you can often write the best stuff. There's something inside you that inspired you to write about it. That just seems the way it's fallen into place. You can always write better, perform better, sing a song better, if you can relate to it."

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 Celtic Thunder's new show MYTHOLOGY, Ryan gets to sink his teeth into the bad guy role once again. His solo performances in the show include the dark ballad The Hunter's Moon, which was written especially for him. He also performs the original track The Thunder Rolls, and the nostalgic Irish folk song Carrickfergus. Ryan also joins with his Celtic Thunder mates to perform the original ensembles Voices and My Land.

George Donaldson-
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. For George, joining Celtic Thunder was a true case of following his heart. Much as he loves the physicality of what used to be his day job, music has always been special for him. "The first time I saw a guy playing in a bar, I was on Spain in holiday; one guy, one guitar. I said as a kid, 'that's what I want to do.' There was always a guitar at home when I was growing up and I remember getting an instruction out of the library because I didn't have enough money to buy it and I taught myself to play from that."

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. He released his first solo CD entitled The White Rose and 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 joined Celtic Thunder in 2007 after auditioning for the show's producer Sharon Browne and has been on tour with Celtic Thunder ever since. George has appeared in all nine Celtic Thunder Public Television specials and on all of the show's CDs and DVDs released to date. He has toured extensively through the US, Canada and Australia with Celtic Thunder and as a soloist in Europe. George admits to 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 and at the White House for President Obama.

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 Mythology George returns to his Celtic roots and performs the traditional song She Moved Thru the Fair and the original anthem My Land with his fellow Celtic Thunder soloists. George also performs solos numbers such as the love song Scarlet Ribbons in Celtic Thunder's new show MYTHOLOGY.

NEIL BYRNE-
Neil fell in love with music as a kid when he dragged some suitcases down from the attic and started drumming on them. His destiny was sealed when he was six and watched his father's three-piece band play at a wedding. "The sound just completely blew me away," he recalls. "I didn't really understand what I was listening to but I just understood it was absolutely wonderful." Shortly after Neil swapped his drums for a guitar and then added vocals at the recommendation of his dad. "He told me, 'Listen, if you learn to sing, you'll never go hungry.'" Neil took the advice and started playing professionally with his father's band before branching out into jazz and then forming a retro funk band called Hipple Street that had considerable chart success and performed at O2 in the Park Festival in Dublin to an audience of 100,000 people.

When Neil turned 16 his father retired from his band and the music scene entirely 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 Neil about musical arrangements. 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 thrilled when asked to play bass guitar in his backing band.

After working with Phil for a short stint, Neil was asked to record backing vocals for the first Celtic Thunder DVD, "The Show". Neil has been a part of Celtic Thunder since its inception and has toured America, Canada and Australia extensively with the show. He has appeared on every Public Television special that Celtic Thunder has made and is featured on all 9 CDs and DVDs. From starting off as backing vocals, Neil quickly moved to the lead guitar slot and eventually became one of the principals in the show. In 2010, he also released "Sensitive Souls" a solo EP, which Hotpress Magazine says, "shows him as a classy singer of soulful pop," proving that his dad knew what he was talking about.

Neil is a wizard guitar player and his vocal styling lends itself equally well to pop as to Irish ballads and folk music. In Celtic Thunder's latest show MYTHOLOGY Neil's performances run the gamut from Celtic classics Carolina Rua to the a cappella version of the Irish traditional song She Moved Through The Fair. He also steps up to join the rest of the soloists in the ensemble numbers.

EMMET CAHILL-
2010 was a very exciting year for Emmet Cahill. He was awarded The John McCormack Bursary for the most Promising Young Tenor, was named the most promising young singer at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, was a multiple prizewinner at the National Feis Ceoil singing competition in Ireland and was approached by Celtic Thunder producer Sharon Browne and invited to join the show.

Emmet is 22 years old and hails from Mullingar in County Westmeath in Ireland. His musical journey began with a piano lesson when he was just 5 years old. By the time he turned 7 Emmet had begun to have his voice professionally trained and he later 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, violin and vocal training, but singing was always his true choice. He continued his education at the prestigious Royal Irish Academy of Music where he received a university degree in Music Performance.

Emmet has been cast 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 twice sung the Irish national anthem at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin in front of crowds of 90,000. Emmet has also performed for the former President of Ireland Mary McAleese and has sung at several international rugby games in Dublin's new Aviva Stadium. He also sings regularly at the Mullingar Cathedral.

Emmet attended auditions for Celtic Thunder in June 2010 and was thrilled to be asked to join the show. He started his Celtic Thunder journey in the Heritage tour with his rendition of a Phil Coulter song Kindred Spirits written especially for him. The Baritone of the group, Emmet performs belting solo numbers that showcase the richness of his voice. In Celtic Thunder's new show MYTHOLOGY Emmet performs the haunting Irish ballad Isle of Inisfree and a uniquely beautiful version of the all-time favorite Danny Boy. Emmet loves picking up the tempo (and his fiddle) from time to time and joining the rest of the soloists during their rendition of fast-paced Irish ballads, Seven Drunken Nights and The Rocky Road to Dublin.

COLM KEEGAN-
Colm is 23 years old and hails from Dublin in Ireland. As a schoolboy, Colm studied under vocal coach Ken Shellard and won several highly acclaimed awards at the Dublin Feis Ceoil singing competition. During this time Colm was also a lead soloist with the Palestrina Choir under the direction of Ite O'Donovan and a regular performer at Dublin's National Concert Hall. Colm has performed with the Palestrina Choir in Dublin's Pro-Cathedral, New York's St Patrick's Cathedral and St Peter's Basilica in Rome where the Pope was in attendance.
Soloist

Colm went on to join the prestigious Piccolo Lasso Choir and the Habemus Chamber Choir, with whom he has toured Europe extensively and has recorded several CDs. He has performed as a lead soloist in Spain, Ireland, and The Czech Republic with the choir. Colm also has a great love of musical theater and has played the lead role of Sky Masterson in "Guys and Dolls", and starred in a Dublin production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Pirate's Of Penance".

Colm continued his music studies in college; he attended University College Dublin on a music scholarship, and was conferred with an honors degree in Music and Irish in 2011. He was also asked to join the choir of Celtic Woman for their "Songs From The Heart" CD and DVD Public Television special and has toured with the production in the US, Europe and Japan. Colm has also shared the stage with PBS favorites "The Priests" in the O2 Arena in Dublin and alongside Irish tenor Peter Corry at the Helix in Dublin.

Since graduating college in 2011, music has continued to be the main focus in Colm's life. He is currently honing his skills as a songwriter and a performer and has eclectic musical influences, drawing from his Choral, Irish, Pop and Folk backgrounds, all helping him develop his own style. Colm was invited to join Celtic Thunder by producer Sharon Browne in May 2012 and was delighted to join with the five principals to become the newest member of the show. He began performing with Celtic Thunder for the first time at Harrah's Resort and Casino in Atlantic City this June 2012 and then toured the US and Canada with the Voyage Tour later that fall.

In the latest Celtic Thunder show MYTHOLOGY, Colm performs alongside George, Emmet, Ryan, Keith and Neil while his solo numbers reflect his personality and his musical style and diversity. He plays piano on the love song Katie, while his vocals blend easily with the rest of his Celtic Thunder brethern in the ensemble numbers She Moved Through The Fair, My Land, Rocky Road to Dublin and Turning Away.