TWO new members this holiday season.

They deleted the pics of Tara & Emma at the bottom of the CW website (Tours & Tickets, Store, etc). 

There are four pics of the "CW model" right now.

The fact Caitríona & Ciara are announced as “new members”makes it sound like Emma & Tara are gone and not returning. Emma hasn’t been on stage since the 20 tour ended so a warning sign there

According to a TikTok comment, Emma has confirmed that she’s coming back after her maternity leave, which would presumably be up soon. Obviously, that’s not the most reliable source, but I can say that Emma has been singing a lot (gigs, especially at weddings) shown by her Instagram.

I can’t say anything for Tara, but Celtic Woman has done (from what I can tell) much more showing off of Caitríona than they have Ciara. Caitríona has been on their official social media speaking about the new album and has done similar promotional stuff to Mairéad and Muirgen. Maybe Ciara is just more private, but from what I’ve seen, she hasn’t done any such promotions. I believe Tara posted something about the album (which would make sense because she’s on it), but I cannot confirm as unfortunately, I do not currently have access to my Instagram.

It could be possible that Caitríona is staying but Emma comes back to replace another member…? I don’t think that’s the case, but Mairéad did just record a new solo album and maybe Muirgen would want to pursue opportunities elsewhere…? For all we know, they’re returning to the original four vocalists lineup, although I highly doubt that’s the case.

I could see Mairead C leaving after the Christmas tour if Emma comes back. Ronan is also a busy singer and Mairead might want to take a break from touring again and spend more time with her family.

Tara might also want to quit touring for a while with her child just being normal and Ciara could be with us for a little bit

They deleted the pics of Tara & Emma at the bottom of the CW website (Tours & Tickets, Store, etc). 

There are four pics of the "CW model" right now.

The fact Caitríona & Ciara are announced as “new members”makes it sound like Emma & Tara are gone and not returning. Emma hasn’t been on stage since the 20 tour ended so a warning sign there

According to a TikTok comment, Emma has confirmed that she’s coming back after her maternity leave, which would presumably be up soon. Obviously, that’s not the most reliable source, but I can say that Emma has been singing a lot (gigs, especially at weddings) shown by her Instagram.

I can’t say anything for Tara, but Celtic Woman has done (from what I can tell) much more showing off of Caitríona than they have Ciara. Caitríona has been on their official social media speaking about the new album and has done similar promotional stuff to Mairéad and Muirgen. Maybe Ciara is just more private, but from what I’ve seen, she hasn’t done any such promotions. I believe Tara posted something about the album (which would make sense because she’s on it), but I cannot confirm as unfortunately, I do not currently have access to my Instagram.

It could be possible that Caitríona is staying but Emma comes back to replace another member…? I don’t think that’s the case, but Mairéad did just record a new solo album and maybe Muirgen would want to pursue opportunities elsewhere…? For all we know, they’re returning to the original four vocalists lineup, although I highly doubt that’s the case.

@stars_at_dawn
Thanks for posting what you found on Emma. That's very interesting. Hmm...

Welcome to the forum! Introduce yourself in the New Members sub-forum!

They deleted the pics of Tara & Emma at the bottom of the CW website (Tours & Tickets, Store, etc). 

There are four pics of the "CW model" right now.

The fact Caitríona & Ciara are announced as “new members”makes it sound like Emma & Tara are gone and not returning. Emma hasn’t been on stage since the 20 tour ended so a warning sign there

According to a TikTok comment, Emma has confirmed that she’s coming back after her maternity leave, which would presumably be up soon. Obviously, that’s not the most reliable source, but I can say that Emma has been singing a lot (gigs, especially at weddings) shown by her Instagram.

I can’t say anything for Tara, but Celtic Woman has done (from what I can tell) much more showing off of Caitríona than they have Ciara. Caitríona has been on their official social media speaking about the new album and has done similar promotional stuff to Mairéad and Muirgen. Maybe Ciara is just more private, but from what I’ve seen, she hasn’t done any such promotions. I believe Tara posted something about the album (which would make sense because she’s on it), but I cannot confirm as unfortunately, I do not currently have access to my Instagram.

