The Celtic Tenors: Live at the Empire

-This is "Whiskey in the Jar."

[ Laughter and applause ] -I'm Johnny Cash.

- As I was going over the Cork and Kerry mountains I met with Captain Farrell, and his money he was counting I first produced my pistol I then produced my rapier Saying stand and deliver, for I am the bold deceiver Mush-a ring dum-a do dum-a da Whack fol my daddy-o Whack fol my daddy-o There's whiskey in the jar I counted out his money It made a pretty penny I put it in me pocket, and I took it home to Jenny She sighed and she swore that she never would betray me But the devil take the women, for they never can be easy Mush-a ring dum-a do dum-a da Whack fol my daddy-o Whack fol my daddy-o There's whiskey in the jar - I went up to my chamber, wherefore to take a slumber I dreamt of gold and jewels, and for sure it was no wonder Jenny drew the charges She filled them up with water And sent for Captain Farrell to be ready at the slaughter Mush-a ring dum-a do dum-a da Whack fol my daddy-o Whack fol my daddy-o There's whiskey in the jar -Darren Bell.

-Whoo!

-I could do that.

- It was early in the morning before I rose to travel Up came along the footman and with him Captain Farrell I produced the pistol, but she stole away the rapier And I couldn't fire the water So a prisoner I was taken Mush-a ring dum-a do dum-a da Whack fol my daddy-o Whack fol my daddy-o There's whiskey in the jar Now, some they take delight in night fishing or to bowling Some they take delight In those carriage wheels a-rollin' But I take delight in the juice of the barley And courtin' married women in the morning, bright and early Mush-a ring dum-a do dum-a da Whack fol my daddy-o Whack fol my daddy-o There's whiskey in the jar Mush-a ring dum-a do dum-a da Whack fol my daddy-o Whack fol my daddy-o There's whiskey in the jar Mush-a ring dum-a do dum-a da Whack fol my daddy-o Whack fol my daddy-o There's whiskey in the jar [ Song ends ] [ Cheers and applause ] -Next Generation Leahy.

-Fantastic.

-Fantastic, guys.

-Whoo!

-Oh, my gosh, such talent.

I think now would be an excellent time to introduce ourselves, wouldn't it?

My name is Matthew.

I come from the east of Ireland, near a little town called Kells.

I'm from there -- from a farm from there.

and I, uh -- I've got very long arms from carrying buckets to cows as a -- as a child slave.

[ Laughter ] And, anyway, that's me.

I'm Matthew, and I'm delighted to be here with you all in Belleville tonight.

[ Applause ] -And I'm George, and I come from the north of Ireland, as you can probably hear from my accent.

Now, tell me this.

Do you have any "Derry Girls" fans in the audience tonight?

[ Applause ] You see?

It always works.

So I'm from Derry, not Belfast, and it's an absolute pleasure to be here with you all this evening.

[ Applause ] -Like George, I come from the north of Ireland, a little town called Omagh in the county of Tyrone.

My name is Daryl.

An absolute pleasure to sing for you all tonight.

[ Applause ] [ "Spanish Lady" plays ] - As I roved out through Dublin City At the hour of 12 at night Who should I spy but a Spanish lady Washing her feet by candlelight First she washed them, then she dried them O'er a fire of amber coal And all my life, I ne'er did see A maid so sweet as a Spanish lady Whack for the Too Rah Loo Rah Laddy Whack for the Too Rah Loo Rah Lay Whack for the Too Rah Loo Rah Laddy Whack for the Too Rah Loo Rah Lay - As I rode out through Dublin City At the hour of half past eight Who should I see but a Spanish lady Brushing her hair in the broad daylight?

First she tossed it, then she brushed it On her lap was a silver comb In all my life, I ne'er did see A maid so sweet since I did roam Whack for the Too Rah Loo Rah Laddy Whack for the Too Rah Loo Rah Lay Whack for the Too Rah Loo Rah Laddy Whack for the Too Rah Loo Rah Lay - As I went down through Dublin City As the sun began to set Who should I see but a Spanish lady Catching a moth in a golden net When she saw me, then she fled me On her flat was a silver comb In all my life, I ne'er did see A maid so shy since I did roam Whack for the Too Rah Loo Rah Laddy Whack for the Too Rah Loo Rah Lay Whack for the Too Rah Loo Rah Laddy Whack for the Too Rah Loo Rah Lay Step we gaily, on we go Heel for heel and toe for toe Arm in arm and row in row All for Mairi's wedding Red her cheeks as rowans are Bright her eyes as any star Fairest of them all, by far, is our darling Mairi Step we gaily, on we go Heel for heel and toe for toe Arm in arm and row in row All for Mairi's wedding Red her cheeks as rowans are Bright her eyes as any star Fairest of them all, by far, is our darling Mairi Whack for the Too Rah Loo Rah Laddy Whack for the Too Rah Loo Rah Lay Whack for the Too Rah Loo Rah Laddy Whack for the Too Rah Loo Rah Lay Whack for the Too Rah Loo Rah Laddy Whack for the Too Rah Loo Rah Lay Whack for the Too Rah Loo Rah Laddy Whack for the Too Rah Loo Rah Loo Rah Lay [ Cheers and applause ] -Thank you.

