Irish songstress Mairead Carlin has performed for the President of Ireland and sung her country’s anthem for the England-Ireland Rugby International to a TV audience of millions.
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Her resume also includes a live performance with Snow Patrol on the 2013 BBC TV Gala Concert Sons and Daughters, and a tour of the UK and Ireland with American singer Don McLean.
But while she has forged a career as a solo artist, her immediate future is in a vocal ensemble.
Carlin is officially a Celtic Woman.
The stunning 25-year-old is on the phone from Sydney, where she is visiting with the Irish group ahead of their 2014 Australian tour.
And this is the singer’s first visit to our shores.
“I feel very at home here – as soon as I got off the plane it was like coming home, in a strange way,” Carlin says.
The singer beams about this new turn in her career.
“I’ve been a massive fan of Celtic Woman for such a long time and I really believe in what they do,” the singer says.
“What I love about them is that you get to sing with such wonderful performers every night.
“Before Celtic Woman I was used to being on my own, but I love performing with Susan, Lisa and Mairead [Nesbitt] because it’s creating that iconic Celtic Woman blend.
“It was a real honour to be given the opportunity to be part of their journey.”
The group Celtic Woman was formed in 2004 by Sharon Browne and former Riverdance musical director David Downes.
The group have since toured the world, showcasing the sounds and colours of Ireland in a vibrant stage show.
The line-up has changed regularly, with Carlin joining the fold to fill the large shoes of original member Chloe Agnew.
The current Celtic Woman quartet also includes Lisa Lambe, fiddle player Mairead Nesbitt and Susan McFadden, sister of pop singer Brian.
When Agnew decided to leave the group to explore other musical projects, Celtic Woman needed a stellar replacement.
Carlin had a solo contract with Decca Records and recorded an as-yet-unreleased album called Songbook.
The recording caught the ear of Celtic Woman’s producers.
“A week before I finished music college in London I was signed to Decca Records in the UK and I recorded an album with them called Songbook, which was a collection of Irish and folk songs,” Carlin explains.
“Somehow Celtic Woman heard it and they invited me to Dublin to sing for the wonderful maestro himself, David Downes, who is the man behind all the music of Celtic Woman.
“So I sang for him and a week and a half later they asked me to be a part of it.
“I was completely honoured to get that phone call.”
Carlin hails from the town of Derry in the north of Ireland, a town rich in musical heritage.
“Derry, my hometown, is a very cultured and very musical place, wherever you turn there’s always music,” Carlin says.
“That was especially true in my family – we’d just sit around the fire, sing and drink tea – there was no alcohol involved, despite what people always think about the Irish!”
This upbringing allowed Carlin to learn how to perform with other musicians and that education made her addition to Celtic Woman a natural transition.
“I grew up singing in folk groups and choirs, so I’m used to being part of a group, but I kind of got sidetracked for a little while and was performing on my own,” Carlin says.
“It’s so nice to sing with people again – it’s like having a family around you.
“That’s the beautiful thing about Celtic Woman because they are like a family.”
While Celtic Woman has become a phenomenon in many corners of the globe, its popularity in Ireland is comparatively small.
Carlin and her fellow members have a theory.
“When something is on your doorstep, you don’t really take full appreciation of it,” Carlin says.
“Ireland is full of music - there is song and story-telling everywhere, it’s a very artistic place.
“It has a massive landscape of arts and culture.
“People know about [Celtic Woman] in Ireland.
“Actually [the live DVD concert] Home For Christmas is going to be broadcast in Ireland, which is a big thing because it has never happened before.
“Hopefully now people in Ireland will know more about what we’re doing.”
And for Australian fans who plan to see Celtic Woman when they visit the Hunter in January, Carlin says they can expect an engaging experience.
“It’s a fully immersive show – we encourage everyone to be dancing in the aisles,” Carlin laughs.
“You have to let your guard down if you come to a Celtic Woman show.
“There will be old songs that people associate with Celtic Woman, like Orinoco Flow, but also some new songs as well.
“I think there’s something in there for everybody – it’s a family show.
“It’s so important to engage with the audience because if they don’t believe what you’re doing then what’s the point?”
Outside of her Celtic Woman commitments, Carlin recently rubbed shoulders with a music legend.
Along with fellow Irish singer Damien McGinty, the pair performed the Carly Simon song Let The River Run with its writer.
“We both had the honour of performing it with Carly Simon last week in Los Angeles, which was incredible,” Carlin says.
“It was for the wonderful charity Oceana [an organisation that protects the world’s oceans].
“It was really nice because Celtic Woman are big charity supporters and it’s all tied in, so Celtic Woman is now going to support Oceana and give money each year.
“So Damien and I are releasing Let The River Run as a single for charity, which will be really lovely.”
Celtic Woman plays Newcastle Entertainment Centre on Wednesday, January 15.
Tickets are on sale now through Ticketek.
Alive has 10 Celtic Woman prize packs to give away.
Five people will win a copy of Celtic Woman’s CD/DVD Home For Christmas plus a double pass to their Newcastle show.
Another five people will win a copy of the CD/DVD Home For Christmas.
For your chance to win simply fill out the coupon in today's Mercury office by noon next Wednesday.