Wow! what a time we have had and are having in New York!
I think it has been our busiest New York visit yet!
But before the Big Apple, there is a special mention for Wilkes Barre on the 11th March at the Wachovia Arena. The very hard working people at the Máiréad Fan Forum put together, to my surprise, a MáiréadFest! I have to say, I am very humbled by this and could not believe the amount of support and encouragement, not only for me, but for all of us, who work and love Celtic Woman so much. I was really touched by this and Chloe and myself, as we were on for doing our Meet and Greet that night, got to meet so many people who came to the show afterwards, some for the first time, and a lot of people who have supported us from the very beginning.
It was amazing for us to receive very meaningful gifts from my friends at the Máiréad Fan Forum. I was beyond touched to sign a fiddle and some other gifts that will be auctioned and the proceeds going to Oxfam Ireland Unwrapped, my charity of choice. I cannot thank everyone enough for this very generous and thoughtful action.
We then got to meet the lovely Kimberly and her wonderful parents. I have met Kimberly before a year ago and it was her dream to meet her role model Chloe and meet her she did! What a lovely encounter and I have to say, it made our night!
I also got to know the extraordinary distances that people made to be there on this night and I am really honoured and amazed by the dedication and effort to come and see us and put together this special occasion for me. It is probably the most thoughtful and wonderful occasion I have ever experienced.
I want to thank the Scott Manke who, by all accounts, organised this night!
Thank you Wickie, Glenn and everyone for the lovely gifts!
Also I want to thank the moderators on the Máiréad Fan Forum and Rachel, our Tour Manager.
I'm not sure if it was noticed but Rachel and Alison, our wardrobe manager, made sure that I had my new white gown for this night! It was flown in the day before from Ireland from Synan O'Mahony, the designer, and, after fitting and adjustments that day, I wore it that night for it's first show!
On to NYC! After our arrival into NY in the early hours of the 12th, we had a lovely day off in New York. We were up at 4.30am getting ready for the Today Show the next morning and anyone who missed it, the link is below!
http://video.aol.com/video-
We then had our first of two nights, in the Radio City Music Hall which is our fourth time to play in this beautiful venue. It was four years ago to the day, which marks our 4th Celtic Woman performance there on the 13th March.
It was an amazing two nights with lots of guests from Ireland, from our record company EMI Manhattan, and lots of our friends who attended in Wilkes Barre!
It was lovely to catch up with close friends and get reacquainted with the great city that is New York!
It's countdown to Paddy's Day and we have two shows later on in Wallingford at the Chevrolet Theatre and in Baltimore for Paddy's Day in the France-Merrick PAC Hippodrome. In between, we have a performance on Mike and Juliet Fox Morning, Monday 16th and later on that day we are ringing the closing bell on the Stock Market on Wall Street!
Have a great St. Patrick's Day or Paddy's Day everybody!
Le grá,
Máiréad.
hey Máiréad,
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear from you again :)
From what I read about the MáiréadFest was really fun, I wish I could be there :(
Ah well, Just have to wait for my moment to have a meet and greet :)
greets Ralph.
Máiréad,
ReplyDeleteI so happy that you had such a wonderful evening at MáiréadFest, I'm sorry that I missed it.
The Máiréad Forum folks worked very hard to make MáiréadFest a HUGE success.
Great things can happen when the: artists, management, and fans can come together in a very positive, productive, and rewarding way.
Your photos from the event are beautiful and I wanted to thank you, Chloë, and Rachel for making some of my friends dreams come true.
Please be safe and travel well,
Tom
Mairead,
ReplyDeleteWilkes-Barre was a dream come true for us Celtic Woman fans, and of you and Chloe in particular. My first meeting of any Celtic Woman was with you and Chloe in Nashville March 2007; and I was already in love with you then
The Show on this night was so beautiful and emotions; and then we were honored to meet you and Chloe, and that made this night complete. I got so many pictures of you and Chloe interacting with the two of you and your fans; and I will make sure you get a copy when I see you in Birmingham March 27th.
Beautiful lady, I am so blessed to know you; and thank you for everything.
Jim
Wow, what an exciting time for you. Lots of stuff going on. I am sorry I missed you in Wilkes Barre with the Mairead Forum people but I could not make that concert but have heard all about it. It must have been a memorable night for all who were there.
ReplyDeleteI did get to see you on the Today Show on the 13th and you all did a wonderful job. Playing at Radio City must be so magical, it is such a beautiful place.
I hope that the rest of your tour goes well. I look forward to the next time I see you.
Take care Mairead,
Destiny
3-15-09
ReplyDeleteOh! Dear lady, it was truly wonderful to show you all our support. It is the least we could do. I wish I could be there for every single show.
