♪ when we've been there... >> announcer: he is an international recording star who has sung for princes and presidents. but now experience ronan tynan like you've never heard him before. ♪ see you i could never go with you no matter how i wanted to ♪ >> announcer: ronan sings your irish favorites. ♪ oh danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling ♪ >> announcer: but also some favorites of his own, from bono... ♪ ...from the cradle to the grave when all i want is you ♪

>> announcer: to puccini. ♪ >> announcer: to springsteen. ♪ may your strength give us strength may your faith give us faith ♪ >> announcer: it's ronan tynan: more than magic. major funding for this program was provided by: for almost 150 years, sun life financial has been helping our clients choose sound financial products. and none have sounded better than the one you'll hear next. ♪

true you ride the finest horse i've ever seen standing sixteen one or two, with eyes wild and green and you ride the horse so well, hands light to the touch i could never go with you no matter how i wanted to ride on, see you, i could never go with you no matter how i wanted to ride on, see you

see you i could never go with you no matter how i wanted to ♪ when you ride into the night, without a trace behind run your hand across my heart, one last time i turn to face an empty space, once you used to lie i look for the spark that lights the night through a teardrop in your eye

ride on, see you see you i could never go with you no matter how i wanted to ride on, see you see you i could never go with you no matter how i wanted to when you ride into the night, without a trace behind run your hand across my heart, one last time i turn to face an empty space, once you used to lie i look for the spark that lights the night through a teardrop in your eye

ride on, see you see you i could never go with you no matter how i wanted to ride on, see you i could never go with you no matter how i wanted to ♪ [applause] thank you very much. this next song was written by bono. that's another irish guy who writes stuff. you know, when you think of bono, you think of a rock band,

and sometimes singers back off singing that kind of rock music. as a singer, i think you must sing everything, so it should span all the elements of rock, opera, classical, you name it. and you're going to hear that. believe me, we're going to take you on such a journey you will not imagine in your wildest dreams that a big 270 pound, raw beef man, bald hair, and a beautiful pair of ears is going to give you this experience. just thought i'd add that in. so, this song is for the ladies, and i picked it because i think it has great sentiment. we've put a different feeling to it. i hope you enjoy it. it's called "all i want is you." ♪ you say you want diamonds

on a ring of gold you say you want your story to remain untold but all the promises we make, from the cradle to the grave when all i want is you you say you'll give me a highway with no one on it treasure, just to look upon it all the riches in the night you say you'll give me eyes

in the moon of blindness a river in a time of dryness a harbor in the tempest but all the promises we make, from the cradle to the grave when all i want, i want is you

you say you want our love to work out right to last with us through the night you say you want diamonds on a ring of gold your story to never grow old our love to never grow old but all the promises we made, from the cradle to the grave

(when all) when all (i want) i want is you but when the promises we made, from the cradle to the grave (when all) when all (i want) i want is you when all i want is you you! you!

when all i want is you ♪ [applause] thank you very much! thank you. this part of the show we've decided to really make it a little irish medley, and you're going to know one very easy because i don't think i'd escape out of here if i didn't sing this particular song. but the first song you're going to hear is a song written by ronan hardiman. and ronan hardiman wrote a song called "sing me an irish song," and i performed it, first last year, with the orchestra. joe has used his wizardry in coupling these two songs together and i hope you enjoy them. it's a combination of "sing me

an irish song" and you know that other song. ♪

a sleeping tiger wakes an ancient echo is heard from the dawn of creation old as a father's first words a thousand years or more of war, struggles and strife the destiny of a nation finally coming to life sing me an irish song, proud and strong raise your spirit and show me where i belong though i'm far

away oh danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling from glen to glen, and down the mountain side the summer's gone and all the roses dying 'tis you, 'tis you must go and i must bide but come ye back when summer's in the meadow

or when the valley's hushed and white with snow 'tis i'll be there in sunshine or in shadow oh danny boy, oh danny boy, i love you so just look how far we've come with our true colors unfurled warriors, poets and dreamers the envy of all the world sing me an irish song, proud and strong

raise my spirit and show me where i belong though i'm far away you'll not fail to tell me that you love me and i shall sleep in peace until you come to me ♪

