Celtic Thunder Lit Up Poughkeepsie With a Roaring Rendition of Whiskey In The Jar That Turned the Classic Into a Fiery Celebration of Irish Spirit

It started with a stomp. Then a cheer. Then a wild roar as the first notes of “Whiskey In The Jar” came crashing through the speakers—and by the time Celtic Thunder were halfway through the first verse, the Poughkeepsie crowd had already thrown the rulebook out the window.

This wasn’t just a performance. It was a revolt, wrapped in rhythm and raised glasses.

With electric energy pulsing through every chord, Celtic Thunder tore into the Irish rebel classic with a force that was both faithful to tradition and brimming with fresh, modern fire. The stage lights flashed like cannon fire, and from the first line, the crowd knew: this wasn’t going to be the polished version they’d heard on record. This was live, raw, alive.

Ryan Kelly took the lead with swagger and grit, his voice slicing through the rowdy verses with perfect bite. Damian McGinty followed with that signature gleam in his eye, pouring charm into every chorus, while Neil Byrne and Emmet Cahill brought soaring harmonies and fierce acoustic strums that made the walls shake.

But the true magic was in the way the band played with the crowd. Every call-and-response was met with thunder. Every stomp on the floor felt like a heartbeat echoing through generations of Irish pride and defiance. You could feel the song’s centuries-old spirit come roaring back to life—not as a dusty ballad, but as a full-blown pub anthem turned stage spectacle.

By the time the final chorus hit, the room was in a frenzy—fans dancing in the aisles, voices raised to the rafters, hands clapping in time with a rhythm that refused to be tamed.

And when the last chord rang out, it didn’t end—it erupted.

Celtic Thunder had just done what few can do: take a beloved classic and make it feel urgent. Rebellious. Alive. In Poughkeepsie that night, “Whiskey In The Jar” wasn’t just performed.

It was unleashed.