•A packed month for The Burren’s Brian O’Donovan Legacy Series begins on Sun., Oct. 4, with spousal harp-guitar duo Máire Ní Chathasaigh and Chris Newman, who are entering the fourth decade of their unique partnership, presenting a distinctive and innovative take on Celtic music that includes swing jazz, bluegrass, baroque, and other influences. Ní Chathasaigh, from a celebrated Irish music family, is widely hailed as an innovator of the Irish harp technique; Newman has performed throughout the UK and beyond both as a soloist, as a member of The Boys of the Lough, and with a lengthy list of collaborators ranging from jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli to Northumbrian pipes virtuoso Kathryn Tickell to Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa. Newman and Ní Cathasaigh have performed at numerous events and venues in the US, Europe, and other parts of the world, and toured with leading Celtic performers such as Altan, Cherish the Ladies, Maura O’Connell, and Mary Black. 

Reverie Road comes to The Burren Brian O'Donovan Legacy Series on Oct. 7.

A mere three days later (Oct. 7), the series will host Reverie Road, one of the more dynamic additions to the Celtic music province in the 2020s. Winifred Horan (fiddle) and John Williams (accordion, flute) – members of another notable Celtic ensemble, Solas – are joined by ex-Gaelic Storm fiddler Katie Grennan and pianist Utsav Lal, who collaborated with local Celtic musicians while studying at New England Conservatory. There is, of course, a strong traditional Irish component to Reverie Road’s sound, but other influences and interests are evident, including French, Shetland, and chamber music, among others. The four deliver their works with imagination, passion, grit, and fun, all governed by a fundamentally good sense of how to fit together these splendid individual talents. Oh, and they’ve announced a new limited-release live album is coming out this month.

Scottish fiddle doyen Alasdair Fraser will make an appearance on Oct. 14 with his new touring band: sons Galen and Cameron and Galen’s wife María San Miguel. An inspiration and mentor to countless fiddlers for many years, Fraser helped set a new direction for traditional Scottish music by bringing fresh, innovative elements to the older tunes while retaining their character and emotional depth. At the same time, he compiled an impressive portfolio of original music firmly linked to the Scottish tradition yet also attuned to wider, contemporary influences. His longtime collaboration with cellist Natalie Haas, which ended (harmoniously) earlier this year, was especially popular for its intricate musical conversations in various tones of emotion and intensity as well as incorporations of Scandinavian, Breton, American, classical, jazz, and other music forms. [Haas, meanwhile, will be at Club Passim with her sister Brittany this month. See below.]

On Oct. 28, the series will welcome The Strayaways, a trio for which the superlative “supergroup” is certainly apt: fiddlers Kevin Burke and Dylan Foley along with guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Eamon O’Leary. Burke has been part of some of the Irish music revival’s most memorable ensembles, notably the Bothy Band – he also joined in its 2023-24 revival tour and documentary – Patrick Street, Open House, Celtic Fiddle Festival, and far-ranging collaborations that include American singer-songwriter, documentary film composer, and multi-instrumentalist Cal Scott. A four-time All-Ireland champion, Foley has been heavily involved in the New York City area’s rich Irish music scene, learning from well-respected players such as Rose Flanagan, Brian Conway, and Fr. Charlie Coen, and was a member of the band The Yanks. In addition to solo work, O’Leary performs with Jefferson Hamer as the duo The Murphy Beds and with Nuala Kennedy (the two of them are also part of the trio The Alt, along with John Doyle). This is The Strayaways’ first tour in three years. 

Crossing over into the next month, the series will present a two-fer special event on Nov. 1 with Scottish fiddler (and one-time Boston resident) Louise Bichan, who is celebrating All Hallow’s Eve while also releasing her third solo album, “Binnorie,” which explores Samhain traditions, folk tales, and songs of trowies, sea serpents, and selkies. A native of Orkney, Bichan has vivid childhood memories of All Hallow’s Eve and the folk tales and supernatural stories associated with it. She’ll be joined by guitarist Conor Hearn, mandolinist Ethan Setiawan, and cellist Brendan Hearn, as well as some special guests. Bichan also is inviting attendees to come in their best costumes so as “to fool the evil spirits” and bring a “frighteningly carved” neep (turnip) or pumpkin to win a prize. Children are welcome, she says, but be advised that some of the songs will include dark themes, such as murder ballads.

Tickets, details on all Burren/Brian O’Donovan Legacy Series events here.