>> hi, i'm carolyn black-sotir. stay tuned for more of ronan tynan: more than magic. and we'll be going back for more of this marvelous concert in just a few minutes. up next, ronan will perform "hallelujah," "going home," and "red is the rose." and we are especially excited because we have ronan with us in the studio today, and rhea feikin will be talking to him in just a minute. ronan tynan's voice has

charmed presidents and monarchs, and with this, his first solo concert for public television, he is charming all of us as well. we hope that you take the time now to call in and financially support these charming and terrific concerts and specials that public television brings you throughout the year. programs just like this one. please, call this station at the number on your screen now and make the most generous contribution you can. and when you support this station at certain membership levels, we have some great ways of saying thanks. here's more about them. ♪ sing me an irish song >> announcer: call in now with your pledge of support for ronan tynan: more than magic and we will say thanks with some great thank you gifts. when you make a pledge of $80, you can relive this fantastic concert again and again with a copy on dvd. it contains six bonus songs that are not in this broadcast.

♪ get ready ♪ get ready make a pledge of $70 and you'll receive the cd, which includes 16 terrific songs. and if you can't decide which gift to choose, then make a pledge of $140 and you will receive both the ronan tynan: more than magic dvd and cd. please call now and help keep wonderful programs and concerts on this public television station. >> rhea: ronan, it is so wonderful to see you. absolutely. and the concert is great, your voice is great. maybe even more wonderful than it was when i first heard it in 2000. my gosh! >> ronan: well, a lot of time has passed, rhea. it's great to see you. you haven't changed though. you look ever so glamorous. >> rhea: so blarney. so blarney. really. >> ronan: well, it's much nicer to have a man complement you. >> rhea: absolutely.

you know, the concert is amazing, and you have chosen to have such a wide range of music in it. why did you decide to do that, not just do irish music, which everybody thinks about when they think of you? >> ronan: well, i think, rhea, the audiences know that i can sing irish music, that's not a problem. and in this concert i actually do some of my all-time favorites. but i think what's most important for the audiences, that while i'm a tenor, i'm from ireland, and sometimes people get this kind of misconceived idea as if he's an irish tenor, he's just going to sing irish. well, i wanted the audience, and your listeners, to hear a wide diversity of music. and i wanted them to hear stuff that i enjoyed singing as well. i mean, i go from opera to rock, contemporary to kind of the classic, and the old style music. and, i mean, we do a piece called "people get ready," curtis mayfield sings it, and it's something that i absolutely love. i wanted to share

with audiences my happiness for a wide variety of music. >> rhea: and i think that absolutely shows. and i think when you listen and watch ronan you get the joy that he has in singing. right now what we're asking you to do is support a program like this. a wonderful program where we have some great thank you gifts for you. if you pledge at the $80 level, we have ronan tynan: more than magic, a dvd of the show we're watching now, but it has six bonus performances that aren't in the broadcast. and you are going to be shocked when you hear some of them because they're just great. what's your favorite that's not being aired? >> ronan: well, you see, now you're very cleaver there, you're asking me to choose. i mean, i try not to have a favorite, because if you have a favorite that means you give more attention to that song. i mean, there's a great song called "the fields of athenry," which all our irish listeners out there are loving it. it's like an anthem. and of course when you're working with a band, all from new york, all new

