This year is one that we are not likely to forget in a hurry. With a brand new Show, new talent and some new friends along the way, 2019 will certainly go down in history as one of our most successful to date. Here’s a few of our favourite highlights….
Celtic Steps The Show Comes To Tralee
The launch of Celtic Steps The Show in our neighbouring town of Tralee was undoubtedly the overarching highlight of our season. The Show which was stationed at the Brandon Conference Centre from May until September, combined a whole new set of talented Irish Singers, Dancers and Musicians including the O’Neill Sisters from Causeway. The glittering opening night on the 5th of May saw representatives from Tralee’s businesses, political circle, local townspeople and press, all of who came to support the new Show resulting in a roaring success- needless to say there wasn’t a seat left in the house!
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support for Celtic Steps Tralee thus far and we can’t wait to return in 2020!
Celtic Steps Gain Entry To TripAdvisor Hall Of Fame
When the news came in June that we had been given entry into the TripAdvisor Hall Of Fame, we were over the moon. The prestigious accolade, which is only awarded to 10% of businesses on TripAdvisor, celebrates those who have been consistently awarded the Certificate of Excellence for the past five consecutive years. We strive to continually improve our experience to our visitors across areas such as merchandise, signage and costume design as well as customer service so the achievement is something we are greatly proud of as a team and hope to build on for years to come.
Charity Collaboration With Kerry Fashion Designer, Don O’Neill
We love when special guests come to visit us, so we were delighted this Summer when we were visited by none other than fashion royalty himself, Mr. Don O’Neill and were even more thrilled when he offered to gift our three stunning Singers, the O’Neill Sisters crystallised gowns to wear for the remainder of the season from his fashion house, Theia in New York. The agreement was made that in return for the generous offer, Celtic Steps The Show would sumbit a donation to the designer’s favourite Kerry Charity, Recovery Haven based in Tralee, which we were only too happy to do.
Playing Live At One Of The Biggest GAA Games Of The Season
All of us in the Show are huge football fans so when we were asked to provide the prematch entertainment for the Super 8 GAA Match in July between Kerry & Mayo in our hometown of Killarney, well we jumped around, screamed and jumped around some more! Donned in our best match gear, (there was some divide in the camp as you will see from the picture above), we entertained the excited and nervous supporters from both sides of the country with some of our all time classic Celtic Steps jigs and reels before it was eventaully time for the main event. A memorable afternoon for Celtic Steps The Show and one that we hopefully will have the opportunity to revisit again in the near future.
Launch Of Celtic Steps The Talent
When We Said Goddag to Denmark
Another of our treasured moments from 2019 was featuring on leading Danish Travel Show, Anne- Vibeke Rejser. The programe which was filmed in 2018 was aimed at promoting the beauty and culture of the South West of Ireland and cites Killarney as being a hotbed for experiencing the warmth and charm of traditional Irish Culture with Celtic Steps The Show at the top of the list. David Rea, Co-producer and Narrator of the Show takes the audience through some of the Show’s most popular musical arrangements, songs and of course dances as well as introducing the Danish audience to some of Ireland’s leading Musicians, Singers and Dancers.
Celtic Steps Season Finale 2019- A Night To Remember
There never was a truer saying than sometimes you don’t know how far you have come until you look back and this year’s Season Finale in the Killarney Racecouse was one of those defining moments for us. Although we run our Show until mid October each year to faciliate our transport partners and tour providers, the last couple of weeks in October typically tend to be a quieter period for the Show with less visitors than those in the height of the season. This Season Finale on the 20th of October saw us tear up the rulebook and throw it into the metaphorical bin as we welcomed a full house on our very last night. Joined by a lively and spirited audience from a variety of locations around the globe including America, Canada, Germany and France as well as a mix of locals, we performed like never before to some of our all time classics like Raglan Road, the old mountain dew, the Kerry Polkas and of course our famous A Cappella danced by sixteen year-old sensation Mark Clifford from Killarney and our seven times World Champion and one of the greatest free-style Irish Dancers in the world, Sean Downes.
We can’t wait to get going again for 2020 and continue to showcase our enormous passion for traditional Irish Music, Song and Dance but for now its time to hang up the dancing shoes for a well deserved break. Until we meet again, sláinte from all the team at Celtic Steps The Show.
