I played this song for my Aunt as she was passing away. As soon as the song ended, she looked up then looked at me and passed away. I have always loved this song and played it for her as her last song. As soon as it comes on tears come to my eyes. RIP Auntie. I love you.

Beautiful! Just beautiful! The music and Violinist. How can 44 people dislike such a beautiful rendition of this beautiful song.

Nesbitt is the greatest violinist and the most beautiful women i ever seen....shes like a angel who has come down stright from heaven..

Having grown up in the central Catskill Mountains, only a few miles away from the Ashokan Resevoir and surrounding area, this song has always had a special place in my heart. This is a wonderful version of a haunting tune; many, many thanks for sharing this.

in these days after loosing my father to a massive stroke I'm am reminded of the solitude that death leaves for all of us. This sweet haunting theme speaks to all of us who have known the loss that death brings.

I feel this music touches ones Soul, like no other

we played this at the Butler String Festival. It was amazing. It was 189 people on stage from 10 different schools. i cried.

I never can hear this beautiful song without thinking of my old high school friend Johnny, who was killed in VietNam so long ago. This song was played live on violins as we walked into the little country church for his funeral. A beautiful, sad song. RIP Johnny.

So beautiful.... I just lost my grandmother, and my uncle gave me the lyrics to this... Beautiful song...

There's a gorgeous arrangement of this song on the soundtrack CD for Ken Burn's PBS documentary, "Civil War". The last track also features this song as background music while the narrator reads a letter written by a soldier about to march into battle. The beauty of the music and the quiet strength of the soldier's words are absolutely breathtaking when you hear them together. The whole album is a treasure.

Such a Beautiful piece of historical music, played, so wonderfully by this totally gorgeous Irish lady. playing with such feeling. I am so happy that I can see and hear this wonderful performance. Thank you so much for posting. Brain. Nz.

Perfect! Does not matter to me what anyone else says or thinks, for me this is a beautiful piece of music.

i'm speechless. every time i play this song, i get lost in it. but hearing her play that amazing song almost put a tear in my eye. thank you so much for sharing that. it's pure beauty. all i can say is thank you.

the way she moves and plays with her heart is just breath takin

My brother, a career soldier passed away this past spring. We spread his ashes at Ft. Hood to a friend playing this piece. It was his favorite and a fitting farewell to an old soldier.

Good job mairead nesbitt keep up the work best wishes to everyone at celtic woman really enjoyed and appreciate your style you should be proud way to go ! Joe

This woman is beautiful and her talent astounding. Shame and a curse of bad luck be upon those who dislike this video

you've got to love the way she makes playing the violin seem so easy. her fast paced solos have to be my favorite because, whether you listen to them or you watch her flying around the stage, they get your heart racing. she's incredibly talented and i love how she feels the music she plays, along with her enjoyment so clear on her face.

a breath taking peace that leads me to tears. my absolute favorite. what must the angels in heaven sound like?

WOW----if that look from those beautiful eyes at :35 secs. doesn't melt your soul, then you don't have one !!!!

He plays her violin so wonderful, everytime i hear her play a song i get cold shivers running down my back and almost tears in my eyes3

The music just flows right through her, it's as if she can reach out touch the very soul. I never cease to be amazed at this talent. Mairead is a part of the very music she plays, and the rest of Celtic Woman have such fantastic talent i can only say I am overjoyed to have lived to see and listen to this.

In Tennessee, on the Bluegrass radio stations, we hear people playing this all the time. Hooray for Scotch-Irish heritage!

I am a classical violist, American by birth, with an Irish-descent grandfather (Co.Galway). Part of the family fought for the North and part for the Confederacy in the American Civil War - which this song honors and laments. I will play Ashokan Farewell at a reunion in Lincoln, Nebraska in May, and just hope I do it half as well as Mairead Nesbitt, although I won't look as good - alas - since I am now 67 years old. But still 'scraping catgut', as we say!

this is such a lovely haunting melody. pulls at your heart strings.

Pure talent and beauty...

I was playing this song while reading Sullivan Ballou's letter, and to be honest with you i started getting choked up.

Played beautifully!!

My two favorite performances of this beautiful song... Máiréad's, and Jay Unger and Molly Mason Family Band's. Both heartbreakingly beautiful.