[ Applause ] [ "Sweet Child O' Mine" plays ] - She's got a smile, and it seems to me Reminds me of childhood memories Where everything was as fresh as a bright blue sky Now and then when I see her face She takes me away to that special place And if I stare too long I'd probably break down and cry Whoa, oh, oh Sweet child o' mine Whoa, oh, oh, oh Sweet love of mine She's got eyes of the bluest skies That if they thought of rain I'd hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain Her hair reminds me of a warm, safe place Where as a child I'd hide And pray for the thunder and the rain To quietly pass me by Whoa, oh, oh Sweet child o' mine Whoa whoa, oh, oh, oh Sweet love of mine Ooh, ooh Ooh, ooh Whoa, oh, oh - Whoa, oh, oh - Whoa oh, oh - Whoa oh, oh - Whoa oh, oh - Whoa oh, oh, oh Whoa, oh, oh - Whoa, oh, oh - Whoa oh, oh - Whoa oh, oh - Whoa oh, oh - Whoa oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Whoa, oh, oh Sweet child o' mine Whoa, oh, oh Sweet love of mine Whoa, oh, oh, oh Sweet child o' mine Whoa, oh, oh, oh Sweet love of mine - She's got a smile, and it seems to me Reminds me of childhood memories Where everything was as fresh as a bright blue sky - Now and then when I see her face She takes me away to that special place And if I stare too long I'd probably break down and cry Whoa, oh, oh Sweet child o' mine Whoa, oh, oh, oh Sweet love of mine Whoa, oh, oh Sweet child o' mine - Whoa, oh, oh, oh Sweet love of mine [ Cheers and applause ] [ "From Now On" plays ] - Saw the sun begin to dim And felt that winter wind Blow cold A man learns who is there for him When the glitter fades and the walls won't hold 'Cause from that rubble What remains Can only be what's true If all was lost That's all I've gained 'Cause it led me back To you From now on These eyes will not be blinded by the lights From now on What's waited till tomorrow starts tonight It starts tonight Let this promise in me start Like an anthem in my heart From now on From now on Whoa, oh, oh oh oh I drank champagne with kings and queens The politicians praised my name But those were someone else's dreams The pitfalls of the man I became - For years and years I chased their cheers A crazy speed of always needing more But when I stop And see you here I remember who all this was for From now on These eyes will not be blinded by the lights From now on What's waited till tomorrow starts tonight It starts tonight And let this promise in me start Like an anthem in my heart From now on From now on - From now on - And we will come back home And we will come back home Home, again!

And we will come back home And we will come back home Home, again!

And we will come back home And we will come back home Home, again!

And we will come back home And we will come back home Home, again!

From now on These eyes will not be blinded by the lights From now on What's waited till tomorrow starts tonight It starts tonight And let this promise in me start Like an anthem in my heart From now on From now on!

- From now on - And we will come back home And we will come back home Home again!

And we will come back home And we will come back home Home again!

And we will come back home And we will come back home Home again!

And we will come back home And we will come back home Home again!

And we will come back home And we will come back home Home again!

And we will come back home And we will come back home Home again!