Please pass on word to Dear Chloe, she looked absolutely beautiful that night at Wilkes Barre as well as you did.
I was so moved to tears of joy. Never have I met two ladies so fair. Both of you, more beautiful than the porcelain rose I was so privileged to give you Mairead. And Chloe, you are also just so beautiful. And that voice? WOW! Hope you liked the earrings & pendant.
Mairead, I think it’s safe to say that from all those on your forum web site, all of you ladies, are truly priceless to our hearts.
To all of you, Happy St. Patties Day! Thank you for spending time with us. I think we managed to make it as memorable to all of you, as it was for all of us.
All that love isn’t over yet. As for me, I’ll see you all again. At the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. Other Forum members will be seeing you ladies, in the up coming shows as well.
I think it’s safe to say, that we will always be there for all of you so talented ladies.
Once again, thank you so much for sharing your music with all of us.
Sincerely & respectfully yours,
Glenn, A.K.A. The Rotten Rebel
Honored member of your Mairead Nesbitt Forum.
Mairead,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your gracious comments concerning the March 11 Mairead-Fest in Wilkes Barre, PA! Unfortunately due to airline difficulties, I was unable to make it in time for the event! It has been tremendously well-documented for all though, on your forum through the many pictures we were so graciously allowed to take. Never have we been more proud to be fans of Celtic Woman in general and your fans in particular! Between Chloe and yourself, you made it an unforgettable night for all involved!
John Mann/"Starman"
Mairead Forum Moderator
On Wednesday night in Wilkes-Barre, I had the joy of seeing, for the first time, a Celtic Woman concert. You, Chloe, Lisa, Lynn, Alex and the whole cast and crew were fantastic. And then at Meet and Greet, you and Chloe were wonderful, fulfilling the fondest wishes and dreams of Kimberly and many other people.
ReplyDeleteHi, Máiréad! Great to hear from you! Sounds like you're having a grand ole time, though a very busy one, in New York. I'm glad you ladies had a day off. I was able to catch you on the Today Show and it was lovely. Will try to do the same tomorrow if I can find the right channel, lol! Happy St. Patrick's Day to you and the rest of the girls and cast and crew! Take care of yourselves and God Bless!
ReplyDeleteLe Grá,
Jeanine
Mairead,
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful write up. I just got back form Wallingford and enjoyed the 2 shows there on Sunday.
Im so glad that we were able to make you as happy as you have made us. Im glad I came for Wilkes Barre. Many months was spent planning it and Scott Manke did a fantastic job in putting it all together. We owe hime alot.
I have been to many, many meet and greets as you are aware and that was by far the most emotional one yet. Many of us were in tears , including myself. Never before have the performers addressed us as a group in the way you did in Wilkes Barre during the meet and greet.
As I told David Downes at the hotel, Celtic Woman has inspired many lasting and special friendships that have and will stand the test of time. David said they were just beginning to reilize that. To many of us Celtic Woman isnt a group or a show. It is a way of life. You have inspired a lot of good things in the last 4 years. For many of us Celtic Woman is a life changing event.
The video tape I gave you in Wilkes Barre as I told you was of the first forum gathering. It was that event that set the stage for all the others that have followed. It is all raw unedited footage. You will see footage of many of your fans before the show, during the meet and greet and most important the expressions and conversations of us the next morning as we departed to return home. That tape will give you a different perspective on the fans and how touched we all are. Wilkes Barre ranked right up there with Toronto in March 2006. Both events will always hold a special place in my heart. I hope to see you again in the future.
Have a wonderful tour.
We love all of you and we recieved the same feeling from you and Chloe as well in Wilkes Barre.
Tony Picallo
Que maravilha!
ReplyDeleteMuito sucesso pra vocês!!
O BRASIL VOS AMA!!!
Mairead,
ReplyDeleteI can't believe i haven't written here yet.
Thank you so much for everything, you made Wilkes Barre very special for me and so many others. I want to thank you so much for making Tori's first show amazing, it's funny to think that you were in my first M&G, and then you were in my Best Friends first one too!
Bless your heart!! I'm so glad you all liked the Gifts!! and i'm glad "Zorina" has a loving new owner haha and "Pooja" too!!
All the love in the world,
Wickie xxx
Happy St. Paddy's Day!
ReplyDeleteAlways nice to hear snippets from the road. I was disappointed to miss the show in Wilkes Barre due to illness. By all accounts, it appears it was a very special night. I'm hoping now to catch the show in Virginia in June, either Portsmouth or Richmond, maybe both. Wishing you all safe travels along the way.
Slainte'
Tom
Dear Mairead,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this lovely statement that is an extension of what you said to us at MaireadFest in Wilkes-Barre.
I know it took some time to write amidst your very busy schedule and all of us in your forum appreciate your kind words.