yorkers, you know, suddenly you teach them. and my band, there's a lot of my band that have no irish in them, so i introduce them into a very powerful song. and all our listeners know what "the fields of athenry" says. we have a great duet called "come in from the rain"... >> rhea: okay, well, we're going to not tell them everything right now because then they won't listen. okay, we're going to tell you now not only about the dvd, but at the $70 level we have ronan tynan: more than magic, the cd, which is the companion cd, and it has 16 glorious tunes. and if you can't decide between them, don't bother to do that, just decide to get them both. make a pledge of $140 and we'll send you both the dvd and the cd. please call the number on your screen and ask the operator about putting your contribution on a charge card. and now let's go to carolyn. >> carolyn: ronan's life and voice are nothing short of amazing and inspirational, just like the programs you watch on public television. please, call in now and support this station with a generous financial

contribution. public television cannot exist without your help. please, call the number on your screen now and pledge for the wonderful music and performance specials that public television brings you throughout the year. and if you do that we have many ways of saying thank you. for a pledge of $80, the ronan tynan: more than magic dvd. it has six bonus performances that aren't in the broadcast. and they include "people get ready," gershwin's "summertime," and "america the beautiful." and for a pledge of $70, the ronan tynan: more than magic cd. this is the companion cd which has all 16 songs. and if you can't make up your mind, then pledge $140 and we'll send you both the dvd and cd. and please remember, these levels are merely suggestions, any financial contribution is greatly appreciated. so ask about this station's basic membership level when you call the number on your screen. now let's go back to rhea and ronan. >> rhea: we cannot wait to go

to the next part of the show. it is so exciting! do you have a part in the next part that you like the most? >> ronan: i do. i think there's a part, there's a song i sing from a song that was written by a lady called mary fahl, and it's "going home." and i remember mary told me the story about her brother. what i think is wonderful is that this song is a great song for service men and women to hear because, after all, these women and men protect our country and it's great to be able to sing something that's very emotional and very real, and i think our listeners will enjoy that song. >> rhea: i have no doubt that you're going to enjoy that song. i hope that you will not only enjoy that song, but every part of this program, and enjoy it enough to get up and go to the phone and make the best possible pledge that you can to this station. it's going to mean a lot to you, and it will mean a great deal to us. enjoy the next part of the show. >> ronan: thank you.

>> ronan tynan has always possessed a fierce fire of determination. born with legs that had a deformity below the knees, he learned early on that life could be, indeed would be, a struggle. his father gave him a pony with the hope that it would strengthen his legs. he learned to ride and compete. but complications set in, and as a young man, ronan decided to have the legs removed so that he might stand straighter. his mother found a college that would accept him in physical education and he learned to use his prosthetic legs like few others. he began to compete in all manner of sports, and went on to win 18 gold medals, and set 14 world records at the paralympics.

smashing barriers has always been ronan tynan's style. soon he had a new goal; hwanted to become a doctor. and by the age of 33 he was. his medical colleagues noted yet another talent. in pubs, ronan would regale the crowd with his singing. they urged him to try his luck in a british talent show... and he won! ♪ the department heads at the hospital took up a collection so ronan could go to england to study voice. his success seemed to know no bounds. but an infection suddenly sidetracked his musical career almost as quickly as it began, and so ronan returned to medicine. yet his love for singing never

waned and he recovered to join a new group, the irish tenors. he soon went solo and ronan tynan was discovered by kings and queens and commoners alike. his performance at the funeral of president ronald reagan introduced him to much of the world, and his voice helped sooth america's pain after 9/11. today he brings joy and energy wherever he goes, for ronan tynan is indeed more than magic. >> ronan: this next song that i'm about to sing is a song that i have really grown very fond of. it was written by leonard cohen. the whole idea of actually doing this song kind of stems back a couple years ago when actually they were auditioning for "shrek" on broadway. now, yours truly thought,

