Last July, when Celtic Woman made its first stop in the United States, it was part of a 16-date swing across the country.
The clear-throated purveyors of Irish song are back, this time for 50 shows in nine weeks.
"We weren't surprised to find a big showing in cities with large Irish populations," says singer Meav Ni Mhaolchatha. "But I think we were a little shocked at the overall success."
Their stop Downtown has grown a little, too, moving from the Byham Theater to the bigger Benedum Center, where the quintet will do one show instead of two.
"I think people like the mixture between the old and the new," says Meav, whose first name is how she is known in Ireland.
Indeed, that is what they get, with the group doing its hits such as Enya's "Orinoco Flow" and the stirring "You Raise Me Up" along with such classics as "Londonderry Air" or "Last Rose of Summer."
Meav theorizes there could be another drawing card: that blend of voices and instrumental ability that creates a sound that is gripping.
Celtic Woman got its start a little more than a year ago when Sharon Browne, from an Irish recording firm, realized she had four hit singers and a fiddler with whom she might be able to do more.
She started talking about the idea with David Downes, orchestrator of "Riverdance" on Broadway, and they came up with the idea of a joint effort. Meav joined Chloe Agnew, Lisa Kelly, Orla Fallon and Mairead Nesbitt to create Celtic Woman.
"We were a bit surprised when we got together and found we had something really special," she says.
A PBS broadcast that went onto become a DVD and an album helped spread word about the group -- and the chatter continues. The group recently was in Japan where its recorded items are new on the market.
Meav says the current tour sometimes seems like a "little village" as the five singers and a crew of 50 musicians and technicians roll mostly by bus and truck across the country,
She says this concert features two new songs and the members of the group are trying to work on more material as they travel "but the tour is just so extensive it makes doing that really difficult."
She's not about to complain though. She glad to be on the road and adds she's always "highly flattered" when she hears the comparison of the Celtic Woman doing for song what "Riverdance" did for footwork.
Bob Karlovits can be reached at bkarlovits@tribweb.com or (412) 320 7852.
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