Exclusive Q&A by Brad Balfour
The vocal quartet Celtic Woman has a legacy of 12 Billboard number ones, more than 10 million album sales and three billion online streams to date. As the most successful all-female group in Irish history, they’ve done much to bring the Irish/Celtic culture brand world at large.
In addition, over the years, they’ve done various Christmas albums, holiday shows and tours around this time of the year. Now the team has another holiday recording out — “Nollaig: A Christmas Journey” for this year’s season.
“Nollaig “is the Irish word for Christmas, Gaelic for the month of December, and a given name for many people born within this month. For Celtic Woman, it epitomizes the spirit of the entire Christmas season. Featuring Yuletide classics such as “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Little Drummer Boy,” “Silver Bells,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” there are also some Irish songs and tunes with a Christmas twist. It also features the debut of a brand-new composition, “Nollaig na mBan.”
Joining sopranos Mairéad Carlin and Muirgen O’Mahony — along with fiddle player, Tara McNeill — are its latest members Sean-Nós singer, Caitríona Sherlock and violinist, Ciara Ní Mhurcú. They make their Celtic Woman debut on the 13-track studio recording, which is produced and arranged by Golden Globe-nominated composer, Brian Byrne. The album also features Sean-Nós singer, Sibéal on three tracks. Also award-winning multi-instrumentalist, Tara Howley, who joins the Celtic Woman band playing uilleann pipes and whistles.
In order to get the word out about this fabulous seasonal release, Celtic Woman veteran Mairéad Carlin gave me a call to discuss the record and her role in the group –– as its first member from Derry in the North of Ireland. More than that, she gave me a heads up about their upcoming tours and everything Celtic Woman.
For more about their Christmas and Spring tours and everything else Celtic Woman, go to: www.CelticWoman.com
Q: When you joined the group, how much did you know about its legacy and how much did you become engaged in it?
Mairéad Carlin: I was completely engaged in the legacy. I joined in 2013. I’ve been in the group for a while now, but by that stage, there had already been 10 years of a legacy: the women who had come through the group until that moment. I was just so inspired by each and every one of them … from Mered Nesbitt to Lisa Kelly, to the women that paved the way for me eventually to join the group. Obviously, moving on now, we’re going into almost 25 years. It’s a pretty special thing to be a part of. I believe that there’s still so much life in it. It’s just great to see the group thriving in its 25th year.
Q: I always wondered, why wasn’t it Celtic Women as opposed to Celtic Woman?
Mairéad Carlin: That’s a really good question, because it confuses a lot of people. Our old producer, who basically set up Celtic Woman and was the visionary behind it, was an incredible man called Dave Kavanagh. Back in the day, I believe he was U2’s original promoter. He’s a real old-school Irish music guru. Sadly, he passed away in 2018.
I asked him the question not long before he passed away, “Why is it Celtic Woman and not Celtic Women?” He said, “Because so many women come through the group. It hasn’t been the same group for 25 years.” When initially setting it up, he wanted every woman that came into the group to add a little piece to what it is to be a Celtic Woman. “So it’s not about the collective women. It’s about how we all embody what it is to be a singular Celtic Woman.” That was what he told me.
Q: That begs the obvious question. What do you think typifies a Celtic Woman versus any other woman?
Mairéad Carlin: Well, I think about our heritage. First of all, the amazing thing is, that, across the States, pretty much everybody can link themselves back to some sort of Celtic heritage. I come from the north of Ireland. I come from Derry. So, my idea of what it is to be a Celtic Woman is different from, say, someone from Mayo. I feel like we all bring our own little bit of Irishness and what “Irish” is to us.
Obviously, coming from the north of Ireland, we have a very textured history. I was actually the first woman from the north to be part of the group, which was a big deal at the time. It had been 10 years and they hadn’t had someone from Northern Ireland. So, I feel very proud of that. The fact is that, for example, I didn’t grow up speaking the Irish language.
It’s not something that I ever had the privilege of learning because of where I’m from. That’s a big topic at the moment. But it didn’t stop me from getting into the group. I’ve always sung in Irish. I’ve always had a great ear. I would be able to pick things off. That’s a very good question. It’s just about where we’re from and what we can bring individually to the group from our different little parts of Ireland.
Q: What do you think singing in Irish versus singing in English does to a song? How does it change a song?
