Quote from: rfcw on March 04, 2026, 06:53:47 PM

I think this time around I'm as more interested in seeing the dresses and seeing Kate up there! Boy we sure waited a long time for this, it's even more interesting because the Celtic Woman tour opens up with not only a new member but a new violinist. When Tara first appeared it was half through an international tour which made it different. This on the other hand hypes the opening of a tour big time! I can imagine how it must feel everything entirely new lol!  

I found a photo showing their dresses on Instagram (ignore the YouTube video in the bottom corner  ) Shout out to Kenny Uong for posting it!

I’m not that fond of the gowns, personally. They look kind of sad and the blue looks too dull. My favourite is probably either Mairéad's or Caitríona’s. I don’t like the texture of Muirgen’s and Kate’s is too basic.

So I found another picture that Caitríona posted of their dresses…they’re much less cohesive than the previously mentioned gowns, but they’re also a lot prettier…my assumption would be that these were the first act outfits?

I guess my main complaint would be the aforementioned lack of cohesion…they’re all very clearly store bought, which isn’t necessarily bad, in fact, my favourite ever dresses were store bought (the 2024 symphony tour dresses if you’re wondering), but Caitríona and Kate are wearing dresses in a very different blue family than Mairéad and Muirgen. I do think Caitríona’s dress is absolutely beautiful and the others are decent as well, but the budget was certainly cut quite a bit and it shows…I’m worried…

Then again, I could very easily be too negative…I think my biggest issue is that Muirgen’s dress should have been greener (honestly a completely different design would have worked better because although the design is cute, it’s not really giving off performing energy) and Kate’s a lighter colour or less green. Maybe some details on as well so she’s not the only one without?

It’s official, CW should hire me as their new designer 

Take this with a grain of salt, as I in no way have any inside knowledge, but…

Could “A New Era” refer to them crossing over into all sorts of different genres? I was on Instagram a few minutes ago and saw that they had covered Dolly Parton’s infamous “Jolene”. Jolene is a very famous song, but it seems very different for them. In the past, CW has only covered Celtic, classical, musical theatre, and pop songs (but a certain style of pop…I don’t know the term but it’s more sophisticated, maybe? Hopefully ye can fill in the blanks). I think the only outlier would be True Colours, and even then, I’m fairly certain they still made that very different from the original electro-pop song that it was if I recall correctly.

Granted, Emma covered a Kacey Musgraves song “Rainbow”, but that still wasn’t a very country-style song. CW weren’t exactly line-dancing or anything when covering Jolene, and the fact that traditional country music has similarities with traditional Irish folk may be clouding my judgement, but it still seems…different.

Anyway, my hypothesis is that the “New Era” is them covering all sorts of different genres with a Celtic twist, whatever that may entail.

This does remind me of when I jokingly brought up CW covering Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club with a fiddle and bagpipes…if I’m correct, I actually want that to happen! 😂

Please note that I could very easily be very wrong so please don’t judge me too harshly or anything 🙏 just a thought

Did anyone go?

It feels as though there was all this buzz earlier and now it’s crickets 😭 but I’m still dying of curiosity

Ugh same 🫠 I now they ask people not to record but I wish someone would live stream the whole thing lol

There are lots of videos on YouTube of Celtic Woman performing…I think it’s mainly the venues that enforce such policies rather than CW themselves. At the show I went to, security kept on going up to people because they were filming.

I’m mainly extremely curious about the setlists. I might make myself begging people who go to tell us the setlists my signature on here 😭

The latest YouTube shorts include:
Ave Maria
Isle of Hope
Parting Glass
A Stor Mo Chroi

And after seeing the harp front and center on stage in the screenshots, I'm thinking the original Ave Maria. By original, I mean CW original of Chloe with Orla on harp.

The Parting Glass is basically a given.

I’m worried about if A Stór Mo Chroí is on the setlist, because although I love the song, Muirgen deserves more than that. I feel that she’s been getting the short end of the stick with solos and hope she can get two new ones for this tour. But the song is fairly popular within the CW fanbase…hopefully we can still see another new solo.

I’m curious about if they would keep Isle Of Hope, Isle Of Tears as a solo or go back to a group song…I could see it as a Caitríona solo, but I miss the group version…

I like the idea of Ave Maria with the harp…we really need more harps centred so hopefully they can add more. I’d say it might be more likely because Kate’s social media presence has been more harp-focused than violin-focused, but Tara was also quite harp-focused before that, she even played the harp on Destiny, and we still got relatively few songs with her playing.

I think we could expect: Danny Boy, You Raise Me Up, The Parting Glass as usual but also:
Teir Abhaile Riu
Dawning of the Day
Wild Mountain Thym
Ave Maria (Homecoming Version)

Just spotted on Cormac’s instagram (the guitarist) a story showing the stage, the design is pretty simple, looks like there’s only one drummer and we could expect some numbers with Kate playing harp.
I also think that there won’t be choir members or maybe the two dancers we saw in the rehearsals footage would be the backing singers?

Hopefully some of you will attend the opening night tomorrow and will answer most of our questions and expectations!

YESSSSSS HARP TIME LET’S GO!!!!!!

I haven’t posted about this yet because I was planning on posting my whole DVD idea, but I’ve been wanting more harp instrumentals for a while. Maybe something like Brian Boru’s March or Cumha Eoghain Rua Uí Néill or Citi na gCumann?

I thought it was music sheet for Kate as the way the notes you'd assume it was for the violin but the group version only has a violin accompany.

Here are four possibilities

1. Opener of the tour is as same as 20th Anniversary Dulaman Group Version. The music sheet was shared because Caitriona is new so it's Her first time.

2. Opener of Act 2 same group version

3. Back as a solo performance which means she is our new seaweed queen.

4. Something completely new, duet, which is possible but unlikely

It says “Voice” at the top, so it’s not Kate’s. Also, I love the term “seaweed queen”, I am definitely stealing that! 😄

I think option 2 is most likely, but we don’t know for sure! It’s fun to speculate though. Again, to everyone who goes to these shows: DROP THE SETLISTS!!!!!!

Caitríona posted a montage of photos from rehearsals on Instagram. One of them shows sheet music for Dúlamán. (I attached it here, you can see it in the top right corner.)

Do we think it will be the same version used in the 20th anniversary show? I’m inclined to think yes, as it’s Caitríona’s sheet music (last time it was a solo, Muirgen sang it) and that edition is still very new.