The original lineup of Celtic Woman (from left to right): Meav, Lisa, Mairead, Chloe, and Orla
Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman is an all-female Irish musical ensemble assembled by David Downes (a former musical director of the Irish stage show Riverdance) and Sharon Browne.
In 2004, Downes recruited five solo musicians: singers Chloë Agnew, Órla Fallon, Lisa Kelly, and Méav Ní Mhaolchatha, and fiddler Máiréad Nesbitt, for a one-night show which he had filmed as a PBS Concert Special which he called Celtic Woman: The Show. These could be described as "four lasses fair" and "a fifth who played the fiddle."
Celtic Woman: The Show was intended to be a once-and-done project, but the unexpected success of the show, which surprised Downes to no end, led to Celtic Woman beginning its tours as a group and releasing its debut album, Celtic Woman, on the Manhattan Records label. Since then, the ensemble has released several other albums, including Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration, Celtic Woman: A New Journey, Celtic Woman: The Greatest Journey, and Celtic Woman: Songs from the Heart. Celtic Woman has undertaken several world tours, and cumulatively, they have released over 6 million records worldwide.