Mairéad Carlin: Wow, that’s a great question. Sometimes when you sing in the Irish language, there’s a melody to it. Especially when you speak in Irish, there’s already a tonality to it and a different inflection. I also think people are fascinated by the Irish language. There’s a massive revival in young people learning the language. There’s a lot of older people going back –– not saying that I’m older. I’m getting there though.
The important thing is that we all bring our own little bit of Ireland with us. But I do feel like there is this resurgence of the Irish language, and that’s incredible. I never had the opportunity to learn it in school; I would love to go back now. I’ve moved back home to Derry. When I have the time, I really want to go back and actually learn as an adult. I think that’s really cool. For example, Muirgen O’Mahony, who’s one of the other girls in the group, is flat out on her TikTok speaking in Gaelic. It’s amazing. The interaction that she’s having because of that with people all over the world is just so incredible. It’s really special. It’s something that I would really love to do.
Q: When you heard of the opportunity to join Celtic Woman, had you been fully versed in the group? Did you have the records? Have you seen them live?
Mairéad Carlin: I hadn’t seen them live because I don’t think, at that point, they hadn’t ever really toured in [Northern] Ireland. I also had been living in London for a good few years before that. But, my goodness, it was my dream. I had listened to their music right from the very beginning. I always felt, as an artist, quite misunderstood because I had studied classical, but I grew up very much loving folk. I didn’t feel like there was a space for me where I could be seen until Celtic Woman came along.
There was only one other person, I feel, who touched on that style that I love to sing. That was Charlotte Church. But there was nothing after that until Celtic Woman. For me, I was like, “Oh my goodness, this is speaking to my soul. This is something that I could see myself doing.” But I didn’t have a clue how that would ever happen, or how to even get into something like that. I had a very colorful journey getting into Celtic Woman.
I had been signed to a major label at 23, very much as an Irish Charlotte Church kind of artist, and I made my record. But then two weeks before release, the record was shelved. For a lot of people who know the record industry, when your album gets shelved, it means that they put it on the shelf and it doesn’t ever come out. So obviously at 23, I was completely devastated and thought, “That’s it. That was my big opportunity. I got signed to a major label and it’s not coming out, even after they spent a fortune on it.” I was pretty heartbroken; I’m not going to lie. I’m being completely honest. I was bedbound for about a month, and I was covered in acne. It was a really hard time. But I always say that was the making of me.
It’s almost like it needed to happen because I had just finished music college. I’d been given this big opportunity and it hadn’t worked out. Now I really to go back to ground zero and figure out what I was going to do with my life. I went off and became a singing teacher to young kids at a theatre school in Hertfordshire, in the middle of England, outside London. That was everything that I needed and more because seeing how innocent they were. It gave me life again, to see their innocence and how their pure love of music was all that they cared about.
It wasn’t about anything else. It wasn’t about the industry. It wasn’t about this and that. It was just about how they loved music, loved singing and performing. Then out of nowhere, I got the call to come audition for Celtic Woman. So for me, I felt like it was my second chance. I’ve felt privileged ever since to be a part of this group. I never, ever take it for granted.
Q: How did they hear of you and who called you? What was the process of getting into the group?
Mairéad Carlin: There’s a couple of stories that have made the rounds of which I’m not sure which one is the truth, but I’ll give you both of them. I performed in Derry in 2013, which became the UK City of Culture. I performed a version of Carly Simon’s “Let the River Run” with my good friend, Damian McGinty. We recorded a duet version of that song. We made a music video and Carly Simon actually saw the video and invited us over to LA to perform with her. She released that song on her record label. It then became the anthem for 2013 City of Culture which was pretty special because they mentioned sons and daughters and that was the theme of the event.
They asked me and Damian to come and perform that song at the big event which was televised on the BBC. You never know who’s watching. This is the thing, I believe that our accountant, who happens to be my mom’s next door neighbor’s brother, was watching [as was] his sister and wife. Apparently he took it to Celtic Woman’s management and said, “This is your next Celtic Woman.” That’s one of the stories.
The other story is that I had a manager at the time and he had sent the record that didn’t come out to the head of EMI in New York –– a guy called Ian Ralfini, who I still to this day haven’t met. I have a lot to thank him for, but he also had a copy of my CD. Apparently he had sent it to Celtic Woman’s management. At the same time, according to the accountant, they also had heard of me.It was beautiful, it just happened at the right time. My name had been thrown in a few different directions. I got the call then and came to audition in Dublin for David Downes, which was just magical. I’d looked up to him since the very beginning.
Q: He’s the producer?
