Arts and Entertainment

Riverdance in farewell visit to Boston- Don't miss it! In 1996, Bill Clinton was president, William Weld was governor of Massachusetts, the old Boston Garden was still standing, the Red Sox were still in search of their first world championship since 1918... Read more
The international sensation known as "Riverdance" has played in 40 countries across 4 continents in more than 350 venues to a worldwide audience surpassing 22 million people. That's astounding when you consider that the two-hour celebration of Irish... Read more
There are the recording projects that try a musician’s soul: long, exhausting hours in the studio spent doing take after take of the same track; fretting about various post-production details; squabbling with accompanists about this or that artistic... Read more
Reagle Music Theatre’s popular revue “A Little Bit of Ireland” returns on March 17 and 18 for its 14th season. The show is a colorful celebration of Irish music, dancing, and light-hearted comedy based on what Reagle’s Producing Artistic Director and... Read more
The Greater Boston area resounds with Irish and other Celtic music all year round, of course, but March seems to be a particularly active period – perhaps because of a certain holiday that falls on the 17th. Here’s a look at some of the events taking... Read more
It seems like yesterday that Moya Doherty and I sat down in the chill winter of 1993 in a small café on Dublin’s Baggot Street to discuss the germ of an idea that was to become Riverdance. Little did we dream that by 2012, this small germ would have... Read more
Brian Conway makes no bones about it: He understands that his particular tutelage in the Irish music tradition was a profoundly rare thing, and he feels very fortunate as a result. “I think that, in my upbringing, I definitely got the music pure,” says... Read more
Baritone, pianist, and conductor Bradford Conner is on a mission. He sincerely hopes you’ll love great American music as much as he does. One conversation proves he has a devotion and an insight for it that few others possess. Classically trained, Brad... Read more
BY SEAN SMITH SPECIAL TO THE BIR It seemed like most any typical all-ages holiday gathering, and in many ways, it was. A Christmas tree stood in the corner of the living room, right by the entry to the dining room. Christmas decorations graced the... Read more
By Sean Smith Special to the BIR It’s not just Irish dance aficionados and child development experts who can find grist for conversation in “Jig.” Add classical philosophers to the list, too. Sue Bourne’s documentary on Irish competitive dancing, released... Read more
BY R. J. DONOVAN SPECIAL TO THE BIR Nestled on 10 acres of waterfront property along Dorchester’s Columbia Point, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum faces the sea, an apt location given JFK’s love of the ocean. If you’ve never visited the... Read more
Rockette Courtney Grassia performs in ‘Radio City Christmas Spectacular’ When The Radio City Rockettes light up the stage at The Wang Theatre all this month with their new “Radio City Christmas Spectacular,” there’ll be a Boston-area native front and... Read more
Northern Irish traditional singer Len Graham, Boston-area fiddle band Halali, and cross-genre Canadian singer Ruth Moody of The Wailin’ Jennys join the cast for the ninth annual “Christmas Celtic Sojourn,” the popular holiday-themed showcase of music,... Read more
One of Greater Boston's most popular Irish pubs, The Burren in Somerville's Davis Square, has relaunched its "Backroom" series of concerts featuring top-notch Irish/Celtic performers from the Boston area and elsewhere. Fiddler Winifred Horan and... Read more
On one recent early autumn evening, a severe rainstorm with winds of up to 70 mph battered the 150-year-old house in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, that Boston-area fiddler Doug Lamey now calls home. In a couple of months, the rain will be replaced by an even... Read more
Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" has long ranked as one of the great novels of English literature. Written in 1851, the classic tale follows the tyrannical Captain Ahab in his relentless pursuit of the great white whale Moby Dick. Despite having already... Read more
First of two parts For most of his adult life, Andy Irvine has been true to the advice he set down in one of his best-loved songs: Never tire of the road. Irvine’s ongoing odyssey – which this month brings him to Boston, where he’ll perform on Oct. 6 at... Read more
Joe DerraneA special tribute to the legendary Joe Derrane – and a performance by the Boston-born Irish accordionist and composer himself – will highlight this fall’s Gaelic Roots Music, Dance, and Lecture series. The series, under the direction of... Read more
By Sean Smith Special to the BIR There is no one formula or blueprint for forming a band. Sometimes it's by conscious design, sometimes it's a matter of happenstance, a confluence of the right factors at the right time. And then there's Long Time Courting... Read more
By R.J. Donovan Special to the BIR Actor, singer, pianist and director Will McGarrahan has been part of Boston's theater community for more than a decade. During that time, he has established himself as one of the city's most reliable and diverse talents... Read more

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