Celtic Flatulence

At long last St. Patrick's Day 2011 has passed and we are no longer subjected to something that should be banned by the Geneva Convention from ever again being used as a fund-raising catalyst on public television: Celtic Thunder. Celtic Thunder is one of the most recent in a long line of performance groups trying to hitch their wagon to the enduring appeal of Riverdance, joining such under-whelming groups as Celtic Woman and The Irish Tenors.

It's not just the obvious lip-synching, it's the ridiculously pathetic choreography, song selection and lack of any real coherent theme in the performances. They're more musical butchers than performers. They mercilessly butcher a wide range of musical selections with some of the most vapid interpretations ever heard by the human ear - despite the shrieking elation of the t.v. audience, who obviously lack any semblance of good taste. For the most honest, objective review of Celtic Thunder I've been able to find (from 2009), click here.

I hope that public television will not subject us to this undercooked pseudo-Irish stew again. I am a long-time fan of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, Boiled in Lead and a host of Irish groups, musicians and writers - including Riverdance in its original permutation - but Celtic Flatulence must be stopped!