[ Cheers and applause ] [ "Perfect" plays ] - I found a love for me Oh, darling, just dive right in And follow my lead I found a girl Beautiful and sweet I never knew you were the someone waitin' for me 'Cause we were just kids when we fell in love Not knowin' what it was I will not give you up this time Oh, darling, just kiss me slow Your heart is all I own And in your eyes, you're holding mine Baby, I'm dancin' in the dark With you between my arms Barefoot on the grass Listenin' to our favorite song When you said you looked a mess I whispered underneath my breath But you heard it, "Darling, you look perfect tonight" Sei la mia donna La forza delle onde del mare Cogli i miei sogni e i miei segreti molto di pi Spero che un giorno L'amore che ci ha accompagnato Diventi casa, la mia famiglia, diventi noi E siamo sempre bambini ma Nulla impossibile Stavolta non ti lascer Mi baci piano ed io Torno ad esistere E nel tuo sguardo crescer Ballo con te, nell'oscurit Stretti forte poi A piedi nudi noi Dentro la nostra musica Ti ho guardato ridere E sussurrando ho detto "Tu stasera, vedi sei perfetta per me" Baby, I'm dancin' in the dark With you between my arms Barefoot on the grass Listenin' to our favorite song When you said you looked a mess I whispered underneath my breath But you heard it, "Darling, you look perfect" "Tu stasera, sei perfetta per me" Ooh, ooh, ooh [ Song ends ] [ Cheers and applause ] -Cecilia Leahy!

-Fantastic.

[ Cheers and applause ] -Samuel Beckett, or one of our great writers, said something about Irish people.

"The Irish bard that God made mad for all his wars were merry and all his songs were sad."

So for this next song, we're going to sing an incredibly happy song from an American by the name of Steve Earle, who fell in love with Ireland, and he particularly fell in love with a Galway girl.

[ Applause ] [ "The Galway Girl" plays ] - I took a stroll on the old long walk Of a day-i-ay-i-ay I met a little girl, and we stopped to talk Of a fine soft day-i-ay And I ask you, friend What's a fella to do?

'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue And I knew right then I'd be taking a whirl Down that Salthill prom with a Galway girl We were halfway there when the rain came down Of a day-i-ay-i-ay She asked me up to her flat downtown On a grand soft day-i-ay And I ask you, friend What's a fella to do?

'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue I took her hand And I give her a twirl I lost my heart to a Galway girl When I woke up, I was all alone Ay-i-ay-i-ay With a broken heart and a ticket home And I ask you, friend What's a fella to do?

If her hair was black and her eyes were blue I've been travelin' around Been all over this world Boys, I ain't never seen nothing like a Galway girl Da, da, da da da da Da da, da da da da da Da da da, da, da, da, da da da da da Da, da da da da da da, da da da [ Song ends ] [ Cheers and applause ] -Nice one, lads.

[ Applause ] -This next song is a very special song.

Back in 1843, many people from the island of Ireland left their home not by choice, and they went to the shores of America and Canada, and many of you that are amongst us tonight in the audience, I am sure, have relations from our beautiful island.

And we would like to dedicate this song to you.

This is "Isle of Hope."

- On the first day of January 1892 They opened Ellis Island And they let the people through And the first to cross the threshold Of that isle of hope and tears Was Annie Moore from Ireland, who was all of 15 years Isle of hope, isle of tears Isle of freedom, isle of fears But it's not the isle you left behind That isle of hunger, isle of pain Isle you'll never see again But the isle of home is always on your mind - In a little bag, she carried all her past and history And her dreams for the future In the land of liberty And courage is the passport When your old world disappears But there's no future in the past When you're fifteen years - Isle of hope, isle of tears Isle of freedom, isle of fears But it's not the isle you left behind That isle of hunger, isle of pain Isle you'll never see again - But the isle of home is always on your mind - When they closed down Ellis Island in 1943 17 million people had come there for sanctuary And in springtime, when I came here And I stepped onto its piers I thought of how it must have been when you're fifteen years Isle of hope, isle of tears Isle of freedom, isle of fears But it's not the isle you left behind That Isle of hunger, isle of pain Isle you'll never see again But the isle of home is always on your mind Isle of hope, isle of tears Isle of freedom, isle of fears But it's not the isle you left behind That isle of hunger, isle of pain Isle you'll never see again But the isle of home is always on your mind Yes, the isle of home Is always on your mind [ Cheers and applause ] -John.

John O'Brien.

[ Applause ] [ "To Where You Are" plays ] - Who can say for certain?

Maybe you're still here - I feel you all around me Your memories so clear - Deep in the stillness I can hear you speak - You're still an inspiration - Can it be?

For you are my Forever love - And you're watching over me from above Fly me up to where you are Beyond the distant star I wish upon tonight To see you smile If only for a while To know you're there One breath away's not far to where you are - Are you gently sleeping Here inside my dream?

- And isn't faith believing All power can't be seen?

