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Celtic Woman: An enchanting experience that leaves you energized, inspired and healed

Please permit me to set the stage: It is Father's Day Eve at the Aronoff Theater following a day filled with exhausting kid activities. It's the 90th of 91 shows on the Celtic Woman Homecoming —…

Please permit me to set the stage: It is Father’s Day Eve at the Aronoff Theater following a day filled with exhausting kid activities. It’s the 90th of 91 shows on the Celtic Woman Homecoming — Live from Ireland Tour, and our third time experiencing Celtic Woman perform in three years. One might think that there was a slight risk of the performance not living up to the epic and magical experiences that reside in our memories, driven by either our own fatigue or that of the extraordinary group of performers who have been touring in North America since March. But from the moment the theater went dark, creating an anticipatory silence that electrified the air, it was clear that not an ounce of fatigue would interfere with the enchanting experience that is Celtic Woman. Their Homecoming Live from Ireland Tour energized everyone in attendance with their unique blend of Celtic, New Age, and contemporary music coupled with talented Irish musicians and dancing. They inspired individuals of all ages with their breadth of musical repertoire and thoughtful selections that consistently “raise you up.” But most importantly, they healed those of us who opened our hearts and minds to the power of their music. In a time when everything is moving too fast and the news provides one heart-breaking story after another, Celtic Woman reminds us of Elton John’s quote: “Music has healing power. It has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours.”

For those less familiar, Celtic Woman has been performing for over 13 years since their debut in 2005. Intended as a one-time only performance, it was so well-received that it evolved into a cultural phenomenon with more than 8 million albums sold, hugely successful global tours (including Destiny 2016 and Voices of Angels 2017), and multiple accolades ranging from Billboard Awards to Grammy nominations. The current principal performers include vocalists Susan McFadden, Mairéad Carlin and Éabha McMahon, along with gifted violinist and harpist Tara McNeill. Their angelic voices and dynamic performances transcend the music and leave the audience yearning for more. Utilizing an array of traditional Celtic instruments, including bodhran, tin whistle, bouzouki and uileann pipes, plus the addition of Irish dancing, the multi-talented ensemble showcases their love and appreciation for Ireland and music itself. With a mom who is a classically trained pianist and two young daughters who play and compose, we have a heartfelt appreciation for music. Celtic Woman is singularly inspirational for my girls, as they represent a trifecta of extraordinary musical talent, heartfelt passion for what they do, and tangible female power — not to mention the beautiful dresses!

While you should experience Celtic Woman for yourself, I’ll share some of our favorite moments to help you better understand the power of these performances. The full ensemble performing together always brings the audience to its feet, clasping their hands together in delight to capture the infectious energy that pours out from the stage. Homecoming offers this experience multiple times, but our personal favorites were “Ballroom of Romance” and “Danny Boy.” It is the quieter moments, however, that showcase the unique talents of the women and truly sets Celtic Woman apart. Mairéad Carlin’s crystal clear, operatic high notes leave you holding your breath as she accompanies the acoustic beauty of the piano in “Nella Fantasia” and quite simply takes your heart in “Time to Say Goodbye.” Éabha McMahon’s deeper, richer voice captured my daughters’ affection immediately and took me to another place with her heart-breaking performance of Enya’s “May it Be.” Susan McFadden’s stunning delivery of “From a Distance” stole our breath and gave us hope through the powerful lyrics “it’s the hope of hopes, it’s the love of loves, this is the song of every man.” May we all remember and bring to life those lyrics sung by the voice of an angel. Bringing it all together and evoking visions of Irish fairies is the ethereal and seeming effortless talent of Tara McNeill, dancing gracefully across the stage while delivering utterly captivating performances on both her violin and harp. The energy and beauty of “Tara’s Tunes” resulted in my youngest leaning over and exclaiming in her not-quite-whisper “I love every part of her!” and “For Love of a Princess” left me in tears with visions of Ireland in my mind.

We have loved every experience and performance of Celtic Woman, but found ourselves leaving this particular performance completely uplifted and somewhat healed from the insanity that is raging in the world today. It made us yearn for an opportunity to experience Ireland first-hand and just maybe find ourselves sharing a song with these extraordinarily talented women. My oldest daughter said it best: “It is the music and beauty of Ireland brought to our hometown.” And while that may have been the second-to-last show in this enchanting tour, I have no doubt that Celtic Woman will be back soon to share their angelic voices and raise us all up. Inspired by my favorite Irish Blessing, “May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine arm upon your face” …and may you all have the opportunity to experience Celtic Woman live.

“Music should be healing. Music should uplift the soul. Music should inspire.” – Hazrat Inayat Kahn

Christi Geary is the proud mom of two artistic and athletic girls (8 and 11), best friend and wife of her husband Brian, and an Associate Director at the Procter & Gamble Company focused on shopper innovation insights and analytics. She enjoys and participates in art of every kind, feeds an insatiable curiosity for learning, pursues different forms of exercise when she can find the time to balance out her foodie predilection (highly recommend DanceFix and Pilates Reformer) and delights in spending time with family and friends.