Celtic Women

Celtic Woman is a musical ensemble comprised of five Irish and one New Zealander female artists: vocalists Chlo.. Agnew, ..rla Fallon, Lisa Kelly, M..av N.. Mhaolchatha and Hayley Westenra, and violinist M..ir..ad Nesbitt. The group's repertoire ranges from traditional Celtic tunes to modern songs, including covers of Enya and Clannad. To date, the group has released three albums, Celtic Woman, Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration and Celtic Woman: A New Journey, and have undertaken a number of world tours.The foundation for Celtic music's popularity outside of Ireland and Europe was previously set by the artist Enya, along with stage shows Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. To this end, Celtic Woman has been referred to as "Riverdance for the voice."The original members of Celtic Woman include Agnew, Fallon, Kelly, Mhaolchatha, and Nesbitt. During Mhaolchatha's pregnancy in 2005, Deirdre Shannon was selected to fill her place during tours. After Shannon's departure in February 2006, Mhaolchatha returned to the group to record A New Journey and will continue touring with them part-time.It was announced on 6 September 2006 that Hayley Westenra had officially joined Celtic Woman as of 24 August 2006. As well as being featured on the album and DVD for A New Journey, Westenra will alternate with Mhaolchatha during tour events to maintain the five-person lineup.