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Postcards from Ireland is the fourteenth studio album released by the group Celtic Woman.
| Postcards from Ireland | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 29 October 2021 | |||
| Recorded | June–July 2021 | |||
| Studio | Camden Recording Studios and Windmill Lane Recording Studios, Dublin, Ireland | |||
| Genre | Celtic, new-age, classical crossover, vocal | |||
| Length | 50:54 | |||
| Language | English, Irish, Quenya | |||
| Label | Manhattan Records, Universal Music Group | |||
| Producer | Daragh O'Toole | |||
| Celtic Woman chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editOn 20 April 2021, Celtic Woman announced the Postcards from Ireland tour,[1] with Cork-born singer Muirgen O'Mahony replacing former member Mairéad Carlin who left the group in January 2021 to pursue solo projects.[2]
On 10 September, "The Dawning of the Day" was released as the first single from the album, accompanied by a lyric video.[3] On 8 October, "Mise Éire" was released as the second single from the album, also with a lyric video.[4] The album was released on 29 October, and an accompanying music video for "Wild Mountain Thyme" was released on the same day.[5][6]
Postcards from Ireland features vocalists Chloë Agnew, O'Mahony, Megan Walsh and instrumentalist Tara McNeill. British folk group the Longest Johns make a guest appearance on the track "Beeswing", while former member Susan McFadden returned to the group as a guest performer on the track "May it Be".
Track listing
editNote: All songs arranged, orchestrated and produced by Daragh O'Toole.
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Dawning of the Day" | Chloë Agnew, Tara McNeill, Muirgen O'Mahony, Megan Walsh | 3:54 |
| 2. | "Bonny Portmore" | Walsh | 4:00 |
| 3. | "Mise Éire" | Agnew, McNeill, O'Mahony, Walsh | 3:52 |
| 4. | "Wild Mountain Thyme" | Agnew, McNeill, O'Mahony, Walsh | 3:56 |
| 5. | "Beeswing" (featuring the Longest Johns) | Agnew, McNeill, O'Mahony, Walsh | 4:48 |
| 6. | "Down by the Salley Gardens" | O'Mahony | 4:10 |
| 7. | "Where Sheep May Safely Graze" | McNeill | 3:58 |
| 8. | "Angel" | Agnew | 4:35 |
| 9. | "The Lakes of Pontchartrain" | McNeill, Walsh | 3:56 |
| 10. | "May It Be" | Susan McFadden | 3:11 |
| 11. | "The Calm of the Day / The Banshee" | McNeill | 2:57 |
| 12. | "The Galway Shawl" | Agnew, McNeill, O'Mahony, Walsh | 4:04 |
| 13. | "Black Is the Colour" (2021 Version) | Agnew, McNeill, O'Mahony, Walsh | 3:33 |
| Total length: | 50:54 | ||
PBS special and DVD release background
editA television special of the same title was broadcast on PBS stations across the United States and Canada in November 2021. Directed by Irish filmmaker Donal Moloney and produced by Windmill Lane Pictures, the special consists of a subset of sixteen music videos filmed in different locations across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in mid-2021.
A gift set containing a CD, DVD and a set of postcards was made available for donations made through local stations to support airings of the special. The DVD was later made available through the official PBS website,[7] and was released generally on 21 January 2022.[8][9]
DVD track listing
edit| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Dawning of the Day" | Chloë Agnew, Tara McNeill, Muirgen O'Mahony, Megan Walsh | |
| 2. | "Bonny Portmore" | Walsh | |
| 3. | "Where Sheep May Safely Graze" | McNeill | |
| 4. | "Beeswing" (featuring the Longest Johns) | Agnew, McNeill, O'Mahony, Walsh | |
| 5. | "The Lakes of Pontchartrain" | McNeill, Walsh | |
| 6. | "Down by the Salley Gardens" | O'Mahony | |
| 7. | "Mise Éire" | Agnew, McNeill, O'Mahony, Walsh | |
| 8. | "Angel" | Agnew | |
| 9. | "The Galway Shawl" | Agnew, McNeill, O'Mahony, Walsh | |
| 10. | "May It Be" | Susan McFadden | |
| 11. | "Danny Boy" (arranged by Gavin Murphy) | Agnew, McNeill, O'Mahony, Walsh | |
| 12. | "Wild Mountain Thyme" | Agnew, McNeill, O'Mahony, Walsh | |
| 13. | "Amazing Grace" (arranged by Gavin Murphy) | Agnew, McFadden, McNeill, Walsh | |
| 14. | "Black Is the Colour" | Agnew, McNeill, O'Mahony, Walsh | |
| 15. | "The Calm of the Day / The Banshee" | McNeill | |
| 16. | "The Parting Glass" (arranged by Gavin Murphy) | Agnew, McNeill, O'Mahony, Walsh |
Personnel
editPer the liner notes:
Celtic Woman
edit- Chloë Agnew - vocals
- Susan McFadden - vocals
- Tara McNeill - fiddle, harp
- Megan Walsh - vocals
- Muirgen O'Mahony - vocals
Band
edit- Daragh O'Toole - piano, keyboards
- Kieran Leonard - drums, bodhrán drum, percussion
- Caitríona Frost - percussion
- Darragh Murphy - whistles, uilleann pipes
- John Hunt - bagpipes
- Anthony Byrne - bagpipes
- Johnny Boyle - drums, percussion
- Brian Murphy - guitar, mandolin, banjo
The Orchestra of Ireland
edit- Jonathan Ford - orchestra contractor
- Daragh O'Toole - orchestra leader
- David Brophy - music director, conductor
Celtic Voices Choir
edit- Paul McGough - choral contractor
Production
edit- Daragh O'Toole - producer, recording arranger
- Michael Manning - studio engineer
- Simon Gibson - mastering engineer
- Ger McDonnell - studio mixing
The Longest Johns appear courtesy of Decca Records
Charts
edit| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] | 56 |
References
edit- ^ "US Spring Tour 2022 'Postcards from Ireland' - Presale On Now". Celtic Woman.
- ^ "New Member Announced". Celtic Woman.
- ^ "Celtic Woman - Postcards From Ireland - CD - Pre-Order". Celtic Collections.
- ^ "Mise Éire is Available Everywhere Now!". Celtic Woman.
- ^ "'Postcards from Ireland' - Out Now". Celtic Woman.
- ^ "Wild Mountain Thyme". Celtic Woman Official (YouTube).
- ^ "Celtic Woman: Postcards from Ireland DVD". Shop.PBS.org.
- ^ "Pre-Order 'Postcards from Ireland' DVD". Celtic Woman.
- ^ "Celtic Woman - Postcards From Ireland - DVD - Pre Order". Celtic Collections.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Celtic Woman – Postcards from Ireland". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 November 2021.