That night was seven months in the planning to bring Kim and Chloe together, and to give you a proper and loving thank you from your forum and its members whose lives you have touched so deeply. It was truly a special night from beginning to end that has still not worn off and likely will not for quite some time.
Everyone has noticed particular attentiveness from you and the other artists right from the start in Evansville. Wilkes-Barre was a huge dose of what we lovingly call pixie dust. The shows since then have carried that right on through. What happened that night in WB is an uncommon event for both fan/supporter and artist. It was for you our version of a Grammy.
It is an honor to administer your forum and also to represent its members to you whenever I can. To be mentioned by name is a lovely gift and I thank you so much. However, your forum is a family, a team, and an extension of you and not reliant on just one person for its success. Thank you for mentioning the moderators who are such a part of our team for you just as the band and choir is for Celtic Woman. It is a place where each member has placed a wonderful, creative stamp of their own on it as inspired by you.
The items for donation at auction to your charity was an idea I came up with the day I left for this tour swing. I've come to know you as a caring and charitable person and encourage everyone to look into your charity and be generous in donations. I have been collecting funds from members for that cause to be handed over to them at the end of the year. We also are gathering funds for your birthday gift to be presented to you in person, if agreed, in Dallas. All funds over and above the cost of that special item are designated for your charity. Such is what you inspire in others.
What an honor as well to be the first to view you in action in that lovely new gown. Mr. O'Mahony did another beautiful creation that is perfect for your movements. There simply is no more lovely an image than you in white doing what you were born to do.
It has been a joy to see you each night following WB as well. The amazing love and support both ways between artist and supporter from that night has continued. I hope it has been a blessing for you and the other artists, and we'll do the best we can to be present at more concerts and provide the energy and emotion you'll all need to make each night of this long tour special.
Thank you again, Mairead, for your kind words in person and in writing. We love you, pray for you, and wish you all the best in all you do. God's blessings.
Scott Manke
Mairead Nesbitt forum administrator
Hi Mairead!
ReplyDeleteIt was lovely seeing you again at the Chicago meet and greet last month, and I was just as excited to hear how much fun everyone had at Wilkes-Barre this year as well. Scott told me it was a night to remember for everyone involved. Brian and I both wish we could have been there too! From what we heard you all outdid yourselves.
The Chicago show was wonderful. Just when I think the shows have reached their pinnacle of perfection, you manage to pull off yet another brilliant performance. It truly keeps getting better each year. I also love to watch you perform Mairead. Its fun the way you tease your audience, the expressions on your face, and the way you seem to fly through the air when you dance with your fiddle – how do you do that and not miss a beat? It just grabs me every time.
Sorry too that I was so uncooperative about having my picture taken at the meet and greet in Chicago, but as I said, I’m much better ‘behind’ the camera then in front of one. One of these days I’m going to get the nerve and have my picture taken with you anyway… someday (and after a good glass of wine – ha!)
I love reading your blog – it’s great the way that you keep up with your fans. We appreciate the fact that you appreciate us too! I can’t wait to see what new projects and creative ventures are coming your way in the not so distant future. Since becoming a Celtic Woman Fan several years ago, Brian and I have had a total blast with all of it. We have thoroughly enjoyed attending the concerts and meeting other fans out there who share the same interest. I hope you will be around for many more years.
Stay safe, take good care and know that we are thinking of you.
Lots of love,
Jenny Fedei
(Brian sends his best too!)
P.S. Please pass along a hearty hello to Rachael… I love seeing her too. She is such a kind and lovely young lady. She doesn’t get as much recognition for all the hard work she puts into everything I think. Let her know that I’m thinking of her too, would you?
Excited to find and follow your blog! You have been my favorite from the time I discovered the Celtic Women, I am celtic!!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your shows, and God bless! robin
I was suppose to go to this show but couldn't. I am glad that Scott Manke was able to give you a copy of my book. Hopefully, I will get to attend one of the June concerts in VA. I have heard how much fun the forum members had. Travel safely.
ReplyDeleteTamberia
Thank you so much for putting the TOdays show on your blog for us to see, yes I was one who missed it!! You guys did such a wondeful job. I first got introduced to you guys through PBS I was just flipping through the channels about 2 years ago and you were on and I had to go out the next day a buy your CD, eversince then my collection has been growing, unfortunatly my husband and I have not been able to get tickets, we are poor newlyweds, its almost been three years lol, but dont worry thats on my to do list, hopefully we will make it to one of your conserts! Keep up the good work, you guys are amazing!!
ReplyDeleteSusie Bielefeldt
Thank you for introducing the performance of Danny Boy!
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful Harmony, and your violin performance is so nice and elegant like you. Good luck! God's blessings.