How Would SFTH Be Different If Órla and/or Méav Hadn’t Left?

I’ve been thinking about it because SFTH seems very different from what Órla and Méav covered during their time with CW, especially Órla, which is kind of odd seeming as Órla left in the beginning of the Isle Of Hope Tour, which I would presume covered the eventual SFTH songs. Órla’s solos were either folk songs (Carrickfergus, Siúil A Rún), or modern song covers that still maintained an older, more dreamy feel. And although Isle Of Innisfree, Newgrange, and Harry’s Game are modern songs, none of them are pop, at least, not the same sort of pop as True Colours and You’ll Be In My Heart, which Órla would have presumably covered on that album. I could be projecting just because Órla’s my favourite member and I tend to prefer CW’s more traditional or traditional style songs over their pop-ish ones (You’ll Be In My Heart is something of a banger though), and Órla did have some kind of pop-ish songs on her solo album Distant Shore, but she hadn’t been given any pop solos as a part of CW before, and it would be a bit odd for her to go from Carrickfergus to a song that would later be used in the Trolls movie.

Méav also covered more traditional songs (She Moved Through The Fair, Danny Boy, Sí Do Mhaimeó Í, Dúlamán) and also the classical aria Marble Halls, but I could see her covering My Lagan Love and Carolina Rua.

I guess this is more about Órla than Méav, especially since Órla presumably would have sang some of the SFTH songs a few times before she left, but I’m just curious. I might do this for other albums as well (I am kind of curious if Susan would have sung Faith’s Song and Shenandoah on Ancient Land), but this one especially sticks out because these were the first major departures.

This post is so my style of thought topic, I almost it was a very old post I may of done but no!

As for Orla it could be a possibility that she had True Colour's as a solo. As for You'll Be in My Heart I just can't see it, that song to me was made for Alex, it requires to me someone with a certain expressive performance, and in honesty it neither would it work at it's very best with Lisa K either.
I would presume that Orla would had at least one older song on the set list because Lisa K herself had "The Voice" and Dulaman for Meav.

As for Meav it's a different story completely. She'd continue to reign Dulaman Queen, and My Lagan Love which there is a cover of her doing it on YouTube. Caranua to me was always a Lynn Hilary song. It was on her solo album just around before she first joined CW. Is it to say it wouldn't or couldn't be no. Now here's a more bigger question. Did they test the idea of Danny Boy in a group song because of now Meav not no more in the group and it being a signature solo of her too drastic for Lynn to carry her on herself? It probably wouldn't been different.

One if the significant unchanged songs would been Pie Jesu be performed by Chloe and Meav

Goodnight My Angel with Meav as well.

It's possibly Susan would sang "Faith Song" and another one would or may be "From The Distance" that she sang performed on "The Homecoming Tour" just before she left to have her baby. Now Eabha had a special unique song as well during that tour and she didn't depart, but this never made it on a recording and wasn't featured as one of her other solos on Ancient Land, so because of that key element doesn't mean From a Distance would make it either. Celtic Woman has a history of tour only exclusive songs whether a solo or group song and perhaps some of these are Tour test sampling's (Isle of Hope, Homecoming, Emerald) etc.

Would Susan done Shenandoah, why not. Faith Song, sure could it's near reminiscent to Sometimes a Prayer Will Do.

In conclusion Megan took Susan's spot similarly
Lynn replaced Meav identically
Alex did not replace Orla but carried the missing space to fulfill an Alto.

This post is so my style of thought topic, I almost it was a very old post I may of done but no!

As for Orla it could be a possibility that she had True Colour's as a solo. As for You'll Be in My Heart I just can't see it, that song to me was made for Alex, it requires to me someone with a certain expressive performance, and in honesty it neither would it work at it's very best with Lisa K either.
I would presume that Orla would had at least one older song on the set list because Lisa K herself had "The Voice" and Dulaman for Meav.

As for Meav it's a different story completely. She'd continue to reign Dulaman Queen, and My Lagan Love which there is a cover of her doing it on YouTube. Caranua to me was always a Lynn Hilary song. It was on her solo album just around before she first joined CW. Is it to say it wouldn't or couldn't be no. Now here's a more bigger question. Did they test the idea of Danny Boy in a group song because of now Meav not no more in the group and it being a signature solo of her too drastic for Lynn to carry her on herself? It probably wouldn't been different.

One if the significant unchanged songs would been Pie Jesu be performed by Chloe and Meav

Goodnight My Angel with Meav as well.

It's possibly Susan would sang "Faith Song" and another one would or may be "From The Distance" that she sang performed on "The Homecoming Tour" just before she left to have her baby. Now Eabha had a special unique song as well during that tour and she didn't depart, but this never made it on a recording and wasn't featured as one of her other solos on Ancient Land, so because of that key element doesn't mean From a Distance would make it either. Celtic Woman has a history of tour only exclusive songs whether a solo or group song and perhaps some of these are Tour test sampling's (Isle of Hope, Homecoming, Emerald) etc.

Would Susan done Shenandoah, why not. Faith Song, sure could it's near reminiscent to Sometimes a Prayer Will Do.

In conclusion Megan took Susan's spot similarly
Lynn replaced Meav identically
Alex did not replace Orla but carried the missing space to fulfill an Alto.

It’s interesting that you think Órla would’ve more likely gotten True Colours than You’ll Be In My Heart, because I thought the opposite! The latter is very iconic for Alex, though, so I understand why it could be hard to imagine someone else having it. I’m also not that fond of True Colours, so maybe I’m a bit biased.

Another important factor I that I forgot to mention is that Órla plays the harp and I believe she played it on all of her CW solos (except for maybe Harry’s Game and Newgrange…?), and neither of Alex’s SFTH solos have a harp if I recall correctly. They could just not have her play harp on the album, but I feel that it’s part of her charm.

I agree with you on Méav singing My Lagan Love (although, funnily enough, I’d actually had the idea of Órla singing it), but to bring up an interesting point with Carolina Rua. Do we think that they chose the song for her because of her solo album? There have been members who sang songs they’d originally done solo. Chloë has many of her CW solos on her debut album (which came out four years before CW was a thing if I recall). Órla also sang some songs she did with CW on her 2000 debut The Water Is Wide. Most of that album doesn’t really fit SFTH, but The Water Is Wide does. Lisa Kelly covered it on Believe, which is arguably fairly similar to SFTH, so maybe Órla could have sung it instead on SFTH.

(sorry if this isn’t worded well, I’m somewhat rushed right now 😭)