THE NEW Irish-based show, Celtic Woman, which has taken America by storm and is tipped to become the next Riverdance has among its lead performers a Carlow resident.
Orlagh Fallon, Kilmacart Hacketstown is one of the lead soloists in a show, which has gripped American audiences and proved a real high point on last Friday night's Late Late Show.
In the past few weeks, Orlagh and the Celtic Woman performers have played to packed audiences in Carnegie Hall New York before returning home to Ireland for a Late Late Show performance on Friday night to publicise the run of the show this February in Dublin's Point Theatre.
The pivotal point of Orlagh's career to date came in September 2004 when she recorded the show Celtic Woman for PBS Television in The United States with four other soloists at the Helix, Dublin to a sell-out audience.
The show was first broadcast in March 2005 in the US and within weeks the album Celtic Woman reached No.1 in the World Music charts in America and on the Amazon charts.
On St Patrick's Day last Orlagh permformed with the group on the NBC Today Show live from The Rockerfeller Center and at the St Patrick's Day Governor's Breakfast at The Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
Daughter of John and Eileen Fallon, Orlagh began singing and playing the harp at a young age. Her background is steeped in traditional music and song and she credits her deep love of music to her late grandparents from County Kerry.
An accomplished harpist and singer she has won many awards worldwide including the International Feis Ceoil, Dublin and the International Pan Celtic Competition for singing with harp accompaniment on two occasions.
She has toured extensively throughout Europe and North America where her reputation is steadily growing for her renditions of haunting Irish airs as well as her own vocal and instrumental compositions.
Orlagh has performed in the Basilica of the National Shrine in Washington, DC and recorded, performed and toured with groups such as Clannad, Anuna and David Agnew, oboist. She also performed for the last Pope John Paul in the Vatican and on several occasions for the President of Ireland.
Signed to Celtic Collections Ltd, Orlagh's debut album "The Water Is Wide", recorded in 2002, is to be followed by a new album next year.