Mairéad Carlin: He was the musical director. He’s the one that developed the Celtic Woman sound in the very beginning. Since then, we’ve had three different musical directors. The incredible thing about Celtic Woman is that, again, even though personnel have changed, the women have changed, the musical directors have changed, they’ve all brought something really special and unique to it. But [they’re] still holding on to that quintessential Celtic Woman sound. The core of Celtic Woman is always there but we all get to sprinkle what I call our little fairy dust on it.
Q: How would you describe the sound? Is it the confluence of all the harmonies, the balance of traditional Celtic music, with traditional folk, contemporary pop and some original songs? How would you describe it?
Mairéad Carlin: You’ve hit the nail on the head. If I had to describe it any other way, I don’t think I could. Obviously, at the core of it, is the Celtic sound. We have our whistles, our uilleann pipes and then also our Scottish elements too. Because, bear in mind, Celtic is not just Irish. It’s songs from the islands. That’s obviously at the core, but also the harmonies play an integral part in our sound.
One of the amazing things about Celtic Woman is, obviously we have these huge arrangements of “You Raise Me Up” and “Amazing Grace” but then you can strip all that away. The four women are — there have been five on some occasions — this blend. That’s what makes Celtic Woman really unique. It’s having people who are able to stand on a stage without all the bells and whistles and still be able to just let our hearts sing!
There’s very much a contemporary element and a world music element. In 2016, we got nominated for the Grammy for Best World Album for our [release] “Destiny.” When you actually try to sit down and describe what Celtic Woman’s sound is, it’s hard to pinpoint. I think that’s the great thing about it. We get to draw from all these different elements and make it our own little sound, which is very exciting. We never know, from day to day –– if we get sent an arrangement –– how it’s going to come out. That’s the beauty of it. It’s really exciting.
Q: Did you learn Irish Sean-nós singing as part of joining Celtic Woman? Or did you know of it back in Northern Ireland, where there isn’t the same sort of traditional Irish experience?
Mairéad Carlin: Obviously there are pockets of Northern Ireland and pockets of Donegal, which is only up the road for me, where Sean-nós is a massive part of their upbringing. But for me, I didn’t have that. I didn’t come from a [traditional] Irish family, speaking Irish or anything like that. But I would have been very much aware of the Irish language. I would have sung it from the age of four if I was in competitions, like the Derry Fèis. But obviously, there were women who came into the group like Éabha [Ava] McMahon [who has since left the group in 2020], who would have been immersed in Sean-nós from a very young age. I am like a sponge, and always want to absorb as much as I can and learn from people around me because I think that’s how we grow.
There’s a beautiful John Hume quote. He was, of course, a Nobel Peace Prize winner [for working to resolve The Troubles.] He was actually one of my grandfather’s best friends. And it was like, “Difference is an accident of birth.” My upbringing is just an accident of birth. I didn’t have the privilege of learning the Irish language, but Ava did. I want to learn as much as I can. He always believed that, in order to make real change, we have to be able to sit across the table from somebody –– even if they have opposing views or whatever. And listen to them and take something from the conversation and learn from it.
I always loved asking questions of Éabha or Muirgen, and getting as much information as I could and trying to understand it. I would not be truthful if I sat here and said that I could sing Sean-nós, because it takes years and years and years of practice. Though I very much appreciate it and can try. But my whole thing is folk and classical. I think that’s where my little pocket within Celtic Woman lies.
Q: Was that your original album? Was it orchestral? You had a symphony behind it? That’s why it was expensive?
Mairéad Carlin: Yeah. It was the London Symphony Orchestra. So you can only imagine how expensive that was. And we recorded it in Ayres Studios in London and British Grove with an incredible mixing engineer called Jeff Foster. He had just come off mixing the Mary Chapin Carpenter album. So, it wasn’t the cheapest of albums, but it did come out eventually. Again, it’s just a story to tell, isn’t it?
Q: It gives you a bit of a unique quality to your history.
Mairéad Carlin: I honestly can say to you now, Brad, that I’m so grateful that that experience happened to me, because I don’t think I would be the person that I am today without it. I feel like I am incredibly grounded and don’t take anything for granted. This industry is incredible. I’m so blessed to do what I do. However, it also has given me a lot of perspective. Things don’t last forever. Things can happen. In order for us to really make it is to have the strength to deal with things when the rug is pulled from under. I think that’s how we really grow and learn.
Q: Let’s shift gears. There was an original Christmas album. When you decided to make this Christmas album, what were you all thinking? Did you look at the old albums and say, “We didn’t do this song or that one. Let’s do it for this album.” What was the collective vision?