"well, why not me? why not me?" look, perpendicular, so no make-up for the ears. the real green. i mean, you can't get any greener than me. costume. there's a nice kind of support. [laughter] i could have said something else but i just use it as support. so we've decided to do this song for you. it's called "hallelujah." ♪ i heard there was a secret chord that david played and it pleased the lord but you don't really care

for music, do you? it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth the minor fall, the major lift the baffled king composing hallelujah hallelujah, hallelujah hallelujah, hallelujah maybe i've been here before i know this room, i've walked this floor i used to live alone before i knew you

i see your flag on the marble arch love is not a victory march it's cold but it's a broken hallelujah hallelujah, hallelujah hallelujah, hallelujah

hallelujah, hallelujah hallelujah, hallelujah maybe there's a god above but all i ever learned from love was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you it's not the cry you hear at night it's not someone who's seen the light it's cold but it's a broken

hallelujah hallelujah, hallelujah hallelujah, hallelujah hallelujah, hallelujah hallelujah, hallelujah hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ [applause]

this next song i'm about to sing for you was written by an amazing writer called mary fahl. mary had a brother who went to vietnam, and they kept tremendous communication, and always the ending of her brother's letter was "i'm going home." mary had this amazing bond with him and decided to celebrate him, and the fact that he is no longer with her, she wrote this beautiful song called "going home." so i dedicate this song to all the amazing men and women who protect, and have protected, this great country. ♪

they say there's a place where the dreams have all gone they never said where but i think i know miles through the night, just over the dawn, on this road that will take me home i know in my heart i've been here before the ground feels the same but the land's been torn i've a long way to go the stars tell me so on this road that will take me home love waits for me 'round

the bend leads me endlessly on surely, sorrows shall find their end and all of our troubles will be gone and i'll know what i've lost and all that i've won when this road finally takes me home home

home and when i pass by don't lead me astray don't try to stop me, don't stand in my way i'm bound for the hills where the cool waters flow on this road that will take me home love waits for me 'round the bend leads me endlessly on surely, sorrows shall find their end and all of our troubles will be gone

and i'll know what i've lost and all that i've won when this road finally takes me home i'm going home i'm going home i'm going home i'm going home i'm going home ♪ [applause]

i was very lucky to have an extraordinary mother, who, to be honest with you, the reason i sing in front of you is because of her. she had such tenacity and perseverance that even though i was born with a physical challenge she never let that get into her dream of where i would end up. there's a song that my mother absolutely loved and it's called "red is the rose," and we'd like to do this song for you. ♪ come over the hills, my bonnie irish lass come over the hills

to your darlin' you choose the rose, love, and i'll take the vow and i'll be your true love forever red is the rose that in your garden grows fair is the lily of the valley clear is the water that flows from the boyne and my love is fairer than any

'twas down by killarney's green woods that we strayed when the moon and the stars they were shining the moon shone its rays through your locks of golden hair and you swore you'd be my love forever red is the rose that in your garden grows

and fair is the lily of the valley clear is the water that flows from the boyne and my love is fairer than any it's not for the parting that my sister pains it's not for the grief of my mother it's all for the love

of my bonny irish lass that my heart is breaking forever red is the rose that in your garden grows and fair is the lily of the valley clear is the water that flows from the boyne and my love is fairer than any ♪

[applause] thank you. >> stay tuned for more of ronan tynan: more than magic. hi, i'm carolyn black-sotir here with ronan tynan. i am here with the man of the hour! bravo to you. what a voice. >> ronan: thanks, carolyn. thank you very much. well, i'll tell you what, i enjoyed every minute of that show, doing it, and the preparation, and the selection of songs. and i think, you know, sometimes you have to make decisions about songs, some that you feel might be working more than others, but... you know, your listeners all know that i sing irish music. >> carolyn: i think so. we know that by now. >> ronan: so, i want to say to your listeners, listen, while i sing that and i have some beautiful irish songs in this show, this is kind of a walk through my life through song, you know. and i want to take you through every aspect

