Celtic Thunder Takes The U.S. By Storm

Celtic Thunder, the exciting new Irish singing sensation, has received an overwhelming U.S. reception, with their newly released CD entering at No. 1 on the Billboard World Music chart.

The CD also debuted in the top 50 of the Billboard 200. The companion CD and DVD packages to the Celtic Thunder special was released on March 18th from Decca, and ranked for several days as No. 1 on Amazon.com's best-selling CD list, prior to its official release date.

Celtic Thunder's public television concert special, distributed by WLIW New York, made its nationwide debut earlier this month and is already a bona fide smash, establishing itself as a consistently top fundraising hit for stations throughout the country.

Due to the overwhelming success of the show, Celtic Thunder has been invited back to the U.S. in June for another pledge drive.

Celtic Thunder continued to wow audiences in New York City, making high-profile performances on the Today Show and at the St. Patrick's Day parade (broadcast live on NBC stations).

U.S. audiences await the return of these phenomenal Irish men, who will embark on a country-wide tour of 50 cities starting October 3. (For a complete list of tour dates go to www.celticthunder.ie)

Celtic Thunder, created and produced by Sharon Browne, was filmed at the Helix in Dublin last August.

The show features the five star male vocalists - Damian McGinty, Keith Harkin, Ryan Kelly, Paul Byrom, and George Donaldson - performing an eclectic mix of songs, ranging from the traditional "Mountains of Mourne" and "Come By the Hills" to international hits such as "Brothers in Arms" and "Desperado," as well as original compositions by Celtic Thunder's musical director and composer Phil Coulter.

The ensemble songs reflect the power of the soloists, who range in age from 14 to 40 and share a common Celtic heritage.