I remember my dad playing this on his guitar when I was a kid every time we stayed at his aunt's cabin in the Appalachian Mountains in east Tennessee. It always made me feel safe, peaceful, and connected to the mountains. I know it's not a traditional Celtic or even folk/mountain song, but it sure has enough heart and soul to be one.

Spent the last 3 days trying to learn this by ear... Mairead is definitely not bow'syncing. While I am only about 50% note by note, the fingering and bowing are consistent with the audio on this video (as I would also play it). She's definitely live, performing and awesome!

I have the sheet music to this song and I play it all the time, it's so pretty, of course Mairead can paly it much better than I can. It's so pretty. Her voilin is gourgous to.

Beautiful rendition.. well done.. captured the emotion brilliantly

A great rendition of a piece i love dearly

Obviously the 56 who disliked this video can do it much better, OR they are deaf and blind...bless her for her beauty and her skill.

Beautiful and so moving. Thank you.

I love this song. It is beautifully done by Mairead. Amazing. Trully amazing. Go CELTIC WOMAN!!! Plus she REALLY connects with her eyes and I love how into her songs sher gets!

So, So, So, beautiful to listening to and I love it

She has always been fantastic & once again touched my heart. Thanks.

"Ashokan Farewell" has had many interpretations and I like almost all of them. This one is noteworthy in its restraint. Interesting. . . ~ S ~ and thank you for posting.

I live in TX and we all mimicked Benny Thomason and Byron Berline where you mainly use only thumb and 1st two fingers way back to make wrist faster. I love her playing. All these gals are wonderful.

Oh dear, I also read the letter from Sulliavan Ballou, oh I'm crying my eyes out... The ashoken farewell and that letter is a bad combination.. makes you cry...

Absolutely beautiful!

Just beautiful. I love all Celtic women's songs :).

Her movement is definitely honest. She mentions the "sheer joy of playing" in interviews, and you can see it's true in her smile, especially a few memorable smiles from Granuaile's Dance.

Too many people(according to my youtube searches) use a high level of skill to put the feeling into this tune. This one and the Jay Ungar allow the feeling to come out on it's own. Brilliant.

The piece is a waltz in D major, composed by Jay Ungar in the style of a Scottish lament (e.g., Niel Gow's "Lament for his second wife"). The most famous arrangement of the piece begins with a solo violin, later accompanied by guitar and upright bass. Before its use as the television series theme, "Ashokan Farewell" was recorded on Waltz of the Wind, the second album by the band Fiddle Fever. The original composition didn't have double stops and slides...

Whoever can say that Mairead''s version of anything 'sucks' is an incredibly untalented arrogant musician total devoid of class, taste or appreciation of her extraordinary talent. I'd love for everyone to be able to critique them performing this piece.

So beautiful the song and her

Beautifully played

This melody is one of the most beautiful and moving I have ever heard.

One of my absolutely most favorite musical works! Beautiful!

awesome! i just randomly clicked on this playlist. but i couldnt stop as i want to listen and watch more!

Like most people in the US the first time I heard this piece was when watching Ken Burn's Civile War on PBS. I was later surprised to find it had actually been composed in the 1980s. The only piece of music used that was not period to the show. It still pulls on my the Irish side of my family tree.

She moves like the waves and plays like a Angel a Beautiful woman as well

Haven't you people seen her before?? She can also dance whilst playing it. She's amazing and can play all the classics. Gotta love the amateurs trying to tell professionals how its done.

Beautiful. I have heard this song performed live by Jay Ungar its writer and she is as good as he is.

A great performance from a beautiful and talented lady who has the music almost radiate out through her like the light from a dancing candle flame. Unlike some wooden performers, she shows the dynamic and emotional side of performance.

Low flying angels. Mairead , you are beyond compare and you bless us, thank you. Dx

A little slower than I'm used to, and the instrumentation was odd for someone who's listened to Jay Ungar's version so much, but I only have one other thing to say: THIS SONG, NO MATTER THE INSTRUMENTATION OR ARRANGEMENT, WILL NEVER FAIL TO MOVE ME.

I played this piece in highschool! Not nearly as well as Mairead mind you. But it's nice to hear her play something I can play too lol. Lovely.