It could be possible that Caitríona is staying but Emma comes back to replace another member…? I don’t think that’s the case, but Mairéad did just record a new solo album and maybe Muirgen would want to pursue opportunities elsewhere…? For all we know, they’re returning to the original four vocalists lineup, although I highly doubt that’s the case.

Some more context that I found:

Caitríona just left ANÚNA, strongly hinting at her joining Celtic Woman as a permanent member. However, BIIRD, the group Ciara’s a part of, is touring alongside Ed Sheeran in 2026 and as far as I know, there’s been no announcement of her leaving them. Of course, she could be a part of both groups, but that would be a very difficult commitment, and that combined with her not being advertised much makes me believe that she’s a temporary replacement for Tara and will leave in due time to continue what she’d been doing before, similar to how Deirdre Shannon replaced Méav when the latter was on maternity leave.

I did some more researching into Mairéad Carlin’s exact position, and although I am not certain, it appears as though she was only supposed to have rejoined Celtic Woman for the 20th anniversary album and tour. But she has been promoted as a full blown member, which calls that into question. Granted, Ciara was also promoted as a member, so, assuming I am correct in my hypothesis that her presence with Celtic Woman is temporary, Mairéad having been promoted in the same way doesn’t mean much.

Muirgen is also apparently releasing some solo music, so that could also hint at her leaving, but I’m doubtful that she’s leaving for now. If Caitríona is replacing someone other than Emma, her presence is most likely a premeditated thing, and given Mairéad’s current position, it does make more sense for her to be going.

(It almost sounds as though I want Mairéad to go 😭😭😭 I promise that is most definitely not the case, I love Mairéad, I’m simply weighing out the options!)

So assuming my ideas are in fact correct, this means that the 2026 (?) lineup would end up being Caitríona, Muirgen, Emma, and Tara.

Reading all this has me muzzled up as to whom and what will happen
I do see Emma returning, Muirgen isn't leaving anytime soon. For some reason I sense Mairead Carlin isn't going anywhere. As for Tara back oh we love her. This is making it look like the two newbies are temporary or temporary in this season. Let's remember when Orla left and Alex became a full time member even though it seemed they wanted her even if it meant alternating with Orla which never happened..

Reading all this has me muzzled up as to whom and what will happen
I do see Emma returning, Muirgen isn't leaving anytime soon. For some reason I sense Mairead Carlin isn't going anywhere. As for Tara back oh we love her. This is making it look like the two newbies are temporary or temporary in this season. Let's remember when Orla left and Alex became a full time member even though it seemed they wanted her even if it meant alternating with Orla which never happened..

Well, there have been instances of members being announced as temporary and eventually staying, such as Alex and Susan. I do agree that Ciara is a temporary replacement, but I’m not so sure about Caitríona because she just left ANÚNA. However, this could be a coincidence. Maybe she’s temporarily joining Celtic Woman to get a larger audience for a solo career?

Reading all this has me muzzled up as to whom and what will happen
I do see Emma returning, Muirgen isn't leaving anytime soon. For some reason I sense Mairead Carlin isn't going anywhere. As for Tara back oh we love her. This is making it look like the two newbies are temporary or temporary in this season. Let's remember when Orla left and Alex became a full time member even though it seemed they wanted her even if it meant alternating with Orla which never happened..

Well, there have been instances of members being announced as temporary and eventually staying, such as Alex and Susan. I do agree that Ciara is a temporary replacement, but I’m not so sure about Caitríona because she just left ANÚNA. However, this could be a coincidence. Maybe she’s temporarily joining Celtic Woman to get a larger audience for a solo career?

Not sure if this is the right place to post it, but it seems as though Emma isn’t coming back. I don’t know if they normally announce when members leave, but Caitríona is singing in the teaser song advertising the A New Era Tour (which I am almost certain is a new song, and Caitríona is clearly singing in it), and she hasn’t been mentioned in months. Mairéad C is still being promoted as a full-fledged member, so my theory about Caitríona replacing her is highly unlikely as well.