of it. i want to take you through the broadway type of song. i want to take you through the rock. i want to take you through the contemporary. so, you have songs, you know, like "going home," from mary fahl, that we just saw. you have a beautiful song that i dedicated to my mother, "red is the rose." >> carolyn: which is my favorite. i know you don't have favorites, but that's mine. >> ronan: well, you know, i make every song my favorite, because i think as a rule, if you don't immerse yourself in that song, at that time, then you don't give it everything. and i want the listener to feel that i'm passionate about every single thing i do. >> carolyn: well, that is clear, you are passionate about it, and we hope you are passionate also about public television and that you will take the time during this brief intermission to call the number on your screen and make a financial contribution to this public television station to support the fantastic shows and specials that we bring you 365 days a year. you know, it would not be possible without your support.

and when you contribute at specific membership levels we have some really fantastic ways of saying thanks. here's more about it. ♪ sing me an irish song >> announcer: call in now with your pledge of support for ronan tynan: more than magic and we will say thanks with some great thank you gifts. when you make a pledge of $80, you can relive this fantastic concert again and again with a copy on dvd. it contains six bonus songs that are not in this broadcast. ♪ get ready ♪ get ready make a pledge of $70 and you'll receive the cd, which includes 16 terrific songs. and if you can't decide which gift to choose, then make a pledge of $140 and you will receive both the ronan tynan: more than magic dvd and cd. please call now and help keep wonderful programs and concerts on this public

television station. >> i'm rhea feikin. this concert really demonstrates ronan tynan's virtuosity. it doesn't seem like there is any song for which he can't give an amazing performance. it sort of reminds you of the high quality and wide array of programming that you're going to find on public television. one of the most exciting things about our music specials is the variety of performers that you see. we bring the best in opera, the best in classical music, in broadway, in rock and roll. bringing you terrific musical shows is one of the things i think that public television does best, and i hope you agree with me. now, we can't always make it out to the theater, if we love theater, and we can't always go to a recital hall for a live concert, but, with public television, we can always have the best seat in the house. but you know something? we really cannot do it without the help of some very

special people, and they are people just like you. please pick up your phone right now, call in and help keep the terrific music specials alive on this public television station. we can't do it without your help. so, think about all the enjoyment you're getting. think about this wonderful concert, and think about the fact that you might like to enjoy this concert over and over and over again. well, you can do that. you can make a pledge of $80 and it would be our pleasure to send you, as a thank you gift, ronan tynan: more than magic, the dvd of the show we're watching right now. but it is even better because it has six bonus performances that are not seen in this broadcast. they include "people get ready," one of my favorites -- "summertime," and wait until you hear him sing "america the beautiful." absolutely glorious. we have another thank you gift for you, and that's at the $70 level, and that's ronan tynan: more than magic, the cd. now, this is the companion cd

and it has 16 wonderful songs. a lot of people love to have the cd to listen to, a lot of people like the dvd, and many of you would like to have both of them. perhaps keep one and give the other as a gift. maybe you would like to do that. well, if you make a pledge of $140 we're going to send you both the dvd and the cd. so, please, call us now at the number on your screen and ask the operator about putting your contribution on a charge card. it makes it easy for you, it makes it easy for us. and i want to tell you something, when you call up and make that pledge, it's going to really make you feel good because you know you're supporting the kind of television that you want to watch. now back to carolyn and ronan. >> carolyn: you know, it doesn't came as any surprise to me that with a man of your talent that you would surround yourself with some very talented musicians as well. you've got some great pianists, backup singers. >> ronan: yeah, i have. i was very lucky because when i first came to new york, one of the gems of new york is,

of course, that you have musicians from all walks of life, and i ended up getting a lot of musicians who play on broadway. and many years ago i was actually picked to do the man of la mancha on broadway, and again, you know, sometimes you have to make a very difficult decision because it's seven shows a week and i wasn't sure that i had the stamina... >> carolyn: pretty grueling. >> ronan: exactly. but in the process of doing some of these things i met some great musicians and tagged them on. and then i was very lucky, my pianist, who has been with me, bill lewis, he's been with me for nearly 10 years, and bill and i, we're like two brothers. we go all over the world together. bill is an extraordinary man. he's a sensitive player, magnificent player. great singer himself. you can see in the show he harmonizes. then the other thing too with bill is, we picked -- i picked a song called "red is the rose," and, you know, many people feel, you know, that

