A FOUR-YEAR-OLD Irish girl with the voice of an angel has hit the headlines on social media thanks to her powerful rendition of the song You Raise Me Up.
Originally composed by the Norwegian-Irish duo Secret Garden, You Raise Me Up has been covered by hundreds of different artists including everyone from Josh Groban to Westlife.
However, this latest version from rising Irish star and Kinsale native Emma Sophia might be the best and most adorable yet.
The performance is accompanied by a music video filmed in West Cork, featureing the Drombeg Stone Circle, which dates back 3,000 years to the Bronze Age.
Used for rituals and ceremonies, Emma Sophia, dressed like a Bandraoi (female druid), can be seen singing at the Druid’s Altar in the clip and also in the centre of the stone circle.
The video then shifts location to a stunning cliff-top setting with castle ruins near Mizen Head, Ireland’s most Southerly point. The song ends with Emma Sophia singing at the highest point looking down over the peninsula.
"Children see magic because they look for it. Similarly, hope can always be found, even if it seems lost," a blurb accompanying the video explains. "This song is dedicated to everyone who believes in hope, and to those who are searching for it."
"Emma Sophia’s angelic voice, coupled with stunning Irish scenery creates an entrancing sensory experience, taking us out of ourselves and raising us up to new emotional stratospheres where hope springs eternal."
First published online back on Friday, May 14, the video has garnered more than 24,000 views on Facebook and nearly 4,000 on Youtube. It has also garnered a string of glowing reviews from followers on both sides of the Atlantic.
One American fan wrote: “What a beautiful voice you have Emma Sophia! This video was amazing and the scenery was breathtaking. Also the music. So enjoyable to listen to. Thank you for sharing!”
Another from Dublin added: “I rarely watch to the end of a video but I was totally engrossed! How many 4 years olds are able to take direction like that?! Like, the throwing off of the cloak?! Just amazing Family of Ryan! AMAZING!”
“What an absolutely glorious voice from one so young,” a third, from Cork in Ireland, added.
“You have a very very bright future ahead of you.”
The Kinsale youngster is no stranger to casting a spell over social media, having previously gone viral with her brilliant version of Danny Boy, a song that has served as an anthem for the Irish diaspora for nearly a century.
This time around she is dedicating her latest effort to “everyone who believes in hope and to those who need some in their lives right now.”
A star is born.
See More: Danny Boy, Music, Viral Video
