International sensation Celtic Thunder celebrates 10 years with ‘X’

Sharon Browne likely had no idea of the madness that was to come when, in 2007, she assembled a group of five male singers to perform both Celtic and popular tunes.

Dubbed Celtic Thunder, the group performed at the Helix in Dublin in 2007, a show Browne filmed. This concert aired on PBS in the U.S. in March of 2008 and quickly took the nation, then the world, by storm.

Since then, Celtic Thunder has spent the last decade charming audiences with their take on pop classics and traditional Celtic songs.

To celebrate the milestone, the group has embarked on the “X” tour, which includes a stop at Northern Quest Resort and Casino on Nov. 6.

This tour features brand new ensemble songs from “Celtic Thunder X,” which was released in March, including “Sons of Light,” “Toora, Loora, Lay,” “The Wild Rover,” “Right, All Right” and “Castle on the Hill.”

Along with new solo numbers, the group will also perform fan favorites like “Celebration,” “I’m a Believer,” “Seasons in the Sun” and “Rise Again.”

Celtic Thunder is Neil Byrne, Emmet Cahill, Ryan Kelly, Damian McGinty and Michael O’Dwyer. O’Dwyer is on vocal rest and won’t appear on the “X” tour. The group is backed by the Celtic Thunder Band.

“We try to bring anyone coming to our concerts on a journey to our homeland through the songs and stories we tell,” Kelly told Pittsburgh’s TribLive in September. “And ask them to sing along with us, while we cover some modern tracks that will be very familiar around the world, but with our own take on them.”