•Club Passim in Harvard Square will present an album launch concert by Malvenn on Oct. 8. The Montreal-based trio draws on Irish, Breton, and Quebecois music along with their own work, influenced by their traditional and classical music backgrounds, to fashion a unique take on “balfolk” – a genre that originated in the 1970s as a way to distinguish traditional French folk dances from other social dances, but expanded to encompass social folk dances and tunes – mainly though not exclusively French, and often with contemporary origins – from across Europe and sometimes beyond. Its members include Cécile Delage (harp), Charlotte Layec (clarinet), and McKinley James (cello), who lived in the Boston area while attending New England Conservatory and in addition to co-founding the band Night Tree was a part of the Childsplay ensemble. Malvenn was a recipient of a Brian O’Donovan Legacy Touring Grant from Passim.

 •Everybody’s favorite sister act, HAAS – as in Natalie and Brittany — comes to Passim on Oct. 28. Natalie is known for her longstanding partnership with Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser [see above], through which she affirmed the cello’s place in Celtic music and its overall versatility; she has also played with the likes of Irish super-group Solas and Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster. Brittany has been similarly groundbreaking in her pursuits involving American music, which have included collaborations with Darol Anger, Tony Trischka, Chris Thile, and Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin). After many years, the two got together to release an album in 2024, “HAAS,” that reflected their musical travels far and wide, as they noted, “from Nashville to Norway, the Celtic Isles to California.”

Tickets, details for Club Passim shows here.

 •Boston College’s Gaelic Roots series for 2026-27 gets underway on Oct. 15 with James Kelly, one of the most accomplished and prolific traditional Irish fiddlers of his generation. Kelly has 18 recordings to his credit, including on the album “My Love Is in America,” a collection of performances from the 1991 Boston College Irish Fiddle Festival and 1996 compilation of the Gaelic Roots series. In addition to performing as a soloist, Kelly has been a member of popular bands such as Ceoltóirí Laigheann (along with his father, John, as well as Mary Bergin, Paddy Glackin, and Paddy O’Brien), Patrick Street and Planxty. He also appeared on a number of occasions with The Chieftains. He’s also been a presenter of the “Pure Drop” series for Irish TV and has won honors such as the TG4 Irish traditional musician of the year.

Information on Gaelic Roots series events.

•Those with fond memories of We Banjo 3, the Galway quartet widely acknowledged as the originators of “Celtgrass” ­– a mix of Irish and American folk sounds that are inspired by tradition while embracing modern styles – might want to head to Somerville’s Crystal Ballroom on Oct. 18 for the Boston-area debut of Howley, as part of Global Arts Live. Comprising WB3 co-founders the Howley brothers David (guitar, bouzouki, vocals) and Martin (banjo, mandolin), and their respective wives Caitlin Leahy (vocals, bodhran) and Kiana June (fiddle), the band recently released its debut album, “Joy,” which includes original tunes and songs as well as a cover of Dougie MacLean’s “Caledonia” and a version of the traditional ballad “Newry Highwayman.” In a radio interview, David Howley insisted that Howley is “not a family band,” i.e., their wives are not in the band “just because they’re married to us. [Martin and I] like to say that we just have exceptional taste in who we spend time with, on- and off-stage.” 

Tickets, details here. 

•One group that definitely is a family band is Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy: Four on the Floor, performing their high-energy, pull-out-all-the-stops version of Cape Breton/Canadian Maritimes music at the Groton Hill Music Center on Oct. 4. MacMaster and Leahy are fiddlers and step dancers with a keen sense of theatrics and are bearers of distinguished family musical traditions. After some years of incorporating their seven children into their performances, in the past couple of years, their two eldest, Mary Frances (piano) and Michael (guitar), have become a full part of the show.  

Tickets, details here.

•The New England Irish Harp Orchestra returns to the Gore Place Carriage House series in Waltham on Oct. 28. NEIHO is a multi-generational group of harpists who play Irish traditional tunes, slow airs, and songs in various combinations as well as a full ensemble – including with fiddlers, flutists, and singers. The group has released four albums.

Tickets, details here.

•An event that has “21st century” written all over it: Haggis X-1 with Kaliloops at City Winery Boston on Oct. 20. Haggis X-1 is an offshoot of popular Canadian Celtic rock band Enter the Haggis (known for head-banging, arena-friendly Celtic rock as well as more nuanced, lyrical, indie-type offerings, combining a versatile repertoire with sociopolitical conviction), featuring longtime EtH members Craig Downie (bagpipes, vocals), Tom Barraco (drums, percussion, vocals), and Trevor Lewington (guitar, vocals) along with fiddler/stepdancer Emily Yarascovitch and multi-instrumentalist Rob Barraco. Kaliloops is the performing and social media name of Kali Stoddard-Imari, a New England-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for his live looping performances.

Tickets, details can be found here