By Colm Lambert
Chatting with young Dublin man Colm Keegan is like a lesson in how to be positive. He bubbles with enthusiasm for life in general and particularly for what he happens to do – and no wonder, for as the 25-year-old from Stillorgan says himself, ‘I am in the incredibly privileged position of being able to do what I love and to have a great life doing it’.
Colm is one of the vocalists with the group Celtic Thunder, who are massively popular across North America and in Australia too, thanks to their blend of traditional Irish favourites and more contemporary and new numbers that retain the celtic theme.
Founded in the year 2007 by Sharon Browne (who was also behind Celtic Woman) and the legendary Phil Coulter (who has since been replaced as Musical Director by David Munro), total concert ticket sales worldwide since that foundation are now closing in on one million, while well over two million albums have been sold as well as hundreds of thousands of DVDs.
Colm has been a member of the group for a little over two years; last year, he told Ireland’s Own readers of his experiences in a breath-taking first twelve months, and now he’s chatting to us again to say that, almost incredibly, things have gotten even better.
As we speak, he’s on a break at home in Dublin – enjoying a break from a touring itinerary that has literally seen him go round the world in the past year, but at the same time, looking forward to packing the bags and heading off again for more of the same.