An Irish vocal group’s music video shot in Wicklow is set to feature on US network NBC’s broadcast of the New York St. Patrick’s Day parade. Celtic Calling are the group behind the “haunting” and “ethereal” cover of ‘The Parting Glass’ with the band consisting of Victoria Johnston, Rachel Nic Thomás and Eilís Dexter, and guitarist Chris Comhaill, who is originally from Greystones.
The group’s reimagined interpretation of the song, which was first recorded by Cork poet Patrick Galvin in 1956, and popularised by the Clancy Brothers, will be streamed to millions across America on NBC-4, this Monday, as part of the station’s broadcast for New York City’s St Patrick’s Day parade – the world’s biggest parade. First held in 1762, the parade, run entirely by volunteers, is the oldest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world, drawing 150,000 marchers and nearly two million spectators each year.
In 2022, Celtic Calling were selected as the headline act for National Heritage week, and have performed at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, London’s Irish Cultural Centre as well as with world-renowned opera artist Celine Byrne. The music video for their version of The Parting Glass was recorded using a drone at Wicklow’s historic ‘The Octagon’ at Glen-of-the-Downs, and became the group’s debut single.
Speaking about the making of the video and the selection of the setting, founding member of the group, Victoria Johnston, said: “We chose The Octagon because it’s like a beautiful little oasis right at the top of the hill. We wanted to showcase a really unique setting that we felt hadn’t been used in a music video before, to showcase a bit of Irish heritage and the garden of Ireland being Wicklow, which was something that hadn’t really been done before.
“The lighting up there is gorgeous, and if you get it right, the sun shimmers in. We had to get the lighting and the weather right. It was also a bit of an adventure too, because it’s a 30 or 40 minute hike with our camera gear and mic stands and the guitar,” Victoria laughs. “It was a great experience and we’ve had really good feedback from people seeing it. We’ve had some Americans view it and some international comments on it. We feel like it really showcases Ireland well as the Emerald Isle.
“We wanted to find a unique setting and make the video really special, so we worked with Darren and Debs at Hosea Productions. They brought a drone along to get the aerial scenic shots which really added to it. Darren and Debs were living in Wicklow at the time, so they really were the ones who came across the setting, and felt it would be a really special place to shoot a music video.”
”In terms of the song itself, as a group we are known for three-part female harmonies. That’s really our trademark and skill set, Victoria added. “As musicians all come from a classical music background, so we wanted to incorporate our backgrounds and training in terms of harmonisation and arranging, but bring it into a Celtic sphere. We all came together as musicians because we all have a shared love of wanting to showcase Celtic music, but I suppose in a slightly new way.
“That stems from our classical background. We wouldn’t necessarily have a trad background as singers or arrangers, so it’s really trying to bring our training into the Celtic sphere. It’s such a beautiful song. It’s been covered so many times, but one of our reviews described the version we did as “ethereal” and we think that’s a really special review to have.”
Vocalist Victoria said that the group are thrilled that their music video will be featured, with the video is set to be aired in the first 30 minutes of the broadcast. She said it feels “incredibly special” to be able to represent Ireland on the world stage.
“It’s the biggest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world, so it’s really exciting that our video and arrangement of this song has been selected for the NBC broadcast. It’s our first showcase in America, so it definitely feels like a milestone moment for us. We are really grateful that so many people will see it in America and internationally. Celtic and Irish music is obviously so popular all around the world, particularly in America, so for us to be having our arrangements of this song broadcast just feels really special. As a group, it’s incredibly special to be able to represent Ireland.
“We’re really excited and we are looking forward to hearing feedback too on how it goes.”