I still think Tara will come back (although I do love Ciara), though. I think she’ll come back in the middle of the A New Era Tour when Ciara leaves for BIIRD’s spring tour.

I've always wondered what the various girls do after they leave CW (or any group for that matter).  Can they make a living as a solo performer?  Did they make enough money while with CW to not have to work again unless they want to?  I know touring is tough, and I can understand not wanting to do this for months at a time. 

I've always wondered what the various girls do after they leave CW (or any group for that matter).  Can they make a living as a solo performer?  Did they make enough money while with CW to not have to work again unless they want to?  I know touring is tough, and I can understand not wanting to do this for months at a time.

It depends on the member. Most past members left to pursue a solo career, so many have had some sort of career as well. Perhaps the most successful is Órla Fallon, who’s released many solo albums so far, all of which are very good! Other members such as Méav or Lisa Lambe have also done well as soloists. Other members have done more group collaborations, like Alex and Lynn in CaraNua. Lisa Kelly was (paraphrased) “tired of being in Celtic Woman” and then started her vocal academy.

As far as I can tell, none of the members have had as much fame as they did with Celtic Woman, with the exception of maybe Órla or Lisa Lambe. But I also don’t have the full scope of everything each member has done, and many haven’t really done much solo at all but done fairly well in other projects.

They deleted the pics of Tara & Emma at the bottom of the CW website (Tours & Tickets, Store, etc). 

There are four pics of the "CW model" right now.

The fact Caitríona & Ciara are announced as “new members”makes it sound like Emma & Tara are gone and not returning. Emma hasn’t been on stage since the 20 tour ended so a warning sign there

Emma had said she was planning on returning but now I’m pretty sure she’s moving on from the group. But who knows? However Caitriona does seem a lot more permanent to me than Ciara just with how they’re promoting her. Not sure if it’s Tara who’ll come back or if they’ll look for another violinist since Ciara is still really wrapped up in Biird, but they’re all fabulous anyway!

According to a TikTok comment, Emma has confirmed that she’s coming back after her maternity leave, which would presumably be up soon. Obviously, that’s not the most reliable source, but I can say that Emma has been singing a lot (gigs, especially at weddings) shown by her Instagram.

I can’t say anything for Tara, but Celtic Woman has done (from what I can tell) much more showing off of Caitríona than they have Ciara. Caitríona has been on their official social media speaking about the new album and has done similar promotional stuff to Mairéad and Muirgen. Maybe Ciara is just more private, but from what I’ve seen, she hasn’t done any such promotions. I believe Tara posted something about the album (which would make sense because she’s on it), but I cannot confirm as unfortunately, I do not currently have access to my Instagram.

It could be possible that Caitríona is staying but Emma comes back to replace another member…? I don’t think that’s the case, but Mairéad did just record a new solo album and maybe Muirgen would want to pursue opportunities elsewhere…? For all we know, they’re returning to the original four vocalists lineup, although I highly doubt that’s the case.

They deleted the pics of Tara & Emma at the bottom of the CW website (Tours & Tickets, Store, etc). 

There are four pics of the "CW model" right now.

The fact Caitríona & Ciara are announced as “new members”makes it sound like Emma & Tara are gone and not returning. Emma hasn’t been on stage since the 20 tour ended so a warning sign there

Emma had said she was planning on returning but now I’m pretty sure she’s moving on from the group. But who knows? However Caitriona does seem a lot more permanent to me than Ciara just with how they’re promoting her. Not sure if it’s Tara who’ll come back or if they’ll look for another violinist since Ciara is still really wrapped up in Biird, but they’re all fabulous anyway!

Yeah, I think Emma’s gone for good 🥀. I checked her Instagram and she’s apparently performing with Riverdance again, but there’s nothing about CW on there and she hasn’t been active with them in a year. I wish they’d announce if she was leaving or not…

I think Tara will come back. She performed at the Celtic World Forum just two months after having Éanna (incredible name by the way, shoutout to her and Alex for having good naming taste, it means “bird”, how goated is that?), and she was on the latest album! I’m excited to see her again, I love Tara (I’d forgotten just how much I loved her until I went back to her Instagram)!