This woman is my Val Halla....great presentation

I play this regularly for a slow waltz, "Waltz Marie", and dancers request it often. I have also played it by request, at a number of funerals, and I am booked to play it for a few folk when their time comes. Such a beautiful tune by Jay Unger, which brings tears to many people.

Beautiful..One of the most moving songs I have ever had the pleasure of hearing.She is very talented..

Beautiful lady. beautiful tune beautiful playing. So happy. thank you so much for posting. Brian NZ

you play like an angel , don't ever stop.

She plays this beautifully and deserves my 5 star rating. However my all time favorite version will always be by the composer, Jay Unger and his wife, Molly Mason.

This was named after the Ashokan Center in the Mid Hudson Valley of New York State.

Fantastic!

So beautiful. This lady is incredible

Absolutely beautiful and very beautifully done!!👏👍🛐✝️🌹❤️💕💓🌄💗🇺🇸🕎🔯🎆

mairead nesbitt se me figura como una hermosa ada tocando el violin en una noche tranquila . en verdad es sorprendente que se puedan reunir tanta belleza y talento en una sola mujer

As a kid I was haunted by this song while watching Ken Burns Civil War documentary. It's one of the most hauntingly beautiful pieces of music ever.

a beautiful woman . who plays beautifully

Most folk think of this as a civil war piece it is true. And Jay Ungar was a huge influence on the piece as well. But the best and oldest tunes have celtic origins. Songs like this are like the oldest legends. They span countless generations and they change. The Ashokan Farewell is known all over the world for many different reasons. I have heard three sets of lyrics to the tune. Songs like this never die.

Where do they find so many incredibly attractive and exquisitely talented girls. Ireland must be heaven on earth.

Absolutely beautiful just as my music teacher told me it was. For those of you complaining, get a life already. She is very talented for sure.

it is a wonderful piece, we played it in Jr. Semba

gorgeous! can't get enought of it!

this song is so pretty i learned it for my grandma... i didnt know celtic woman played it in 2005 actuly i didnt know she/they played it at all :)

It really makes me angry when people say that she moves too much first shes amazing second ive been playing the violin and cello for ten years and ever since i stared playing i have moved because i connect with the music that im playing and feel it in my body and second shes a preformer the celtic ladies dance and sing

I love this version . Very different from those of The Royal Marines and she is gorgeous too

I love how she nods at the end where you can tell she is listening to make sure the pitch is right. :-)

I absolutely love this musician! Truly Inspiring!

Because the most interesting thing in the world to watch is a deadpan and unemotional singer or musician. Do you know how much talent it takes to dance and fiddle simultaneously? No, because you are obviously not a violin player. Take it from one who is, she is a legend.

Very nice. That gal sure holds that bow way up. Normally that is where kids do. But she has made it work.

Well, this is just her version of the song. Imagine how boring life would be if everything's done the same way all the time..... It's refreshing to hear a new take on an old song.......and she does it very, very, well....

One of the few Mairead solos that has the same tempo all the way through. Usually, when she plays a slow song, she will follow it with something that lets her lets her switch from violin-mode to *kick-ass fiddle* and engage the Warp drive. Slow or fast, moving in place or all over the stage (look up "The Foxhunter"), I still gan't get enough.

beautiful

Pause it at 0:35 and just look at those eyes, the beauty of the music is only surpassed by the beauty of her.

Totally wonderful. thank you so much.

I’m only 4th generation in this country from Belfast Northern Ireland My great grand pa ps and his two brothers were Confederate Cavalry officers, all wounded but survived and lived long lives in Arkansas and Texas.

This is my favourite piece of 'classical' (well, not singing) music ever, and the Celtic Woman are so brilliant! It's so beautiful! Thnaks you! x

She moves me to tears...

What I like about this (aside from the fine performance) is that it's often us Irish-Americans looking back to Ireland and it's native music to give us nostalgia, hope and inspiration, etc. In this case the tables have turned. A very American folk song, composed by a man from New York, being performed at a Celtic festival, because it truly connects hearts and minds. Wonderful.

A beautiful lady playing a beautiful tune.

Fantastic...!!!

She really gets into her music. I can see that. Beautiful!

Wonderful. Thank you.

Beautiful played as background music for the letter from Civil War Soldier Sullivan Ballou to his wife called Dear Sara .