I got to be a part of Paul Byrom history.

A couple of months ago my daughter and I attended the taping of a PBS special. In case you don't know who Paul Byrom is, he is a singer from Ireland, recently relocated to NY, who has one of the most amazing tenor voices you will ever have the privileged to hear. Paul was, up until a couple years ago a member of Celtic Thunder. A 5 member group of Irish and Scottish entertainers that began touring the US 5 years ago. I happened to catch a PBS show of Celtic Thunder about 3 years ago and to say I was hooked is a drastic understatement. I've attended several of their concerts over the years and have loved every second of it. Now, I was a little behind the times because the year I started attending their concerts, is the year Paul left the group to launch his solo career. He did attend the NYC concert that year and I got to meet him in the lobby of the venue. From that day on I've followed his career and done everything I can to help. While I think he deserves his star to shine brightly I also think everyone, ever, deserves to listen to his voice. I've attended every show he's done anywhere within a 3 hours drive. He is so much more than a singer. He is an entertainer of the first water. He interacts with his audience, tells stories, and jokes and does his level best to make sure every person in that room, be they 10 or 100 male or female has a night to remember. He genuinely enjoys being on that stage and you can't help but be drawn into his particular brand of magic when you see him perform. The whole room has "the craic" (an Irish term for fun) I have, along with many other people, tweeted, shared, facebooked, and screamed from the rooftops to get word out about his music. Several months ago Paul decided the time was right for him to tape a PBS special to help further his career. He had to do some fundraising to accomplish the goal and it took everything he had to have to ask people to help. Charging for show tickets was one thing but asking for money outright was very difficult for him. He did however offer different thank you gifts for any and all donation given. He made sure that if you could donate $20 or $1,000 you knew how grateful he was for your help. Paul has been very open and available with his fans from day one. I've had the opportunity on several occasions, to chat with him and get to know him just a little bit, and he is without a doubt one of the kindest, most caring, most genuine people I've ever met. In all honesty, I'm glad I got to know his music after his time with Celtic Thunder. I'm glad I've only known and been a wee part of his solo career. I am, for all intents and purposes a Paul purist :-) So, fast forward to Pennsylvania a couple of months ago. The money had been raised, the date set, and it was time to see his hard work come to fruition. I had the great privileged of being able to attend the taping with my daughter. The cameras were on, the orchestra was set and Paul came out on stage. This was it, this is what he and everyone had worked so hard for. This was his time. And I had front row seats (well, third row, but you get my meaning) to watch history unfold. There was an electric feeling in that room. We all knew we were seeing something extraordinary. When the special airs on PBS and you can buy the DVD, you will be able to have a glimps of what I mean. But there will never be anything that will compare to actually being in that room, with those people, watching him, Damian McGinty and the great Phil Coulter on that stage. There are a few amazing moments that are burned into my memory. When he sang "This is the Moment" That one made me cry. The first three notes came out of his mouth and I teared up. He put his whole heart into that one. All I could think was, "yep Paul this is your moment. This is it kiddo, and it is spectacular." Then he sang Danny Boy. Yea, so anyone who knows me well knows that one of my earliest memories of my dad is when I was about 2 or 3 and he was washing my hair in the tub singing that song. I heard him sing it a few times over the years and have come to think of it as Daddy's song. My dad died a couple of years ago and I will never get to hear him sing it again. I don't want that memory tainted, I want to remember always what his voice sounded like when he sang it. With this in mind, as my personal tribute to my dad, I will never listen to anyone sing that song again. I've been to gigs before where that song was sung, and I simply leave to room during that song and reenter when it's over. I make sure I sit to the side where my leaving won't be disruptive. But, here I was, third row, cameras rolling and he starts singing Danny boy. I imagine I looked rather like a deer in the headlights. I couldn't leave, I couldn't do that to him. There would be no unobtrusive exit. The only thing I could do was concentrate on something else so I wouldn't hear it. So I added. :-) I added 47+93 and 428+216 I added any two sets of numbers I could think of that would make me concentrated. And then it hit me that when you concentrate really hard on something, you tend to get that far away look on your face. Not a good look on camera. Hey, look at that girl, she's not even paying attention. So, then I had to concentrate on keeping that look off my face while I added. I'm here to tell ya, with all that going on in my head I didn't hear a note. Then he sang "Scorn not his Simplicity" a song written by Phil Coulter about his son. The love and compassion we all felt was palpable. You could almost see it grow and envelope Phil on that stage. And you could tell Phil felt it,was moved by it and grateful for it. And one of the cutest things I've ever seen is Paul and Damian singing "Me and My Shadow". Absolutely brilliant. He sang for hours. He put everything he had and everything he was into it. We took a break, and the set was changed and there was a bonus for those buying the DVD :-) No spoiler alerts here. You'll just have to buy it and see for yourself. Attending this taping was truly amazing. It is not something I believe I will ever see or feel again. I am eternally grateful that I had this opportunity. I am grateful I have had a chance to help him in the little ways I have. I am grateful that others will get to see and hear him. I'm grateful that I have a love for music, especially Irish music. But mostly, I'm grateful that Paul is Paul. He's a pretty spectacular individual and I'm blessed to know him.