Arts and Entertainment

The duos of Matt & Shannon Heaton and Katie McNally & Neil Pearlman – both long-time favorites of Celtic music fans in Greater Boston and elsewhere – will be among the featured acts at the 11th annual Summer BCMFest, which takes place on July 6 at... Read more
A period spanning nine years is a sizeable one in any era, but the interval between the first album by Boston-based traditional Irish music trio Copley Street in 2016 and its successor, released in January, seems to encompass multiple lifetimes. There was... Read more
Seisiún, an Irish music and cultural gathering, will be presented at The Stage at Suffolk Downs on Saturday, September 6 and Sunday, September 7, 2025, in partnership with The Bowery Presents, Liam Lynch and Joe Killian. Featuring The Pogues and Boston’s... Read more
Fiddler and vocalist Christine Delphine Hedden, a mainstay of Greater Boston’s Irish/Celtic music scene, will debut an original composition on Sunday, June 1, at “Songs for the Earth,” a benefit for Mass Audubon. The event – which utilizes the arts to... Read more
Bill Monks uses humor, pathos to portray the essence of a neighborhood in Dublin   Every once in a while, a book captures the character, mood, and humor of a place.  In award-winning novels, John Kennedy Toole’s “A Confederacy of Dunces” did that for the... Read more
“Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed.   So begins James Joyce’s masterpiece, “Ulysses.” Boston Irish readers know that Bloomsday is the annual celebration of “Ulysses”... Read more
    UMass Boston has entered into a partnership with the city of Derry in the Northern Ireland aimed at boosting collaboration between the Dorchester campus and the Irish city in coming years.  UMass Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco and Derry Mayor... Read more
Trinity Irish Dance Company (TIDC), the Chicago-based critically-acclaimed Irish American non-profit performing arts company that celebrates Founding Artistic Director Mark Howard’s pioneering vision to fuse vibrant Irish traditions with ever-evolving... Read more
A look at upcoming Irish/Celtic music-related events in Greater Boston (and somewhat beyond) •Jean Butler, who played a major role in the groundbreaking original production of “Riverdance” (you might’ve heard of it) will be at the Irish Cultural Centre of... Read more
On May 4, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre will present Boston Theater Marathon XXVII, featuring 50 ten-minute plays written by 50 New England playwrights, presented by 50 New England theatre companies.    The Boston Theater Marathon is a “theatre endurance... Read more
As one of the original stars and a choreographer of major productions like “Riverdance” and “Dancing on Dangerous Ground” who has trod the boards at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall, London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and Apollo Theatre in Manchester... Read more
  The Irish theatrical sensation known as “Riverdance” was first performed as intermission entertainment during the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest held at the Point Theatre in Dublin. The seven-minute dance number was not part of the actual competition, but... Read more
  One of the many features of Greater Boston is a constant influx of young musicians, who relocate to the area for college, work, and the abundance of its Irish/Celtic music scene – or some combination of the three. A recent addition is Cork-born... Read more
  Torrin Ryan, “Uilleann Piping from the ‘Boros” • Among the many assets of the Greater Boston/Eastern Massachusetts Celtic music scene is its vibrant uilleann pipes community, personified by the Boston Uilleann Pipers Club, of whom Attleboro native Ryan ... Read more
  A look at some upcoming Irish/Celtic-related music events in Greater Boston, and slightly beyond. •Cork-born accordionist/melodeonist Diarmuid Ó Meachair has rapidly become one of the more highly praised young musicians in recent years, and Boston has... Read more
As if there weren’t already plenty of Irish/Celtic-related entertainment choices in Boston-and-vicinity this month, here’s another: Ireland’s Lúnasa, a band brimming with vast musical experience, creativity and innovation, will appear at the Somerville... Read more
As flutist and uilleann piper Seán Gavin recalls, he first met accordionist/melodeonist Colm Gannon – a Boston native and now once-again resident – some 15 years ago, during the nearly two-decade period when Gannon lived in Connemara. It was a memorable... Read more
  March is, of course, high tide for Irish/Celtic music happenings, especially around these parts. A look at some upcoming events: •For starters, Lúnasa is in town, playing at the Somerville Theatre on Sat., March 8. You can read more about it here. •As... Read more
Creating a new theater company is a daunting undertaking.  It’s an uphill battle of financing, programming, management, facility, staffing, and more.  Some theater companies last; some don’t. It’s a huge accomplishment if they thrive and succeed. That... Read more
For Greater Boston, and slightly beyond:The next Global Arts Live show at Berklee, which takes place Feb. 22: a mash-up of Talisk, the Scottish trio known for its propulsive, raucous, and tightly-knit blend of Scottish and Irish music elements, and the ... Read more

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