Mairéad Carlin: We’re always incredibly mindful as a group of being true to our core values … and true to why people listened to Celtic Woman from the beginning. That original Celtic Woman Christmas album was just pure magic. Since then, I think this might be our third Christmas album. Actually, there was one the year I joined in 2013. I just missed out on the filming of their second Christmas special, which was so glamorous. They all had these beautiful red lips, big hair and lots of sparkles.
Now we have “Nollaig na mBan.” I love listening back to the journey that’s got us to where “Nollaig” is today. If I was to make a summation of the sound, [this one is] very much being true to our heritage and who we are and where Celtic Woman was born. It’s a modern-day version of that. For me, it still has that Celtic Woman sound, but it’s definitely more contemporary. I think it’s important for us as a group to move with the times, but still give people a sense of nostalgia. I think people are really craving that at the moment, if I’m being quite honest.
All over my Instagram is just nostalgia. I think “Nollaig” really gives you that warm feeling of nostalgia –– you know, like how we remember Christmas. It’s important. I really do believe that people are craving that at the moment. Oh my goodness, Irish composer/producer Brian Byrne has done the most beautiful job of the arrangements on this album. And just making us all shine in our own little ways.
We also had a couple of gorgeous collaborators on this album. A beautiful singer called Sibeal. She’s really lovely and has such a unique voice. When you talk about the Sean-nós thing, my goodness, there’s no one more Sean-nós than Sibeal who lives and breathes it. She is a quintessential Gaeilgeoir [Irish speaker] and has lived in the Gaeltacht [Gaelic-speaking area]. Her whole life has been immersed in that sound. It’s a very different sound, very throat driven. It’s a different approach to singing. Whereas for myself, I’ve grown up in the bel canto style — more of an open sound. So it’s fascinating to sing with a singer like that and try to blend together.
There’s some really beautiful songs on here that are older songs people associate with Christmas — for example, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” We’ve done a cool Celtic version of that in 6/8. It’s got this kind of folky feel. Byrne has done this incredible version of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” that he describes as if John Coltrane met Vivaldi. That’s an interesting mix but it works. It’s a bit of a tough thing to do live, but we always get there. We call it “the puffy one” because there’s a lot of runs.
Q: When you think of Christmas, what did you think of when you decided to do this album? Do you go away for Christmas? Where did you find your soul in your own past Christmases?
Mairéad Carlin: Oh, an Irish Christmas is very much like everyone’s welcome. If you ever want to come have Christmas with us Brad, you’re more than welcome.
Q: I might be knocking on the door — but not this year.
Mairéad Carlin: It’s very much like everybody comes over. Like, let’s have a ball. But you know what? I think Christmas time for many people isn’t exactly the easiest of times. For me, I actually lost my dad nine years ago. Not to make anybody sad, because I’m obviously fine. But my mom hasn’t actually decorated the house in nine years. She always travels to either see myself and my husband or his family on Christmas to celebrate, because she doesn’t want to be in the house at Christmas time. I think that’s always really important to remember whenever you’re talking about Christmas, because we can laugh and joke and say, “You know it’s fun and festive. But for a lot of people, it brings reflection.
We also wanted to be true to that as well in this album. There are the more spiritual songs like “Going Home” and or “Oh, Holy Night.” It’s important to be mindful of that around Christmas. There’s actually a beautiful Irish song on there, which a lot of people would associate with Christmas. Then we also have “Nálaidh na mBan,” which is a new composition written specifically for this album. If you listen to it, the words are incredibly touching. They bring an element of reflection, which I think is really important at this time of year.
Q: I think we did a story on Celtic Thunder. What’s your husband’s name?
Mairéad Carlin: Oh, it’s Ronan Scolard. He joined two years ago and is the musical director.
Q: Although he’s not a Celtic woman, has he ever done anything with you guys or have you ever done anything with him?
Mairéad Carlin: That’s how we met. He was in the Celtic Woman choir and was very good at step. He says that was his claim to fame. He was a very good step toucher. We met and toured for maybe three or four years together. He left because he’s actually a composer. That’s his one true love. He writes incredible music. Then he got the call from Celtic Thunder to join them and now he’s their musical director. He’s writing all their stuff. So yeah, I’d say we’re a Celtic couple. It’s a beautiful Celtic world.
For more about their Christmas and Spring tours and everything else Celtic Woman, go to: www.CelticWoman.com