250,000! O’Neill Brothers Celebrate Sale of Quarter Millionth CD  
 

BLOOMINGTON, MN 
September 30, 1999

Take a quarter million CDs, line them up them end to end, and you’ve got...we’ll, you’ve got an awful lot of CDs.  Bloomington-based brothers Tim and Ryan O’Neill reached an impressive sales milestone this week — 250,000 albums sold, all without being associated with a major record label.

 To celebrate, Tim and Ryan’s independent record label, Shamrock-n-Roll, invited 250 fans to a Quarter Million CD Cruise on Minnesota’s St. Croix River on August 20, 1999.  The evening included a rare on-the-water performance by the O’Neill Brothers and an announcement from St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman proclaiming August 20th “Tim and Ryan O’Neill Day” in Minnesota’s capitol city.  A silent auction raised $1,000 for the New Prague Scholarship for the Arts, and featured such items as Ryan’s first piano book, a signed copy of the O’Neill Brothers’ 250,000th CD and an hour of free music by Tim or Ryan.

 “Our fans have helped us reach some absolutely unbelievable goals,” says Ryan O’Neill.  “This celebration cruise was an opportunity for us to say thank you to some of the people who’ve supported us along the way.” And in case you were wondering, a quarter million CDs set end to end would stretch more than 22.7 miles!

The O’Neill Brothers have turned a passion for music into a thriving business, selling more than 250,000 CDs nationwide, all without benefit of association with a major record label. Their enthusiastic fans have made successes of the O’Neill Brothers’ nine albums, including Spirit of the Season and Spirit of the Season Volume II, featuring traditional and new holiday classics; The Meeting of the Waters, a collection of traditional Irish instrumental songs recorded during a three-month trip to the Emerald Isle; Love Always, classic (and a few original) love songs; Look Within; Hands of Time; P.S., I Love You; and their newest albums Sweet Dreams and One. 

The O’Neill Brothers’ music is also available at area JCPenney stores, by calling toll-free 1-888-9-O’NEILL (1-888-966-3455) or through their web site, www.shamrocknroll.com.