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I came across this picture on flickr in a Celtic Thunder picture album. It looks like someone is trying to imitate someone. Hmmm. :D

 (http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb211/celticfan1973/9430387f.jpg)

I noticed that she likes to try and do what Mairead does too. She is VERY good though!  I think her name is Ruth, I forgot her siters name but her sister toured with CT also.

There are also at least 2 other very pretty and talented ladies, in addition to that Celtic Thunder lady, that try to do the dancin' violin thing. Cora Smyth is probably known by most here. The other's name I dont know. She toured with Lord of the Dance, troupe 2, in 2008 (or was it 2007 I saw them? lol) . Both Cora and this other one were very pretty blondes as well. So, whats the difference between Mairead and them?

Energy!  For some reason, Mairead just lghts up the place. The others have talent, looks, etc. but the same magic just doesnt occur in the same levels as with Mairead. It could be that Mairead is one of the principles of the CW show and sort of feeds off that aspect of being a star of a highly successful show. The others are more secondary, getting less time in the spotlight, and are part of a successful group, but one that maybe doesnt get as much success or attention, as CW.

There is a great YouTube video of Mairead and Cora together doing their thing. If you havent seen it, see it! It will WOW you.

http://www.youtube.com/waych?v=ywmptwm8avs (http://www.youtube.com/waych?v=ywmptwm8avs)

Yah. I saw that on PBS when the program was on. It made me sick. Needless to say CT is slowly loosing my respect. Their really good and you can't deny they have talent, but its not for me anymore.

Well they say "imitation is the formost form of flattery" or something like that. She may be doing the same thing as Mairead, but it will never look or feel the same. They are almost as talented as Mairead but no one will ever be as loved or do it the same way as she dose.

when I watched the video on youtube since I'm also a CT fan but prefer CW I thought to myself "Someone wants to be like Mairead"

I certainly understand that we are partial to Mairead when it comes to fiddle players on the forum.She is,indeed, one of a kind. However, I have seen this young lady perform and she certainly is not without a lot of talent. Mairead will always be number 1 with us, but that still leaves room on the list for other gifted musicians.





Zee

I can't say I can blame violinists for wanting to be like Mairead  ;D

Here's one at least: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZzcf8N8SQY

 :o  :-X

I never liked Celtic Thunder, but this just... HORRIBLE! A violinist with too much make-up and three weird-looking background violinists... O.o I already knew this piece by Liam Neeson, goodness, he did it a lot better...

Don't get me wrong... I always try to give another fiddle-players a chance, since there a lot of great violinists around the world, not only Maíréad...  ;) Although she is for me number 1 together with André Rieu.

But this girl is so horrible trying to imitate Maíréad! She is surely not playing bad, but she should try to be herself  :-\

I hope I did not offend anyone... Soms numbers by Celtic Thunder are nice, it's just not my cup of tea.

The fiddler/violinist who got your attention is Ruth O'Leary, her sister Joyce is also a violinist on the CT "Take Me Home" DVD.
They are very accomplished musicians with multiple degrees, and in my opinion you can not have too many Celtic Fiddlers.
I have no doubt these two ladies know Máiréad, and she would want us to be nice.

Ruth and Joyce are not new to the concert scene, as one look at their Bio would confirm.

The two sisters formed a Duo known as Sephira  http://www.sephira.ie/index.html
One astounding fact from their Biography is that Joyce made her performance debut at the age of 3,
playing a Bach Minuet (not an easy piece!) on the Stage of the National Chamber Hall in Dublin!

This bit from their Bio and a glance at the whole page may surprise you:

"Sephira are Joyce O’Leary (vocals and violin) and Ruth O’Leary (violin and vocals)- two young classically trained musicians who have forged their own musical niche. Their debut album ‘Believe’ was released to critical acclaim in 2006.

The girls’ musical background is what can only be described as multifaceted! At 18 Ruth headed to the prestigious London Guildhall School of Music to study for a BA in Music Performance. She continued her studies in Dublin, where she received her first class honours B.A. with a performance of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto at the NCH. During these long years of study Ruth was torn between her classical training where she was attending master-classes over seas with world-renowned professors and soloists and the beckoning world of show business that saw her perform with world-class acts such as Rodrigo y Gabriela and Kanye West.
Joyce, in hot pursuit of her older sister started playing the violin at the age of two and a half. At the age of 3, she made her debut performance in the NCH playing a Bach Minuet and at the age of 9, she was presented with the prestigious award for /Ireland’s Most Promising Violinist/.
Joyce’s true potential and vocal abilities were realised through a wonderful collaboration with singer and teacher, Evelyn Dowling. For as long as they could remember Ruth and Joyce had been performing as a violin duo and it was through the aforementioned collaboration that the siblings began finding new ways to enhance their vocal harmonies together. The beautiful combination of their vocals and violins were to become the essence of the Sephira sound. Sephira’s unique sound can compare to the emotional swells of a movie, sensational, dramatic, and filled with the full sweep of human passions. Throughout the last two years they have been mesmerising audiences with their live performances. As well as their own material their live show includes some very popular cover songs including Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen and Love of my Life by Freddie Mercury, reworked with the distinctive Sephira sound."


Here are the ladies from the CT DVD "Take Me Home"
Zara Curtis (the temptress/dancer) Joyce O'Leary, Nicole Hudson (viola/vocals),
Ruth O'Leary (fiddle) and Megan Sherwood (Cello/vocals)

(http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/9100000/Zara-Joyce-Nicole-Ruth-and-Megan-zara-curtis-9111965-600-450.jpg)

IMHO the music was good but I thought she was a little stiff in moving across the stage barefoot. I also felt her smile was a little forced. Mairead dances around in heels  and her smile is quite natural.