i zone in on my parents. well, there's a reason for that. they're the reason i'm here. my mom was an amazing woman. she's the backbone of my backbone. she was determined that she would give me every opportunity so that i would become what she believed was possible. my father was an extraordinary little man. my mom was only 5'4 ½. my father was only 5'4. >> carolyn: what happened? >> ronan: i know. so there you go. god. god decided there had to be someone big in the family. but both of them had, they were like the yin and the yang. mom was focused on getting educated, doing so many great things. dad was interested in the love of music and wanted me so much to pursue it. believe me, before your audiences ever heard me, the cows in the field heard me. >> carolyn: and you used to sing with your father as well. >> ronan: yeah, we used to sing all the time. and the one thing about, as dad used to say, he said "sing sweetly. whatever you do sing sweetly."

and he was the one that kind of made me get into singing. and at the time i was doing obstetrics and gynecology, so i was really used to hearing high pitched screams, you know. but it was great. >> carolyn: and this is great. i have to tell you, "red is the rose" is such a special song to me, it is so sweet, and i'm going to want to hear it many, many times. and so one way of hearing them again is to call and pledge your support. for a pledge of $80, we'll send you, as our way of saying thanks, the ronan tynan: more than magic dvd. and you can listen to that song as often as you like. and it has six bonus performances that aren't in the broadcast. and they include "and there were roses," "the fields of athenry," and "come in from the rain." and then for a pledge of $70, the more than magic cd. this is the companion cd and it has all 16 fantastic songs. and if you're like me and you can't decide between both, then just call and pledge $140 and we'll send you the dvd and cd. >> ronan: it's great because, you know, i've been very privileged to come to this great country. i've been very privileged

to even come in contact with this great possibility of broadcasting. >> carolyn: well, and we are privileged to have you here. we know that all of you are excited about it. now let's stay tuned for more of ronan tynan: more than magic. >> ronan: we'll be back. >> the next piece that dr. tynan will be singing is from tosca by giacomo puccini. this is in the last act when cavaradossi, the tenor, knows that he is about to die in front of a firing squad and he sings this aria, "e lucevan le stelle," as he writes a note to la tosca. ♪

e lucevan le stelle ed olezzava la terra stridea l'uscio dell'orto ed un passo sfiorava l'arena entrava ella fragrante

♪ mi cadea tra le braccia o dolci baci, o languide carezze mentr'io fremente le belle forme disciogliea dai veli! svaní per sempre il sogno mio d'amore

l'ora é fuggita, e muoio disperato! e muoio disperato! e non ho amato mai tanto la vita! tanto la vita!

o dolci baci, o languide carezze mentr'io fremente le belle forme disciogliea dai veli! svaní per sempre il sogno mio d'amore l'ora é fuggita, e muoio disperato!

e muoio disperato! e non ho amato mai tanto la vita! tanto la vita! e lucevan le stelle ♪ [applause]

well, ladies and gentlemen, this next song i think really has a real deep meaning for me. we've all in our lives had the great privilege of having wonderful parents. my father was an extraordinary man. believe it or not, he was only 5'4", and of course i stand in front of you 6'4", 260 pounds of raw beef. but what can you do? nature does play tricks. there have been tremendous songs written about fathers to bring back the memory of someone you really love, and phil coulter wrote this beautiful song, and it touches the souls of many people, and it's called "the old man." ♪

the tears have all been shed now we've said our last goodbye his soul's been blessed he's laid to rest and now i feel alone he was more than just a father a teacher, my best friend he can still be heard in the tunes we shared when we play them on our own and i never will forget him