

Very closely related to Carrickfergus, and perhaps deriving from it, is a song called The Water is Wide, which has been widely recorded as well. In this recording Donna Taggart, using contemporary piano, synthesiser, synth strings, low whistle, and nylon guitar, finds the heart of the song - in similar vein.
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The talented Orla Fallon (of Celtic Women) finds this colour with her beautiful vocal and harp rendition, in a version that also calls sensitively on full orchestral strings. The best performances bring this nostalgia into their arrangements and vocals. However, all versions share a poetic sense of longing and loss: a longing for lost love, lost youth, lost lives, and lost birthplace. Perhaps the high quality of the tune makes performers less concerned about the hazy story element.
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The origins of Carrickfergus have been blurred by the ‘folk process’ over close to three hundred years but connections have been suggested to an 18th Century Irish-language song, Do bhí bean uasal (There Was a Noblewoman) which is attributed to the poet Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna, who died in 1745 in County Clare.Ī bewildering array of differing Carrickfergus lyrics exists - most of which don’t tell a coherent narrative. The song shares names with a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland which sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, 18 km from Belfast.

Listen to this instrumental version by the legendary Phil Coulter and Claire Gallagher, arranged for two pianos and synthesised strings it shows how compelling the stand-alone melody is. The song’s allure lies chiefly in its lilting melody, which has a rising dramatic shape, a soaring range, and interesting harmonic possibilities. The Water is Wide (2000 EURO) (2006 U.S.Carrickfergus finds its way into the repertoire of practically every Irish folk singer it has also been recorded and performed by many who stand outside the Celtic traditions.She married her husband John and together they have a son Freddie. Another solo album, Lullaby Time, was released in 2012. In March 2011, Fallon released another album, Órla Fallon: My Land, which tied in with another PBS special. This was the second Christmas album she recorded, the first being Winter, Fire & Snow: A Celtic Christmas Collection in September 2010. In this special, as well as Fallon's own songs, there were also songs which featured a few guest singers, including former fellow Celtic Woman member Méav Ní Mhaolchatha, in which they sang a duet together ("Do you hear what I hear"), and American Idol runner up David Archuleta, who joined Fallon on stage to perform "Silent Night", "Pat a Pan", and the finale song of "Here we come A-Wassailing", which Ní Mhaolchatha was also featured in. In December 2010, Fallon released a PBS Celtic Christmas special and tie-in CD, titled Órla Fallon's Celtic Christmas, the first time any former Celtic Woman member had starred in their own PBS special. This was followed in March 2010 with her third album Music of Ireland: Welcome Home. In 2009, Fallon appeared as a guest vocalist on Jim Brickman's "It's a Beautiful World" tour and PBS special, and released her second album Distant Shore in September of that year. In 2009, Fallon announced that she would be leaving Celtic Woman to have a full break and spend time with her family, and was replaced as a member of Celtic Woman by actress and vocalist Alex Sharpe. She also toured with the group in 2005 on the inaugural North American Tour, the 2006-07 A New Journey tour, and again in 2007-08 on the second A New Journey tour. She has also performed the harp for fellow Celtic Woman member Chloe Agnew's performance of Guun's "Ave Maria".įallon was featured in the self-titled debut album Celtic Woman, Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration and Celtic Woman: A New Journey, as well as in the tie-in PBS television specials and DVDs filmed in 2004, 2007, and 2006 respectively. In some songs, Fallon has performed the harp as well as singing - some examples of the songs she has performed are "Isle of Innisfree" and "Carrickfergus". Fallon agreed, and became one of the founding members of the group. Due to her unique vocal abilities, Downes contacted Fallon and asked if she would like to be a part of Celtic Woman, then only envisaged to be a one-night show. In 2004, Fallon sent a demo offer to composer David Downes, who was then working on the concept of Celtic Woman.
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In 2005, she was featured on The Duggans album Rubicon along with peers Moya Brennan and other members of Clannad. Her debut album, The Water is Wide, was released in Europe in 2000 and in North America in 2006. She has performed for the Pope and the President of Ireland and at Carnegie Hall. Fallon studied at Mater Dei Institute of Education, in Dublin. She plays the harp and sings traditional Irish music, most often in the Irish language.