- As my heart holds you Just one beat away - I cherish all you give me every day - For you are my - You are my - Forever love Watching me from up above And I believe that angels breathe And that love will live on and never leave Fly me up to where you are Beyond the distant star I wish upon tonight to see you smile If only for a while To know you're there One breath away's not far to where you are I know you're there One breath away's not far To where you are [ Applause ] [ "Viva La Vida" plays ] - I used to rule the world Seas would rise when I gave the word Now in the morning, I sleep alone Sweep the streets I used to own - I used to roll the dice Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes Listen as the crowd would sing Now the old king is dead, long live the king One minute, I held the keys Next, the doors are closed on me And I discovered that my castles stand Upon pillars of salt, pillars of sand I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing Roman Cavalry choirs are singing - Be my mirror, my sword and shield - My missionaries in a foreign field For some reason I can't explain Once you go, there was never, never an honest word That was when I ruled the world Ooh, ooh Ooh, ooh, ooh It was a wicked and wild wind Blew down the doors to let me in Shattered windows and the sound of drums People couldn't believe what I'd become Revolutionaries wait for my head on a silver plate - Just a puppet on a lonely string Oh, who would ever wanna be king?

- I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing Roman Cavalry choirs are singing Be my mirror, my sword and shield My missionaries in a foreign field For some reason I can't explain I know Saint Peter won't call my name Never an honest word That was when I ruled the world Oooooh Ahhhh Whoa-oh-oh-oh, ohhh oh Whoa-oh-oh-oh, oh oh, oh Whoa-oh-oh-oh, ohhh oh Whoa-oh-oh-oh, oh oh, oh Whoa-oh-oh-oh, ohhh oh Whoa-oh-oh-oh, oh oh, oh Whoa-oh-oh-oh, ohhh oh Whoa-oh-oh-oh, oh oh, oh I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing Roman Cavalry choirs are singing Be my mirror, my sword and shield My missionaries in a foreign field For some reason I can't explain Once you go, there was never Never an honest word That was when I ruled the world Oooh, oooh, oooh, ooh Oooh, oooh Oooh, oooooh [ Cheers and applause ] -Guys.

Fantastic.

Next Generation Leahy.

They are fantastic, aren't they?

[ Applause ] It was our first, um... our first time meeting them about 72 hours ago.

Um, and... [ Laughter ] We kind of -- we'd heard about them, and we'd seen, uh, quite a bit on YouTube.

What we saw on YouTube, it does about maybe 8% justice to them, or maybe 2% justice.

They are so, so amazingly talented.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome back to the stage Next Generation Leahy.

[ Cheers and applause ] [ Tap-dancing ] [ Cheering ] [ Cheers and applause ] [ Applause continues ] [ Applause continues ] -This next song is a real favorite of ours.

It's a song that I think resonates strongly with a lot of tenors.

It's one of those songs that -- It's a song that really means a lot to us because it has such a strong personal resonance.

You know, you spend a lot of your time grafting, you're out, you're auditioning for different things, and you're just trying to make things happen.

And then, once in a while, an opportunity comes along like tonight, which is truly special.

And this next song is "The Impossible Dream."

- To dream the impossible dream To fight the unbeatable foe To bear with unbearable sorrow To run where the brave dare not go - To right the unrightable wrong - To love pure and chaste from afar - To try when your arms are too weary - To reach the unreachable star This is my quest To follow that star No matter how hopeless No matter how far To fight for the right Without question or pause To be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause And I know if I'll only be true To this glorious quest - That my heart will lie peaceful and calm When I'm laid to my rest - And the world will be better for this That one man, scorned and covered with scars Still strove with his last ounce of courage To reach The unreachable, the unreachable The unreachable star [ Cheers and applause ] - Oh, Danny boy The pipes, the pipes are calling From glen to glen and down the mountainside - The summer's gone and all the roses falling 'Tis you, 'tis you must go, and I must bide - But come ye back When summer's in the meadow Or when the valley's hushed And white with snow 'Tis I'll be here In sunshine or in shadow - Oh, Danny boy - Oh, Danny boy I love you so [ Cheers and applause ] -We'll see you next time.

-Thank you.

[ Applause ] [ Applause continues ] -Let's get the band up for a bow.

How's about that?

-Absolutely.

-Ladies and gentlemen, from the West End, we've got Colm O'Regan!

[ Cheers and applause ] The West end of London.

We have Mr.

Darren Bell from Dublin on guitars.

[ Cheers and applause ] And Mr.

Riverdance himself, Mr.

John O'Brien.

[ Cheers and applause ] [ Cheers and applause continues ] [ Applause continues ]