'Christmas with The Celts'
It's a wonderful combination of timeless ancient Irish Christmas carols and lively Irish dance, along with modern contemporary songs with Irish instrumentation. New Christmas hits, Celts originals, and fresh Irish Dance tunes are added to the show each year so that no two years are the same. Always a pleasant surprise!
Celebrating 14 years of successful national touring, top Irish musicians have united with the finest Nashville players to create the new sound and energy of The Celts. They perform a fresh hybrid of Irish Americana, which combines their own rootsy originals and tight vocal harmonies with fiery Irish Trad instrumentals.
The Celts are:
- Award-winning lead singer/fiddler Maggie Lander
- Ric Blair on vocals, guitar, piano, and bodhran
- Dubliner Patrick D’Arcy (U2, Sting, Josh Groban) on pipes, whistle, mandolin
- Fiachra O’Regan (Waterboys, Bill Whelan) from Connemara, Ireland, on pipes and tenor banjo
- Matt Menefee (Bruce Hornsby, Mumford & Sons) on five-string banjo/mandolin, dobro, and vocals
The Celts pack concert halls around the world, including the Grand Ole Opry, The Ryman Auditorium and Lincoln Center, as well as theaters and performing arts centers across the country. They have made numerous appearances on WSM Radio, NPR, PBS shows like “Bluegrass Underground,” “Music City Roots,” and “WoodSongs Ole-Time Radio Hour.”
Bandleader Ric Blair credits much of their success to their exposure on PBS. The group has shared the stage with Vince Gill, Cathy Jordan (Dervish), Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh (Altan), Ricky Skaggs, Tim O’Brien, and Patty Loveless, just to name a few.
"The Celts' performance at the 2023 Kansas City Irish Fest was an absolute delight. Their blend of Celtic traditions and modern energy was captivating to our guests… making them a highlight of the festival. A must-see for any Celtic music lover.” —Keli Wenzel, Exec. Director, Kansas City Irish Fest