(also sorry if this sounded convoluted 😭😭 sometimes my head’s spinning too quickly to properly convey my thoughts 😭)

Reading all this has me muzzled up as to whom and what will happen
I do see Emma returning, Muirgen isn't leaving anytime soon. For some reason I sense Mairead Carlin isn't going anywhere. As for Tara back oh we love her. This is making it look like the two newbies are temporary or temporary in this season. Let's remember when Orla left and Alex became a full time member even though it seemed they wanted her even if it meant alternating with Orla which never happened..

Well, there have been instances of members being announced as temporary and eventually staying, such as Alex and Susan. I do agree that Ciara is a temporary replacement, but I’m not so sure about Caitríona because she just left ANÚNA. However, this could be a coincidence. Maybe she’s temporarily joining Celtic Woman to get a larger audience for a solo career?

Not sure if this is the right place to post it, but it seems as though Emma isn’t coming back. I don’t know if they normally announce when members leave, but Caitríona is singing in the teaser song advertising the A New Era Tour (which I am almost certain is a new song, and Caitríona is clearly singing in it), and she hasn’t been mentioned in months. Mairéad C is still being promoted as a full-fledged member, so my theory about Caitríona replacing her is highly unlikely as well.

I still think Tara will come back (although I do love Ciara), though. I think she’ll come back in the middle of the A New Era Tour when Ciara leaves for BIIRD’s spring tour.

See and that’s what I would think is that if Tara were to come back and Ciara has a commitment to Biird’s spring tour, then the most obvious option would be for them to just 🔁 switch. But with the new tour and (probably) album being called “A New Era” is why I’m a bit doubtful about it. I feel like the “new era” points to a future with a new violinist since whenever they get a new one, such as when Tara replaced Màiréad, there’s a new sound and a new feel to the group, and the music.

Reading all this has me muzzled up as to whom and what will happen
I do see Emma returning, Muirgen isn't leaving anytime soon. For some reason I sense Mairead Carlin isn't going anywhere. As for Tara back oh we love her. This is making it look like the two newbies are temporary or temporary in this season. Let's remember when Orla left and Alex became a full time member even though it seemed they wanted her even if it meant alternating with Orla which never happened..

Well, there have been instances of members being announced as temporary and eventually staying, such as Alex and Susan. I do agree that Ciara is a temporary replacement, but I’m not so sure about Caitríona because she just left ANÚNA. However, this could be a coincidence. Maybe she’s temporarily joining Celtic Woman to get a larger audience for a solo career?

Not sure if this is the right place to post it, but it seems as though Emma isn’t coming back. I don’t know if they normally announce when members leave, but Caitríona is singing in the teaser song advertising the A New Era Tour (which I am almost certain is a new song, and Caitríona is clearly singing in it), and she hasn’t been mentioned in months. Mairéad C is still being promoted as a full-fledged member, so my theory about Caitríona replacing her is highly unlikely as well.

I still think Tara will come back (although I do love Ciara), though. I think she’ll come back in the middle of the A New Era Tour when Ciara leaves for BIIRD’s spring tour.

See and that’s what I would think is that if Tara were to come back and Ciara has a commitment to Biird’s spring tour, then the most obvious option would be for them to just 🔁 switch. But with the new tour and (probably) album being called “A New Era” is why I’m a bit doubtful about it. I feel like the “new era” points to a future with a new violinist since whenever they get a new one, such as when Tara replaced Màiréad, there’s a new sound and a new feel to the group, and the music.

I think “A New Era” is more about Brian Byrne’s direction than the members themselves…the term “Era” has also been quite popular since Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, so maybe CW is trying to capitalise off that…

CW has also had sound changes without changing members. Gavin Murphy replaced David Downes without Máiréad leaving, and Tara didn’t leave when Daragh came in for PFI or Brian for the 20th anniversary album…