Celtic Woman

Celtic Woman’s cofounder and musical director, David Downes, had previously been the musical director for the smash Irish stage show Riverdance. ∙ The five original members of Celtic Woman had never performed together before they were selected for the ensemble. ∙ Brought together for a one-time filmed event, Celtic Woman’s massive success on PBS inspired them to keep going, and they’ve performed continuously since 2004. ∙ Their first release hit No. 1 on Billboard’s World Music chart and stayed there for 81 weeks, only to be knocked off by Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration. ∙ Only one member of the group’s ever-changing lineup, New Zealand’s Hayley Westenra, was not born in Éire. ∙ Celtic Woman has been named the No. 1 World Music Artist of the Year by Billboard six times. ∙ With more than 4 million tickets and 10 million albums sold, Celtic Woman is the most successful all-female group in Irish history.