I didn't notice her makeup but I remember from teh days when I was in the Theater they told us to perform for the person in the back row. That means voice, costume and makeup.

Jim

I think that is what the problem is for me. She seems un-natural. I would rather have her play HER way, not imitating others. If that is how she likes to play then so be it. But she seems to be trying to hard. If she would just play her way, the way she was comfortable, it would be easier to enjoy it.

Remember the Producer of this CT Show is Sharon Browne, who was involved in the creation of Celtic Woman.

Maybe the Production Team wanted Ruth to play it "like Máiréad".
She may have preferred to do it her own more natural way, but had no choice.

I think it's a mistake to imitate Máiréad.....there is only one.
When anyone tries, comparison is inevitable.......she makes it difficult for all other Celtic Fiddlers to establish their own style.
But I don't think we should belittle their playing ability.

Mairead describes her dancing as coming from how she feels it in the music. I think that's the same with Ms. O'Leary, and being a different person, feels the music differently. :)

She is a very good player, technically. But she should try to be herself and not imitating someone else. Her smile, her jumping, it seems so fake. If the production-team said to her she has to play like Maíréad, is that in my opinion really wrong. If a musician gets the chance to be her/himself, than you see her/his true skills and charather...

Maíréad and André Rieu are for me the best violinists ever..  :D

I must agree there were parts of the concert which were very "tacky".
When the DVD started, I thought " I might send this to the kids in Ireland".

As it went on I thought "No, I won't".

Apart from the tacky bits, some of the songs didn't fit.

That is where Celtic Woman wins over every other.....class and elegance.

This is not directed at any one person.  No one gets to Celtic Thunder or Celtic Woman without earning their way in.  We each have our favorites, but it doesn't mean others are without merit.

I think Celtic Thunder has a good idea. The stars of the group are all male, all vocalists, and really dont move around very much. They are very stationary. So, adding a woman instrumentalist and having her move around a bit more is the right idea. Its just a bit too much all at once. A bit too much of a change in pace.

But thats why the idea of adding Deirdre to this show is a great one. Look at it this way, they can have Deirdre sing a slow , serious kind of song say a third of the way in the first half of the live show, then have the fiddler do a more lively cheerful piece maybe 2 thirds the way through. Then, in the second half, have Deirdre sing a lively upbeat kind of song, then 2 thirds in the second half, have the lady fiddler do a slower kind of piece.   

They have a real problem with the guys dancing / moving though. If they try it, will that work? I doubt it. It can work for pop artists, but for performing arts audiences, it would be tough. They can try to have others move around a bit, but that goes against the persona of the stars, so it sort of contradicts itself, if that makes any sense? I dont think they can add a lot of motion, given the group itself. They just have to work around that and have a change of pace thats based on other things, like adding lady singers, or lady instrumentalists. And that seems to be what they are doing.

Actually, I made note of that fiddler sometime back. I think she does a pretty good job (she seemed pretty natural to me - moving to the music) but there is only ONE Maeraid ! ! !   

She doesn't move as fast as Maeraid and I haven't seen her bouncing up & down "dancing" while fiddling madly, as Maeraid does.

She IS pretty, but Maeraid also tops her in that category, too ........ Maeraid's a real beauty, a "doll" ! ! ! !

I like the fiddler from C.T. and although at first I kind of thought she was immitating too - in watching her more, and getting used to her, I can see she is very different, and I like her style, not that it takes away from Mairead, it is just another artist with another style.

I happen to personally like Ruth O'Leary.  I am also an Irish fiddler.  In my studies, I have found that dancing is part of Irish fiddling.  I have tried to copycat Mairead on my own and her style of dancing doesn't work for me.  Since dancing is part of Irish fiddling, I think we should cut Ms. O'Leary and Celtic Thunder some slack.

they've got a few fiddle girls. theyve got some cool stuff in Voyage XD

I think the name of the latest one is Nicole Hudson. I liked the chemisty she had with Ryan on Black is the Colour. And she and the other 2 ladies just did a great job in general. Always swaying, smiling, making it all look fun.

k guys!  This is were I get excited again!  I love both groups extremely much! That includes the fiddlers / girls from cveltic thunder! I have sephiras new christmas cd and absolutely adore it, it is so much fun to listen to! Nicole also has been playing with the girls on the tapins to and I think she is really petty (reminds me of a friend of mine!) and I think megan's her name (blonde??) who is very good also! And ashley is very pretty too!  Actaully kinda sorta reminds me of helen kelly alittle! Yes I sort of agree that ruth and joyce don't move around as much as mairead but, they are not the leads and do not really have solo songs so I think thats what they are told to do??  but they are nt up on that stage and in front of the camera for nothing! ANd I know one of the singers is haley jo and her mom also sang baby its cold outside with ryan.  But here is the interesting fact .... Cora smythe if anyone looks at Maireads early performances with the taping of feet of flames the other fiddler that was with Mairead was cora smythe! I did not recognise her in the video and didn't think she was doing anything else but if she worked with mairead and from what I saw on the video of feet of flames she's pretty awesome to!  And I can't wait to see voyage! and yes I will always love mairead and my girls to very much!  They have a special place in my heart always!!  So I don't like it when any one says anything bad about any of the girls in cw or ct (and that goes for the guys to!) It's not right and they all have to have some sort of talent to be on that stage and they are their for a reason!

I agree with "MaryN" .............Maeraid and Andre Rieu ! ! !............I LOVE Andre, have a number of his DVD's also, watch his concerts when I catch them, and visit his website, too. I also have the book his wife wrote about his, and their, life.

Absolutely!!