12×12: Celtic Women – A New Era

Last night, I had the great opportunity to see the globally renowned Irish musical group called the Celtic Women perform live at the Capitol Center, here in North Bay, Ontario. The concert is part of their Celtic Women – New Era Spring tour in North America, with the group performing in 45 cities across the U.S. and Canada.

The vocals of Mairéad Carlin, Muirgen O’Mahony, and Caitríona Sherlock, together with the harpist and fiddle player Kate Heneghan, was a gorgeous mix of traditional Irish sound and modern energy that kept me and the audience completely mesmerized the entire time.

What struck me was how powerful their sound was, with musical arrangements and stage production that felt more dynamic than anything I’ve ever seen before. The last time I felt this way was during the musical performance of A Whole New World: The Music of Alan Menken, back in 2023.

The performance was packed with breathtaking harmonies, a few powerful original pieces, and instrumental moments that gave me chills. The full ensemble, with the bagpipes, bodhrán, whistles, and Uilleann pipes, all came together in a way that was both nostalgic and completely alive. They moved effortlessly from Irish classics to contemporary songs to classical touches. I felt the richness of that sound, akin to being transported to Ireland with those musical scores.

A few familiar songs that lingered with me were Mairéad‘s rendition of Somewhere Over The Rainbow and her duet with Muirgen on You Raise Me Up. Their Celtic touch on Galileo and Mairéad‘s rendition of River (originally by Joni Mitchell) was also quite poignant.

The funny thing is, up to last night, I had no idea this group existed or how good they were. By the time the show ended, I was in awe, wondering how I’d gone this long without hearing their music before.

I have my good friend (and music leader from church) to thank for this experience. She plays the piano at our regular Sunday worship services, so I trust her musical sense completely. She introduced me to the joys of the North Bay symphony, often performed at the Betty Spears Theatre, for which I had a season pass in the last two years since I first went with her and another friend. I feel lucky that North Bay is one of the cities in Northern Ontario with a strong musical community, putting us on the radar for some global performers like this group.

Seeing the Celtic Women perform live, it’s easy to understand how they’ve reached millions of fans since 2004, although the group members’ composition has evolved, with old members leaving and new ones replacing them over the years.

As my friend said, I need to broaden my ‘musical education’, and the Celtic Women – New Era performance did the job splendidly.

Subsequently, it is one item on my 12×12 list (attend a local event) that I happily checked off as done. More to come!