​

Celtic Exodus Completes Premiere Dublin Run with More Than 6,000 Tickets Sold
 

New Irish musical concludes its inaugural season at Dublin’s historic Round Room following an ecstatic audience responses and successive standing ovations.
 

NEWS RELEASE | DUBLIN 20 August 2026
 

Celtic Exodus, the new original Irish musical created by Brian Warfield, produced by Larry Bass, CEO of ShinAwiL, and adapted and produced by John Murphy, completed its Dublin season at the historic Round Room at the Mansion House on 20th August, having sold more than 6,000 tickets during its inaugural run.
 

The production opened on 22 July for a limited 32-performance season, receiving an ecstatic response from Irish and international audiences alike, with audience members describing Celtic Exodus as going beyond the traditional musical theatre experience — something original, powerful and genuinely special.
 

Successive standing ovations followed as audiences embraced a new piece of Irish musical theatre combining original music, drama, dance, humour and storytelling.
 

The Company That Brought Celtic Exodus to Life

At the heart of the production was an extraordinary company of actors, singers, dancers and musicians who brought Celtic Exodus to life night after night.
 

The cast included Leah Barniville, Colm Quinn, Phelim Drew, Sue Collins, Sean Kearns, Donncha O'Dea, Stephen O'Leary, Mark Fitzgerald, Darragh Gilhooly, Áine Keaveney, Grace Keelin, Alisia de Brún, Ruth Charles, Dane McKiernan, Billy Cornally, Ciarán McManus, Jack Hopkins, Siobhan Warfield-Beattie and Brian Warfield.
 

Together with the wider ensemble, dancers and musicians, the company transformed years of writing, composition and development into a fully realised theatrical production.

Across the run, the performers brought remarkable energy and commitment to the stage. The actors gave heart and humanity to the characters, the singers carried the emotion of the story, the dancers brought an exhilarating physical energy to the production, and the musicians provided its musical heartbeat. Audiences responded with laughter, tears, applause and standing ovations, embracing a completely new piece of Irish musical theatre.
 

Paying tribute to the company ahead of the final performance, the production team said:
 

“A new musical can exist on paper for a very long time before an audience ever gets to experience it. It is the performers who finally give it life.
 

“We could not be more grateful to this extraordinary company of actors, singers, dancers and musicians who believed in Celtic Exodus and gave so much of themselves to this first production."
 

“Night after night, they brought extraordinary talent, energy and heart to the Round Room. They made audiences laugh, cry, sing, clap and rise to their feet. They will always be the company that brought Celtic Exodus to life for the very first time and we are extremely proud of them.”
 

The Creative and Production Team

Behind the performers was an extensive creative, technical, stage and production team who worked throughout the season to deliver the ambitious new production at the Round Room.
 

The production was led by Executive Producer Larry Bass of ShinAwiL, with John Murphy as Producer and Adaptor and Mark Lambert as Director.

At the heart of Celtic Exodus is its original music by Brian Warfield, Dave Browne and Yann O'Brien, with musical arrangements by Kiev Connolly and Dave Browne and musical direction by Ross Scanlon and Ben Cully.

Choreographer Jason O’Neill created a distinctive movement language for the production that moves beyond the conventions of traditional Irish dance. Drawing on the energy and cultural roots of Irish movement, the choreography brings together contemporary dance, theatrical movement and Irish influences, making dance an integral part of the storytelling.
 

Throughout the production, movement is used to express celebration and community as well as hardship, loss and displacement, creating a physical language that helps carry the emotional journey of the story.

The visual and technical world of Celtic Exodus was created by Scenic Designer Luis Poveda, with Lighting Design by Josefine Danielsson and Mark Galione, Costume Design by Cherie White, Sound by Jason Fallon and AV production by CAVS.

The production was supported throughout its Dublin season by Stage Manager Rosie Turpin and Company Manager Gary Flood, alongside an extensive backstage, technical and production team.
 

Together, the cast, musicians, dancers, creative and production teams created a theatrical experience that reaches beyond the conventions of a traditional Irish musical,  bringing original music, drama, contemporary theatrical storytelling and choreography together to tell an Irish story in a new way.
 

More Than 6,000 Tickets Sold

Audience response became an important part of the story of the first season, with more than 6,000 tickets sold and people travelling from across Ireland and overseas to experience the new production.
 

The Dublin premiere represented the culmination of a long journey to the professional stage.

Following years of writing and musical development, Celtic Exodus reached a significant milestone with its proof-of-concept production at The Complex in Dublin in January 2025. Over the following 18 months, the work underwent further development across its script, music, arrangements, choreography and staging before making the journey to the Round Room in July 2026.

Tonight's final performance therefore marks the end of the first major chapter in the development of Celtic Exodus: from an idea and a collection of songs, through years of development and its first proof of concept, to a fully realised professional production experienced by thousands of people.
 

With its inaugural Dublin season complete, the producers are now looking towards the next stage in the journey of Celtic Exodus.
 

The curtain has closed in Dublin, but the Celtic Exodus story is only beginning.

​

-ENDS-

​